Residents of an apartment building on South Boulevard at Cary St are going to have a difficult time getting into their homes this morning after a two vehicle crash sent a Jeep barreling into the structure's front porch. Richmond police, fire and RAA are limiting traffic in the area to one lane as emergency personnel work to clear this messy accident scene.
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View Our Photos Of This Savage Storm
UPDATE 11:15 PM - Richmond Police Report that the fallen tree at Monument & Roseneath has claimed another victim: VEH RAN INTO THE TREE DOWN AT THIS LOCATION...VEH POSS LEAVING THE AREA.
A 21 year old man is in critical condition today after falling from the roof of a three story apartment building at the intersection of Boulevard and West Main Street. According to the Richmond Police Department the individual fell after engaging in an alcohol fueled dare to jump the gap between two buildings.
Richmond police Capt. David L. Martin said the victim was taken to VCU Medical Center with life-threatening internal and head injuries.
Martin said authorities were called to an alley behind 9 N. Boulevard at 2:53 a.m. and found the victim on the ground, bleeding from his head and other areas....
....Martin said the three had decided to use a ladder to climb to the roof of 9 N. Boulevard, where the victim jumped to the roof of adjacent 7 N. Boulevard. When the victim tried to jump back to the roof of 9 N. Boulevard, he didn't make it and plunged to the alley below.
Much ridicule has been directed at the poor judgment of the intoxicated victim on area news sites such as the Times-Dispatch and CBS 6 with little inquiry into the conditions that led to this tragedy. Where did this ladder come from? Was it the tenant's ladder or the property owner's? If the ladder was the latter, did it serve as an attractive nuisance?
The sidewalks of Carytown have long been haunted by the most loathsome of urban poltergeists: the ghost of chewed gum. The rainbow of gooey gobs of post-masticated gum dot the sidewalk of the mile long shopping corridor and frequently attach to the shoes of unsuspecting pedestrians. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that the Carytown Merchants Association has had enough of this gum infestation and has invested in a gum busting machine to remove and capture these pests:
The [Carytown Merchants Association] has bought a $3,400 steam cleaner and is planning to unleash the machine on the once-sticky, dark splotches that have accumulated for years....
....The cleaner was tested on a sidewalk in front of the Byrd Theatre before the French Film Festival in March. "People noticed it," said Broomfield, owner of Play N Trade.
The merchants association plans to hire members of the Area 10 Faith Community church to operate the cleaner. Broomfield said it's unclear how long it might take to rid the eight-block shopping district of gum or how often cleanings might be needed. The anti-gum blitz comes as Carytown is working to curb graffiti and improve signs, as well as spruce itself with fresh mulch in tree wells.
Learn more about the gumbusting effort in the Carytown area from the Richmond Times-Dispatch
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Here's what we know:
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In a bold effort to remove customers from their store Ellwood Thompson's Coffee has cut the wires on their wifi internet. The popular Carytown coffee destination announced that today their wireless internet would be disabled during the hours people typically frequent coffee shops. For weekday visitors this means no access from 11:00 am to 1:30 pm and from 4:30 pm to closing. Weekend customers will no longer receive complementary internet access between 10:00 am - 1:30 pm and from 4:30 pm to closing.
With Ellwood's taking this tragic step into the time machine of internet past, where will you enjoy your coffee and wifi?
Learn more about the Ellwood's business decision at Richmond BizSense
The Friday fire emergency that slowed traffic to a crawl in Carytown has been ruled accidental by the Richmond Fire Department. Says RFD on the incident:
Unit 12 arrived on scene with heavy smoke showing from a 2 story masonry constructed apartment building. Unit 12 established command and launched an aggressive interior attack as Unit 18 performed Truck Company Operations.
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Crime hit the Fan this weekend as Richmond Police report a significant number of armed robberies between the VCU campus and the Boulevard. The rash of robberies on Friday and Saturday all share similar characteristics: two suspects armed with a gun robbing an individual.
Richmond Police Report The Following Incidents:
ROBBERY
5/7/10 11:15 p.m.
1700 block of Grove Avenue
A male reported he was robbed at gunpoint by two unknown males.
ROBBERY
5/8/10 5:34 a.m.
100 block of North Morris Street
A male reported he was robbed at gunpoint by two unknown males.
ROBBERY
5/8/10 5:34 a.m.
1800 block of Grove Avenue
A male reported he was robbed at gunpoint by two unknown males.
ROBBERY
5/9/10 8:28 p.m.
315 N. Boulevard
A female reported she was robbed at gunpoint by two unknown males.
ROBBERY ATTEMPT
5/9/10 9:28 p.m.
3000 Monument Ave.
A female reported she was assaulted during a robbery attempt by two unknown males with a gun.
Police have not yet confirmed a link or provided suspect descriptions for these crimes.
Motorists on South Boulevard are on high alert this afternoon after a deer assault on passing sedan. The shocking deer vs. car incursion occurred in the northbound lane of the Boulevard at the 195 onramp bordering Byrd Park around 5:30 pm. Without any warning at all a fawn charged from a stealth position and slammed with full force into the front fender of a vehicle. The unprovoked attack caused significant body damage to the vehicle and proved fatal for the deer.
As a result of this startling act of urban deer vs. car violence in broad daylight Boulevardizen.com is raising the BLVD Deer Threat Level to ORANGE.
Do you live along or near the Boulevard? Well be sure to claim your parking spot tonight because this weekend is going to be a very busy one on our grand avenue.
The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts grand opening celebration on Saturday and Sunday will draw thousands of residents and tourists to the Grove through Kensington blocks of Boulevard. The expanded museum features a 600 car parking garage however we can expect many visitors to utilize free street parking.
Further south on Boulevard traffic and parking will also be more of a challenge than usual as Byrd Park hosts Arts in the Park. The 38th annual art show will feature more than 450 artists and will also draw thousands of people to the Carillon area in Byrd Park.
Arts in The Park will provide free parking and free shuttle service from the City Stadium parking lot to Byrd Park.
Richmond Fire Department units swarmed the intersection of Stuart Ave and Strawberry Street around lunch time today when a small blaze broke out in the Italian restaurant 8 1/2.
According to Lt. Shawn Jones with the RFD the restaurant blaze was ruled accidental and that units quickly controlled the smoky fire.
All of the restaurant's staff & patrons were safely evacuated from the single story structure.
On June 13, 1951 a large F3 tornado touched down just west of the Boulevard Bridge and carved a path of destruction through Byrd Park, The Fan and into Richmond's north side communities. The late afternoon tornado travelled four miles through the city, completely destroying 35 buildings and damaging 1,000 others.
From the Richmond Times-Dispatch:
"It came on fast. It sounded to me like an earthquake. I saw rooftops flying through the air. Pieces of tin and trees were falling on South Granby Street. When it hit my house, the back of the house came down. All the houses along here got hit in the back, and they all were half ripped down." - Perl Price, 1835 Rosewood Avenue.
And from the Richmond News Leader came this quote by John L. Walker:
"Four different clouds - all funnel-shaped - were rushing toward the city. Each one had a tail like a kite. Then the four came together in the shape of a huge auger that picked up everything in front of it."
This report suggests that it was a multi-vortex tornado with, at one point, four vortices visible.
Do you enjoy going for peaceful Saturday morning rides in the Fan or Museum District? Well change of plans for you this Saturday as the Monument Avenue 10k will close the entire length of Monument Ave from Franklin St @ Monroe Park to Staples Mill Rd. In addition a number of cross streets will be closed as well:
Residents on North Boulevard are mourning the loss of one of their favorite antique lamp posts after a two vehicle crash triggered a head on collision with one of the towering poles. The tragedy occurred around 1:45 PM this afternoon at the intersection known as "The Devil's Triangle" and home to the chaotic crossings of Boulevard, Park and Patterson Avenues. As to memorials for the popular lamp post neighbors say "its too early to think about candle light vigils" as the grief from the loss still hasn't fully set in.
CRASH!!!! A rain soaked roof covering the front porch of a home at 2629 Kensington Ave performed an unplanned separation from its parent structure at around 8:30 PM this evening. Richmond Fire crews arrived on the scene to discover an estimated 30 feet of smashed roofing materials collapsed onto the porch foundation and shrubbery in front of the structure.
According to reports from a nearby resident the roof was already in a state of disrepair after suffering significant damage from this winter's heavy snowfall accumulations.
There were no reported injuries in this catastrophic structural failure.
