*DEVELOPING*

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.

Looking for something to do on Thanksgiving or Christmas Day? In the past your options were limited to The Byrd Theatre or Movieland at Boulevard Square but now a new venue has risen to challenge these pillars of holiday entertainment. The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts announced today that the museum will be open 365 days a year, offering special holiday hours so that you can share Richmond's art treasures with your guests from out of town:

Historically, the museum has been closed Mondays and in recent years, it was also closed on Tuesdays. Holiday closings were on New Year’s Day, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Starting on the Fourth of July, VMFA will open on these holidays from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

• Establish special holiday hours from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. for New Year’s Day, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.
• Maintain regular 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday hours for state and national holidays that fall on Mondays, such as Memorial Day, Martin Luther King Day and Labor Day.
• Operate the VMFA Shop, Best Café and Amuse Restaurant during open holiday hours.
• Offer a special holiday-specific menu on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s in the museum’s restaurants.

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.

Reports the Times-Dispatch:

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?

Reader Josh asks us "I've noticed a number of restaurants and businesses in Carytown and the Fan refuse to accept Visa or other credit cards for transactions less than $5 or $10. Is this allowed? I thought Visa had to be accepted everywhere the logo is displayed."

According to our research any business that displays the Visa or Mastercard logo has to accept your credit card without any limitations. When a merchant signs up with a bank for a credit card processing device they agree not to require a minimum charge or charge you a fee for using your credit card.

The Consumerist.com blog has details on filing a complaint with your credit card issuer about merchants not following the rules:

Visa

"Visa merchants are not permitted to establish minimum transaction amounts, even on sale items. They also are not permitted to charge you a fee when you want to use your Visa card."

Reporting Information:
Phone Number: 1-800-VISA-911 (International: 1-410-581-9994). Or call the number on the back of your card

Online: Your card issuer's website may let you send them complaints about merchant violations and start a dispute if your were charged a fee to use your card.

MasterCard

"A merchant must not require, or post signs indicating that it requires, a minimum or maximum transaction amount to accept a valid MasterCard card."

Phone Number: 1-800-MASTERCARD (International: 1-636-722-7111) Or can also call the number on the back of your card.

Online: Make a report online.

American Express

"American Express's regulations do not explicitly prohibit minimum charges, but its policy is to discourage any merchant practices that create a "barrier to acceptance." Amex does prohibit "discrimination" against the Amex card, however, so if a merchant has no minimum or maximum charge or require ID for Visa and MasterCard, the merchant may not discriminate against Amex by imposing a minimum or maximum charge or requiring ID."

Phone Number: 1-800-528-4800 (International: 1-336-393-1111)

Online: Make a report online

What's Up With That? Send us an email and we'll investigate.

Your old plastic grocery bags could be part of the new plastic benches at Byrd Park thanks to a generous donation to the city parks by MARTIN'S grocery stores. The grocery giant presented the city with 25 benches made from plastics reclaimed from recycled grocery bags.

According to a release from the Department of Parks and Recreation four of the new benches are already installed at the Byrd Park Tot Lot located just southwest of the Carillon.

Each bench is made from approximately 5,500 recycled plastic bags, according to MARTIN’S.

Read More About the Bags To Benches Program From the Department of Parks & Recreation

Fireworks will light up the Boulevard again tonight after the Flying Squirrels play the Harrisburg Senators.

For those Boulevardizens who are not going to the game, but still would like to enjoy the fireworks show, head over to the Virginia Historical Society for a great view.

There will be fireworks displays after the June 10th and June 17th games as well.

The Flying Squirrels will offer another Memorial Day weekend fireworks display tonight after they play the Bowie Baysox.

Says The Flying Squirrels on the pyrotechnics extravaganza:

The weekend will end in style on Monday night at 7:05 PM with a fireworks  show following the game presented by AT&T! Gates will open at 6:00 PM and feature pre-game entertainment from the Center Stage Band.

Great seats still remain for Memorial Day Weekend. Tickets can be purchased today by visiting the team's ticket office at The Diamond, calling (804) 359-FUNN (3866), or logging on to SquirrelsBaseball.com.

The final Groovin In The Garden at Maymont:

This week: Carbon Leaf
Opening act: Sons of Bill
Coming to Maymont for the first time, this outdoor concert series features live bands in a beautiful setting. Food and beverage available for purchase.
Location:     Maymont's Carriage House Lawn
Fees:     $15 in advance/$20 day of the show

Maymont just announced the bad news that tonight's performance by Jay Farrar with Ben Kweller is cancelled. The reason for tonight's cancellation is unclear.

Maymont reminds everyone that next week Carbon Leaf & Son's of Bill will perform at the Thursday night concert series.

Tomorrow afternoon the Diamond will host an epic softball showdown between the Richmond Police Department and present/former members of the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers.

The celebrity game is being organized by The James Farrior Foundation, an organization offering academic scholarships & mentoring opportunities to young people.  

Says the Richmond Police Department on the teams:

Chief Bryan T. Norwood will, of course, be the head coach for the Richmond Police team, whose roster features Assistant Chief Dave McCoy and those in the ranks from patrol officers to majors.

Farrior has put together a team of Steelers including Lamaar Woodley, Larry Foote, James Harrison, Jerome Bettis, Casey Hampton, Max Starks, Chris Keomatu, Heath Miller, Ryan Clark, Ike Taylor and Willie Parker. An autograph session with the pro ballers for game attendees will be held after the softball game.

Game time is 1 p.m. Saturday, May 15, at The Diamond. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under and will be available at The Diamond ticket office.

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Here's what we know:

• SUV and small sedan collided head on at the treacherous curving intersection of Boulevard and Blanton Ave.
• One elderly female injured and transported to an area hospital
• One male in handcuffs performing a sobriety test
• Boulevard completely closed at this two lane area; traffic routed around Byrd Park

** DEVELOPING **

The Department of Public Utilities says that residents of the 200 block of North Boulevard will likely lose their water service tomorrow morning. The outage is expected to last from 7 AM-11 AM while DPU makes repairs to subterranean water pipes.

DPU offers the following tips for residents to enjoy some water tomorrow morning:

Fill the bathtub tonight and get a bucket or big saucepan to scoop, then you have water to flush the toilet, shave, wash up in the sink and make coffee in the morning.

Music will be in the air this June when the famed Jumpin' outdoor concert series returns to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Every Thursday in June from 6-9 PM the VMFA will host a concert in the Lora Robins Sculpture Garden.

This year's lineup of musical acts features:

June 3
Alejandro Escovedo & The Sensitive Boys
Eclectic guitarist and singer/songwriter Alejandro Escovedo has spent four decades as a performer and his music has ranged from punk, western, alternative country, cow punk and hard-hitting rock and roll.
“Escovedo & The Sensitive Boys have hit it into the stratosphere with the new disc, Real Animal.” – Belinda Accosta, South by Southwest Music Festival

June 10
Marcia Ball
Marcia Ball is a sensational, saucy singer, superb pianist and compelling storyteller who melds Texas stomp-rock and Louisiana blues-swamp.
“Ball’s music is “rollicking, playful, good-time blues.” – Rolling Stone Magazine

June 17
The Krayolas with the West Side Horns
From the very first notes they play, The Krayolas kick out Texas sounds with Tex-Mex rockin’ conjunto jostling with British Invasion contrasting to roadhouse swing, country, Motown, and jacked-up rock and roll.
“…effortlessly mixing Tex-Mex, Motown and British invasion sounds into a winning concoction.” – Jeff McCord, KUT/NPR “Best of Music 2009”

June 24
Terrance Simien & The Zydeco Experience
One of zydeco’s most soulful vocalists and fieriest accordionists, Terrance Simien infuses his sound with R&B, funk, gospel and reggae.
“Simien is a zydeco master.” – Rolling Stone Magazine

Jumpin’ tickets are $14 (VMFA members $12). Children age six and under are free. Tickets may be purchased by phone at 804.340.1405, online or at the museum’s Visitor Services desk. Parking for the event is available in the museum’s deck for $3 (VMFA members free with membership card).

Gates open at 6 p.m., music begins at 6:30 p.m. Jumpin’ tickets are not refundable or exchangeable. No pets, lawn chairs or coolers will be allowed in the garden.

Picnics in the park are going to be even more delicious this summer thanks to a new vendor opening Byrd Park. Richmond's preeminent sandwich maker, Sally Bell's Kitchen was awarded a contract to provide restaurant services daily from the new Landing concession building.

Reports Style Weekly:

Sally Bell’s Kitchen — with its salty corned beef sandwiches, flaky pecan-cheese wafers and onion-rich potato salad whipped with homemade mayonnaise — is expanding to a second location for the first time in 1924.

It’s a big step for the fabled hometown institution, which has been featured in The New York Times and GQ magazine but has stood pat in the 700 block of West Grace Street since it opened as Sarah Lee Kitchen in

Read More From Style Weekly

Sally Bell's will operate Tuesday - Sunday from 11 am to park closing. The restaurateur hopes to begin operating by Memorial Day and will run the stand through October.

H/T To Our Friends At ByrdPark.net

On Wednesday morning the front doors of the Virginia Historical Society opened extra wide to accommodate a World War II era military jeep. The antique vehicle is on display as part of the Memories of World War II exhibit which you can enjoy for free at the Historical Society from May 8 to August 1st.

View more details on this exhibit at the Virginia Historical Society