In hopes of providing alternatives to incarceration, Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones and other officials traveled here last week to tour a former Flav-O-Rich dairy where drug offenders are treated and put to work. Richmond is looking at ways to prevent the planned new Richmond City Jail from becoming a warehouse for nonviolent criminals.

Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones has started to name his administration, beginning with Suzette P. Denslow as chief of staff and David M. Hicks as senior policy analyst.

Richmond Mayor L. Douglas Wilder blasted attorney David M. Hicks yesterday, saying Hicks sought $2 million to settle a lawsuit against the city while also leading the transition of Mayor-elect Dwight Clinton Jones.

Minus Richmond’s current and future mayor, members of the City Council and School Board pressed tonight their priorities for the 2009 General Assembly session. The dinner discussion touched on a range of topics but was dominated by a hope that lawmakers would limit the impact of potentially severe budget cuts on critical services, including education and public safety.