Public Masturbation Reported

VCU Commonwealth Times newspaper is reporting that there have been repeated complaints about a public masturbator on the 195 overpass bridge on S. Laurel Street.

Excerpt:

On Oct. 28 at 9:30 p.m., junior advertising major Meredith Berger was walking to the library from her home in Oregon Hill when she was warned of a man publicly masturbating on the South Laurel St. Bridge.

“I was about to cross the bridge that is on Laurel going over the highway in Oregon Hill and was stopped by this girl,” Berger said. “She told me I should cross the street because there was this guy publicly masturbating.”

According to Berger, the young woman who stopped her seemed disturbed by the incident.

“She was really upset by this and she was really very adamant that I be on the other side of the street and not deal with him,” Berger said. “She was really nice though and made a lot of effort to stop me.”

Both Berger and her roommate, junior interior design major Noshin Faruque, described this man as African American, medium build and medium height in his late 30s to early 40s.

Faruque said she has come across this suspect five times.

Oregon Hill’s Firehouse

Oregon Hill suffered tremendous losses in housing and history when the Downtown Expressway‘s construction tore a great scar through the neighborhood in the 1970’s. Among the resources that were lost was the Engine House No. 6 that was formerly at the corner of Cumberland and Laurel. The bell that was in a cupola on the roof of Engine House No. 6 was moved to the replacement firehouse at Canal and Jefferson Streets. These photographs in the collection of the Richmond History Center, show the original firehouse in 1957 and 1895:
200 s copyOregon Hill fire station, Laurel and Cumberland, 1895, Richmond History Center copyengine co no 6, laurel and cumberland, 1895, Richmond History Center
Photo credits:
slide of building, 1957, Richmond History Center
fire engine photos, 1895, Richmond History Center

E-ZPass Program Ends Monthly Fee

Call me old-fashioned, but I still pay the 195 tolls with coins. However, for those that do use E-ZPass, the monthly fees for it will end:

Dear Valued E-ZPass Virginia Customer,

I am pleased to inform you that as of July 1, 2014, Virginia’s E-ZPass program will no longer charge a monthly maintenance fee on transponders. In April 2014, Governor McAuliffe signed legislation that required the elimination of the monthly maintenance fees by September 1, 2014. At the Governor’s direction, we are implementing this change two months early.

In the coming days, you will receive more details regarding the terms and conditions of Virginia’s E-ZPass program. We will continue to look for opportunities to improve the program and appreciate your participation in E-ZPass Virginia.

www.ezpassva.com
This email was sent from customerservice@ezpassva.com

195 Ramp Closing Temporarily

According to signs, the 195 on-ramp from Cumberland will be closed for a month starting tomorrow while there is more work on the toll plaza.

From WRIC Channel 8’s website:

Richmond, VA—The Downtown Expressway Cumberland Street on-ramp will be closed to traffic for thirty days beginning Monday, September 10.

The on-ramp will be closed through early October, for the final phase of the Downtown Expressway Open Road Tolling project.

Motorists wishing to enter the roadway in this area are encouraged to use a detour to the westbound Belvidere/2nd Street on-ramp.