Podcast appearances and mentions of richmond magazine

Jeff goes through the Richmond Magazine site for Best of Richmond nominations to see where he can nominate Sam NewsMan.

Also: writing about human truths, and the importance of having a second set of eyes on your work at the right time! ELIZABETH BECKER is a former pediatric nurse and Pushcart Prize-nominated writer. She has worked as a correspondent for Richmond Magazine and the Richmond Times Dispatch, and her award-winning essays have been featured on national sites including Motherwell, Scary Mommy, Motherly, Swamp Pink (formerly Crazy Horse), and Winning Writers. She received a degree in creative writing from the College of Charleston before earning a bachelor's degree in nursing. She lives in Charlottesville, Virginia, with her husband and four young children. Find her on Instagram, @elizabethbeckerauthor. The Moonlight Healers is her debut novel.

Alexis Stratton talks about the new book “Trans Kids, Our Kids” with Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™ co-authored with Adam Polaski and Rev.Jasmine Beach-Ferrara from the Campaign for Southern Equality and released by Ig Publishing. In these unprecedented times “Trans Kids, Our Kids” provides a narrative look into the challenges facing our transgender young people. This is especially crucial after the recent GOP presidential campaign distorted and targeted transgender issues to regain control of the White House. The new book provides a truthful blueprint addressing trans youth issues by taking a storytelling approach in capturing how people all across the country are meeting the moment to support, protect and live in solidarity with transgender youth and their families. The book is based on more than 50 interviews with transgender youth, their parents and the medical providers, advocates and faith leaders who are leading the fight against the wave of discriminatory legislation that has flooded statehouses since 2022. One primary focus of “Trans Kids, Our Kids” is the attack on trans youth's access to gender-affirming care. Less than two years ago there weren't any states that had such bans in effect. Currently there are now 26 states that have bans or restricted transgender youth from accessing hormone therapy with the issue coming before the Supreme Court in the case United States v. Skrmetti with oral arguments on December 4th. Campaign for Southern Equality (CSE) through their Trans Youth Emergency Project have supported more than 1,000 families of transgender youth in navigating healthcare bans. Since the launch of the project in 2023 CSE has distributed more than $600,000 in direct emergency grants to families and community partners across 26 states. We talked to Alexis about what they hope to accomplish with “Trans Kids, Our Kids” and their spin on our LGBTQ issues.  Alexis Stratton has an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of South Carolina in Columbia, SC. and their stories and essays have appeared in storySouth, Hayden's Ferry Review, Matador Review and Oyez Review among other publications. In 2022 Alexis' chapbook “Anywhere Else but Here” was published by Fjords Review and in 2023 won the James River Writers' and Richmond Magazine's Best Unpublished Novel Contest. Alexis lives in Richmond, VA. and works as a freelance writer and an LGBTQ rights advocate. Campaign for Southern Equality is based in Asheville, NC. promoting full LGBTQ equality across the South. Their work is rooted in commitments to equity in race, gender and class. Through their Trans Youth Emergency Project they support families of trans youth who are impacted by anti-transgender healthcare bans in the South. All royalties from book sales of “Trans Kids, Our Kids” will benefit this project.  For More  Info… LISTEN: 600+ LGBTQ Chats @OUTTAKE VOICES

In this episode, Tara Eschenroeder delves into the concept of "rewilding" as a return to our natural, instinctual state of being. She defines rewilding as reconnecting with the innate wisdom within us, much like how trees grow or fireflies communicate effortlessly. Tara shares her practices for rediscovering this inner compass, including journaling, movement, discussion, and time in nature, all aimed at peeling back layers of societal conditioning and distraction. She emphasizes the role of childlike play and curiosity as pathways to reconnect with our wild, intuitive selves, drawing inspiration from the way children approach life with imagination and openness.The episode also explores the importance of acknowledging and transforming inherited generational patterns, finding balance between disciplined practices and devotion to one's higher self, and embracing community as a space for authentic connection and growth. Tara's insights inspire listeners to embrace curiosity, rediscover their wildness, and live with greater authenticity and joy.--Tara (Becky) Eschenroeder is a 500-hour E-RYT, RCYT, YACEP, certified coach, self-published author, and an inspiring yogi recognized among the top three yoga instructors by Richmond Magazine. Rooted in Asheville, NC, Tara leads workshops, retreats, and classes nationwide, empowering students to listen within and trust their unique paths. With credentials in Psychology, Elementary Education, and coaching, her approach blends studied expertise with intuitive guidance, offering a space for exploration, self-discovery, and authentic expression. A Lululemon Ambassador and advocate for yoga's transformative power, Tara's teaching, mentoring, and life reflect her Dharma as a vessel of love, trust, and inspiration.Website: http://greatabidingyoga.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/becky.eschenroeder and https://www.facebook.com/greatabidingyoga/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greatabidingyoga/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3Ad7lwBuG1GcQZqae7XDUAInsight Timer: https://insig.ht/hKogenxtanbSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3T2AROCSEIe3hktXqDPqOpNewsletter signup: https://greatabidingyoga.com/contact#subst Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week I am joined by Dr. Stephanie Lau, she is research faculty in the School of Education at VCU, she has a Masters of Arts in Teaching as well as a PhD in Public Policy and Administration. She is also a wife and mom of two young boys, and on top of all this she has co-run our neighborhood bookclub with me since 2021! Stephanie picked one of the many books we have read for bookclub, Olga Dies Dreaming Xóchitl González. Olga is a wedding planner in Brooklyn trying to find her way, but will her mother-turned-Puerto-Rico-revolutionary ruin all her plans? This book is LAY-ERED, there is so much about family, parenthood, Puerto Rican history, love, loss, and maybe everything else in-between. We had a great time talking about this book and I loved the thoughtfulness Stephanie came to this conversation with, and how much of the nuance from the novel she was able to cipher out and demonstrate what a tremendous book this is.For the drink we chose a Caipinhara, which is the national drink of Brazil and absolutely delicious. Why did we choose a Brazilian drink to discuss a book largely about Puerto Rico? You will just have to listen to the episode to find out!Caipinhara Recipe½ lime, quartered1 teaspoon white sugar2 ½ fluid ounces cachaça (Brazilian rum)1 cup ice cubes Squeeze and drop lime wedges into a large rocks glass. Add sugar and muddle until juices release.Pour in cachaça and ice. Stir well.Although I was not able to find a Zero-proof cachaça, using a Ritual Rum will work to make a refreshing alcohol free option!In this episode:Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA) CaipinharaAnita de Monte Laughs Last - Xóchitl González latest book!Vote for DITL for Best Podcast at Richmond Magazine (voting is going until April 26th!)

Hello Libration Nation!This week I talk with realtor and small business owner Allison Schwalm about the book Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara. This book is about all things hospitality and customer service and Allison expands on how it inspires her own business practices. It's a great book for anyone who is aiming to grow their business, or is interested in showing caring and respect through service. Also, this is the book Richie is reading during season one of The Bear! I have never felt cooler.For our drink Allison chose a Paloma, which is a favorite of both of ours and I think feels very “restauranty” and fancy. We recorded while Allison was doing dry January, so we made it non-alcoholic by using Ritual Tequila which I bought at Ceremony, an adorable and very hip shop in the Fan RVA, check it out!You can find Allison on Instagram: Allison Schwalm and Allison Schwalm Summit PropertiesPaloma Recipe (Non-Alcoholic)3 ounces Ritual tequila (2 oz if using alcoholic tequila)2 ounces fresh grapefruit juice, plus wedges for garnish2 ounces club soda½ ounce lime juice¼ ounce simple syrupLastly a shameless plug for you to vote for Drinks in the Library as the Best Podcast for Richmond Magazine's Best & Worst list. I also endorse Allison Schwalm as Best Entrepreneur for this list, please include us in your voting activities!Here is a list of things discussed in this podcast:Unreasonable Hospitality by Will GuidaraSummit Properties Allison's Realty CompanyInto Thin Air by Jon KrakauerCeremony Dry Bottle ShopRitual Tequila (Non- alcoholic) Young Mother in Richmond11 Madison Park NYCThe Big Brunch Cooking ShowThe Bear TV ShowBrené Brown Books

Good morning, RVA! It's 54 °F, and, today, summerish temperatures return! Expect highs in the 80s this afternoon and for them to stretch on through next week. Are these record highs? Probably! Am I recovering from a fall cold? Yes! Will I still try to get out into the forest on my bicycle despite probably needing to rest? We'll see! Water cooler Remember last year when the Governor wanted to create permanent tax cuts for the wealthy but didn't have the votes and settled instead for one-time rebates, $200 for individuals and $400 for families? Well, the Department of Taxation has set up a website to check if you're eligible for those rebates (you gotta create an account first), and says the checks should hit your mailbox before December. The Cynical Part of Me raises an eyebrow at the near-election timing of this launch. The Regular Part of Me knows that the General Assembly just passed its budget a hot second ago and casual-sounding things like “setting up a website to check if you're eligible” are actually huge projects for already overworked teams. Looking ahead, and given all the press releases I get from Youngkin's team about the Commonwealth's surging revenue, I'd guess those permanent tax cuts for the wealthy will make a return in this coming year's budget, too. Just another reason why the November 7th election—in just 12 days!—is so very important. Make sure you've got a plan to vote, OK? In other state government news, Ben Paviour at VPM reports on the ongoing mess at the Department of Elections and their decision to remove thousands of folks from the voter rolls. It's hard to tell what's actually going on here, and I'd argue that's probably part of the point. Skip the confusion, and tap straight on through to the Department of Elections website to check your voter registration status right now. Also at VPM, Jahd Khalil writes about Republicans' plans to ban abortion should they win control of the General Assembly next month (see above about voting!). Khalil links to this recent survey by CNU's Wason Center, which asked potential voters a bunch of questions about their Top Issues heading into this election. Tap through and dig into the data, because it's fascinating. While folks support a handful of liberal issues—like keeping abortion legal, teaching kids about racism in public schools, retail marijuana sales, and not banning books—they're basically split on whether they'll vote for a Democrat or a Republican. Pulitzer Prize Winner Michael Paul Williams has more on the survey results, including this bit: “When likely voters were asked who they trusted most to make the right decisions for children in K-12 public schools, 81% of respondents trusted teachers “somewhat” or “a lot” — more so than school administrators (67%), local school boards (59%) and state government (55%). That's right: teachers were deemed more trustworthy than the school boards micromanaging education.” Standard caveats apply about how do surveys even work in a world where no one answers their phone, but still, fascinating! It's not all just state-level elections popping up on ballots, some of us get to vote for local candidates, too. If you're a Henrico resident cast your web browsers back over to the RTD where Sean Jones has put together a nice overview of the 10 candidates running for the Board of Supervisors. Eileen Mellon at Richmond Magazine sat down with Nathan Hughes, a real estate agent who's worked with local restauranteurs for decades, to talk about cursed restaurant spots. Hughes tries to explain that actual things—like location, foot traffic, and layout—probably contribute more to a restaurant's success than fake things like curses. Likely story, Hughes! Reminder: Breakaway RVA will host their final chill, informative, and fun group bike ride tonight. Meet at Scuffletown Park at 5:45 PM, wheels up at 6:00 PM! Tonight, at 6:00 PM, the YWCA host the 27th annual Remember My Name memorial at Cedar Street Baptist Church (2301 Cedar Street). This memorial gives friends, family, and community members a chance to commemorate those who have lost their lives due to domestic violence and intimate partner violence. According to the YWCA, “nearly one-third of all homicides in Virginia are attributed to domestic or intimate partner violence.” You can learn more and register (to help with the headcount) over on the website. This morning's longread Naked beneath Our Clothes I loved this essay on nakedness and bodies and how we're so weird about both. Everyone's got a body, and we've done a lot of really gross societal work to make sure we've all got thoughts on those bodies—the ones that belong to other people, sure, but mostly the one that belongs to us. Seeing other naked bodies, though, did not make me feel disrespectful. It was wondrous. The shared ease made being human more palatable. And I soon realized there is nothing exhibitionist about being naked. People look you in the eye; nobody stares at the rest of you. Nothing is new, shocking, revelatory. All the lumps and bumps, moles and birthmarks, scars and stretch marks are on display, and the need to conceal your own drops away. Nakedness, done right, has no ego. There are problems with exposing the body, of course, but there are also problems in cultures that conceal. The more artfully we cover our bodies, the more mystique there is. But the more mystique there is, the greater the desire to own, steal, guard, or violate that alluring, luring, concealed body. The paradox is built in. If you'd like to suggest a longread to show up here, go chip in a couple bucks on the ol' Patreon. Picture of the Day These mushrooms understand dense housing.

Good morning, RVA! It's 51 °F, and today is our last stunning day for awhile. You should do whatever you can to take advantage of the sunshine and the highs in the mid 70s, because clouds, cooler temperatures, and rain move in tomorrow. Looking ahead, and it might be a minute before we have an entirely bright and cheery day again. Water cooler Lots of GRTC announcements this week! First, free Transit Royale membership on the excellent Transit app, and now the news that the GRTC Board has approved a north-south Bus Rapid Transit route. The gist is, from north to south: Down Chamberlayne, over to the Downtown Transfer Station, across the Manchester Bridge, out Hull Street for a bit, and then up to Midlothian for the rest of its run. I couldn't find a more detailed route map, but maybe that's the point, as approval of the route “sends GRTC on to more detailed traffic planning, route design, and environmental impact study.” It's an interesting route, for sure, handling the question of which major corridor to use for the southern end by splitting time on both Hull Street and Midlothian. I look forward to more details, PDFs, studies, and chances to get involved! Wyatt Gordon reports on a recent “walking audit” of Chamberlayne Avenue—a sort of first-hand tour of bad and unsafe infrastructure. Unmentioned: These incredibly intense bollards that protect some sort of green electrical box in the middle of a street crossing. I think these bollards are most effective infrastructure on the entire corridor, and it's not lost on me the lengths we'll go to protect a green metal box but not actual human people. Anyway, I hope that by prioritizing the bus for an eventual Bus Rapid Transit route, we'll see slower vehicle speeds along with investments in infrastructure for people (not boxes), and, as a result, we'll end up with a much safer Chamberlayne. Eileen Mellon at Richmond Magazine has a full bucket of Rapphannock Oyster news, but what excites me the most is the return of Rapp Sessions. The tiny bar that sat next to the full Rappahannock restaurant had just the most perfect, cozy vibes. Mellon reports that the (also exceedingly cozy) holiday-themed takeover will return as well. Great news for people whose offices may or may not be near Grace Street! This Saturday at 2:00 PM, STAY RVA will host their first STAY Chat of the school year. To quote from their mission, “STAY RVA is a movement comprised of parents and neighbors who want to help Richmond's local public schools thrive. We are a positive-minded, solution-oriented, action-based organization. We want you to be a part of STAY… STAY in the city, STAY committed, STAY open-minded.” Basically, if you and yours have endless, fretful conversations about schools, what to do about schools, school zones, public schools, private schools—or even anticipate having those sorts of conversations in the coming years—I recommend stopping by this Saturday and meeting some like-minded folks. Reminder: The Richmond Folk Festival kicks off tonight at 6:30 PM down by the river! Before barreling straight into this weekend's festivities, make sure you check out the intense schedule and the map of road closures. Remember that Brown's Island and the surrounding areas are pretty easy to get to by both bus and bike. OK! Now get out there and enjoy three straight days of music surrounded by thousands of your favorite Richmonders! This morning's longread In Shipping, a Push to Slash Emissions by Harnessing the Wind I link to this piece in the New York Times about wind-powered and wind-assisted cargo ships because this very thing is mentioned in Kim Stanley Robinson's The Ministry for the Future—a book I'm never not thinking about. If you're going to read just a single climate book, this one, which is both horrifying and hopeful, is the one I recommend! Research has found that shipping emissions could be cut by up to 47 percent by 2030 through a combination of wind propulsion, new fuels and reduced speeds. Slowing down could also cut underwater noise and risks to whales. An estimated 20,000 whales are killed each year by ships, according to Friend of the Sea, which certifies fisheries and aquaculture for sustainability. Dozens of other wind-ships are in development, many in European countries like Britain, France, Norway and the Netherlands. Almost all are highly automated and equipped with sensors, with designs that include sails, rotors and parts that resemble vertical airplane wings. If you'd like to suggest a longread to show up here, go chip in a couple bucks on the ol' Patreon. Picture of the Day Winter interest, baby!

Learned so much talking to Sydney Bass We talked about fashion in a different way. Explored thinking of structure it applying to a style but being open and allowing things to find us and being open to what presents.   It might be out of order in what we expect. Love this quote, " I am ok with waiting for the piece to find me".    Sydney Bass is a personal stylist, mindset coach and business strategist. In 2009, Sydney launched Chic Stripes, her personal style blog that focused on creating individualized style by shopping second hand first. She parlayed her blog into a successful personal styling business where she works with women to create sustainable and timeless core wardrobes that work for them not against them.   As a stylist, Sydney has been featured on numerous television segments, worked with local and national brands, has been featured by the Wall Street Journal and the Today Show, was named Richmond's Top Fashion Blogger in 2015 by Richmond Magazine, and continues to be the area's go-to style expert.   In 2017, after seeing a need in the industry, she launched what is now The Profitable Stylist where she teaches stylists how to go from overworked to profitably booked through a high dollar signature service. She has worked with dozens of clients using her Profitable Stylist Framework to help them create truly transformative style experiences while also confidently raising their prices.   Sydney is a graduate of the Los Angeles-based School of Style, worked as a stylist for Keaton Row, and has a Masters in Social Work. A life long lover of learning, she completed a 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training and is studying for her NLP Practitioner Certificate. She lives in Richmond, Virginia with her two cats and partner where they are renovating a 1950s ranch. She loves black coffee, vintage, red lipstick and can be found in hiking boots just as often (if notmore) than heels.   To connect with Sydney:  https://www.chicstripes.com/ https://www.instagram.com/sydneypagebass/   This podcast is all about inspiring , connecting and sharing stories   Like, follow and share so we can hear each other and expand the definition of creativity to make it all inclusive!   There are a bunch of exciting things going on at I Am Creative & Express Yourself Publishing to check out: https://www.iamcreativephilly.com/   If you have always wanted to write a book or be in one then check this out... You will gain community and expand yourself more than you can imagine!  https://www.iamcreativephilly.com/express-yourself-publishing-house   The 2 books we are gathering for are called:  1. Shout It From The Rooftops: Lightbulb Moments That Need To Be Shared 2. I Love You Because/I Love Me Because: An interactive experiential coffee style book     Lastly  I Am Creative with Hollis Citron is now streaming on RVN TV platform. Check out the weekly interviews with incredible guests as we are expanding the definition of creativity and they are teaching me something... so fun! Check it out: https://rvntelevision.com/tv-show/i-am-creative/     Creatively Yours,  Hollis

Richmond Magazine food editor Eileen Mellon calls in to recap Richmond restaurant news throughout 2022 and preview what might be ahead in the new year.

In this episode, we get with life coach, Tara Eschenroeder, about intention setting.  We talk about the difference between an intention and a resolution and workshop how to set them in our lives. The new year is a time when you hear a lot of rhetoric about “new year, new you” and setting big goals. But what if instead of focusing on all the things that you need to “attain”-- you focus on how you want to feel as you move through your days?This episode provides ways to show up in alignment with your values each day.Intention setting Vs New Years Resolution [05:55]Four questions for the new year [11:00]How can you be supported in your intentions and dreams? [34:00]Ps, if you missed episode 8 with Tara on Intuition, go back and give it a listen :)Tara (Becky) Eschenroeder (She/Her)— A 500 HR E-RYT, 200 HR E-RYT, RCYT, YACEP, Certified Coach and Mentor, and Self-Published Author —is an accomplished yogi who was voted as one of the top three yoga instructors by Richmond Magazine.Instagram: @greatabidingyogaFollow Holly on Instagram and check out her offerings online.Episode sponsored by Connect Wellness. Connect Wellness empowers people with tools to connect with themselves, others, and the present moment.Be wise-- sign up to be the first to know what's next!

Chance Fischer would best describe himself as an Experience Broker.  If you are looking for guidance on how to create the best experience rather we talking fine dining, champaigne, cigars, and dont forget the music, then look no further.  Chance has definately had some great moments in 2022.  To name a few he was featured in Style Weekly Magazine Top 40 under 40, he was featured on the cover of Richmond Magazine, and he signed a record deal w/ Shockoe Records.   We could share more moments; however, we would rather you take a listen to this Episode of the Randy Wilson Podcast so you can get more familiar with Chance Fischer.

Christine Wansleben cut her teeth in the fine dining world of New York City before opening Richmond cooking school Mise En Place in Shockoe Slip. "Danny Meyer was opening two restaurants [in New York City] and I had the opportunity to apply. Then I got accepted and I joined the opening team at Eleven Madison Park," Wansleben said about her time in New York. "I felt it was something I couldn't pass up. One to work for a Danny Meyer establishment. And to work in a restaurant where everything is top of the line and there's anticipation." After years in the city, Wansleben was looking for a slower, more family-friendly pace of life and a friend recommended Richmond. "We moved here in 2001. So in 2000, we started checking out the food scene, I started subscribing to Richmond Magazine, checking out the top caterers because we figured that it had a decent enough food scene at the time that we could both come down and get jobs." Wansleben landed a steady catering gig with Tuffy Stone at A Sharper Palate. "He was great," she said about her time with Tuffy. "Not only do so many great food professionals and chefs come through there and help out, but it also allowed me to learn Richmond and what people like to eat." She also got the opportunity to teach others what she learned over the years in kitchens big and small. "Tuffy would often teach classes at Complete Gourmet in Carytown and there would be times when he couldn't do it," Wansleben said. "So he would ask either myself or sometimes one of my co-chefs to go and teach it for him. And that's what inspired me to look into opening Mise En Place." Now nearly 20 years later, Mise En Place has cemented itself as one of Richmond's best places to take a cooking class by yourself, with a friend, or as a corporate team-building excerise.   Learn more about Mise En Place and Diner En Blanc on this episode of Eat It, Virginia!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The publisher of Southern Grit Magazine is with us this week to talk watermelon, Virginian food, mid-century modern furniture, Joseph Hemings, watermelon, breakfast, Megan Thee Stallion, chicken muddle, and watermelon! Fitz talks about photographing his magazine (his photography is gorgeous), Carla Hall critiquing his watermelon jam, how yock originated in Virginia not New Orleans, among many other subjects. Fitz's links: Magazine: https://southerngritmagazine.com Watermelon journey: https://southerngritmagazine.com/heirloom-hunters-watermelons/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jfitz021 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1011288776108149/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southern_grit_magazine/ Richmond Magazine article: https://richmondmagazine.com/restaurants-in-richmond/food-news/red-n-sweet-watermelon/ Read: Virginia Barbecue; A History by Joseph Hanes, https://www.amazon.com/Virginia-Barbecue-History-American-Palate/dp/1467136735/ref=sr_1_1 Watch: The Bradford Watermelon Story -- The Mind of A Chef  https://youtu.be/ljFJJ4kcNqU Learn more about watermelons: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JtpvQdnmDs   Women Beyond a Certain Age is an award-winning weekly podcast with Denise Vivaldo. She brings her own lively, humorous, and experienced viewpoint to the topics she discusses with her guests. The podcast covers wide-ranging subjects of importance to older women.   SHOW LINKS Website: https://womenbeyond.podbean.com Join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/WomenBeyond/ Follow our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/WomenBeyond/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womenbeyondacertainage/ Episode archive: https://womenbeyond.podbean.com Email us: WomenBeyond@icloud.com Denise Vivaldo is the host of WBACA. Her info lives here: https://denisevivaldogroup.com/ More of Denise's info is here: https://denisevivaldo.com Cindie Flannigan is the producer WBACA. Her info lives here: https://linktr.ee/cindieflannigan Denise and Cindie's books: https://www.amazon.com/Denise-Vivaldo/e/B001K8QNRA%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share

Lesley St. James is the author of The Jill Cooksey Mysteries, a cozy mystery series about a public relations professional whose clients never fail to misbehave but whose friends always have her back. In 2020, Lesley's first novel, The Sweet Scent of Death, won Richmond Magazine and James River Writers' Best Unpublished Novel Contest. Lesley then started her own indie publishing business, Madcap Mystery, and released the novel to the world, along with the sequel, Death of a Dolly Waggler. The third Jill Cooksey mystery, Cruising Toward Death, is expected in August of 2022. Lesley began her career in film and television before moving to public relations and then to education. A devoted, lifelong reader of mysteries, she always knew the kind of books she would write. She graduated from Mary Washington College with a degree in English and French literature and went on to study film at Georgia State University. When she's not writing or teaching writing, Lesley enjoys traveling, movies, and genealogy. She resides in Mechanicsville with her husband Matthew.You can meet Lesley and purchase signed copies of her books on Saturday, October 22, 2022, between 10:00am and 2:00pm at Books, Beads & More, 8106 Bus US-360, Mechanicsville.Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LesleyStJames/Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20893515.Lesley_St_JamesInstagram: @lesleyst.jamesWebsite: lesleystjames.com

Tay chats with Carlos also known as DJ worldwide and the Line Dance Prince, is also a podcaster, cyclist and kayaker. Carlos decided to immerse himself in cycling during the beginning of pandemic in 2020 and by 2021 had completed 10 century rides, cycled thousands of miles, became a ride leader with the Urban Cycling Group and made it on the cover of the Richmond Magazine. Carlos plans to continue his cycling journey as well as immerse himself in the Kayaking world. Instagram @_djworldwide_ @UrbanCyclingGroup --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Erik J. Olson talked toCorrie Johnston-Sirkin, the Managing Partner at NOVA Legal Professionals in Virginia. Corrie has been named a Rising Star by Super Lawyers from 2016-2020; she received a Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Judiciary and Peer Review Rating for the highest level of professional excellence for her legal knowledge, communication skills and ethical standards; Martindale-Hubbell Silver Client Championis awarded to attorneys who have received three or more client reviews and an average score of 4.0 or higher; American Institute of Family Law Attorneys named her one of the “10 Best Attorneys” for family law in 2019 and 2020; Richmond Magazine named her one of Virginia's Outstanding Young Lawyers; and she was named a Fellow of the National Association of Distinguished Counsel Fellows. She is a former Editor of the Young Lawyers Division of the NJSBA Dictum publication. She has authored articles such as “Ethical Divorce Financing: A Guide for Practitioners” and “Don't Believe Your Eyes: Spoofing.” She co-authored “Divorce and How It May Impact Your Business” for the Primerus Paradigm Magazine. Learn from her expertise and what trends are helping grow her firm on this episode of The Managing Partners Podcast! —- Array Digital provides bold marketing that helps managing partners grow their law firms. arraylaw.com Follow us on Instagram: @array.digital Follow us on Twitter: @thisisarray Call us for a FREE digital marketing review: 757-333-3021 SUBSCRIBE to The Managing Partners Podcast for conversations with the nation's top attorneys.

Valley Haggard has written in short and long-form all her life. She is a big fan of the postcard, the 6-word memoir, and drawers full of unfinished manuscripts. She has slept in tents, hostels, motels, couches, tool sheds, log cabins, bunk beds, and ship bowels for short periods of time, and the house she grew up in for much longer than that. She has lived in Virginia, New York, Italy, Colorado, Arkansas, and Alaska, holding jobs as a Waffle House waitress, Dude Ranch Cabin Girl, cruise ship stewardess, and hotel maid. She has written book reviews, author interviews, and first-person columns; judged fiction contests and fellowships, and sat on non-profit writing boards. She is the recipient of a Richmond Magazine  2014 Theresa Pollak Prize, a 2015 Style Weekly Women in the Arts Award, and the winner of the 2018 James River Writers' Emyl Jenkins award. The founder of Richmond Young Writers in 2009, Valley now leads creative nonfiction marathons, workshops, and retreats for adults. She is the founder of Life in 10 Minutes, the author of The Halfway House for Writers and Surrender Your Weapons: Writing to Heal, and the co-editor of Nine Lives: a Life in 10 Minutes Anthology. She has a handsome husband, a brilliant son, an addictive personality, and a voracious appetite for all things word. Her memoir, There's No Accounting for the Strangeness of Things will be published in December 2021.

Good morning, RVA! It's 58 °F, and today looks beautiful. Expect highs in the 80s, plenty of sunshine, and all the reason in the world to hold hands in the park. Temperatures increase over the long weekend, so get out there and enjoy it today.Water coolerAs of this morning, the Virginia Department of Health reports the seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths as: 145, 27, and 10, respectively. VDH reports a seven-day average of 17.9 new cases in and around Richmond (Richmond: -0.3; Henrico: 9.9, and Chesterfield: 8.3). Since this pandemic began, 1,345 people have died in the Richmond region. 45.4%, 56.7%, and 53.2% of the population in Richmond, Henrico, and Chesterfield have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Welp, we'll have to wait until next week to see if Richmond's miraculously negative cases sort themselves out.OK! Virginia continues to creep closer and closer to President Biden's vaccination goal—like, really, really closer. As of this morning, 69.4% of adult Virginians have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. I think, fingers crossed, by Wednesday we should have this thing in the bag. Then, I wonder, what the next fairly arbitrary goal will be? 70% of adults fully vaccinated? 70% of kids? 70% of everyone before the end of the year? Maybe something with booster shots? Like I keep saying, this next phase of vaccination work will be slower and more methodical, and, as much as they're kind of made up, these point-in-time goals do create a way to regularly measure progress (and create a thing to write about in this section of the email multiple times each week).Chris Suarez and Kenya Hunter at the Richmond Times-Dispatch have a surprising update to ongoing George Wythe…story? saga? drama? Yesterday, Mayor Stoney announced that he will “request design proposals for a new George Wythe High School this week against the wishes of the Richmond School Board, which recently voted to wrest control of school construction projects from the city administration.” Stoney said, “This is me exhausting my legal ability to do everything I can to ensure that a new school is built as quickly as possible.” What happens next is anyone's guess, but School Board has a meeting on June 28th at which, I imagine, they'll at least discuss this whole situation. To me, and you may disagree, the tenor of the public narrative about building a replacement for George Wythe High School is decidedly against the School Board. The way the stories I read are framed, the Board comes off like they're unwilling to compromise, unwilling to even have a dialogue with the City, and dug in over their heads. We'll see if and for how much longer the five board members driving this process can keep their alliance intact while, at least in my eyes, public pressure against them grows.Local coverage of Pulitzer Prize Winner Michael Paul Williams continues, and VPM's Ian Stewart has an interview with Williams about what's next (you know, now that he's won the Pulitzer Prize).Today at 12:00 PM, RVA Rapid Transit will host another Transit Talk, this one featuring Sean O'Brien, Director of Community Health with Bon Secours, and Julie Timm, CEO of GRTC. They'll talk about Bon Secours's recent work to get 14 fancy, new bus stop shelters installed in the East End and RVA Rapid Transit's new Better Bus Stops program.Today is the last day of school for RPS and Chesterfield Public Schools students! Congratulations! You made it through the most bizarre school year of your entire lives, and things are looking up as we head into the summer. I hope each of you finds the time to rest, relax, play Fortnite, swim in the river, ride bikes, eat pizza, and do all of the things that I wish I were doing for the next couple of months. You've earned it!Related, and if you can handle thinking about school for just a minute more, RPS families and students can attend the Southside reopening conversation tonight at 6:00 PM. Zoom-in info here.Because it feels very summery, single-game tickets go on sale today for the Richmond Flying Squirrels. Baseball, nachos, beers as big as your head: A classic part of a Richmond summer.Logistical note! I will be taking tomorrow off from this email as it's a state holiday—Juneteenth (observed)—and it sounds like, as of yesterday, it will soon be a federal holiday, too. The New York Times has a nice Juneteenth explainer if you've not heard the history of the holiday before. And, finally, I've seen a handful of Juneteenth events floating around, if you're looking to celebrate locally: Juneteenth Jubilee in the Park and a Juneteenth Celebration at Dorey Park to name two. Meredith Moran at Richmond Magazine has a longer list if you want to stack your calendar.This morning's longreadThe Back to the Office MaximumAnne Helen Peterson! She really hits on a lot of the things I've been thinking about when it comes to returning to offices and workplaces. Y'all should really subscribe to her newsletter.The “good” news is that the pre-COVID, the in-office playing field was unlevel as shit. It favored and advanced a certain type of worker, with a certain type of working style, and a certain availability and eagerness to work in person in an office. It favored extroverts, it favored dudes, it favored neurotypical workers with no physical or psychological conditions that would prevent them from sitting in a chair for nine hours a day, five days a week. It privileged people with the desire and ability to live in proximity to their industry hubs. It implicitly or explicitly promoted those without care responsibilities and/or those most effective at masking or ignoring care responsibilities. We should stop buying the farcical argument that in-office work was some ideal opportunity scenario. It was deeply, deeply exclusionary for many — it's just that those people aren't the ones asked to write the thinkpieces about the benefits of returning to the office.If you'd like your longread to show up here, go chip in a couple bucks on the ol' Patreon.Picture of the DayWithin this bear hides a trash can.

Good morning, RVA! It’s 61 °F, and highs today will stick around in the 80s. Tomorrow though, tomorrow you should expect unseasonably hot temperatures and all kinds of reasons to stay inside. If you want to get out and around, today’s your day!Water coolerAs of this morning, the Virginia Department of Health reports 76 new positive cases of the coronavirus in the Commonwealth and 10 new deaths as a result of the virus. VDH reports 12 new cases in and around Richmond (Chesterfield: 4, Henrico: 7, and Richmond: 1). Since this pandemic began, 1,320 people have died in the Richmond region. The seven-day average of new reported cases across the state sits at 378. Whoa! Look at these new numbers! Fewer than 100 new reported cases across the Commonwealth and single digit case counts in all three local jurisdictions. The last time my spreadsheet says that happened was over a year ago, on March 27th, just three days after I started tracking local numbers. What great news—let’s hope it continues!Over in vaccine world, I can’t remember if I mentioned it or not, but the VDH vaccine dashboard now reports that over 50% of Virginians have received at least one dose of the vaccine (53.2%). And, maybe even more exciting if you’re into tracking progress towards quasi-arbitrary goals, 65.7% of adults have had at least one dose. With 40 days remaining, I think we’ll hit Biden’s 70% goal with time to spare. That’s more great news that I hope continues!Today, the Richmond Times-Dispatch has a ton of retrospective stories from Richmonders reflecting on the year that’s passed since George Floyd was murdered by a police officer. Make sure you carve out some time today to work your way through them all, but, especially, these from Kalia Harris who helped organize mutual aid, artist Jowarnise Caston, Henrico Supervisor Tyrone Nelson, and I’ll just quote the one from the Richmond Police Department in its entirety: “Thank you for reaching out about this opportunity. RPD courteously declines to participate in this story at this time.”OK! City Council met last night and did some work. Hilariously, I totally forget they’d planned on passing the budget—which they totally did! So much for being in love with budget season, am I right? Chris Suarez at the RTD has the budget details, none of which have really changed since last we spoke. Aside from the budget papers, It looks like the resolution kicking off the process to get rid of parking minimums passed—which should get retail and restaurant owners excited. The two other papers I’ve got my eye on, those embarrassing Richmond 300 amendments and requesting that money from the ARP end up in the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, both got continued until later meetings.Jonathan Spiers at Richmond BizSense sat down with Kevin Vonck, the new, bow-tied acting director of Richmond’s planning department. Here’s Vonck on…zoning(!): “Obviously, there are some areas of the city where we do need the zoning to catch up and reflect the market demand and development that’s occurring. We deal with a number of special-use permits because the market will maybe be ahead of where the zoning is at, and now that we have Richmond 300 in place, we have some guidance in terms of what the future land use should be in some of these areas.” He ends his interview with maybe the best description of Richmond I’ve ever read: “a cool place to end up.”In a press release yesterday, the City, Virginia Union University, and RRHA announced a “first-of-its kind partnership and 20-year commitment to support and empower residents of the Gilpin Community.” Specifically, VUU will offer STEM programming targeted at middle schoolers through their Community Mentoring Initiative alongside some new workforce training programs. The housing authority will identify and enroll folks while the City will chip in $100,000 to help pay for the new program. I like this quote from the Mayor, who calls it “a great example of being a good neighbor.” This is not the first time VUU has stepped in to help support Richmond’s youth. Remember when they started giving 50 RPS students full rides a couple years back?There’s a bunch of bicycle stories in the new issue of Richmond Magazine! If you’ve only got time to read one, because you’re so busy riding a bike of your own, make it this one by Eileen Mellon about the Urban Cycling Group.Bittersweet news, VPM’s Roberto Roldan is leaving to take a job in Louisville, which, honestly, sounds wonderful. Roldan is a great city reporter and was a crucial voice during last summer’s protests against police violence. I’ll miss his reporting! VPM has posted the job to replace him, so, if you want to be Richmond’s Next Great City Reporter, get after it!The New York Times has a really shocking rendering of Tulsa before the 1921 Race Massacre. Included are some really horrifying pictures of streets (that look a lot like Richmond’s older streets) after a mob of white people burned the buildings to the ground.This morning’s longread‘The Fledglings Are Out!’Whoa. To be able to write like this as a young person!This diary chronicles the turning of my world, from spring to winter, at home, in the wild, in my head. It travels from the west of Northern Ireland in County Fermanagh to the east in County Down. It records the uprooting of a home, a change of county and landscape, and at times the de-rooting of my senses and my mind. I’m Dara, a boy, an acorn. Mum used to call me lon dubh (which is Irish for blackbird) when I was baby, and sometimes she still does. I have the heart of a naturalist, the head of a would-be scientist, and bones of someone who is already wearied by the apathy and destruction wielded against the natural world. The outpourings on these pages express my connection to wildlife, try to explain the way I see the world, and describe how we weather the storms as a family.If you’d like your longread to show up here, go chip in a couple bucks on the ol’ Patreon.Picture of the DayIt took a decade, but now my blueberry bush has some decent berries on it.

Good morning, RVA! It’s 41 °F, but today’s forecast looks incredible. Expect highs in the mid 70s from this morning straight through until this evening. Saturday looks equally incredibly, but we might see some rain move in on Sunday. Get your rides, runs, rolls, or walks in tomorrow!Water coolerAs of this morning, the Virginia Department of Health reports 579 new positive cases of the coronavirus in the Commonwealth and 27 new deaths as a result of the virus. VDH reports 62 new cases in and around Richmond (Chesterfield: 30, Henrico: 17, and Richmond: 15). Since this pandemic began, 1,302 people have died in the Richmond region. The seven-day average of new reported cases across the state sits at 619. Alright, dang, we have a lot of coronanews to get through this morning—and none of it is directly related to vaccines! First, here are this week’s stacked graph of new reported cases, hospitalizations, and deaths, plus the combined graph of the regional seven-day average of new reported cases. Both graphs, in all ways, show big, good drops across the board. I’m sure these graphs, or ones just like them, are why the governor will loosen a bunch of restrictions on gatherings beginning tomorrow, May 15th. Did you want to hang out with 1,000 people in a 2,000-capacity room? Tomorrow you can!And maybe soon, depending on your vaccination status, you can even hang out with those 1,000 people in a room while not wearing a mask. Yesterday, the CDC announced a major change in their mask-wearing guidance for folks who have been fully vaccinated: “You can resume activities without wearing a mask or staying 6 feet apart, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance.” There are a few caveats—like while traveling, riding transit, or in a healthcare setting—but, basically, if you’re fulling vaccinated CDC says you can go maskless wherever, whenever. If we’re getting pedantic about it, it does sound like the Governor’s current mask-related Executive Order supersedes this guidance, meaning you are still requried to mask-up while indoors in Virginia. But I’m sure the Gov’s legislative brains are quickly throwing together a new update to that EO given this tweet from him last night: “Virginia will continue to follow CDC guidelines as we have done throughout this pandemic. We are reviewing the new mask and distancing recommendations and will update our guidance accordingly.” I have a lot of questions! What does the lack of distance requirements mean for schools—or really any event with an indoor capacity cap? What about people who can’t get vaccinated—which until yesterday included every American under the age of 16? How will “fully vaccinated” be verified or enforced? Check out this ominous quote about the Governor of Oregon in the New York Times: “Gov. Kate Brown of Oregon emphasized that the state would not be operating on an honor system. She said that the health department would soon provide fresh guidance for businesses, employers and others ‘to allow the option of lifting mask and physical distancing requirements after verifying vaccination status.’” At it’s core, I think “the vaccines are so good that if you’re fully vaccinated you can live your life” is true, backed-by-science, and strong messaging. I still have lots of questions around the edges, though. If you’ve been waiting, now is as good of a time as any to visit vax.rchd.com or vaccines.gov and schedule an appointment to get vaccinated.Ali Rockett at the Richmond Times-Dispatch was on hand yesterday when the Mayor and City Council held a combined press conference—a real rarity these days!—to declare gun violence a public health crisis. It sounds like a resolution declaring exactly that will get introduced at an upcoming Council meeting. While resolutions like this are, of course, non-binding, they do give public health officials and organizations some firmer ground to stand on when asking for money, support, or better legislation.What’s the CRB Task Force been up to over the past couple of months as they work to put together Richmond’s first attempt at a Civilian Review Board? Well, if you’re the type of person who listens to public meetings for fun (high five!) you can now listen to recordings of all their meetings dating back to April 6th. Someone do this and then report back!The RTD’s Wayne Epps has a nice story about Angelo Washington, a local mountain biker who competes nationally at some of the highest amateur levels. I can definitely empathize with being suddenly sucked into biking—although not downhill mountain bike racing, way too intense for my old bones! You can find Washington at Riverrock this weekend, riding, teaching, and shredding trails.Eileen Mellon at Richmond Magazine reports that Africanne on Main will move from its 2nd Street location to the old Pit & The Peel spot at 1102 W. Main Street. First, the story behind Africanne on Main is fascinating. Second, her move deep into VCU sounds brilliant: “…one of the things I’ve been contemplating doing is taking the restaurant to 70% vegetarian and I know the VCU students have a huge community for vegans and vegetarians.” Third, if you haven’t been yet, you need to put it on your list! Finally, I’m inspired by Chef MaMusu, who knows what she wants to accomplish and can see how those things will play out—and even end—over the next couple of years.This morning’s longreadThe Gatekeepers Who Get to Decide What Food Is “Disgusting”This piece about “disgusting” food took me on a journey!The Museum of Failure was a resounding commercial success, attracting visitors from across the world and attention from the Times, the Washington Post, and National Geographic. By 2018, though, West was on to his next project, after reading an article about how reducing beef consumption could slow climate change. The piece explained that a dire problem could be eased by a simple solution—eating insects, a good source of protein—but that the First World had rejected this idea out of disgust. West realized that if the experience of failure had expedited human innovation, then the experience of disgust was potentially holding us back. Could that aversion be challenged or changed? “I just wanted to know, Why is it that even talking about eating certain things makes my skin crawl?” he told me, animatedly, over Zoom.If you’d like your longread to show up here, go chip in a couple bucks on the ol’ Patreon.Picture of the Day

Good morning, RVA! It’s 43 °F, and today you can expect highs near 70 °F. Rain potentially moves in tomorrow, alongside cooler temperatures, so today may be the best bike-ride day until the weekend. Something to consider!Water coolerAs of this morning, the Virginia Department of Health reports 1,143 new positive cases of the coronavirus in the Commonwealthand 21 new deaths as a result of the virus. VDH reports 157 new cases in and around Richmond (Chesterfield: 39, Henrico: 86, and Richmond: 32). Since this pandemic began, 1,205 people have died in the Richmond region. The Washington Post reports that I’m not the only one concerned about a springtime coronapeak: “President Biden and top health officials on Monday urged an impatient public to remain vigilant against the coronavirus, as daily case counts continued to rise, younger people replaced seniors in some U.S. hospitals, and the United States moved beyond the milestone of 30 million cases since the outbreak began.” The director of the CDC said she has a feeling of “impending doom,” which, yikes. To me this means, don’t get lazy, wear your masks, keep your distance, work form home if you can, and take the first vaccine offered to you.Over in vaccine world, in the same press conference which you can just watch directly here, Biden also announced that 90% of Americans will be eligible for vaccination within the next three weeks. To quote, “For the vast, vast majority of adults, you won’t have to wait until May 1. You’ll be eligible for your shot on April 19.” That’s pretty dang soon, y’all. If you’re not eligible for an appointment yet, just sit tight and you will be. You will be.Casino updates! In her district news letter, Councilmember Kristen Larson came out against the Forest Hill casino site, saying “While the reasons for opposition are wide ranging, access and traffic impacts for that parcel are a huge issue for the district. I have not received any reassurances on these issues in my discussions with Bally’s leadership team or the city administration…For these reasons and more, I cannot support this proposal for Bally’s Richmond Casino Resort in the Forest Hill/Chippenham/Powhite area.” So we’ve got the 4th District councilmember against the 4th District casino site, the 2nd District councilmember against the 2nd District casino site, and I don’t think we’ve heard much from the 8th District councilmember either way. Meanwhile, these disgusting signs advocating against the 2nd District site have popped up (either on Twitter or in the Real World, I can’t tell). The signs warn of “More traffic. Higher crime. Lower quality of life for us.” and then end with “Tell them to build it over there.” It’s pretty clear who this sign’s creator includes in “us” and where they think is “over there.” And then, last night, I got this text, which shares a lot of language with the disgusting flyer: “Hi, this is Jenny. As you may know there is a proposal before the Richmond City Council to build a resort casino on Arthur Ashe Boulevard where the Bowtie Cinema currently sits. Would you support such a proposal that would increase crime, add traffic to our community roads, and lower our quality of life? Please respond YES if you support, NO if you oppose, or NOT SURE.” So it seems like some residents or businesses (or some other group motivated to see the Movieland site fail

Good morning, RVA! It’s 49 °F, and it’s raining. You can expect it to keep raining for awhile. Maybe until tomorrow? According to NBC12’s Andrew Freiden our risk for severe weather has dropped, but we’ll still see some storms this afternoon. Stay safe, and keep any eye on your weather app of choice.Water coolerThe Richmond Police Department is reporting that Marquez Warden, a man in his 20s, was fatally shot on March 16th near the 5700 block of Hull Street. Warden is the 11th person murdered in 2021 in the City of Richmond.As of this morning, the Virginia Department of Health reports 1,327 new positive cases of the coronavirus in the Commonwealthand 50 new deaths as a result of the virus. VDH reports 142 new cases in and around Richmond (Chesterfield: 75, Henrico: 48, and Richmond: 19). Since this pandemic began, 1,181 people have died in the Richmond region. I think we’ve hit a plateau in our new reported case numbers—a plateau that sits at a too-high altitude that we should all feel anxiety about. The current seven-day average of new cases is 1,299, while the seven-day average from seven days ago is 1,324. Not a ton of change there. I know that 1,300 feels a ton better than 5,000, and I think it’s easy to act like we’re over and done and through with all of our pandemic safety measures. But just keep in mind that for most of last summer the Commonwealth saw new daily case counts below 800. We’ve still got a ways to go.Meanwhile, the Governor has announced his tentative plans for how K–12 schools and institutes of higher learning can host in-person graduation ceremonies (PDF). The gist: Indoor events cannot exceed the lesser of 500 people or 30 percent of the allowed occupancy, and outdoor events cannot exceed the lesser of 5,000 people or 30 percent of the allowed occupancy. Also the following requirement made me chuckle and think about folks with extremely long arms: “Require ten feet of physical distancing between parties. This includes handshakes, hugs, and other physical interactions.” You can read the full press release from the Governor’s office here. He expects the plans to be adopted into an updated Executive Order on April 1st.Two vaccine updates from the Richmond Times-Dispatch’s Sabrina Moreno! First, Richmond and Henrico seniors can now just call their health district’s call center (804.205.3501) and have a vaccination appointment scheduled right over the phone. Second, Moreno reports that the federal pharmacy partnership will expand their vaccination eligibility to include everyone in Phase 1b—including folks aged 16–64 with underlying conditions and disabilities that increase the severity of illness from COVID-19. That means more places to register for a vaccination appointment!The folks at Richmond Together continue to impress me with their clever thoughts on the 2021 budget season. Today, they’ll give a presentation (PDF) at City Council’s Finance and Economic Development Committee (1:00 PM if you want to tune in), and will talk through how the City can use the estimated $159 million headed our way as a part of the American Rescue Plan. I really, really suggest flipping through this presentation as it’ll give you a high-level understanding of how and when the ARP money can be used locally. I love this very practical suggestion: “Richmond Together believes the city should immediately designate or hire one or more capable individuals to be the ‘point person’ for everything related to ARP funds and related [funding] from other sources (such as the state).” Additionally, and also super practical, Richmond Together asks the City to put together “a detailed analysis of how various funding sources can be braided together to maximally fund stated and emergency policy goals…in advance of May 12 and also for public discussion over use of these funds to begin now.” We know this money’s coming, and we should have some clear goals and discussions around how to use it. Honestly, it’s a little like last year’s pandemic budget in reverse. We knew revenue would be tight, and we passed a budget accordingly. Now we know we’re getting a stack of new money, and we should plan for that influx in a smart, holistic, and equitable way. As Richmond Together says, “cities that wisely use this money to advance recovery and policy goals will have a strategic advantage coming out of the pandemic.”I’m still trying to wrap my head around this article in Richmond Magazine by Eileen Mellon about the Ever Better spot on Lombardy Street. Mellon reports that Ever Better sells food and drinks that contain supplements from the Herbalife multi-level marketing company—originally without disclosing it.Today at 6:00 PM, the City will host a public meeting about the rezoning of Greater Scott’s Addition (aka the Diamond District). In the Department of Planning and Development Review’s words, “The current zoning in this area—mostly M-1 Light Industrial and M-2 Heavy Industrial—isn’t aligned with the envisioned Future Land Use categories in this area…Rezoning these areas will allow for dwelling uses by right and reflect the vision for both the Industrial Mixed-Use and Destination Mixed-Use Future Land Use categories envisioned by Richmond 300.” Basically, those M-1 and M-2 zonings, which cover almost the entire area at the moment, prohibit apartments. This means that every apartment you see popping up around the Diamond required a time-intensive Special Use Permit. The proposed rezoning would allow apartments (and other interesting mixed-use projects) by-right, making them easier and quicker to build. A whole lot of rezonings in motion lately, and it’s great to see.Roll right from one virtual event to the next! STAY RVA will host another one of their STAY Chats tonight at 8:00 PM, and this one features Dr. Ram Bhagat. Currently, Ram serves as the Manager of School Culture and Climate Strategy at Richmond Public Schools, but he’s got a long history of working with students and youth in Richmond. This event is free, but you’ll want to register over on the Eventbrite ahead of time.This morning’s longreadCone Snails Are Liars and MurderersOK! Sure!Other snails, such as the geographer cone snail, hunt schools of fish that are snoozing out in the open. These creepers douse their prey in a concentrated cloud of benumbing chemicals that Olivera delightfully calls the “nirvana cabal.” Among the ingredients is insulin, the same hormone humans, fish, and many other animals make to keep their blood-sugar levels in check. The chemical seeps in through the fish’s gills and floods their bloodstream, triggering hypoglycemia and leaving them disoriented and defenseless. The fish “have no energy to swim away,” Olivera said. “It’s like they’re in an opium den.” The victorious snail then deploys its enormous mouth like a net to engulf the comatose fish one by one.If you’d like your longread to show up here, go chip in a couple bucks on the ol’ Patreon.Picture of the Day

Good morning, RVA! It’s 28 °F, and today it looks like you should expect rain or freezing rain or icy rain. No snow unfortunately. If you’ve got to leave your house for some reason, please be careful! Sidewalks and streets are bound to be slippery with the temperature hovering around freezing for the entire day. In fact, we’ve got a Winter Weather Advisory until 10:00 AM.Richmond Public Schools has their first virtual snow day today—you can’t have school, even virtual school, if you can’t deliver meals. Chesterfield Public Schools has cancelled both in person and virtual learning. Henrico will continue with their virtual learning, but teachers who had taught from school buildings will now teach form their homes.Water coolerAs of this morning, the Virginia Department of Health reports 2,558 new positive cases of the coronavirus in the Commonwealthand 15 new deaths as a result of the virus. VDH reports 372 new cases in and around Richmond (Chesterfield: 181, Henrico: 92, and Richmond: 99). Since this pandemic began, 679 people have died in the Richmond region. What’s this? A statewide total of new cases in the 2,000s! Haven’t seen that in a while. But, before you get too excited, VDH has the following notice up on their data dashboard: “Surveillance system upgrades occurring on Saturday, January 30, 2021, will affect the data on the COVID-19 Cases & Testing Dashboards on January 31 and February 1, 2021. A decrease in the number of cases and tests reported on January 31, and an increase in the number of cases and tests reported on February 1 is anticipated because of these upgrades.”Related to big numbers, on Saturday almost 5,000 seniors were given their first dose of vaccine at a regional vaccination event at the Raceway. That’s a lot of folks in a single day—especially folks who may have some mobility challenges or may just move a little slower. It should definitely give everyone a little hope that massive events like this are already possible in our region without any additional support from the Virginia National Guard or federal government. Our state and federal leaders have talked about both of those things, so adding them to our mix would only increase (and stabilize) our vaccination capacity. However, no one—local, state, or federal—can run massive vaccination events like this without massive amounts of vaccine. Unless something changes in the immediate future we may just have to sit on this infrastructure, waiting for the shots to show up.The Richmond Times-Dispatch’s Jessica Nocera reports that after today’s snow day, Chesterfield County Public Schools will return elementary students to in-person learning. 14,000 students will return, while 13,000 have decided to stay virtual. Interestingly, the District’s superintendent originally pitched reopening on April 1st, but, after a meeting with the School Board, that date shifted to February 1st. It’s not clear to me whether the original plan was to return all students on April 1st or just elementary students on April 1st—a big difference. Of course, the context to this entire discussion is that most of Chesterfield’s teachers have not received their first round of vaccine but are still headed back to the classrooms.Richmond’s School Board meets tonight and will further discuss the Superintendent’s proposed budget (full agenda here). Boardmembers have already asked a bunch of questions about the budget, which the administration has already answered, and that means you get this really fascinating Q&A PDF. For example: “How will we address air conditioning concerns with a year-round calendar? The HVAC investments we are hoping to make this spring and summer (using the federal stimulus) should address these concerns.” or “Will we have a nurse at every school? Yes. The FY22 proposed budget will finally help us achieve our goal of having at least one licensed nurse at every school!” I love this kind of stuff. The first two pages of the aforelinked PDF focus on year-round school, if you’re interested in learning more about the specifics of how that would work. Oh! Also! It’s always a good time to email the entire School Boardand let them know you support extending Superintendent Kamras’s contract for four years (so we can continue to get fascinating PDFs like this).Jonathan Spiers at Richmond BizSense has a quick update on Henrico’s GreenCity project (formerly Richmond’s Navy Hill project). The County has officially transferred the Best Products site to their Economic Development Authority, which is the first step in getting the property into the hands of developers. Expect a bunch of slow-trickle, done-deal sounding news about this project for the next, I dunno, year?Over on /r/rva, Creative Dog Media has put together 14 drone photos from yesterday’s snow day that you should flip through. The overheads of the train station and the Manchester climbing wall! Ack! So good.Holly Rodriguez, writing for Richmond Magazine, has a profile of Roscoe Burnems—who you may remember as Richmond’s first poet laureate. I like this quote from Burnems, “Richmond is getting known for these beautiful murals on display across the city, and I want to add a literary component to that.”This morning’s longreadThe Pandemic Has Erased Entire Categories of FriendshipI think a lot about how just before the pandemic I’d finally become a regular at a coffee shop—to the point where they made my coffee when they saw me come in. I miss those people!Understandably, much of the energy directed toward the problems of pandemic social life has been spent on keeping people tied to their families and closest friends. These other relationships have withered largely unremarked on after the places that hosted them closed. The pandemic has evaporated entire categories of friendship, and by doing so, depleted the joys that make up a human life—and buoy human health. But that does present an opportunity. In the coming months, as we begin to add people back into our lives, we’ll now know what it’s like to be without them.If you’d like your longread to show up here, go chip in a couple bucks on the ol’ Patreon.

In this episode, I'm honored to have the 2019 National Teacher of the Year Rodney Robinson come on the show to share his personal journey in education, the importance of prioritizing SEL practices in our schools, his experience as the National Teacher of the Year, his thoughts on who should be our next Secretary of Education, and so much more! To learn more about Rodney's work, you can visit his website at rodrobinsonrva.com or follow him on Instagram & Twitter (@RodRobinsonRVA). BIO: Rodney Robinson is a 20-year teaching veteran. He graduated from King William High School in rural Virginia in 1996. He received a bachelor's degree in history from Virginia State University in 2000 and a master's in educational administration and Supervision from VCU in 2011. He started teaching at Virgie Binford Education Center in 2015, a school inside Richmond Juvenile Detention Center, in an effort to better understand the school to prison pipeline. His classroom is a collaborative partnership between him and the students. He provides a civic centered education that promotes social-emotional growth. The knowledge he is gaining from his students is also helping develop alternative programs to keep students from becoming part of the school to prison pipeline. His accomplishments in education vary from his professional growth to his students' personal growth. He has been published four times by Yale University. He has received numerous awards for his accomplishments in and out of the classroom, most notably the R.E.B. Award for Teaching Excellence. He has worked with Pulitzer winning author James Foreman to developing curriculum units on race, class, and punishment as a part of the Yale Teacher's Institute. He was named the 2019 National Teacher of the Year by the Council of Chief States Schools' Officers. He is used his time as teacher of the year to advocate for cultural equity to make sure students have teachers and administrators who look like them and value their culture. He was recently named HBCU male alumnus of the year by HBCUdigest.com. He was also named #8 on the Root magazine's Top 100 influential African Americans of 2019. Last December he was named Richmonder of the Year by Richmond Magazine. His passion is helping the underprivileged and underrepresented populations in America. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/identitytalk4educators/support

Good morning, RVA! It’s 58 °F, and a little rainy. You can expect temperatures to stay right about where they are for most of the day and for sunny skies to return later this afternoon.Water coolerAs of this morning, the Virginia Department of Health reports 2,117↗️ new positive cases of the coronavirus in the Commonwealth and 0↗️ new deaths as a result of the virus. VDH reports 219↗️ new cases in and around Richmond (Chesterfield: 77, Henrico: 79, and Richmond: 63). Since this pandemic began, 449 people have died in the Richmond region. VDH has reported over 2,000 new cases for six of the last seven days, and the seven-day average of new cases now sits at 2,262. The graph of new cases has gone full hockey stick, y’all—with cases dramatically increasing both statewide and in all of the Commonwealth’s regions. As for schools, VDH’s K–12 Schools Reporting Outbreaks of COVID-19 dashboard shows three outbreaks in Chesterfield (at Al Madina School of Richmond, Bon Air Elementary, and O.B Gates Elementary), VCU reports 30 active cases, and UR reported 21 new cases at the end of last week. Abby Church at the Richmond Times-Dispatch has a good look at how a few families in Hanover are wrestling with the decision to send their kids back to in-person instruction or keep them home for virtual learning. Church says that 1,236 Hanover families hope to return next semester and only 186 families want to switch out back to virtual learning. I know so much of the focus over the last couple of weeks has been on the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday—when folks will travel, poke holes in their bubbles, and spread the disease like gravy over an entire plate of startchy side dishes. I think, though, given the numbers, now’s a good time to reevaluate your household’s general safety procedures. Today’s coronacontext looks a lot different than it did in the summer, and if you’re still doing summertime things, it might be worth thinking about layering on a few more precautions for you and yours.The Richmond Police Department reports that a pedestrian was hit and killed by a driver on the 2600 block of Hull Street. Here’s RPD’s (victim-blamey) description of what happened: “At approximately 8:50 p.m. [on Friday], an adult male pedestrian was crossing the road in the 2600 block of Hull Street when he appeared to have fallen. He was lying in the street and was struck by a vehicle heading east on Hull Street.” I don’t know any more of the details, but I do know that the intersection of Hull and Mildo and E. Clopton is big and weird. I also don’t know if this already happens or what, but every time someone dies using our streets the City should conduct an analysis of the area and rapidly deploy temporary infrastructure. Does this intersection need traffic calming? Better lighting? Curb extension to slow turning? Longer pedestrian signal timing? All of those (maybe even the lighting!) could be quickly implemented with cheap materials to make the area safer for people.Mike Platania at Richmond BizSense says a developer plans to build 85 apartments on the 1100 block of Hull Street. As more and more stuff—restaurants, retail, residential—comes to this part of town, we’re gonna need more and better public transit. We’ve already got a couple really solid buses nearby, but I think we need to figure out how to add some bus lanes to Hull Street ASAP.Alonzo Small at WRIC says that a John Tyler Community College task force has recommended renaming the community college. Tyler was a slaveholder, sided with the Confederacy, and sat in the Confederate House of Representatives. I enjoy this quote from Wikipedia: “Some scholars have praised Tyler’s political resolve, but historians have generally given his presidency a low ranking.” He’s buried in Hollywood Cemetery if, after that glowing review, you want to go check out his final resting place. We’ll learn about possible new names for the community college in March.Richmond Magazine’s photographer Jay Paul has put together his 2020 in Photos, and, dang, a lot has happened over the past 11 months. Remember when they imploded the old Dominion building and it was, like, second-page news?Your moment of whimsy: Video of a hot air balloon (intentionally) landing in a Henrico suburb. This is the most calming internet video I’ve seen in weeks.This morning’s longreadShades of GreyThis piece about why greyhound racing might be OK was more convincing than I thought it would be!I don’t mourn for greyhound racing and its long-delayed reckoning. I do sympathize with working-class people who genuinely love their dogs and who feel overlooked and overpowered by the currents of political change. And selfishly I feel sad that I’ll probably never have another dog like Vesper; I so love the bony ridge of her spine, the way her teeth chatter when she gets excited, the skin that clings to the cartilage between her eyes, softened by so many hands like an ancient piece of pottery. I don’t know if she was happier in the starting block at the track or tucked into her monogrammed bed here with me, but I’m open to the possibility that it was the former.If you’d like your longread to show up here, go chip in a couple bucks on the ol’ Patreon.

The cool shade of a tree is a welcome relief on a hot day. But in cities across the United States, tree cover is not equally distributed between neighborhoods. All cities experience the urban heat island effect, where cities are warmer than the surrounding rural areas due to the way urban surfaces, like parking lots and buildings, absorb heat. However, within cities themselves, some neighborhoods are hotter, and this discrepancy is often directly linked to urban tree cover. A recent study further linked today’s hottest neighborhoods to the historic and inequitable practice of redlining. In this River Talk, the Cumberland River Compact’s Root Nashville Campaign Manager Meg Morgan joins Dr. Jeremy Hoffman, Chief Scientist with the Science Museum of Virginia, to learn about his groundbreaking work on the connections between historic redlining, urban heat, and urban trees, and the implications for how we make equitable, inclusive, and just decisions for our community moving forward. Dr. Jeremy Hoffman is the Chief Scientist at the Science Museum of Virginia and an Affiliate Faculty in the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs and the Center for Environmental Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University. Jeremy specializes in Earth science communication, data-driven and community-based participatory science, and science center exhibit content development. His work has been written about in the New York Times, National Public Radio (NPR), Richmond Magazine, the Richmond Times Dispatch, UPWORTHY, and many others. Support the Cumberland River Compact's River Talks program: https://cumberlandrivercompact.org/get-involved/donate/ Send us your thoughts on this episode! Email us at rivertalks@cumberlandrivercompact.org or leave us a voicemail at 615-933-8837 Learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode: Redlining Map of Nashville Article: “How Decades of Racist Housing Policy Left Neighborhoods Sweltering” NASA and Groundwork Map Climate Vulnerability Video: Urban Heat Islands Community Science and Urban Heat Project Park in a Truck City of Philadelphia Root Nashville Neighborhood Planting Captain program 99 Percent Invisible, Podcast Not Built for Us, Podcast Heat Wave: A Social Autopsy of Disaster in Chicago Cooked: Survival by Zip Code, Documentary --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thecompact/message

Good morning, RVA! It’s 58 °F, and, whoa, today looks lovely. Expect sunshine, highs in the low 70s, and every reason to spend some time on the porch or in a park.Water coolerRichmond Police are reporting that Shaheem King, a man in his 20s, was found shot to death on the 1200 block of Admiral Gravely Boulevard. According to the RPD’s website, this is the fifth murder in 10 days.As of this morning, the Virginia Department of Health reports 923↘️ new positive cases of the coronavirus in the Commonwealthand 15↘️ new deaths as a result of the virus. VDH reports 64↘️ new cases in and around Richmond (Chesterfield: 36, Henrico: 26, and Richmond: 2). Since this pandemic began, 368 people have died in the Richmond region. VDH’s pandemic dashboard overcame whatever technical issues it faced yesterday and has now returned to the internet. You can see that the Central Region, where we all live, currently is experiencing “Moderate Community Transmission” with “moderate burden” and a “fluctuating trend.” Remember, community transmission is a combination of a bunch of metrics and trends and exists so we’ll have a single phrase to say to describe the overall coronapicture in our region. Notably, community transmission in the Central Region dropped to “moderate” after spending six weeks at “substantial.” Also, remember to check out the CDC School Metrics tab, where you can filter some of this data by locality. For Richmond City, the number of new cases per 100,000 people within the last 14 days is orange or “higher risk” (135.9), and the percentage of PCR tests that are positive during the last 14 days is light green or “lower risk” (3.4%). How schools—and individuals—interpret this data remains to be seen!The Richmond Times-Dispatch’s Jessica Nocera reports that, in Chesterfield, “prekindergarten through third-graders will return to classrooms in two weeks”—that’s October 12th. As Chesterfield attempts a hybrid return to in-person instruction model, the rest of the region, including myself, looks on with interest! Epidemiologically speaking, I feel like this plan could work. Pedagogically speaking, I have no idea!Yesterday, City Council’s Public Safety Committee took up RES. 2020-R048, the last of Council’s summertime police reform legislation. This paper asks the Richmond Police Department to “revise its policies to ban the use of certain non-lethal weapons to control unlawful assemblies” aka asks the police to stop using chemical weapons on protestors. I didn’t bring up this paper yesterday because I assumed the Committee would just continue it, and I was pretty bummed about the continuation of the Pulse Corridor rezoning (which, by the way, is continued until after the election—fascinating!). Public Safety did not continue RES. 2020-R048, and, in fact, recommended to full Council that it be stricken. If I recall my Council procedure correctly, I think this means that a majority of Council must now vote to put this item back on the agenda—otherwise that’s that. Bummer. Looking forward, theoretically, in the future, a properly empowered and progressively staffed Civilian Review Board could take up the RPD’s chemical weapons policy and get it changed. But that’s a lot of Ifs. Also, remember that RES. 2020-R048 is just that, a non-binding resolution. The Mayor could, at any moment, just demand that the police department change their policies. I guess we’ll wait on that. So what are police doing to limit the use of chemical weapons against protestors right now? Roberto Roldan at VPM has this audio clip of Chief Gerald Smith talking through the Department’s updated policy which is not nothing. However, I remain unconvinced that RPD needs these weapons at all or that they understand why folks want them banned from our city. Whatever the case, I would like to hear more empathy from our leaders on this topic.Speaking of, CNU’s Judy Ford Wason Center released two statewide polls in the past couple of weeks, and yesterday’s asked a couple of questions about police reform. 98% of Virginia voters support de-escalation training for cops, 95% support requiring body cameras, 70% support establishing civilian oversight boards. Unsurprisingly, folks are split along party lines about more progressive police reform measures. For example, 68% of Democrats support prohibiting police from buying military-grade weapons, while only 26% of Republicans do.Sometimes I wonder how we’re going to do all of these surveys after the pandemic ends and we all aren’t sitting around with tons of survey time on our hands. Maybe we’ll meet in bars and restaurants just to pal around and fill out some surveys—I can think of worse ways to spend an evening. Anyway, you should take some time today to fill out this COVID-19 Needs Assessment Survey coordinated by the Peter Paul Community Action Network in partnership with the VCU Department of Family Medicine and Population Health. I do hope a lot of folks fill this one out. It’s fascinating to learn from these broad surveys what the most important issue people are facing during coronatimes. In the last six months have you stockpiled food? Isolated from other people? Taken a COVID-19 test? I want to see the results of this survey so bad.Richmond Magazine’s Piet Jones somehow convinced a couple area chefs to disclose how much their restaurants spend on ingredients and labor for a handful of dishes. What would you guess is the second most expensive component of Brenner Pass’s Fondue Burger? The bun? The lettuce-y stuff? The fries?The Henrico and Richmond City Health Districts will host another community testing event today, this one at St. Paul’s Baptist Church North (4247 Creighton Road) from 10:00 AM–12:00 PM. This event is drive-thru only! If you don’t have a car and need to find a test, call the coronavirus hotline at 804.205.3501.Well, the presidential debate happened, and, as foretold, it was a spectacle. I do want to be clear, though: There’s no both-sides-did-it to what happened last night. Donald Trump abused the rules, Joe Biden, the moderator, and the audience. I don’t know what we expect Biden—or any human—to do when put in a situation like that, but, whatever it is, it’s unfair to frame it as “fiery squabbling” or “trading barbs.” It’s just not an honest or accurate way to describe what happened. Also: Trump refused to condemn white supremacists and told the Proud Boys, an actual white supremacist group, to “stand back and stand by.” I kind of can’t even believe there’s more of these on the schedule.This morning’s longreadThe Cheating Scandal That Ripped the Poker World ApartI will read about anything that rips a world that I have no familiarity with apart. Someone point me to the scandal the ripped the professional LEGO builders world apart.Most seasoned players would call or raise in his situation: The statistical likelihood that his hand would yield a favorable monetary outcome was high enough to make proceeding to the river an easy choice. But Postle had an unorthodox style of play, and he often made decisions that his rivals deemed either wildly aggressive or inexplicably meek. Those instincts had served him well in recent months: He was in the midst of an epic winning streak—a “heater”—that had turned him into a local folk hero. He’d become such a force on Stones' livestream, in fact, that casino regulars had taken to calling him the Messiah and even God. Postle spent half a minute in quiet contemplation, almost motionless in his black leather chair. Then, pursing his lips in resignation, he chucked his cards forward to fold.If you’d like your longread to show up here, go chip in a couple bucks on the ol’ Patreon.

Good morning, RVA! It’s 66 °F, and today looks a little warmer than most of last week. Expect highs in the 80s and a decent chance of rain this afternoon. More potential rain tomorrow, but the back half of this week looks lovely.Water coolerThe Richmond Police Department is reporting two murders from last week. Early Wednesday morning, officers found Rosalind P. Gibson, a woman in her 40s, shot to death on the sidewalk of the 1100 block of N. 25th Street. Then, early Friday morning, police were called to the 1700 block of Clarkson Road where they found Rolando Maldonado-Ortega, a man in his 40s, fatally shot. He would later die at a local hospital.As of this morning, the Virginia Department of Health reports 736↘️ new positive cases of the coronavirus in the Commonwealthand 15↘️ new deaths as a result of the virus. VDH reports 71↘️ new cases in and around Richmond (Chesterfield: 40, Henrico: 19, and Richmond: 12). Since this pandemic began, 366 people have died in the Richmond region. The big coronanews around Virginia this past weekend was that the Governor and First Lady tested positive for COVID-19 late last week. I imagine the Gov has a ton of potential exposures doing his day-to-day, but this should serve to remind you that anyone, anywhere can catch this virus! Wash your hands, wear a mask, keep your distance, and take preventative public health measures seriously!Chesterfield County released their hybrid reopening plan, and I find it complex and fascinating. The gist, as I read it, is that students will go back to in-person instruction in phases, with younger students heading back first. The County will split each class by last name with the first half of the alphabet attending in-person instruction on Mondays and Tuesdays and the second half of the alphabet attending in-person instruction Thursdays and Fridays. The wild thing to me is that students will basically do asynchronous learning for the entire three days they are not in schools. For younger kids, like K–3, that seems like it’ll require a lot of management from parents. I’m really interested to see how it all works and the parent/teacher reactions. The Richmond Times-Dispatch’s Jessica Nocera and Kenya Hunter say those K–3 students, dubbed Cohort No. 2, could return as soon as October 12th. They also say that “611 Chesterfield teachers have either resigned or retired as of September 21.” I don’t know how much turnover the County experiences in a “normal” year, but 611 sounds like a lot (insert my constant pleas for a denominator here)!Over the weekend, the RTD dropped their 5th District questionnaires for City Counciland for School Board. That Council race has winnowed to just three—Stephanie Lynch, Jer’Mykeal McCoy, and Mamie Taylor, with Taylor not responding to the RTD’s questions. Also of interest to election watchers (and voters, so, like, that should be pretty much everyone), Richmond Magazine has released their Q&A with all of the mayoral candidates. I’ll continue to add this sort of info to the Big List of Richmond’s 2020 Candidates so folks have a single spot to soak up as much candidate info as possible.Speaking of, City Council will meet today at 6:00 PM for their regularly scheduled meeting. You can find the full agenda, as it stands at this moment, right here. Of note, ORD. 2020–153, which would rename the portion of Jefferson Davis Highway in the city, has been continued until December (this was on the recommendation of the Land Use, Housing, and Transportation Committee, something I missed earlier). I’m not sure why this paper needed continuing, and the cynical part of me says the impending election has something to do with it (most of Route 1 in the City sits in the 8th District). Also, ORD. 2018–236, Council’s longest-running agenda item now having spent 749 days floating around various dockets, has again been continued until October 12th. It’s been almost a year since this paper even went to a committee! Can we get an agenda item mercy rule or something? You can check a couple of other ordinances and resolutions I’m watching on this Trello board, but I imagine tonight’s big discussion will center around rezoning the area adjacent to the Science Museum, Allison Street, and VCU & VUU Pulse stations. Council should most definitely approve the collections of papers that make this happen, but I’d guess some councilmembers will hear the inevitable complaints from NIMBYs and neighborhood associations and ask for More Community Engagement In These Troubling Times. I hope to be proven wrong, though!Big bike lane news! Starting today and continuing through January, the Department of Public Works will begin installing the 1st and 3rd Street bike lanes. Expect off-and-on lane closures on 1st from Duval to Franklin and on 3rd from Franklin to Broad. I think this is just the first half of this particular set of bike lanes, which will eventually connect Duval Street (just south across the highway from Gilpin Court) all the way to Spring Street (over the other highway and down by the Virginia War Memorial). We lack real north-south connective bike infrastructure downtown, so I’m stoked on this! And, residents and businesses owners who are not stoked, please don’t freak out: “Residential and emergency access along both 1st and 3rd streets will be maintained at all times. The city will work diligently to minimize adverse impacts on businesses and residents.”Michael Paul Williams wrote about annexation over the weekend. Along with zoning, I’ve got to link you to each piece of annexation content. This is one of them!Leadership Metro Richmond has announced their Laura Robins Speaker Series, which, this year, focuses on equity. Nikole Hannah-Jones, creator of the The 1619 Project, will headline (!) on November 17th, but you can register now ($25 for full-time students, $50 for the rest of us). I imagine they’ll sell out and sell out quickly, so if that sounds like something you’re interested in, get to clicking!The United Way of Greater Richmond & Petersburg has a fun volunteer opportunity for a couple of folks: Installing Little Free Libraries around the region. They’re still looking for a few handy hands Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Maybe that’s you? We’ve got three LFLs in our neighborhood, and, while in no way meant to replace the actual library down the street, they add a nice booky texture to the area. I highly recommend!This morning’s longreadWe now know what Trump was trying to hide by holding back his tax returnsHere’s the quick Vox summary of the New York Times’s huge Trump Tax Returns story. The original—which is probably important to read—is long, and you’ll need to set aside a good chunk of time to both read it and process your anger afterwards.After more than four years, Buettner, Craig, and McIntire of the Times got the goods. Their story reveals the following: Trump did indeed pay zero in income taxes from 2011–2014, and the paltry amount of $750 in 2016 and 2017. He pulled this off by claiming that his businesses lost massive amounts of money. He has $421 million in debt coming due in the next few years, and he could owe $100 million more to the US government if he loses his audit battle with the IRS. There are ample political reasons in here for Trump to have been so reluctant to release these tax returns.If you’d like your longread to show up here, go chip in a couple bucks on the ol’ Patreon.

This week Beth and Wendy discuss The Briley Brothers case. Three African American brothers who went on a seven-month killing spree in their hometown of Richmond, Virginia in 1979. Thanks for listening! This is a weekly podcast and new episodes drop every Thursday, so until next time... look alive guys, it's crazy out there! Where to find us: Our Facebook page is Fruitloopspod and our discussion group is Fruitloopspod Discussion on Facebook; https://www.facebook.com/groups/fruitloopspod/ We are also on Twitter and Instagram @fruitloopspod Please send any questions or comments to fruitloopspod@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail at 602-935-6294.  We just might read your email or play your voicemail on the show! Want to Support the show? You can support the show by rating and reviewing Fruitloops on iTunes, or anywhere else that you get your podcasts from.  We would love it if you gave us 5 stars! You can make a donation on the Cash App https://cash.me/$fruitloopspod Or become a monthly Patron through our Podbean Patron page https://patron.podbean.com/fruitloopspod Articles/Websites Jiji. (11/04/2019). Two years after nine bodies found at suspect's home in Zama, still no trial. JapanTimes. Retrieved 07/11/2020 from https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/11/04/national/crime-legal/no-zama-mass-murder-trial-yet/ Wikipedia contributors. (07/06/2020). Briley Brothers. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 07/09/2020 from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Briley_Brothers&oldid=966389305 Williams, Reed; McKelway, Bill. (05/30/2009). Rampage: The Briley brothers terrorized Richmond area. Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved 07/09/2020 from https://www.richmond.com/news/rampage-the-briley-brothers-terrorized-richmond-area/article_b86344f8-a0f4-521a-bf35-cadafdad143f.html Montaldo, Charles. (07/03/2019). The Briley Brothers Killing Spree. ThoughtCo. Retrieved 07/09/2020 from https://www.thoughtco.com/briley-brothers-killing-spree-4060045 Williams, Reed; McKelway, Bill. (05/13/2009). Officials seek release for Briley brothers accomplice. Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved 07/12/2020 from https://www.richmond.com/news/officials-seek-release-for-briley-brothers-accomplice/article_8cb65564-c2cd-5ecc-9e97-e90a4cdd0045.html Hawkins, Erik. (12/15/2019). Trio Of Brothers Raped And Murdered Their Way Through Richmond Before An Unbelievable Prison Break. Oxygen. Retrieved 07/12/2020 from https://www.oxygen.com/crime-news/linwood-james-anthony-briley-brothers-murder-spree-duncan-meekins Books Rosewood, Jack; Walker, Dwayne.  The Briley Brothers:  The True Story of The Slaying Brothers. True Crime by Evil Killers Vol. 8.  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FEEQP5K Podcasts Hosts Unknown.  Keep Creepin’ The True Crime Guys (7/7/2019). Episode #74 The Briley Brothers [Audio podcast]. Retrieved 07/13/2020 from https://truecrimelasvegas.podbean.com/ Mike and Gibby (hosts).  True Crime All the Time (5/13/2018) Episode 78- The Briley Brothers [Audio podcast].  Retrieved 07/13/2020 from https://www.truecrimeallthetime.com/index.php/2018/05/26/ep78-the-briley-brothers/ Ludlow, Esther (host).  Once Upon A Crime (11/6/2017).  Episode 065:  Murder in the Family:  The Briley Brothers [AudioPodcast].  Retrieved on 07/13/2020 from https://www.podbean.com/podcast-detail/uqjq4-41f8a/Once-Upon-A-Crime-%7C-True-Crime-Podcast Costa, Michael and Levy- Costa, Natalie (hosts).  Detective Society (03/26/2017) Ep 10: The Briley Brothers [AudioPodcast]. Retrieved on 07/13/2020 from https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/detective-society Video S3 E 5 Evil Kin: Streets of Bloodhttps://www.investigationdiscovery.com/tv-shows/evil-kin/full-episodes/streets-of-blood S1 E8: Killer Siblingshttps://www.oxygen.com/killer-siblings/season-1/brileys Born to Kill? The Briley Brothershttps://www.imdb.com/title/tt03302462/ Escape From Death Rowhttps://www.amazon.com/Escape-Death-Row-Daniel-Capellaro/dp/B07BHYP5X5 History Zakarya, Aaqil. (n.d.). Richmond- A modern day analysis of a city with a history of racial segregation. statsmaths.github.io. Retrieved 7/13/2020 from https://statsmaths.github.io/stat209-s18/assets/project-b/aerrapothu.html Kollatz Jr, Harry. (05/11/2018). Photographs and Memories of Black Richmond. Richmond Magazine. Retrieved 07/12/2020 from https://richmondmagazine.com/arts-entertainment/galleries/photographs-memories/ Wikipedia contributors. (01/29/2020). Jackson Ward. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 07/12/2020 from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jackson_Ward&oldid=938107076 Shout Outs I may Destroy you https://www.hbo.com/i-may-destroy-you and on Amazon Prime Unfinished:  Deep Southhttps://www.stitcher.com/podcast/stitcher/unfinished-deep-south Hollywood Crime Scene Podcast with Rachel Fisher and Desi Jedeikinhttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hollywood-crime-scene/id1262899883 Ad Crime in Colorhttps://www.stitcher.com/podcast/crime-in-color Music "Abyss" by Alasen: ●https://soundcloud.com/alasen●https://twitter.com/icemantrap ●https://instagram.com/icemanbass/●https://soundcloud.com/therealfrozenguy●Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License "Melrose" by Yung Kartz https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Yung_KartzLicensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License "A Saint" by Saibysed https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoyDwrTWfhlv_yBm84WXXBgLicensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License "Furious Freak" by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3791-furious-freakLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Connect with us on: Twitter @FruitLoopsPod Instagram https://www.instagram.com/fruitloopspod Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Fruitloopspod and https://www.facebook.com/groups/fruitloopspod  

Good morning, RVA! It’s 74 °F, and today we’ve got more of the same. Expect highs in the mid 90s, sunshine, and humidity—all the things that make Richmond summers great. Stay cool, stay hydrated, and stay masked up.Water coolerSome personal news: At the end of this month, I will resign my position as Executive Director of RVA Rapid Transit (that’s my day job). I’ve had the absolute best time over the last four years working for an organization whose vision—a region packed with frequent and far-reaching public transportation—aligns so closely with my own. However, trite as it sounds, the last three months of pandemic and protests have helped bring into focus what’s important to me and what I do best.First, it’s clear to me that the advocacy for better public transportation in our region must be led by the people most impacted by our region’s past—and ongoing—racist planning decisions. That’s obviously not my lived experience, and it’s appropriate and necessary for me to step aside and make space for someone else.Second, it’s also clear to me that Good Morning, RVA is the best use of my time, talents, voice, and platform. Over the last three coronamonths (or is it four at this point??) I’ve done some of the best writing of my life and have felt incredibly fulfilled keeping Richmonders informed about what’s going on in their city during a time of crisis. But it’s not just the recent crisis-writing. I’ve absolutely loved the last couple years of helping folks work through the (failed) property tax increase, NoBro, a bunch of zoning-and-rezonings, and, of course, the non-stop work for better and safer streets. It’s deeply affirming to regularly hear from readers that what I write about each day has helped them become better citizens of the city.So, after four years, I want to dedicate more than just my (very) early mornings to GMRVA. Moving forward, I’ll now have the capacity to put more time and energy into Good Morning, RVA, and, eventually, I hope to grow it into a sustainable way to support me and my family. How will that impact you, the reader? Starting with the very next sentence you can expect me to regularly ask for your financial support. If you value my work, sign up for the GMRVA patreon and kick five or ten bucks my way each month. Your support, now very literally, helps make Good Morning, RVA possible. Other than that, I hope to invest more time in longer-form projects like the HB 1541 and the two-stage budget review explainers. I plan on crushing 2020 election coverage (now that we have a mostly-final list of candidates) and am noodling on ways to help folks get more meaningfully involved in our City’s legislative process. This project has changed a lot over the last five years (ack! look at this, the very first Good Morning, RVA email, sent way back on March 3rd, 2014), and I’m sure it will continue to evolve, but now with the attention I know it deserves.I’m incredibly excited to do this thing that I love in a more meaningful, more intentional way, and I hope you’re excited about that, too.Alright, on with the news!P.S. And, because I know I’ll get emails about it, I’m not looking for any sort of advertising or sponsorship. I’ve learned my lesson about ad-supported news and news-adjacent projects, and I’m not interested. Good Morning, RVA will be reader supported for the next foreseeable forever. You should, like, go become a supporter. Just go ahead and do it.As of this morning, the Virginia Department of Health reports 639↗️ new positive cases of the coronavirus in the Commonwealth and 4↘️ new deaths as a result of the virus. VDH reports 75↗️ new cases in and around Richmond (Chesterfield: 43, Henrico: 18, and Richmond: 14). Since this pandemic began, 240 people have died in the Richmond region. The New York Times has some upsetting dataviz around the disparate impact COVID-19 has on people of color. From the article: “Latino and African-American residents of the United States have been three times as likely to become infected as their white neighbors, according to the new data…and Black and Latino people have been nearly twice as likely to die from the virus as white people, the data shows.” The new data are only available after the NYT sued the CDC for it.Whoa: The Virginia Mercury’s Sarah Vogelsong says, “In a sharp pivot away from natural gas, Dominion Energy announced Sunday that it is canceling the controversial Atlantic Coast Pipeline and selling ‘substantially all’ of its natural gas transmission and storage assets to a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate.” That’s an enormous win for environmental advocates and regular folk who didn’t want an massive natural gas pipeline running through their town. Robert Zullo, also at the Mercury, steps through some of the project’s history and how much he’s learned reporting on it over the last four years.City Council’s Organizational Development committee meets today at 5:00 PM and will talk through some interesting topics. New RPD Chief Gerald Smith will formally introduce himself to Council, and the Interim City Attorney will give a monument update—fascinated by the latter since the Mayor just went and did it despite the Interim City Attorney’s advice. They’ll also discuss how Council and the Mayor’s administration can move forward on the Civilian Review Board, Marcus Alert, the Mayor’s Reimagining Public Safety Task Force, and the community engagement strategy around all of those things. Should be a good one, and you can tune in here(just look for the “In Progress” link once the meeting begins). The Planning Commission will also meet today, and I’ve got my eye on the “Omnibus Zoning Ordinance Amendment Update and Residential Zoning District Amendments” presentation. The side deck’s not yet on legistar, but you can catch that meeting at 1:30 PM if you’d like.It seems bananas when you say it out loud, but an actual part of the Richmond 300 draft is decking over the part of I-95 between Gilpin Court and Jackson Ward and building stuff right on top of the dang highway—the same dang highway, you’ll remember, that cut through Jackson Ward in the 50s and destroyed parts of a vibrant, thriving Black neighborhood. Jonathan Spiers at Richmond BizSense has some details on what that would look like, how it would reconnect the neighborhoods, and what kind of redevelopment it could spur in and around the area.Richmond Public Libraries reopen today, which I am ambivalent about. On the one hand, the library serves an absolutely critical role in folks' lives, but on the washed-for-20-seconds other hand, anything reopening stresses me out. You can read the new procedures and health-related guidelines over on their website. Also, they are now accepting book returns either inside or in the drop boxes, which is great news for me. We’ve got a stack of books that we checked out on, like, Pandemic Day 0, and they’ve filled me with an increasing amount of guilt as the weeks have worn on. This is part of the City’s official move into Phase Three, and you can read about how that changes City services here.Free Blockbuster Richmond is Little Free Library but for videos. You’ve probably seen the blue and yellow boxes on Instagram, and they’re exactly what you think they are: Free lending libraries focused on TV and movies (and candy!). I’m not sure what folks do with a VHS of Stargate, but, still, a cool idea. Rodrigo Arriaza at Richmond Magazine has some more details including a couple quotes from the founder who, ominously, wished to remain anonymous!This morning’s longreadYou Want a Confederate Monument? My Body Is a Confederate MonumentThis is a powerful, hard-to-read piece by Caroline Randall Williams. Content warning: rape and sexual assault.According to the rule of hypodescent (the social and legal practice of assigning a genetically mixed-race person to the race with less social power) I am the daughter of two black people, the granddaughter of four black people, the great-granddaughter of eight black people. Go back one more generation and it gets less straightforward, and more sinister. As far as family history has always told, and as modern DNA testing has allowed me to confirm, I am the descendant of black women who were domestic servants and white men who raped their help. It is an extraordinary truth of my life that I am biologically more than half white, and yet I have no white people in my genealogy in living memory. No. Voluntary. Whiteness. I am more than half white, and none of it was consensual. White Southern men — my ancestors — took what they wanted from women they did not love, over whom they had extraordinary power, and then failed to claim their children.If you’d like your longread to show up here, go chip in a couple bucks on the ol’ Patreon.

Robey Martin and Todd B. Waldo talk about their shared love for food and culture and what it means to come together to experience both in Richmond. They also share how their focus on mental health and self-care impacts how they live and work each day. Robey Martin lives an unctuous soup of a life. During a day, she balances human resources and contract staffing for Remx Specialty Staffing (need a temp?). In that very same day, she's an online/tv/print personality who features food, spirits and culture primarily in Virginia. You can find her over at WTVR CBS 6 as a co-host of the food podcast "Eat It, Virginia", author of Richmond's restaurant "hot list" and as their local food correspondent. Other places where she is: Richmond Magazine, Virginia Living, Style Weekly, Richmond Times Dispatch, Beer Advocate, Richmond Grid, Virginia Craft Beer Magazine, or wherever good French fries are. Follow her food-centric life at @callmerobey and @eatitvirginia on Instagram. The spotlight for this episode is Holli Fund. Holli Fund supports individuals in the Richmond-area food service industry who are experiencing an economic crisis such as injury, illness, death of an immediate family member, loss of income due to coronavirus restrictions, or other emergency. Workers who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and/or are under doctor’s orders for a mandatory quarantine should ask for assistance. A food service worker can apply for assistance up to three months after a crisis occurs. Individuals must be currently employed in the food service industry to qualify or had been employed in the industry until coronavirus restrictions were mandated by the state in March 2020. Learn more at thehollifund.org 40 Lessons is a podcast about the lessons we've learned about family, career, community and the lessons we are still learning. Listen to all episodes on Spotify, iTunes, Soundcloud, Google Play, TuneIn and Stitcher at toddbwaldo.com/podcast. Send your feedback, questions and comments to todd@toddbwaldo.com #40Lessons #podcast #storytelling #family #career #community #food #culture #happyhour #selfcare #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth

Race Capitol continues with #womenshistorymonth by featuring the most stylish Richmonder of 2018 Ms. Mecca Williams AKA MeccaPresents... ⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ We speak with her about what she’s been up to since gracing the cover of Richmond Magazine with a behind the scenes conversation about:⁣⁣⁣ “Black History Month Style Editorial” ⁣⁣⁣ Location: Richmond Black Business⁣⁣⁣ Photography by: @courtneyj804 ⁣⁣⁣ ⁣ Mecca Williams utilizes her voice to amplify many black businesses and vendors of today and the past here in Richmond, Virginia.

Good morning, RVA! It’s 34 °F, and today’s highs are in the 60s. Enjoy it while you can, because it looks like we’ve got some rain and colder temperatures later this week.Water coolerWTVR reports that a driver hit and killed Shelly Johnson, 41, as Johnson walked along Bethlehem Road towards the Wawa on Staples Mill Road. Bethlehem Road is one of the few ways to connect to Libbie Mill while avoiding both Broad Street and Staples Mill, but, unfortunately, the street lacks side walks and the intersection is massive, unsafe, and designed to maximize vehicle speeds. It’s unsurprising that “the preliminary investigation indicates that [neither] speed nor alcohol were factors in this crash” because the area is not designed as a place for people to safely exist. What will Henrico do to make this part of the County—where they plan on adding thousands of people and jobs—safer for folks moving around? Will they respond to Johnson’s death and change how this intersection works?You should read this column in the Richmond Times-Dispatch by Ebony Walden, about building a more equitable Richmond. She doesn’t explicitly state it, but this column asks the question that sits on all of our plates after Council rejected the mayor’s proposal to redevelop downtown: How will we move forward and implement—citywide—the community benefits that the mayor’s proposal sought to address? Things like affordable housing, public transit, safe pedestrian and bike infrastructure, jobs, disinvestment in Black communities, school funding, and environmental sustainability. In her words: “We did not get here overnight. Federal, state and local policies and private industry practices like urban renewal, redlining, deed restrictions, exclusionary zoning, highway construction and subprime lending have created a segregated city. In the face of these trends, urgent action is needed to develop a racial equity strategy rooted in equitable development, ensuring that all can thrive.” Remember, City Council could begin passing legislation to address some of these issues immediately, while the Mayor’s upcoming budget could bring much needed funded to equitable solutions. Keep an eye on our elected leaders over the next couple of months to see if they move to, as Walden says, make “a solid and actionable commitment to racial equity rooted in equitable development in 2020.”Related, you should also read this column in the RTD by Corey D.B Walker and Thad Williamson about how Richmond—its citizens and its leaders—should build a new, better, and more democratic economic development process. This is important stuff to think through as a community! Those empty blocks of downtown will not (and should not!) stay empty forever, and as VCU moves forward with building a ballpark the City will suddenly find itself with lots and lots of prime real estate along Arthur Ashe Boulevard. Before we kick off either of those projects, it makes sense to do some introspection, learn from these past two years, and deploy a much-improved economic development process. Right?Kate Masters at the Virginia Mercury has a really great explainer on the General Assembly’s plan for the Commonwealth to create its own health insurance marketplace. Is this a good idea? I would love to know! Health insurance is totally not my jam, but it kinda seems like this would creat a lot of new overhead for not that much benefit—now folks looking for insurance would need to check both the federal and state marketplaces while doing some compare/contrast work. Who’s got the definitive longread about whether or not state-run exchanges work?Also at the Virginia Mercury, Graham Moomaw has the disappointing but not altogether unexpected news that the Virginia Senate pushed the assault weapons ban bill to the 2021 GA session. Great quote from Sen. Louise Lucas: “I didn’t have enough people who had enough backbone to do what two million voters asked us to do…They sent us here to vote for good, common sense gun measures. And they wimped out and were just too afraid to do it.”I enjoyed this Q&A in Richmond Magazine where Kelli Lemon asks a bunch of restaurant people how the scene has changed over the last forever. This picture of Richmond in the 90s makes me feel warm feelings: “In the ’90s, I was at 3rd Street Diner, and out front it was cigarette-smoking waitresses in Suicide Girl outfits and [a member of] Lamb of God working the line in the back…So many were just VCU students. It was the Wild West.”The City’s Planning Commission meets today and will consider a handful of papers to rezone the unnamed area around Hardywood (best suggestion I got on Twitter: Rhoadmiller). Also, on their regular agenda sits ORD. 2020–030, the Special Use Permit for the 12-story residential tower proposed for the northwest corner of Broad & Lombardy. I’m pretty stoked about it and can’t remember the last time I saw a big residential project like this with fewer than .5 parking spaces per unit (79 spaces for 168 units—some of them below ground and none of them visible from the street!).Richmond’s planning folks will present the results from the recent Scott’s Addition survey tonight at Diversity Richmond (1407 Sherwood Ave) from 6:00–7:30 PM. If you show up, I think you’ll get first crack at the Greater Scott’s Addition Conceptual Plan, which is a PDF I look forward to reading—don’t we all!This morning’s patron longreadBuild Build Build Build Build Build Build Build Build Build Build Build Build BuildSubmitted by Patron Lisa. It’s shocking to see such strong support for more and more housing from a local official—of course, it cost him his job, but still.What this suggests is that the real solution will have to be sociological. People have to realize that homelessness is connected to housing prices. They have to accept it’s hypocritical to say that you don’t like density but are worried about climate change. They have to internalize the lesson that if they want their children to have a stable financial future, they have to make space. They are going to have to change. Steve Falk changed. When he first heard about Dennis O’Brien’s project, he thought it was stupid: a case study, in ugly stucco, of runaway development. He believed the Bay Area needed more housing, but he was also a dyed-in-the-wool localist who thought cities should decide where and how it was built. Then that belief started to unravel. Today, after eight years of struggle, his career with the city is over, the Deer Hill Road site is still just a mass of dirt and shrubs, and Mr. Falk has become an outspoken proponent of taking local control away from cities like the one he used to lead.If you’d like your longread to show up here, go chip in a couple bucks on the ol’ Patreon.

Good morning, RVA! It’s 29 °F, and today’s the last day of these cooler temperatures for a while. Tomorrow, things start to warm up—with forecasted temperatures on Monday in the 70s??Water coolerA jillion years later and finally the Whole Foods in the Fan opens today at 9:00 AM. Listen, y’all know how Richmonders are about grocery stores. We love them so much! Honestly, how do we not have a minor league team of some sort called The Richmond Shopping Carts? Or maybe the RVA Produce Aisles (Mascot: A palm tree, but with, like, all kinds of fruit and vegetables hanging off of it). I guarantee that as I write this, at 6:30 AM, there is at least one person in line waiting for the doors to open. I want to high five that person! Anyway, good luck, god speed, and Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken is still open on the other side of the parking lot.By the way, here’s the full text of RES. 2020-R009 (PDF), which asks the mayor to: “withdraw the existing Navy Hill Development Project ordinances,” complete a “Navy Hill area plan prior to the issuance of any future requests for proposals,” and “initiate a completely new request for proposal process for redevelopment of the land within the Navy Hill Development Project area.” That latter request is combined with a 12-point list of what the new RFP needs to require and does so in a far less restrictive way than the original RFP—even mentioning maybe not replacing the Coliseum at all. Of course, the Mayor hasn’t budged even a little and, at this point, has no intention of pulling his ordinances. That means as early as February 10th we’ll see a vote on all of this and, with any luck, get to move on with our lives!Ned Oliver at the Virginia Mercury says both the House of Delegates and the Senate have voted to rollback some of the restrictions on abortions that Republicans voted into law a couple years back. Personally, I think the restrictions that were just eliminated were paternalistic and not motivated by any real desire to improve health or keep women safe. Unrelated, but ultra interesting, the senate split their vote 20–20 requiring Lt. Governor Justin Fairfax to come in and break the tie. The one Democrat to abstain? Joe Morrissey. One of the story lines I’m waiting for down at the General Assembly this year is Morrissey vs. the Democrats on some big important piece of legislation. It hasn’t happened yet, but there’s still half the GA session left!Here’s some local media news: Warren Buffett’s “BH Media Group is selling its newspaper operations, including the Richmond Times-Dispatch and nine other daily newspapers in Virginia, to Lee Enterprises Inc. of Davenport, Iowa, a media company that has managed those publications for the past 18 months.” John Reid Blackwell in the now-under-new-ownership Richmond Times-Dispatch has the details. That is the most finance-oriented story about a newspaper I’ve ever read. It barely even mentions news! I wonder if our region—or the state—has anyone with enough money to buy and run the RTD?Thanks to /r/rva for pointing me towards this Special Use Permit for a new 12-storyapartment building at the northwest corner of Broad and Lombardy. Whoa, density! Here’s the thing: I am into this, but we MUST improve the safety of that intersection if we’re dropping in a ton of new homes (168 units says Jonathan Spiers at Richmond BizSense). Also, when can we get an infill Pulse station at Lombardy?I know I’m overly interested in certain parts of town, but I can’t help it. Therefore, you get to tap on links to stories like this profile, by Eileen Mellon in Richmond Magazine, of Brandi Brown, the owner of Ms. Bee’s Juice Bar. Ms. Bee’s just opened the other day at 114 Brookland Park Boulevard.We are (maybe) nearing the end of the impeachment of Donald Trump. Yesterday, senators took turns handing Chief Justice John Roberts written questions, which he then spoke aloud to the House managers or president’s defense team. They spent eight hours doing this and asked 93 total questions. Because no normal human can withstand this sort of endlessly halting public meeting, I’m very thankful for the summary over at impeachment.fyi. The written-question process continues today, and then, tomorrow, perhaps a vote on whether or not to allow witnesses!This morning’s Patron longreadEverything You Think You Know About Housing Is Probably WrongSubmitted by both Patron Lisa and Patron Micheal. Again the NYT with the perhaps overly intense headline, but I really enjoyed this housing piece—especially the bits about how cities can still whiff on density by building sprawly (even if very tall) urban development.But opposition to density has only stiffened as the gulf widens between the 1 percent and everyone else. Well-to-do NIMBYs, congenitally opposed to new developments, have lately been joined by anti-displacement tenant activists — advocates for poor and working-class residents who might ordinarily want more housing but have come to fear that nearly all development brings gentrification that prices the most vulnerable out of neighborhoods. In cities like New York, San Francisco, Chicago and Boston, this new alliance means even initiatives promising some subsidized housing have become lines in the sand.If you’d like your longread to show up here, go chip in a couple bucks on the ol’ Patreon.

Good morning, RVA! It’s 22 °F, and today you can expect highs in the mid 40s and clouds in the sky. Temperatures could hit 50 °F tomorrow.Water coolerDown at the General Assembly, the Land Use Subcommittee of the Counties, Cities, and Towns Committee (which meets at 8:00 AM in “300-A Subcommittee Room” should anyone find themselves in a testifying mood) will hear Del. Samirah’s middle housing bill, HB 152. This bill would require localities to allow duplexes anywhere currently zoned for single family homes. If we’re serious about affordable housing, if we’re serious about public transportation, if we’re serious about combating climate change, we have got to come up with ways for more people to live closer together. Del. Samirah’s bill does exactly this, and it lines up nicely with Richmond 300’s vision for our neighborhoods. I’m very supportive!Locally, but still housing-related, Richmond Magazine’s Rodrigo Arriaza has an interview with Housing Opportunities Made Equal’s Heather Mullins Crislip. HOME and Crislip have been deeply involved in fair housing work in our region for a while now, and that includes our ongoing eviction crisis and the recently released regional affordable housing framework.The Richmond Times-Dispatch’s Mark Robinson has a good recap and the tiniest bit of new news on the future of the Intermediate Terminal Building. The old’ ITB—which, I’m sure, is what people call it—was once the planned site for a Stone Bistro, then was slated for demolition, then Council got involved and, of course, everything ground to a halt. Robinson says that Richmond’s Economic Development Authority has hired an engineering firm to study the structural integrity of the building as a first step to figuring out what’s nexts with this City-owned property.Micheal Martz, also at the RTD, checks in on the State’s ongoing and admittedly boring budget process

On November 6, 2019, Dale M. Brumfield delivered a Banner Lecture, “The Notorious History of the Virginia State Penitentiary.” In 1796, the Virginia General Assembly finally reformed Virginia’s penal laws and embraced Thomas Jefferson’s theory of “labor in confinement.” The Virginia State Penitentiary cornerstone was laid August 19, 1797, near the intersection of what is today Belvidere and Spring Streets, and the first prisoner, a man named Thomas Merryman, was admitted April 1, 1800. For the next 190 years, the penitentiary endured four fires, an earthquake, and numerous riots and escapes. In 1908, the electric chair was introduced, and 246 condemned men and one woman were executed there before the facility was demolished in 1991. Author, journalist, and cultural archaeologist Dale Brumfield will trace the sometimes cruel, sometimes uplifting history of the personalities within this former notorious Richmond landmark. As well as working as a local journalist, Dale Brumfield is the Field Director for Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty and the author of ten books, including Virginia State Penitentiary: A Notorious History and Richmond Independent Press and Independent Press in DC and Virginia: An Underground History. His stories have appeared in Richmond Magazine, Style Weekly, the Staunton News Leader, Austin Chronicle, Richmond Times-Dispatch, and USA Today, among others.

One of Virginia's finest restaurants is in what some might consider an unusual spot for a destination-worthy dining experience. But that is the case at Short Pump Town Center in far western Henrico County where Sandeep "Sunny" Baweja's Indian restaurant Lehja delights diners and racks up awards for both its mouth-watering dishes and expertly curated wine list. "Our first thought was either [opening] in Carytown or the Fan," Sunny said when asked about choosing the location of his restaurant. "After looking for a location for a few months, we could not find the one which we liked. The one [we're looking for] should have parking space and the square, the design of the restaurant is supposed to be." On his first trip to Short Pump Town Center, he knew he found the right place. "[Mall management] was so excited. They wanted to bring an ethnic place to the town center and they wanted something local," Sunny said. "It just worked out to perfection." On this week's episode of Eat It, Virginia! the James Beard nominated chef talks about his childhood in India and the decisions he made as a young man that put him on the path that eventually brought him to the United States and eventual open Lehja -- a restaurant named Richmond's Restaurant of the Year by Richmond Magazine. "I'm lucky this is my passion and profession at the same time," Sunny said. "I enjoy every single thing. If I'm in the kitchen, I want to give 100 percent. If I'm at the bar, I want to make sure you tell this is the best drink... I love it all." Subscribe to Eat It, Virginia! on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow the pod on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Places Mentioned on the Podcast Lehja Nawab Indian Cuisine Short Pump Town Center Acacia ZZQ Jason Alley Jimmy Snead Dale Ritzer Mel Oza Eat It, Virginia! Robey Martin Scott Wise

Award-winning artist Amy Black speaks to Shannon about her nonprofit, Pink Ink Fund, which offers financial assistance to women for nipple and areola repigmentation (tattooing) post mastectomy. Amy's goal is to enable as many women as possible to have the opportunity to regain the natural coloration of their nipples, which is only possible is thru tattooing. Pink Ink Fund helps ease the financial burdens along the path to complete healing. Amy attended the prestigious Columbus College of Art and Design. After college, she interned at a tattoo shop and ultimately ended up buying the business from the owners. She has been rated the Best Tattoo Artist/Studio in Richmond Magazine and Style Magazine multiple times, and was also named RVA Magazine’s Best Local Tattoo Artist. The Authentic Woman with Shannon Fisher explores personal, political, and societal perspectives of the American experience. The show delves deeply into the worlds of writers, artists, celebrities, and community leaders and offers listeners food for thought on ways to better themselves and the world around them. Copyrighted podcast solely owned by the Authors on the Air Global Radio Network, LLC. Follow Shannon on Twitter: @MsShannonFisher.

Valley Haggard has written in short and long form all her life. She is a big fan of the postcard, the 6-word memoir and drawers full of unfinished manuscripts. She has slept in tents, hostels, motels, couches, tool sheds, log cabins, bunk beds and ship bowels for short periods of time and the house she grew up in for much longer than that. She has lived in Virginia, New York, Italy, Colorado, Arkansas, and Alaska, holding jobs as a Waffle House waitress, Dude Ranch Cabin Girl, cruise ship stewardess and hotel maid. She has written book reviews, author interviews and first person columns; judged fiction contests and fellowships and sat on non-profit writing boards. She is the recipient of a Richmond Magazine 2014 Theresa Pollak Prize, a 2015 Style Weekly Women in the Arts Award and the winner of the 2018 James River Writers’s Emyl Jenkins award. The founder of Richmond Young Writers in 2009, Valley now leads creative nonfiction marathons, workshops and retreats for adults. She is the founder of Life in 10 Minutes, the author of The Halfway House for Writers and Surrender Your Weapons: Writing to Heal, and the co-editor of Nine Lives: a Life in 10 Minutes Anthology. She has a handsome husband, a brilliant son, an addictive personality and a voracious appetite for all things word.Find out more about Valley and Life in 10 Minutes:www.lifein10minutes.com#IfYouCouldSeeMe is a proud member of the Mental Health News Radio family of podcasts! Discover more about us and our sister shows at: www.mentalhealthnewsradionetwork.com

In this action-packed episode of Eat It, Virginia! we talk Games of Thrones (SPOILERS), preview the Elbys with Richmond Magazine, learn about the perfect date wine, and Robey offers her Richmond Restaurant Week recommendations. We're celebrating the opening of Richmond's newest restaurant - Fatty Smokes - by sitting down with EAT Restaurant Partners Director of Stuff Chris Staples. Chris talks about his upbringing in the Richmond food scene, when he decided to devote his life to hospitality, and his role in one of Richmond fastest-growing restaurant groups. We close this week's episode by jumping into the mailbag to answer questions about Ashland and Petersburg and discuss the importance (or lack thereof) of a restaurant's name. Please subscribe to Eat It, Virginia! on your favorite podcast platform and send feedback via social media or EatItVirginia@gmail.com.

Craig Belcher is the Arts and Entertainment Editor at Richmond Magazine. But as he tells Colin, he's been writing and working as a journalist for a long time. A native of the Richmond area, he has seen many changes happen in the print industry over the past few decades. Craig also knows a lot about music. He worked for more than a decade as a writer, producer, and host of his own television show, where he interviewed such classic hip hop artists as Chuck D, M.C. Serch, and De La Soul. He also talks about his recent articles on Sister Rosetta Tharpe and the need for a Virginia Music Hall of Fame. It's a conversation that covers everything from Q-Tip to Link Wray and GWAR, with some good advice on the writing life thrown in.

Shannon's guest this week is an award-winning artist with a lot of talent and an equally large heart. Amy Black is the founder of the nonprofit Pink Ink Fund, which offers financial assistance to women for nipple and areola repigmentation (tattooing) post mastectomy. Her goal is to enable as many women as possible to have the opportunity to regain the natural coloration of their nipples, which is only possible is thru tattooing. Pink Ink Fund helps ease the finncial burdens along the path to complete healing. Amy attended the prestigious Columbus College of Art and Design. After college, she interned at a tattoo shop and ultimately ended up buying the business from the owners. She has been rated the Best Tattoo Artist/Studio in Richmond Magazine and Style Magazine multiple times, and was also named RVA Magazine’s Best Local Tattoo Artist. The Authentic Woman is a weekly radio show hosted by women's rights leader Shannon Fisher offering perspectives on the female experience in America. The show delves deeply into the worlds of writers, artists, celebrities, and community leaders. Follow Shannon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MsShannonFisher Copyrighted podcast solely owned by the Authors on the Air Global Radio Network, LLC.

Harry is the man. Staff writer for Richmond Magazine for goin' on 27 years, longtime fixture of local theatre, author of TWO books of Richmond history and ONE upcoming novel, Carlisle Montgomery. He fit right in with us two weirdos and came with more than one funny voice! Listen to us jabber about old-timey Richmond, blather on about bluegrass, hem and haw about this and that. It's a whole lotta fun!

Links Mentioned: Pho Tay Do vs. Pho So 1 La Cabaña Shelly's Food, Comida Latina Randall (Randy) Doetzer, former chef at Nota Bene Longoven Indie Chefs Week Chefs Cycle for No Kid Hungry The Roosevelt Susan Winiecki, editorial director of Richmond Magazine and half of the force behind Fire, Flour & Fork Follow Us: RichmondFamous.com @rvafamous on Instagram

EPISODE 9 ft. Dr Breslin – Dr. Breslin was chosen by his colleagues and peers as a Richmond Magazine’s Top Doc in two separate categories! He achieved Top Doc in both Addiction Medicine and Adult Psychiatry. It is a great honor to be given this recognition as well as a great motivator to continue to work even harder to provide the best care to the amazing people of Richmond.

Featuring Morgan Montgomery, co-owner of specialty rental company Paisley & Jade, this episode of the This Week in Weddings podcast discusses getting into public speaking as a business owner. About our guest:   A New England native, Virginia resident, and lover of all things modern, clean-lined and loud, Morgan discovered her passion for unique and vintage finds as she designed and propped shows while working towards her B.A. in Theatre from The College of the Holy Cross. With years of sales and customer service experience behind her, she spent three years in the trenches of the off-premise catering world before co-launching Paisley & Jade, a specialty rental company serving the Mid-Atlantic, in 2012. Morgan’s passion for business and events extends beyond the walls of P&J, and she loves to share her knowledge through the Paisley & Jade specialty rental coaching program and by speaking at national conferences such as NACE Experience, The Special Event, and The School of Styling.Morgan’s personal and professional work has been featured extensively in national and regional publications, including Southern Weddings, Richmond Magazine, Sage Wedding Pros and The Huffington Post. In this episode, listeners will hear about: Morgan's reason for wanting to get into public speaking The process of applying for public speaking gigs and conferences Preparing for public speaking presentations What to expect for payment for speaking at conferences Tips for combating nerves when speaking for the first time Want to connect with Morgan?   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaisleyAndJade/  Instagram: @paisleyandjade / @mrgnmntgmry twitter: @paisleyandjade Pinterest: pinterest.com/paisleyandjade

Dale Brumfield is an Adjunct English Professor and the author of seven books. His last two, Richmond Independent Press (2013) and Independent Press in D.C and Virginia: An Underground History (2015) were both nominated for Library of Virginia Literary Awards in nonfiction. Dale is a weekly history columnist for the Staunton News Leader, and is a frequent contributor to Richmond Magazine, Style Weekly and North of the James magazines. His work has also appeared in the Richmond Free Press, Richmond Times-Dispatch and USA Today. His next book, a history of the Virginia Penitentiary, will be published fall, 2017. We discuss the history of state murder in Virginia. See http://dalebrumfield.net

Kelli's at Pop's Market to grab coffee with Chris Dovi. Though they've only ever casually met, when news around the world breaks, Kelli visits Chris' Facebook page for his take. Chris says his Facebook posts are "the last shadow of [him] as reporter," who had formerly written for Style Weekly, Richmond Times-Dispatch, Richmond Magazine, and hosted a radio program on WRIR. He's now the Executive Director of CODE VA

We're Back! And this is a special "Post-Election" RVA Politics as Usual edition of The Table with a super-sized group of community leaders talking about the local elections for Mayor, City Council, and School Board and trying to answer the big question, Where do we go from here? We have some guests joining us: Mark Robinson from Richmond Magazine, Kim Gray, 2nd District School Board and now elected to City Council, Melissa and Jessee, Bloggers from RVA Dirt along with guests from our previous Table podcast: Amy Wentz, Mimi Bowen, Matthew Freeman, Free Egunfemi, Todd Waldo, John Murden, Chad Ingold, and with newcomers: Ajay Brewer, Chris Dovi and Brad Kunter (GayRVA & RVA Mag). It was a great discussion. One that should be shared with anyone that cares about our city and region. #WESEEIT

Kelli's downtown at the HI Richmond Hostel to grab coffee with Stephanie Breijo Stephanie is the food editor at Richmond Magazine and while this Southern California girl loves covering the Richmond dining scene it's actually so good that she now feels guilty when she stays in to cook.