Good morning, RVA! It’s 45 °F, rainy, and it looks like it’ll stay rainy for most of the morning. In fact, you should expect a chance of rain each of the next several days.

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Richmond Police are reporting that a male 16-year-old was shot to death outside of a store on the 3000 block of Nine Mile Road this past Thursday.

Good morning, RVA! It’s 68 °F, and highs today will top out in the mid 80s. Sounds like a fantastic day for a run or a roll in your favorite park. Take advantage of today, because tomorrow temperatures drop and rain rolls in for maybe the next handful of days.

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As of this morning, the Virginia Department of Health reports 94 positive cases of the coronavirus in the Commonwealth, and two people in Virginia have died as a result of the virus. VDH reports 12 cases in and around Richmond (Chesterfield: 6, Henrico: 3, and Richmond: 3). Almost 2,000 folks have received the test, up from just 408 at the beginning fo this week. Here’s a quick and not-very-helpful graph of reported positive cases each morning since March 14th. Remember: Until we’re testing everyone, this graph will always be extremely influenced by the number of tests available.

I really enjoyed reading this strong open letter to our state and federal legislators from Phillip Ray, co-founder of Center of the Universe Brewing Company up in Ashland. Since the pandemic started impacting folks' day-to-day, COTU has seen a 70% drop in revenue, which is terrifying. I wonder if one of the longer-term impacts of the coronavirus on American culture will be more folks getting more politically involved.

Good morning, RVA! It’s 54 °F, and we’ve got a chance for rain here and there throughout today. Highs near 80 °F, though! If you can, make sure you spend some socially-distanced time in your backyard or on your balcony.

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Richmond Police are reporting that Javon A. Tuck, 34, was shot to death on the 1900 block of Mechanicsville Turnpike yesterday at 1:11 AM.

Good morning, RVA! It’s 49 °F, and today looks a lot like yesterday. Expect highs in the 60s, some clouds here and there, plus some rain overnight.

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Richmond Police are reporting that Rushard O. Grant, 40, was murdered in an abandoned semi-tractor cab on the 2400 block of Lamb Avenue. Officers arrived on the scene and found Grant dead, suffering from “apparent trauma to the body.”

Good morning, RVA! It’s 42 °F, and highs today should hangout in the upper 60s. All things considered, looks like a pretty nice day, weatherwise, ahead of us.

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As of this morning, the Virginia Department of Health reports 51 positive cases of the coronavirus in the Commonwealth. Two people in Virginia has died as a result of the virus.

Justin Mattingly and Bridget Balch at the Richmond Times-Dispatch have an update and more details on all the local coronavirus cases of which they’re aware. Mattingly and Balch point out that their numbers differ from the official Virginia Department of Health numbers—or at least it’s unclear if the VDH totals include some of the newer regional cases. As I said a couple days ago—400 years back in virus time—high-quality information is critical during a crisis. At least in my view, the VDH coronavirus page should be the most authoritative and up-to-date source of all coronavirus info in the Commonwealth. That probably means bringing a person from the web team to all of the meetings and empowering them to make near-real-time updates to the website. I know VDH is ultra busy dealing with an actual, literal crisis, but clear communication is so super important at this moment in time.

Good morning, RVA! It’s 39 °F—suddenly chilly again! Highs today will stay in the upper 50s, but things should warm up as the week moves on.

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As of this morning, the Virginia Department of Health reports 45 positive cases of the coronavirus in the Commonwealth. One person in Virginia has died as a result of the virus.

On Friday, Richmond, Henrico, Chesterfield, Hanover, and Goochland all declared local states of emergency. I don’t know why I couldn’t find it in the code last week, but § 44–146.21 defines a local emergency and what new powers the localities can wield once it’s been declared. One of the more interesting bits for me (especially as budget season and its public hearings rapidly approach) is the power to “proceed without regard to time-consuming procedures and formalities prescribed by law (except mandatory constitutional requirements) pertaining to the performance of public work.” That gets my brain churning on how the City could quickly roll out some good public policy. I’ll be looking for how the Mayor uses this and the other defined powers in the coming weeks and months—there’s a lot of flexibility to do some real good in there, I think. Along with the State of Emergency, the aforementioned localities will all close their offices today for “planning and to begin additional cleaning in response to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak.” Almost every public service is delayed, has had their schedule adjusted, or is outright closed—including the Richmond Public Library. You shouldn’t be going anywhere if you don’t have to, but, if must leave the house, make sure you check a website before you do.

Good morning, RVA! It’s 61 °F, and, as a bit of rain moves through the area, temperatures are headed up, up, up. Today, you can expect highs in the mid 70s!? Take advantage of it, though, because temperatures will drop Saturday and Sunday. Remember: Going for a run or a roll through the park can still count as social distancing!

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The Virginia Department of Health is reporting 17 presumptive positive cases of coronavirus in the Commonwealth. The VDH reporting page has upgraded to now include a map and reports by locality, which is very helpful.

What a difference a day can make. Yesterday it felt like Richmond and Richmonders definitively decided to take the coronavirus seriously and start disrupting their lives and routines to #flattenthecurve. Now that we’re all in this together, I want three things out of our State, City, and institutions: 1) High-quality and up-to-date information, 2) Whatever the institutional version of social distancing is, and 3) Clever policy and action to keep folks safe and thriving until this crisis passes. All things considered, I think we’re seeing a bit of all three from across the region.

Good morning, RVA! It’s 46 °F, and today looks a lot like yesterday. Expect highs in the mid 60s and a sneaky chance of rain throughout the day.

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According to the Virginia Department of Health, there are nine presumptive positive cases of COVID-19 in the Commonwealth.

Today’s coronavirus update is vastly different than yesterday’s, which just goes to show how quickly things can change. VCU and UR have both suspended class next week, through March 20th. When instruction resumes on the 23rd, VCU says “classes will be taught remotely for the foreseeable future” while UR says “faculty will prepare for the transition to remote instruction beginning March 23. Our community should be prepared for an extended period of distance learning.” Staff for both universities are expected to just come in and work like normal though, and that doesn’t make a lot of sense to me.

Good morning, RVA! It’s 53 °F, and the string of warm days continues. Today you can expect highs near 70 °F and a bit more sunshine than yesterday.

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I guess, for the foreseeable future, these emails will lead off with a coronavirus update—something I’d trade away in a second to go back to continually talking about the Mayor’s proposed downtown arena. As of this moment the Virginia Department of Health reports eight presumptive positive cases of coronavirus in the Commonwealth, with none in Central Virginia. Today, let’s look at how the region’s educational institutions are responding to this rapidly evolving situation. While some schools and universities across the country have begun to shut down or started to plan on moving instruction entirely online, Richmond-area institutions are (at this point) taking a more cautious approach. While class goes on at VCU, I got an email last night saying that I should start thinking about how to teach my class remotely and pointing me to this page of resources to do just that. UR will share their coronavirus plans by the end of the week, and VUU has asked anyone traveling during spring break to let them know. Chesterfield has the best and most up-to-date information out of the region’s public schools and have cancelled all field trips outside of Virginia. If I were running comms at a school or university, I’d be posting daily updates—even if nothing had changed. The thing about a viral outbreak is that it spreads virally, and up-to-date information is incredibly valuable.

Here’s Micheal Paul Williams on the chance that the NAACP’s lawsuit against Hanover County over their Confederate-named schools could get thrown out due to a nonsensical two-year statute of limitations 💸: “So let me get this straight: The Hanover NAACP, during Massive Resistance, was obliged to file a lawsuit protesting the name of a high school that black students weren’t even allowed to attend?” I agree with MPW, that’s just ridiculous.

Good morning, RVA! It’s 55 °F, and highs today are back up near 70 °F. You should expect some clouds and a small chance of rain throughout the day. These warm-weather vibes should continue for the rest of the week.

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The Virginia Department of Health announced that the Commonwealth now has five positive cases of the coronavirus—including one in Spotsyvlania. VDH recommends, first and foremost, that you wash your hands with soap and water and avoid coughing directly into other people’s faces. If you’re sick, stay home, and “avoid non-essential travel.” This is an extremely rapidly changing situation—going viral is named after actual viruses for a reason. Keep your information up-to-date and solidly sourced (like, from the CDC or VDH).

Quick short-term rental update: City Council continued ORD. 2019–343 to their March 23rd meeting. I tuned in to the meeting late, so I didn’t catch their reasons for continuing the paper, but this does mean that all Airbnbs in Richmond are still illegal. Council’s Culture of Continuation strikes again! City staff have worked on this legislation for years and there have been many opportunities for folks to get involved—both regularfolks and councilfolks. Do we really need another 14 days to ask people how they feel about this particular ordinance? One other, unrelated-but-interesting Council update: At 10:00 AM, the Land Use, Housing and Transportation committee will meet today to interview new candidate for the Richmond Redevelopment & Housing Authority board of commissioners. They’ll post up in the 2nd Floor Conference Room which, I think, means no live audio—but maybe you could pop in??

Good morning, RVA! It’s 44 °F, and highs today will hit 70 °F! I’ve got a feeling we’ve missed out on any chance for serious snow this winter—I mean, it’s almost spring.

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Richmond Police are reporting that Keandre N. Robinson, 29, was shot to death on the 2200 block of Creighton Road late Saturday night. Robinson was the ninth person murdered in Richmond in 2020, according to the RPD.

Good morning, RVA! It’s 41 °F and rainy. Temperatures are a bit cooler today, staying below 60 °F, and you should probably expect rain at some point throughout the day. This weekend though! A+!

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Reminder: Clocks spring forward on Sunday. I dislike how chipper the clocks seem about this.

Today, in Council Chambers at 3:00 PM, Mayor Stoney will deliver his proposed budget to City Council. You can, of course, show up in person like an awesome nerd, or you can listen online (still nerdy, but less awesome). We’ve heard about ending fines for all library patrons and $30 million for paving, but what else will we learn about in today budget presentation? The budget is the manifestation of the City’s priorities, and as such I’m looking for a commitment to priorities like: schools, transit, housing, and sustainability. I’m also looking to see if / how many of the dozens and dozens of vacant City positions get filled. We can’t have excellent core services if the entire City is run by a skeleton crew! We’ll learn a lot more at 3:00 PM, stay tuned!

Good morning, RVA! It’s 44 °F, and today you can expect cooler highs in the 50s and a cloudy sky. I know it’s only Thursday, but this weekend’s weather looks amazing.

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The Mayor announced that his budget, which drops tomorrow, will include “$32 million for the paving of roads and maintenance and placement of sidewalks.” Breaking down the paving portion: $15 million of that will come from Richmond’s local share of the new regional transportation money and $15 million will “come out of the city’s coffers.” That’s a lot of money for paving, but, to be honest, a lot of Richmond’s roads are in pretty bad shape. I think what I’d like to see, if we’re going to invest tens of millions of dollars into paving streets, is an equitable prioritization of where we pave. Take the pavement conditions map and then overlay the red lining map, the racial dot map, the life expectancy map—there’s tons of data out there—and figure out which neighborhoods to pave first. Not just the neighborhoods who complain the most, or the neighborhoods with the most cars, or the neighborhoods with the most traffic—but the neighborhoods where, due to systemic racism, we’ve spent the last century ignoring. As for sidewalks, they don’t state it explicitly, but $32 million - $30 million for paving = $2 million for fixing and installing sidewalks. There are TONS of new sidewalk needs, particularly on Richmond’s Southside. Again, if it were me, I’d equitably prioritize this money and spend the vast, vast majority of it in the 8th and 9th Districts. And because I can’t not: 1) All of this paving is a huge opportunity to stripe bike lanes everywhere, and 2) The more people we get out of cars and onto their bikes or taking the bus or walking around, the less often we’ll need to pave our streets.

Oh, hey, related: City Council’s Education and Human Services committee will meet today and consider RES. 2020-R013, which would request that the Mayor put $221,770 in the budget for racial equity training and an equity survey. Richmond is part of the Government Alliance on Race and Equity, and this money would pay for those folks to train City leadership and staff as well as set up an internal Core Equity Team that “will pilot a racial equity tool within the City, utilize data to develop and track racial equity strategies and action plan.” The funds would also go towards an equity survey of current City policy. To me, this seems like money well spent—as long as the recommendations that come out of this process are implemented and taken seriously. Richmond loves a study, but doesn’t necessary love doing things with the results of a study. Sounds like the training and survey will take about six months, so, assuming this ends up in the budget, lets check back later this year and see how things have progressed.

Good morning, RVA! It’s 45 °F, and highs are back up in the 60s today—plus we should see lots of sunshine. Sounds great to me!

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Yesterday, Virginia voted and Joe Biden came out ahead in the Commonwealth and across much of the country’s Super Tuesday primaries. I’ll leave the national race prognostication to someone else and focus on what, if anything, the results mean locally. First, turnout was way, way up from 2016’s Democratic primary—@taber says up 64% this year! I imagine that—if we survive until November—turnout will also be way, way up in the General Election. That means lots of folks voting locally for Mayor, City Council, and School Board. Looking at the results by Council District and using Bernie vs. Biden as a lazy proxy for progressiveness, I think extremely progressive/urbanist candidates should run for City Council in the 2nd District, 5th District, 6th District, and 7th District. Of course, I could also phrase that as “incumbents in the 2nd, 5th, 6th, and 7th should run on extremely progressive/urbanist platforms.” Here’s Bernie’s margin in each of those districts, respectively: +28%; +13%; -8%; -2%. I didn’t have time to throw Elizabeth Warren votes into Bernie’s bucket, but I think you get the picture. Especially in the 2nd District, where Councilmember Kim Gray has started to explore a run for mayor, I think there’s support for a very progressive voice on City Council.

Speaking of people running for mayor, I was at the Main Library yesterday and someone asked me to sign a petition to get Paul Goldman on the ballot for mayor? I don’t know what that means, but I thought I’d share it with you.

Good morning, RVA! It’s 49 °F, and highs today are once again back up in the mid 60s. That’s too wonderfully tempting to keep me off my bike, but, given the small chance of rain throughout the day, I may show up damp to a couple of my meetings. That’s not the end of the world!

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It’s Super Tuesday, which means in Virginia, we vote! Polls are open from 6:00 AM–7:00 PM, and you can find your polling place using this tool on the Department of Elections website. I will be voting for Elizabeth Warren!

In what may become a more regular section of this email, I’ve got some updates on the coronavirus. Dr. Avula, director of the Richmond and Henrico Health Districts, updated City Council on the virus, and you can flip through the slides from his presentation (PDF). While the situation is rapidly evolving, so far zero people in Virginia have had a confirmed case of coronavirus. Of course, that could change, and, if this is the sort of thing you want to get fixated on, I recommend bookmarking the Virginia Department of Health’s Coronavirus Disease 2019 page. That’ll get you the most up-to-date information—the same stuff you’ll read in media reports. Also, the City released a statement, and Mayor Stoney has the best advice for Richmonders: “As always, wash your hands frequently, cover your mouth and go to the doctor if you are experiencing flu-like symptoms.” That’s pretty much all you can do at this point. I guess if you’re in charge of hanging up things on your workplace bulletin board, you could print out this pretty well-designed flyer from the Virginia Department of Health, too. It sounds to me like we’re definitely still in the “use your common sense and don’t panic” phase of things.

Good morning, RVA! It’s 49 °F, and highs today are once again back up in the mid 60s. That’s too wonderfully tempting to keep me off my bike, but, given the small chance of rain throughout the day, I may show up damp to a couple of my meetings. That’s not the end of the world!

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It’s Super Tuesday, which means in Virginia, we vote! Polls are open from 6:00 AM–7:00 PM, and you can find your polling place using this tool on the Department of Elections website. I will be voting for Elizabeth Warren!

In what may become a more regular section of this email, I’ve got some updates on the coronavirus. Dr. Avula, director of the Richmond and Henrico Health Districts, updated City Council on the virus, and you can flip through the slides from his presentation (PDF). While the situation is rapidly evolving, so far zero people in Virginia have had a confirmed case of coronavirus. Of course, that could change, and, if this is the sort of thing you want to get fixated on, I recommend bookmarking the Virginia Department of Health’s Coronavirus Disease 2019 page. That’ll get you the most up-to-date information—the same stuff you’ll read in media reports. Also, the City released a statement, and Mayor Stoney has the best advice for Richmonders: “As always, wash your hands frequently, cover your mouth and go to the doctor if you are experiencing flu-like symptoms.” That’s pretty much all you can do at this point. I guess if you’re in charge of hanging up things on your workplace bulletin board, you could print out this pretty well-designed flyer from the Virginia Department of Health, too. It sounds to me like we’re definitely still in the “use your common sense and don’t panic” phase of things.

Good morning, RVA! It’s 36 °F, and highs today will top out in the mid 60s—a totally March-like temperature range, right? Expect some pretty serious wind, though, if you’re planning on spending any of the day outside.

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Arjanae Avula and Danny Avula (more from him later) have a pair of columns in the paper about gun violence that you should read. First, Arjanae writes powerfully about growing up and living in danger with guns. In her words: “If you live in danger and operate in danger, it’s hard to think outside that box. Being exposed to what safety looks like now that I live with the Avulas, I can sometimes think outside the box of the way I grew up. But it’s hard. This safe feeling I have isn’t something you can explain to somebody. Until more kids can get out of survival mode, they won’t be able to see anything more for themselves.” Then, Dr. Avula brings the medical perspective to living with that kind of trauma: “In fact, childhood trauma has reached an almost epidemic level in our city, with 1 in 5 Richmond residents experiencing enough trauma to create lifelong negative impacts. Exposure to violence, or even the threat of violence, has lasting negative effects on brain development and mental and physical health. Kids who have faced these adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) often grow into adults who have difficulty learning or maintaining a job, are at greater risk of drug and alcohol dependency, and exhibit trouble maintaining personal relationships.“ Gun violence is a public health issue, and the gun-violence bills the General Assembly has put forward this year will make Virginia safer.

Ahead of the Census, the Richmond Times-Dispatch did short profiles on 14 different Richmond neighborhoods, looking at how some of these neighborhoods have changed or are in the process of changing. It’s an interesting and new format for them, and you should check it out.

Good morning, RVA! It’s 31 °F, and that’s cold! Temperatures should work their way up into the upper 40s today, and by Monday we should see highs in the 60s. Looks like a pretty nice weekend ahead of us.

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Public parks are awesome, but public libraries are so freaking rad. They’re climate controlled spaces that anyone can use to learn, access the internet, take a break, use the bathroom, get connected with important services—not to mention, check out a book. In Richmond, we’re lucky to have an excellent library director in Scott Firestine—the only person to make me tear up during a departmental budget presentation. We’ve seen investment in our public libraries from Mayor Stoney and City Council over the last couple of years, and yesterday, that continued with the announcement that Richmond Public Library has ended overdue fines for all patrons. Firestine says “Our library has removed a punitive, inefficient and misguided practice that was a barrier blocking our most vulnerable users. This is a giant step forward to inform, enrich and empower.” Heck yes. This is such a heck yes, that I’m surprised it didn’t get announced in the Mayor’s budget presentation, which is scheduled for a week from today.

OK, redistricting reform, what is even happening with you? Mel Leonor at the Richmond Times-Dispatch says the House and the Senate are at loggerheads 💸, each with their own plan on how to move forward: “The divisions have resulted in a staring contest that has allowed legislation tied to both alternatives to survive in each chamber.” Great sentence. Leonor also says that it’s gotten to the point where the Governor will consider creating his own alternative and then calling a special session to get the General Assembly to take action. Sounds like the House Privileges and Elections Committee, though, will consider the Senate version today—we should know more on Monday!

Good morning, RVA! It’s 31 °F, and that’s cold! Temperatures should work their way up into the upper 40s today, and by Monday we should see highs in the 60s. Looks like a pretty nice weekend ahead of us.

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Public parks are awesome, but public libraries are so freaking rad. They’re climate controlled spaces that anyone can use to learn, access the internet, take a break, use the bathroom, get connected with important services—not to mention, check out a book. In Richmond, we’re lucky to have an excellent library director in Scott Firestine—the only person to make me tear up during a departmental budget presentation. We’ve seen investment in our public libraries from Mayor Stoney and City Council over the last couple of years, and yesterday, that continued with the announcement that Richmond Public Library has ended overdue fines for all patrons. Firestine says “Our library has removed a punitive, inefficient and misguided practice that was a barrier blocking our most vulnerable users. This is a giant step forward to inform, enrich and empower.” Heck yes. This is such a heck yes, that I’m surprised it didn’t get announced in the Mayor’s budget presentation, which is scheduled for a week from today.

OK, redistricting reform, what is even happening with you? Mel Leonor at the Richmond Times-Dispatch says the House and the Senate are at loggerheads 💸, each with their own plan on how to move forward: “The divisions have resulted in a staring contest that has allowed legislation tied to both alternatives to survive in each chamber.” Great sentence. Leonor also says that it’s gotten to the point where the Governor will consider creating his own alternative and then calling a special session to get the General Assembly to take action. Sounds like the House Privileges and Elections Committee, though, will consider the Senate version today—we should know more on Monday!

Good morning, RVA! It’s 38 °F, and, with highs in the mid 40s, today looks appropriately chilly. There’s a teensy chance of rain, but the forecast looks generally dry from now until next week.

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Equality Virginia says that the Virginia Values Act (SB 868) passed the Senate again last night and will now officially head to the Governor’s desk. This bill adds sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes and gives folks a way to take legal action if they are discriminated against. It’s so rad to see concrete results of Virginia’s 2018 election so rapidly. We voted, the New Democratic Majority legislated, and now people’s lives in Virginia will be better.

As the Hanover County School Board refuses to rename their schools named after White supremacists, the Hanover County Board of Supervisors has to pick up the legal tab. C. Suarez Rojas at the Richmond Times-Dispatch says that yesterday the Board voted to transfer $75,000 from a contingency fund to cover the costs of an ongoing lawsuit 💸. Richmond and Henrico have both renamed schools, and it was…totally fine. The world did not end, and we—somehow, someway—have not forgotten that the Civil War or Harry F. Byrd existed. Hanover will end up renaming these schools eventually, and every penny spent dragging their feet is a penny spent looking super racist. It’s not a conservative use of money, I’ll tell you that.