More than 100 people gathered outside the downtown Richmond offices of Sens. Jim Webb and Mark R. Warner today to protest the proposed health care plans pending before Congress. Neither Virginia Senator, both Democrats, has committed to vote in favor of the plan that was unveiled this week in the Senate. Richmond police officers stood by to make sure the protests were peaceful. Protesters held signs and shouted slogans.

Next week’s scheduled sentencing of former gang member Detavis J. King for the 2007 slaying of Chesterfield County teenager Ryan Matko will be delayed for several months as his defense attorney seeks to have King’s guilty verdicts set aside. Defense lawyer Greg Sheldon filed a motion Wednesday to continue Monday’s sentencing hearing so he can obtain and review a transcript of the testimony given by Dominique Johnson, a key prosecution witness, who Sheldon suggested at King’s trial was the real killer.

Joey Monroe calls himself a survivor. The U.S. Marine Corps veteran has survived since August without a permanent roof over his head, and he understands the consequences of living on the streets. “Anything could have happened to me in the street,“ he said. “I could have ended up dead in the street.“

Richmond’s budget woes extend beyond the national recession and are being compounded by permanent revenue losses from Henrico County’s decision to change some ZIP code addresses from Richmond to Henrico, the city’s top finance official said. Marcus D. Jones, deputy chief administrative officer for finance and administration, told the City Council’s Finance Committee yesterday that the ZIP code change is partly responsible for a projected $10.3 million budget shortfall for the current fiscal year, but he said an amount hasn’t been determined.

A special prosecutor has been assigned to investigate an allegation of sexual battery made against Richmond Sheriff C.T. Woody, a law-enforcement official confirmed last night. An adult woman made the allegation against Woody to Richmond authorities, and the matter later was referred to a special prosecutor, the official said. It could not be confirmed when the incident is alleged to have taken place or the status of the investigation.

Still in its first year of operation, The Westin hotel in Henrico County has won one of AAA’s prestigious Four Diamond Awards for superior service and amenities. The 250-room, full-service Westin, owned by Musselman Hotels of Louisville, Ky., only opened its doors Dec. 18. “We came out of the gate strong on our service component, said Feliks Schwartz, general manager of the hotel at 6631 W. Broad St. “We have not taken any shortcuts.“

A 15.5 percent increase in Richmond’s construction permit fees may have been unnecessary, and it has failed to produce the promised improvements in inspection services, according to the city auditor. Backed by 32 development professionals and then-Mayor L. Douglas Wilder, the City Council raised the fees in 2007 so the city could hire 10 inspectors and related staff to make the operation more efficient.

Your donations to the Richmond Christmas Mother Fund help provide a brighter holiday to families struggling to make ends meet. The fund provides toys, clothing, food and other assistance to families in need. The fund was established in 1935 by the Richmond Times-Dispatch and The Richmond News Leader. The Salvation Army now administers the fund as part of its citywide Christmas programs.

When Richmonder Martin Strother began to sing, his powerful basso profondo voice—without benefit of a microphone—easily commanded an auditorium or concert hall. “He was not a tall man, but he had a tall voice—a big, booming bass voice. He had a voice you would not forget,“ said soprano Lisa Edwards-Burr, assistant professor of music at Virginia Union University. She first worked with him at Dogwood Dell, when he portrayed her father in the Scott Joplin opera “Treemonisha.“

Chester-based Uppy’s Convenience Stores Inc. won the Greater Richmond Chamber’s Impact Award during a gala last night. The chain of convenience stores was picked from a field of six finalists. “Uppy’s ultimately demonstrated, across the board, their commitment to growing their company and building their community in the process, and we are pleased to recognize them for those efforts,“ said Slaughter Fitz-Hugh, chair of the award committee and president of CapTech Ventures.

The city of Richmond is projecting a $10 million revenue shortfall in the current budget year because of sagging sales-tax collections and cuts in state funding. Mayor Dwight C. Jones announced the shortfall yesterday after reviewing revenue collections and other data from the first quarter of fiscal 2009-10. “We have anticipated a downward adjustment for some time in light of the sour economy,“ the mayor said in a news release. “For the current year, the adjustment represents 1.7 percent less than the approved budget. What we are embarking on now is a number of strategies to help close the budget gap while keeping our fund balance intact.“

Have you ever wanted to perform in a show at the Barksdale Theatre? If you attend one of the upcoming productions of the two-act musical “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,“ you might get your chance. “Four members of the audience are recruited to participate in the actual spelling bee, up there on stage with the cast during Act I for each and every performance,“ said Judi Crenshaw, publicist for Theatre IV and Barksdale Theatre. “It’s sort of a combination of being in the spelling bee, but also being in a professional show.“

The cost of retiree health care is turning into a hot-button issue for state legislators and local officials, who will learn today how much more local governments will have to pay for employee retirement plans. The increase that will be recommended to the Virginia Retirement System Board of Trustees by its actuary is small—about 1 percent overall on average among all localities covered by the state system.

The Richmond Christmas Mother program was launched 75 years ago when The Times-Dispatch Goodfellows Club and The News Leader Neediest Family fund joined with other local Christmas stocking clubs to create a single holiday fundraising campaign. The fund was designed to provide needy children and families with toys, clothing, food and other assistance during the holidays. The Salvation Army now administers the fund as part of its citywide Christmas programs.

Nine people were transported to area hospitals for evaluation and treatment yesterday after a fire damaged an apartment building and displaced 27 people in Richmond’s East End. The fire was reported at 8:31 a.m. at a three-story apartment building in the 1300 block of Coalter Street. Richmond fire Lt. Shawn L. Jones said emergency crews at the scene examined 19 people and transported nine to hospitals, mostly for smoke inhalation. One woman had a leg injury after jumping from a window to safety, Jones said.