Good morning, RVA! It’s 74 °F, and highs today will settle in the sweaty mid-90s. Looks like we could catch an afternoon storm, so if you’ve gotta commute home, keep an eye on the sky. The rest of the week looks hot, with temperatures slowly, steadily increasing as we approach the weekend.
 

Water cooler

Hello, and welcome back to myself! I took the last two weeks to rest, relax, ride a bike almost every morning, and play rummy with my family every evening. It was delightful, and I strongly recommended it if you can make it happen. While voluntarily trapped on Hilton Head Island for a fortnight, I did follow Richmond’s news from afar—so I’m not totally out of the loop. Here are just a handful of things that may now be old news, but I wanted to make sure I put down in the GMRVA historical record:
 

• On Friday, July 1st, the Richmond Police Department was required to post this tweet thread retracting their—now admittedly false—rationalization for tear gassing peaceful protestors during the summer of 2020. Here’s the important bit: “There were no RPD officers cut off by violent protestors at Lee Monument. There was no need for gas at Lee Monument to get RPD officers to safety.” Then, on July 4th, seven people were murdered in Highland Park, Illinois at a mass shooting during an Independence Day parade. On July 6th, RPD released this statement about a “planned mass shooting for July 4th” at, apparently, Dogwood Dell. Since that statement’s release—just a handful of days after admitting to lying to the public about tear gassing peaceful protestors—all sorts of inconsistencies in the RPD’s story have started to pop up. Jon Baliles has a full rundown in his newsletter, but, most worryingly to me: The police didn’t update the Mayor until July 5th. I don’t know where this story goes next, but it certainly feels like trust in Richmond’s police department is at an all-time low.
• Jonathan Spiers at Richmond BizSense reported that NewMarket Corp will build a 7,500-seat amphitheater on their big, green hillside right behind Tredegar. Two things to note: First, this development is by-right, so no opportunities for folks to queue up at Planning Commission or City Council and yell about noise or parking or whatever other thing; Second, Coran Capshaw is involved (manager of Dave Matthews Band, Phish, and others), which, for me, lends immediate legitimacy to the project.
• The UVA Weldon Cooper Center released their updated statewide population projections for 2030, 2040, and 2050. In the time-honored tradition practiced by all Virginians, scroll down to the bottom of the table to find the list of the Commonwealth’s independent cities. At some point between 2030 and 2040, Richmond will hit 250,000 residents!

Good morning, RVA! It’s 71 °F, and summer weather has fully returned. Today you can expect highs in the 90s, a decent amount of humidity, and a gusty afternoon—we should avoid any suddenly downpours, though. Looks like a mixed bag of hot and rainy over the long weekend, but I’m sure you’ll find time to get out and enjoy it when you can.
 

Water cooler

Hello and welcome to the final day of the Good Morning, RVA member drive! I don’t have much to say, other than 79 folks decided to either join the GMRVA patreon or up their existing monthly donation. That’s wild! I (you? we?) far exceeded my $200 goal—probably by greater than 50%, but I lost track of the math in my inbox and can’t figure out how to pull that report from Patreon. Regardless, y’all are amazing, and I am very thankful. I’m about to head out on vacation (see logistical note below), and I do want to take some of that time to rethink how my Patreon works—I’ve had a couple of patron-only ideas kicking around for awhile. No promise though, because I could just end up spending 100% of every day riding bikes and watching horror films! Anyway if you’ve got fun ideas for patrons, just reply to this email and let me know, and, of course, if you’d like to become a GMRVA patron, you can do so at patreon.com/gmrva. Thanks, y’all.
 

Welp, after what looked like a potential downward trend in the spread of COVID-19 in our communities, the CDC COVID-19 Community Level is back up to high in Richmond, Henrico, and Chesterfield. The 7-day average number of cases per 100,000 people in each jurisdiction is, respectively: 256, 258, and 245. The 7-day average of new COVID-19 hospital admissions per 100,000 people is 11.4. Big sigh. Remember: You should be wearing a mask in all indoor public spaces, regardless of your vaccination status. Double remember: Everyone you know that is older than a 6-month-old baby is eligible for some sort of COVID-19 vaccine, and, most likely, some sort of booster. The vaccine is still the best and easiest way to protect yourself and others from a summertime trip to the hospital, so if you or anyone you love is missing a dose or two, get that fixed over the long weekend.
 

Good morning, RVA! It’s already 70 °F, and today looks like a truly summer day with highs peaking right around 90 °F. It’s definitely that time of year where no matter how easy I take it on the ride into work, I show up to meetings sweaty and smelling…not the best. Deal with it, I say! Normalize sweat due to non-car commutes!
 

Water cooler

Just a quick reminder this morning that the Good Morning, RVA membership drive continues! I hit my goal on Tuesday, surpassed it on Wednesday, and am stoked regardless of whatever happens today or tomorrow. Thank you again to all patrons—new or old and grizzled. I deeply appreciate you! So, if you’ve been meaning to chip in a couple of bucks to support this daily newsletter, you can do so at: patreon.com/gmrva. Thanks, y’all.
 

I continue to track a lot of plans and developments going on in the region, and the Staples Mill Road Small Area Plan is one of them. It’s a little out of my typical coverage zone and is—at least at this point—vastly suburban, but 1) the area sparkles with potential, and 2) getting to the Staples Mill Road Train Station in a safe and convenient way would sure be nice. To that end, tonight at 6:00 PM, VDOT will host an online public meeting to discuss the “multimodal transportation needs and improvements on Staples Mill Road and other key streets near the Staples Mill Road Amtrak Station in Henrico County.” If you can’t make, what’s sure to be, a thrilling meeting but would like to weight in, you can, of course, fill out a survey! For serious though, tap through and fill this thing out, because there are some intensely progressive options for remaking Staples Mill Road—including one with sidewalks, physically separated bike lanes, and a dedicated transit-only lane. Small Area Plans are not construction work orders, so who knows what will really happen in the corridor’s future, but I don’t think I’ve ever filled out a local infrastructure survey that let me pick an option that included dedicated, safe space for four modes of travel (foot, bike, bus, and car).
 

Good morning, RVA! It’s already 70 °F, and today looks like a truly summer day with highs peaking right around 90 °F. It’s definitely that time of year where no matter how easy I take it on the ride into work, I show up to meetings sweaty and smelling…not the best. Deal with it, I say! Normalize sweat due to non-car commutes!
 

Water cooler

Just a quick reminder this morning that the Good Morning, RVA membership drive continues! I hit my goal on Tuesday, surpassed it on Wednesday, and am stoked regardless of whatever happens today or tomorrow. Thank you again to all patrons—new or old and grizzled. I deeply appreciate you! So, if you’ve been meaning to chip in a couple of bucks to support this daily newsletter, you can do so at: patreon.com/gmrva. Thanks, y’all.
 

I continue to track a lot of plans and developments going on in the region, and the Staples Mill Road Small Area Plan is one of them. It’s a little out of my typical coverage zone and is—at least at this point—vastly suburban, but 1) the area sparkles with potential, and 2) getting to the Staples Mill Road Train Station in a safe and convenient way would sure be nice. To that end, tonight at 6:00 PM, VDOT will host an online public meeting to discuss the “multimodal transportation needs and improvements on Staples Mill Road and other key streets near the Staples Mill Road Amtrak Station in Henrico County.” If you can’t make, what’s sure to be, a thrilling meeting but would like to weight in, you can, of course, fill out a survey! For serious though, tap through and fill this thing out, because there are some intensely progressive options for remaking Staples Mill Road—including one with sidewalks, physically separated bike lanes, and a dedicated transit-only lane. Small Area Plans are not construction work orders, so who knows what will really happen in the corridor’s future, but I don’t think I’ve ever filled out a local infrastructure survey that let me pick an option that included dedicated, safe space for four modes of travel (foot, bike, bus, and car).
 

Good morning, RVA! It’s 61 °F, and, dang, wasn’t yesterday just so unbelievably pleasant? We get mostly more of the same today—with slightly higher highs in the mid 80s—so get out there and keep enjoying it.
 

Water cooler

Turns out I was big wrong about velocity of the generosity of Good Morning, RVA readers! Not only did yesterday not see a half-life decay in new contributions, but I reached my goal of finding $200 in new monthly Patreon contributions in just two days! That’s not exponential decay at all! Anyway, I’m pretty surprised and very thankful to everyone who joined or upped their donation; it means a lot to me that so many people think what I write each morning is useful enough to support it with actual, real currency. The Patreon is still, of course, open to new members, so if you didn’t get a chance to chip in a couple of bucks, don’t let my fairly arbitrary goal stop you. You can do so at: patreon.com/gmrva. Thanks y’all!
 

Tonight, from 6:00–8:00 PM at the Hippodrome (528 N. 2nd Street), the Reconnect Jackson Ward Feasibility Study team will host a community meeting to “unveil a recommended framework to help reconnect Jackson Ward and surrounding neighborhoods, while meeting the ideals of inclusion, unification, access to everyone and keeping Black history alive.” I’m tracking a ton of City-run projects lately, so I wouldn’t fault you for forgetting what this particular project is all about—but it’s a fun one. The City and the State will put together a plan to undo some of the damage done by I-95/64—most likely in the form of capping that highway and building cool stuff right on top of it. Because engineers are basically dark wizards at this point in history, you can put pretty much whatever you want on top of a highway (in fact, Kanawha Plaza and the entire building at 9th and Canal sit on top of a highway cap). I don’t think anyone’s trying to build a single massive building of that scale straddling I-95/64, and tonight we’ll learn more about the specific plans for building those (literal) bridges across the the divide we cut into our own city 70-some years ago. Once this plan exists, I think the City and State will apply for a federal grant that’ll get us a couple more steps down the road towards implementing whatever’s presented tonight. Exciting!
 

Good morning, RVA! It’s 59 °F, and today looks stunning! Expect sunshine, dry skies, and highs right around 80 °F. I’m not sure there’s ever been a better June day in Richmond to ride a bike around your neighborhood. Heat and humidity return toward the end of the week, so squeeze the goodness out of today while you can!
 

Water cooler

Good morning to me! After a single day of this, the first GMRVA member drive, I am 48.5% of the way to my goal of finding $200 in new monthly Patreon contributions. Thank you to all new patrons and to all existing patrons who decided to chip in a couple more bucks! I figure the rate of new contributions probably looks like a half-life decay situation at best, with each day seeing half of the previous day’s total—so I’m sure finding the next 51.5% of my goal will be an ongoing challenge. Still seems achievable though! If you’d like to support the work I do each and every morning, and help me reach my goal, you can do so at: patreon.com/gmrva. Thanks y’all.
 

Lyndon German at the Richmond Times-Dispatch has an overview of why cities might want to paint their bus-only lanes red. I’m sure most of y’all know the gist—red lanes keep things that aren’t buses out of the bus lanes, be it people in cars, on bikes, or folks crossing the street. But check out these statistics that German provides from San Francisco: “Red-painted transit lanes resulted in fewer transit delays, a 25% improvement in transit reliability, a 16% decrease in collisions, and a 24% drop in injury collisions. Bus lane violations fell by 51%.” 51% is a lot of percents (see previous paragraph!).
 

Good morning, RVA! It’s 59 °F, and today looks stunning! Expect sunshine, dry skies, and highs right around 80 °F. I’m not sure there’s ever been a better June day in Richmond to ride a bike around your neighborhood. Heat and humidity return toward the end of the week, so squeeze the goodness out of today while you can!
 

Water cooler

Good morning to me! After a single day of this, the first GMRVA member drive, I am 48.5% of the way to my goal of finding $200 in new monthly Patreon contributions. Thank you to all new patrons and to all existing patrons who decided to chip in a couple more bucks! I figure the rate of new contributions probably looks like a half-life decay situation at best, with each day seeing half of the previous day’s total—so I’m sure finding the next 51.5% of my goal will be an ongoing challenge. Still seems achievable though! If you’d like to support the work I do each and every morning, and help me reach my goal, you can do so at: patreon.com/gmrva. Thanks y’all.
 

Lyndon German at the Richmond Times-Dispatch has an overview of why cities might want to paint their bus-only lanes red. I’m sure most of y’all know the gist—red lanes keep things that aren’t buses out of the bus lanes, be it people in cars, on bikes, or folks crossing the street. But check out these statistics that German provides from San Francisco: “Red-painted transit lanes resulted in fewer transit delays, a 25% improvement in transit reliability, a 16% decrease in collisions, and a 24% drop in injury collisions. Bus lane violations fell by 51%.” 51% is a lot of percents (see previous paragraph!).
 

Good morning, RVA! It’s 72 °F, and today looks warm and humid with a potential chance of rain for pretty much the entire day (mostly in the afternoon, though). Temperatures stay cooler(ish) for the next couple of days and then heat up later this week. I think my garden could use the rain, so I’m not going to complain too much.
 

Water cooler

The other day my calendar reminded me that I’ve written a daily morning newsletter for the past six years—since at least 2016! Six years is a long time to do anything, especially for me, and I’m pretty proud of how Good Morning, RVA has changed and evolved over the better part of a decade: Fewer sentences about restaurants, way more sentences about zoning. This week, I’ve decided to do something new and run a first-ever mini membership drive. It’s something I’ve been meaning to do for awhile, but 1) feels awkward, and 2) there’s just so much to write about every morning that I’ve never gotten around to it. But here we are! My goal over the next couple of weeks is to find $200 in new monthly Patreon contributions—whether that be entirely new Patrons or existing Patrons that increase their donation. I think that seems achievable, right? To both existing patrons and new friends, thank you so much for supporting something that I love doing and hope is a useful and good thing for our city. As always, you can become a patron at: patreon.com/gmrva.
 

Former City Councilmember Jon Baliles (and former excellent city blogger before that) has a new weekly newsletter to which you should subscribe. There are very few people in Richmond who know more about the subtext and context of what’s going on in town than Baliles. For example, check out this smart thought about the financing of a baseball stadium in his most recent edition: “It would not surprise me at all to see the ‘winning bidder’ with a plan that looks great on paper but when the wheels start moving, it is quickly “discovered” that to make the plan work on the City’s timeline, a City backstop of bonds will be needed to help make sure the stadium is completed. Mix that with the MLB deadline requirement, and the pressure on the Council to approve the backstop will be unrelenting and allow little if any time for deliberation or consideration. Navy Hill died a death by 1,000 self-inflicted cuts by the Administration. If this cynical prediction unfolds, we could be told we must approve the City bond backstop or we will lose the Squirrels.” Certainly something to keep an eye on. Anyway, I think readers of this newsletter will enjoy what Baliles has going on—go subscribe this morning!
 

Good morning, RVA! It’s 62 °F, and today looks a lot less like yesterday’s constant drizzle and a lot more like a typical sunny summer day. Expect highs in the mid 80s, with temperatures rising a bit over the next couple of days. While last weekend was absolute perfection, this weekend’s no slouch, either! Get some rest, stay hydrated, and enjoy!
 

Water cooler

Today, we’re back to a split CDC COVID-19 Community Level: Henrico County remains at a HIGH level, while both Richmond and Chesterfield County have dropped to a MEDIUM level. The seven-day average case rate per 100,000 people for each county, respectively, is: 211, 195, and 185. So while the case rates are dropping, which is great, they’re still hovering right around the magical 200 per 100,000 number, the border between medium and high. For what it’s worth: I’m going to keep wearing my mask in indoors public places wherever I go in the region because 195 is pretty close to 200 and because the border between Henrico and Richmond is not some magical wall keeping the virus at bay.
 

WTVR’s Tyler Layne reports on yesterday’s State Board of Health meeting. The Board questioned the Virginia Department of Health’s Commissioner about his comments in the recent Washington Post article about structural racism, and, ultimately, “unanimously voted to approve a resolution stating the Commissioner embarrassed the board and issued guidelines saying Greene should not deny ‘basic scientific facts’ moving forward.” The WaPo’s Jenna Portnoy has another follow up piece covering the same meeting with a few additional details, including this one: “Two years earlier, Greene interrupted a Virginia Tech professor mid-speech to dismiss conclusions from data showing that Black and Brown people are disproportionately exposed to environmental hazards and environmental pollution.”
 

Good morning, RVA! It’s 62 °F, and today looks a lot less like yesterday’s constant drizzle and a lot more like a typical sunny summer day. Expect highs in the mid 80s, with temperatures rising a bit over the next couple of days. While last weekend was absolute perfection, this weekend’s no slouch, either! Get some rest, stay hydrated, and enjoy!
 

Water cooler

Today, we’re back to a split CDC COVID-19 Community Level: Henrico County remains at a HIGH level, while both Richmond and Chesterfield County have dropped to a MEDIUM level. The seven-day average case rate per 100,000 people for each county, respectively, is: 211, 195, and 185. So while the case rates are dropping, which is great, they’re still hovering right around the magical 200 per 100,000 number, the border between medium and high. For what it’s worth: I’m going to keep wearing my mask in indoors public places wherever I go in the region because 195 is pretty close to 200 and because the border between Henrico and Richmond is not some magical wall keeping the virus at bay.
 

WTVR’s Tyler Layne reports on yesterday’s State Board of Health meeting. The Board questioned the Virginia Department of Health’s Commissioner about his comments in the recent Washington Post article about structural racism, and, ultimately, “unanimously voted to approve a resolution stating the Commissioner embarrassed the board and issued guidelines saying Greene should not deny ‘basic scientific facts’ moving forward.” The WaPo’s Jenna Portnoy has another follow up piece covering the same meeting with a few additional details, including this one: “Two years earlier, Greene interrupted a Virginia Tech professor mid-speech to dismiss conclusions from data showing that Black and Brown people are disproportionately exposed to environmental hazards and environmental pollution.”
 

Good morning, RVA! It’s 70 °F, and that’s about where temperatures will stay for most of the day. You can expect a slightly warmer evening and maybe some sunshine to take in at the end of your day. You’ll probably find me on a porch or in a hammock!
 

Water cooler

Eric Kolenich at the Richmond Times-Dispatch has a quick and charming report on the first couple of families in our region to get their littlest kids vaccinated against COVID-19. People have been waiting a long time for this, and it’s heartwarming to read about their reactions; how many mornings do I link to a pure, wholesome, good-news story? Very few! Take advantage of it and tap through. Also, if you’re looking to make a vaccination appointment for the child under five in your life, you can do so through your pediatrician, local pharmacy, or with the health department by visiting vax.rchd.com.
 

VPM has posted an update on their Peoples Agenda Congressional election project. You can read more about journalism professor Jay Rosen and the ideas behind the Peoples Agenda (or Citizens Agenda) here, but the short of it is: Ask people what that want to know about their elected leaders and use their answers to direct media coverage—avoiding the horserace journalism of who’s beating who in whatever poll. So, after asking around, what did VPM find concerned most folks? 1) The lack of action in congress due to polarization, and 2) Climate change. The first seems pretty challenging to address since one political party exists almost entirely to prevent action and admitting that in news reporting would challenge The View From Nowhere (another Jay Rosen concept). The second, I’m glad to see so high up on the list, and hope VPM’s journalists are relentless about it. Now VPM will take what they’ve learned and use it in coverage of the 5th and 7th U.S. House of Representatives elections. Stay tuned!
 

Good morning, RVA! It’s 64 °F, and you can expect heat, humidity, and storms today. Highs will top out near 90 °F, and NBC12’s Andrew Freiden says we could see a couple inches of rain burst outta the sky this evening. I think I’ll make a huge jar of ice tea while keeping an eye on the hot, humid, and wet outdoors from the safety of my air conditioned home.
 

Water cooler

I knew the Pulse’s red lanes would be red, but, whoa they’re real red. Here’s a quick video of Mayor Stoney applying the first stretch of coating at the Convention Center westbound station—in white shoes no less! Bold move!
 

Yesterday you could have attended a Richmond Connects kick-off meeting, today you can fill out a very quick Richmond Connects survey. The survey is incredibly short, incredibly broad, and asks just one long-answer question: What needs to be improved to make transportation in Richmond safe and easy for everyone? After writing the previous sentence, I submitted “There is no safe way for pedestrians or people on bikes to cross Chamberlayne near Lombardy.” You can submit as many responses as you’d like, so feel free to brain dump the 600 specific places Richmond’s transportation infrastructure makes you feel unsafe.
 

Good morning, RVA! It’s 63 °F, and today looks pretty pleasant with highs in the mid 80s. Can anything top this past weekend though? What wonderful weather!
 

Water cooler

Over this past weekend, each necessary domino of vaccine authorization fell, and, as of Saturday, “all Virginians from the age of six moths and older are eligible now to get a free COVID-19 vaccine.” Finally! This is great news, and I know a wave of relief washed over a bunch of families out there who’ve waited to vaccinate their babies for years at this point. If that describes you and your family but you’re still trying to figure out where to make a vaccination appointment, you’ve got a bunch of options: Firstly, you should call your pediatrician (if you have one), but you can also head down to your neighborhood pharmacy for kids three and older, or check the list of vaccination events put on by the Richmond and Henrico Health Districts. I’m not trying to raise a Mission Accomplished banner on COVID-19 or anything like that, but having everyone eligible for vaccination does seem like a big milestone. Great work, everyone.
 

Jenna Portnoy at the Washington Post continues to write about “the embattled Virginia health commissioner who in comments to his staff and media interviews dismissed the role of structural racism in public health.“ In a piece published this past Friday, Portnoy reports a couple new items, including that the Commissioner issued a statement—expressing regret yet not apologizing—saying in part “I am fully aware that racism at many levels is a factor in a wide range of public health outcomes and disparities across the Commonwealth and the United States. I also deeply regret that any of this has caused you to feel discounted or disrespected; such has never and will never be my intent.” Senator McClellan called the statement “gaslighting.” Looking forward, the Commissioner will give a report to the State’s Board of Health this coming Thursday—the chair of which thinks he should resign.
 

Good morning, RVA! It’s 63 °F, and today looks pretty pleasant with highs in the mid 80s. Can anything top this past weekend though? What wonderful weather!
 

Water cooler

Over this past weekend, each necessary domino of vaccine authorization fell, and, as of Saturday, “all Virginians from the age of six moths and older are eligible now to get a free COVID-19 vaccine.” Finally! This is great news, and I know a wave of relief washed over a bunch of families out there who’ve waited to vaccinate their babies for years at this point. If that describes you and your family but you’re still trying to figure out where to make a vaccination appointment, you’ve got a bunch of options: Firstly, you should call your pediatrician (if you have one), but you can also head down to your neighborhood pharmacy for kids three and older, or check the list of vaccination events put on by the Richmond and Henrico Health Districts. I’m not trying to raise a Mission Accomplished banner on COVID-19 or anything like that, but having everyone eligible for vaccination does seem like a big milestone. Great work, everyone.
 

Jenna Portnoy at the Washington Post continues to write about “the embattled Virginia health commissioner who in comments to his staff and media interviews dismissed the role of structural racism in public health.“ In a piece published this past Friday, Portnoy reports a couple new items, including that the Commissioner issued a statement—expressing regret yet not apologizing—saying in part “I am fully aware that racism at many levels is a factor in a wide range of public health outcomes and disparities across the Commonwealth and the United States. I also deeply regret that any of this has caused you to feel discounted or disrespected; such has never and will never be my intent.” Senator McClellan called the statement “gaslighting.” Looking forward, the Commissioner will give a report to the State’s Board of Health this coming Thursday—the chair of which thinks he should resign.
 

Good morning, RVA! It’s 72 °F, and, oof, today looks hot. You can expect nearly triple-digit highs, a chance of storms after lunch, and every reason to stay inside next to a fan. Temperatures drop starting tomorrow, though, and it looks like we have a really pleasant long weekend ahead of us (for those of us who have Monday off). Enjoy it, y’all, and get some rest.
 

Water cooler

Fallout continues from the Washington Post’s article about how the Virginia Department of Health’s Comissioner has “rejected the state-recognized declaration that racism is a public health crisis and downplayed the role of racism in health disparities”. This man is still, ultimately, my boss, so writing about this remains an anxiety-filled task. With that in mind, here are some quotes and links:
 

• Mayor Levar Stoney released a statement that reads, in part, “The impact of racism on public health disparities among people of color is not anecdotal or subjective, it’s science. Hiding from these realities doesn’t make them go away. Dr. Greene needs to stop being a coward and do something about them. Virginia families are counting on him to do better”
• The Governor released a statement that reads, “I am outraged that right now in Virginia a black mother is three times more likely to die from child birth and that hasn’t materially improved in a generation. We all must be laser-focused on closing the maternal health gaps. Our administration must have a common, unifying objective to deliver measurable results on behalf of women and especially those in communities of color where this substantial gap exists. We need to ensure we are addressing factors, including access to medical services and screening, prenatal care, nutrition, and counseling—which play important roles in a mother and child’s health. I was disappointed to hear that Dr. Greene did not effectively communicate our mission. Virginians must share the common objective to close maternal health gaps, reduce health disparities, and deliver on behalf of all women in the Commonwealth.”
• The Washington Post’s Jenna Portnoy has a follow up article with quotes from Black legislators from across Virginia, including this one from Sen. McClellan, "The impact of decades and centuries of racist public policy under Jim Crow did not go away with a magic wand when laws were changed…I’m going to do something about it, I invite [the Youngkin administration] to join me in doing something about it or get out of the way.”
• A growing list of health-focused organizations have signed a statement that “Denounces Commissioner Greene’s Views on Racism and Public Health.” Here’s a quote from that statement: “The views espoused by Dr. Greene show a stubborn refusal to reflect and learn even when presented with facts and opportunities for growth. The individual leading Virginia’s public health efforts cannot hold these dismissive and harmful views and have any hope of meeting the unique health needs of every Virginia family. Understanding of the historical and modern-day impact of racism on the health and well-being of people of color is asking the bare minimum of anyone charged with leading public health initiatives.” Interested organizations can sign on to the statement using this form.

Good morning, RVA! It’s 73 °F, and today looks hot and cloudy with maybe some rain here or there. You can expect highs in the 90s, which, while hot, will seem real temperate compared to what tomorrow has in store. Stay cool, and make sure to check on your outdoor plants.
 

Water cooler

Yesterday, the FDA’s advisory committee voted to unanimously recommend both the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for children under the age of five. Step 1: Complete! Now full FDA needs to have their say, then CDC’s advisory committee (which meets on Friday and Saturday), then full CDC, and then, finally, the Virginia Department of Health. Those last two usually happen fairly quickly, and it still looks like the littlest Richmonders will be eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine early next week. I’m so stoked for the families who’ve been waiting literal years for this. Katelyn Jetelina has a great post answering some common questions folks may have—specifically, I think families should read through the answers to “Does my child actually need the vaccine?”, and “Which vaccine should my kids get?” The answers to the former is easy: Yes! The number of COVID-19 deaths among kids this young is way, way higher than flu, Hepatitis A, or rotavirus. COVID is no joke, even in babies. The answer to the latter question, though, is a bit more complex, and Jetelina lays out four reasons why her daughters will be getting the Moderna vaccine. Anyway, tap through, read the post, call your pediatrician and ask for their recommendation, and then make a plan to get the littlest kids in your life vaccinated.
 

Good morning, RVA! It’s 68 °F, and we’ve got another hot day ahead of us. Unlike yesterday, it looks like we’ll avoid sudden downpours, but you should again expect highs in the 90s and lots of sweaty backs—including your own, probably! Stay hydrated, y’all.
 

Water cooler

Yesterday, an FDA advisory committee recommended that the agency authorize a Moderna vaccine for children aged 6–17. That decision, which probably doesn’t change much for many folks, sets the stage for today’s meeting, when the same group will consider both Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for the littlest of children—all the way down to 6-months-old. Should the FDA authorize these baby vaccines, the next step in the ancient and honored process will be for ACIP, a CDC advisory committee, to take a look. ACIP has meetings scheduled this coming Friday and Saturday, which means, if everything goes according to plan, come next week everyone—regardless of age, health, or vocation—will be eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine. Kind of a surreal moment for me! It sure has taken a long, long time to get here.
 

I know I said I hate writing about municipal branding campaigns unless they’re especially bold, but Pulitzer Prize Winner Michael Paul Williams wrote up his take on the newly launched Richmond Real campaign, and you should read it. To quote a bit, “The people enduring these circumstances don’t need branding; they need a break. They need affordable housing, better schools, safe neighborhoods, healthy food access and more hope than a slogan can provide. And that’s what’s real.” As for the cost of the campaign, I don’t know that the $450,000 spent on this new branding could have even made a dent in our housing crisis or the issues facing our schools; I don’t think it’s an either-or type of situation. However, I do wonder which department’s budget it came out of, though, and what else that department has on their priority list.
 

Good morning, RVA! It’s 68 °F, and we’ve got another hot day ahead of us. Unlike yesterday, it looks like we’ll avoid sudden downpours, but you should again expect highs in the 90s and lots of sweaty backs—including your own, probably! Stay hydrated, y’all.
 

Water cooler

Yesterday, an FDA advisory committee recommended that the agency authorize a Moderna vaccine for children aged 6–17. That decision, which probably doesn’t change much for many folks, sets the stage for today’s meeting, when the same group will consider both Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for the littlest of children—all the way down to 6-months-old. Should the FDA authorize these baby vaccines, the next step in the ancient and honored process will be for ACIP, a CDC advisory committee, to take a look. ACIP has meetings scheduled this coming Friday and Saturday, which means, if everything goes according to plan, come next week everyone—regardless of age, health, or vocation—will be eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine. Kind of a surreal moment for me! It sure has taken a long, long time to get here.
 

I know I said I hate writing about municipal branding campaigns unless they’re especially bold, but Pulitzer Prize Winner Michael Paul Williams wrote up his take on the newly launched Richmond Real campaign, and you should read it. To quote a bit, “The people enduring these circumstances don’t need branding; they need a break. They need affordable housing, better schools, safe neighborhoods, healthy food access and more hope than a slogan can provide. And that’s what’s real.” As for the cost of the campaign, I don’t know that the $450,000 spent on this new branding could have even made a dent in our housing crisis or the issues facing our schools; I don’t think it’s an either-or type of situation. However, I do wonder which department’s budget it came out of, though, and what else that department has on their priority list.
 

Good morning, RVA! It’s 70 °F, and today looks hot. You can expect humid highs in the mid 90s with no respite in sight until Saturday. Remember: Hydrate or diedrate! Stay cool out there, y’all.
 

Water cooler

Over the weekend a bipartisan group of Senators (including enough Republicans to overcome a Senate filibuster) announced they’d reached an agreement on how to finally pass a tiny bit of gun violence legislation. Vox has a good explainer of what’s in the proposed agreement, and opens with this great summary: “Perhaps what is most surprising about the [gun violence] framework is that it exists at all.” As you might have guessed, the framework is heavy on mental health and increasing the presence of armed police officers in schools and light on, you know, actual legislation to prevent people from getting guns. Disappointing, but, like Vox said, while there’s nothing shocking about these proposals, it is surprising that more than just the same few Senate Republicans have decided to do anything at all to help keep their communities safer. We’ll see if any of these proposals become actual laws and if this small moment of compromise leads to more action in the future.
 

Exciting news! Richmond’s Department of Public Works has a new survey up to collect feedback on the next round of proposed bike lanes. This round features some new infrastructure on the Southside, in Scott’s Addition, and a couple other bits here and there that would help connect pieces of our existing bike network. If you need help getting oriented, the folks at RICToday put together this handy map of all the proposed segments. You should definitely take this survey before it closes on June 26th, and you should definitely rank poorly every option featuring sharrows. Sharrows, the weird arrow/bike glyph stenciled on a street, are not bike infrastructure and do not keep people safe. They shouldn’t even be in the City’s tool box. Anyway, exciting news, and I’m impressed at the regular pace the City has kept up rolling out new infrastructure over the last couple of years.
 

Good morning, RVA! It’s 71 °F, and today looks pretty decent. Expect highs in the upper 80s, and, according to NBC12’s Andrew Freiden, a bit less humidity than we sweated through yesterday. He says tomorrow “looks perfect,” which is just what I want to hear for the Friday following a long week!
 

Water cooler

The Washington Post has a nice article about the new intersection improvements at Marshall and Adams Streets—which include a beautiful new street mural, some bike parking, and a lovely new parklet. It looks nice, sure, it has tons of beautiful seating, yes, but it’s safer too: A recent study shows a “50% decrease in the rate of crashes involving pedestrians or other vulnerable road users” after installing sweet-looking asphalt art. It’s awesome seeing cool projects in Richmond make the national news, but it’s even more awesome when Richmond implements low-cost ways to make our streets safer. Like Janette Sadik-Kahn, the Janette Sadik-Kahn, says in this piece, “This data shows that safer, sustainable streets don’t need to cost millions of dollars.” All it takes is finding the political will to get project like this on the ground, or, even better, finding the political will to empower City staff to just go out and do this sort of thing.
 

Patrick Wilson at the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports on some of Virginia’s LGBTQ advocacy groups boycotting the Governor’s pride event, which does not surprise me in the least. Here’s James Millner, director of Virginia Pride, “I have serious concerns about the Governor’s on-the-record positions on issues like same-sex marriage and rights and protections for the transgender community, especially transgender youth. If the Governor can demonstrate that he and his administration are true allies to our community by working with us to protect and advance our hard-won progress, I would happily attend a celebration with him next year.” And here’s Narissa Rahaman, executive director of Equality Virginia, “The Governor spent months campaigning on a platform of homophobia and transphobia, attacking some of the most marginalized members of our community — transgender and non-binary youth…We encourage the Governor to meet with us, hear our stories, learn about our lives, and make a commitment to fight for our lived equality.” Related, Patrick Larsen at VPM reports that five members of the State’s LGBTQ+ Advisory Board will not seek reappointment. Every day is a another reminder of how important the 2023 elections will be to the lives of so many Virginians!