Podcasts about street nw

The building that houses Hana Market at U Street NW and 17th Street NW is up for sale, and it got us thinking about how vulnerable corner markets are to real estate whims. In Capitol Hill, a group of neighbors bought the century-old Mott's Market to protect their beloved community space. We interviewed one of the new owners about how they did it and how it could be a model for others. Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC. You can also become a member, with ad-free listening, for as little as $8 a month. Learn more about the sponsors of this July 22nd episode: Incogni - Use code CityCast for 55% off the annual plan. Babbel - Get up to 60% off at Babbel.com/CITYCAST Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“In the 1970s and 1980s, a portion of 14th Street became known primarily for its red-light district. Several strip clubs and massage parlors were concentrated roughly between New York Avenue and K Street, while prostitutes plied their trade around Logan Circle. However, rising land values eventually pushed out the adult businesses. The Source Theatre, founded by Bart Whiteman in 1977, was given some credit for the area's revival. Whiteman stood outside the theater to escort people inside in order to make them feel safer.[5] During the 1980s and 1990s, Logan Circle, although dominated by Victorian homes that had survived mostly untouched by redevelopment or riots, was considered an unsafe neighborhood by many due to overt drug use and prostitution that existed in the neighborhood.[17][18] During this period, property values in the area began to increase, but issues of homelessness in the area came to the forefront. Fourteenth Street, NW became widely viewed as Washington's red light district. It also became an area for small, independent theater companies that acquired relatively cheap space north of the circle.” -Wikipedia. “I sat on the benches, walked on the streets, moved on the grass, and roamed the parks within Logan Circle, Shaw neighborhood, The U Street Corridor, and 14th Street NW in Washington D.C. as a five-year old in the late 1990's. I frequently encountered, conversed with, saw the sex work, saw the sex workers, and hung out with pimps, brothel keepers, clients, customers, madams, procurers, and panderers the most in Logan Circle, The Shaw neighborhood, The U Street Corridor, and 14th Street NW at that time. I saw pimping, brothel keeping, madaming, procuring, pandering, customering, and clienteling the most at Logan Circle, 14th Street NW, Shaw neighborhood, and The U Street Corridor.” Antonio Myers. “Procuring, pimping, or pandering is the facilitation or provision of a prostitute or other sex worker in the arrangement of a sex act with a customer.[1] A procurer, colloquially called a pimp (if male) or a madam (if female, though the term pimp has often been used for female procurers as well) or a brothel keeper, is an agent for prostitutes who collects part of their earnings. The procurer may receive this money in return for advertising services, physical protection, or for providing and possibly monopolizing a location where the prostitute may solicit clients. Like prostitution, the legality of certain actions of a madam or a pimp vary from one region to the next.” -Wikipedia. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/antonio-myers4/support

A troubling event unfolded in Washington, D.C., unsettling the otherwise serene environment during the early morning hours of a Sunday. A grim atmosphere consumed the city as seven people fell victim to a shooting, with two of those having tragically lost their lives. The frightful incident, which took place around 3 a.m., reverberates in the very core of the city, the suspect still remaining elusive. At the intersection of 7th Street NW and P Street NW, only a brief walk away from the scenic Mt. Vernon Square and the Kennedy Recreation Center, gunfire shattered the silence. The perpetrator vanished into the veil of night, escaping depths of the city that were yet to rise from slumber. The police are sparing no effort in tracing their whereabouts. The Executive Assistant Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, Jeffrey Carrol, took center stage during a news conference later that same Sunday morning. His appeal to the public was heartfelt, urging them to aid the investigation. He requested anyone harboring possible knowledge about the crime or any potential witnesses out there to reach out and share their information with the police. The suspect under search is described as a man of average build. Details about his appearance include wearing light-colored trousers and a blue shirt at the time of the incident. He was last spotted traveling on foot, heading south on 7th Street NW. The Department, in their urgency, reiterated that residents should refrain from taking action themselves and instead, quickly dial 911. Upon receiving the emergency call and arriving at the scene, the situation was already critical. Present at the site were six adults, all suffering gunshot wounds. Jeffrey Carrol subsequently confirmed the alarming truth - two victims had already succumbed to their injuries when the police stepped on the scene. Later that afternoon, a fresh development startled the law enforcement officials. An extra gunshot victim made his way to a local hospital independently, upping the tally of affected individuals to a chilling seven. Tragic reports the same evening identified the deceased victims as 32-year-old Anthony Brown from Southeast, D.C., and 32-year-old Jay Lucks from Baltimore, Maryland. Despite the ongoing scrutiny of the incident, the driving force behind the horrifying act remains concealed in mystery. The official report from the Metropolitan Police Department does offer some insight, although preliminary. Based on early inferences, it is suspected 'that one or more culprits intentionally fired at the victims', causing this dreadful event. As part of their comprehensive strategy to find the attacker or attackers and bring them to justice, an enticing reward awaits individuals who can provide significant pointers. The Metropolitan Police Department seeks pivotal information leading to the apprehension and subsequent conviction of the person or people behind this disturbing crime. The department promises a tempting $25,000 per victim, summing to a total of $50,000. Privacy remains a priority when dealing with such sensitive events, and the identities of the remaining victims are being withheld. This measure is being followed to allow sufficient time for the next of kin to be notified appropriately and in a way that respects their emotional state, bridging the gap between sensitivity and urgency. Sadly, this horrific occurrence is far from an isolated event, considering the uprising tide of crime in the city. When compared to the same timeframe in 2023, the data implies an unsettling trend - a distressing 35 percent increase in homicides has been registered this year in the nation's capital, Washington, D.C. Tracing back to the previous year, the number of homicides tallied to 274 in 2023 alone. This was an alarming escalation of 35 percent from crimes recorded in 2022, further illustrating the burgeoning crime rates in the city. The issue is certainly serious and demands proper addressal. An examination of the Metropolitan Police Department's statistics from 2023 introduces more areas of concern. Among the rising crime rates, it is noted that robberies saw an increase of 69 percent within a year's span. These are lessons that should help shape better policies and regulations. Furthermore, the data reveals an unequivocal surge in violent crime, with a spike by 40 percent reported the same year. The alarming increment in such incidents reflects a developing pattern that necessitates a proactive response and vigilance from the law enforcement authorities and community alike. Vehicle-related crimes, it seems, have not been spared either. A soaring increase was noted in the case of carjackings, with an astonishing 89 percent hike being documented within a single year. This is yet another part of the crime wave puzzle that has hit Washington, D.C. In light of these circumstances, it is evident that strategies must be reassessed and further robust measures must be implemented to deal with these escalating crime figures. It's a call to reinforce the fundamentals of public safety, law, and order in the face of these daunting statistics. While the city serves as a beacon of political activity and a symbol of historical significance, it is vital to remember that, above all, it serves as home to many. It's important that strength, unity, and a steadfast commitment to justice reign if the tide of crime is to be stemmed and the safety of its citizenry reassured. Real News Now Connect with Real News Now on Social Media Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RealNewsNowApp/ X Twitter: https://twitter.com/realnewsapp Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realnews/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@realnewsnowapp Threads: https://www.threads.net/@realnews/ Truth Social: https://truthsocial.com/@RealNews YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@realnewsnowapp End Wokeness: https://endthewokeness.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Check out our show notes from Episode 48 of The Moveable Feast:Gemini: 1509 17th Street NW, Washington DC 20036Little Himitsu at Little Vietnam: 828 Upshur St NW, Washington, DC 20011Follow us on Twitter at @MoveFeastPod and on Instagram at @MoveableFeastPod. A big thank you to our producer Claude Jennings and our art director Ryan Harrison.

David Frasz is a Director and commercial loan originator for a top nationwide CRE lender.  He is responsible for relationship management and originating commercial loans across all asset types with a specialty in direct originations of multifamily financing including Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA/HUD, and bridge loans.  David is acutely focused on building strong relationships with clients and helping them achieve their investment goals with a white-glove financing experience. With nearly a decade of experience in multifamily finance, David has built a reputation for client service and for his track record which demonstrates his ability to close even the most difficult loan transactions, even those that competitors and counterparts deemed impossible.  David's skills were sharpened in is early career role as an underwriter where he underwrote more than $1 billion in closed loans and oversaw the underwriting of more than $9 billion in transaction screening volume.  Prior to real estate, David held various positions at State Street and J.P. Morgan after he graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in Managerial Economics from Union College in Schenectady, NY. HIGHLIGHTS IN THIS EPISODE: 00:00 - Intro 01:34 - David's Background 03:28 - Left Field Investors 03:58 - Understanding Lending 06:50 - Bridge Debt 08:19 - Fixed Rate 10:01 - Rate Caps  18:14 - Fixed Rate Long Term 19:40 - Prepayment Penalty Structure 20:40 - Yield Maintenance and Defeasance 23:20 - Questions To Ask 26:07 - Key Principal 28:37 - General Partners 31:18 - Advice for Passive Investors, Don't Blindly Invest 35:16 - David Recommends 38:27 - Bucket List CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST: David Frasz  | Director Office: (703) 663-5886  |  Cell: (857) 236-3000 888 17th Street NW, Suite 300 | Washington, DC  | 20006 LUMENT.COM  |  David.Frasz@Lument.com CONNECT WITH OUR HOST: Connect with our host, Randy Smith, for more educational content or to discuss investment opportunities in the real estate syndication space at www.impactequity.net, https://www.linkedin.com/in/randallsmith or on Instagram at @randysmithinvestor ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Follow us on social media @the.gentle.art.of.crushing.it Listen, like, subscribe, comment: http://thegentleartofcrushingit.com/

Police are searching for the woman who stabbed two people inside a McDonald's on 18th Street NW, D.C. police said. Police were called at around 8:44 p.m. to the restaurant in the 2400 block of 18th St NW in the Adams Morgan neighborhood. The victims, a man and a woman, were conscious and breathing after the attack, police said. More information about the suspect or a potential motive for the stabbing was not provided.

There is now only one day left until the day in our portion of the northern hemisphere with the least amount of light. Does the holiday time coincide coincidentally with this orbital highlight of the year, or have the two fused together over millennia? Perhaps we'll never fully understand for sure, but there's always a journey in pondering the question. That's not really what Charlottesville Community Engagement is usually about, but I'm the host, Sean Tubbs and I'm in wonder of it all. On today's program:* Two arrests are made in connection with a shooting early Sunday* Charlottesville City Attorney Lisa Robertson is stepping down by the end of the month * Albemarle and Charlottesville prepare to collect a plastic bag tax* Six new firefighters have joined Albemarle County * A former coach of Lane High School has died* Albemarle County Supervisors agree to hire five new social workers to help contend with the end of COVID-19 rules for federal benefits This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

It's a post Thanksgiving Spreading Happiness Podcast complete with stuffing, turkey, 3 kinds of cranberry, gravy, green beans and so much more! The boys celebrated Thanksgiving with the family and had a lovely time. Plus, they talk about Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Gratitude Week (make sure to grab your socks, link below!).  John and Mark had lots of TV appearances including NewsMax, News12, Newsday and PIX11. Plus the usual haunts like good new, bad jokes, John's love life and more. Gobble, gobble! Business to highlight: Patrick's Pet Care https://patrickspetcare.com/ Patrick's Pet Care provides the highest level of care to all pets by creating an experience rooted in a genuine love of animals, a commitment to do the right thing, and a comprehensive, personal approach to meeting the needs of all the living creatures and people who depend on us. Patrick Flynn founded Patrick's Pet Care in March 2012 as a dog walking and pet sitting company in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of Washington, DC. His values for operating a pet care business are based on a genuine love of animals, lifelong learning, fostering local community, a commitment to do the right thing, and a personal approach to meeting the needs of all the animals and people who depend on Patrick's Pet Care. Fundamentally, Patrick aims to create thriving relationships between people and their animal companions, using science and consent based methods without fear, pain or force. His business has been recognized by readers of Washingtonian as a Top Pet Care Provider, and has been voted “Best of DC” three times by readers of Washington City Paper. Two locations in Washington DC Small Dog Day Care is located at 3303 11th Street NW in Columbia Heights. All Day Day Soga Care and Grooming for dogs up to 85 pounds at their Brookland location is 3509 12th Street NE Finding John's Crazy Socks: https://johnscrazysocks.com/  Hosted by John & Mark Cronin, co-founders of John's Crazy Socks. Visit John's Crazy Socks here: https://johnscrazysocks.com Follow @johnscrazysocks on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok. The Spreading Happiness Podcast is produced by Launchpad 516 Studios. For show ideas, guest inquiries, general feedback, sponsorships and media inquiries, drop an email: thespreadinghapinesspodcast@lp516.com Information about Speaking Engagements with John and Mark: https://johnscrazysocks.com/pages/speaking-engagements-1  Subscribe to The Spreading Happiness Podcast on Apple Podcasts and get notified of new episodes, every Tuesday! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-spreading-happiness-podcast/id1611218712 

Happy Halloween, we have kept this episode fun with very little to scariness included. Please check out these locations and our audible content recommendation for the young ones. Have a great Halloween!! Thanks. Dupont Circle The historic Mansion on O Street will be decked out for Halloween all month long. https://forms.omansion.com/index.php?type=tour&id=44CC71E1-9A69-4B4C-87E6-DA8AE2729B2D Chesapeake Ghost Tours on Maryland's Eastern Shore is the largest cluster of heritage walks in America.https://chesapeakeghosts.com/ Scary DC is Washington District of Columbia's most haunted ghost tour. Check out our episode with them. Listen here. https://www.podpage.com/local-dmv-business-leisure-podcast-1/where-are-the-ghosts-at-in-dc-scary-dc-take-the-tour/ DC Ghosts does in-person ghost tours near the White House starting at the intersection of 15th Street NW and F Street NW. https://dcghosts.com/ The Perch from 12-6 on 10.29 I shaving costumes, pets, and free Halloween fun. https://www.capitalonecenter.com/events/halloweekend-at-the-perch The Air & Scare is at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center on Saturday, October 30, 2021 from 10 am to 5 pm. https://airandspace.si.edu/events/air-and-scare-2021 Treats from local restaurants for the kids in Old Town Alexandria on 10.29 from 12-4 https://www.oldtownbusiness.org/event/old-town-alexandrias-trick-or-treat/ Camp Red Moon is a little scary and fun! It is by Goosebumps author R. L. Stine, the campfire is very dim and the moon turns blood red and some strange creatures show up at camp. The book is narrated by the author and has a full cast of actors It is a piece of exclusive Audible Original Halloween treat. Here is a link to explore As an Amazon Associate the podcast will earn from qualifying purchases. https://amzn.to/3RCaxjsDc ------------------ --------------- ---------------- -------------------- --------------------- ------------------ ----------------- ------------------- Awesome Newsletter Content SIGN UP HERE-------------------> Newsletter Link You can listen to the podcast here-----> https://www.podpage.com/local-dmv-business-leisure-podcast-1/ Podcast Music Credit Happy Corporate Song for Podcast Music by TimTaj from Pixabay Music by TimTaj from Pixabay --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/dmvbusinesspodcast/message

Tommy got an education on the Mexican tradition of Dia de los Muertos, Day of the Dead. What is a very personal and familial tradition of remembering loved ones who have passed is becoming a cultural moment that's bringing the DC community together. After stops at the Mexican Cultural Institute on 16th Street NW and other spots around DC we hope you learn something and find a way to open your mind and heart to traditions that might be new to you.

Marian Tupy, author of "Superabundance: The Story of Population Growth, Innovation, and Human Flourishing on an Infinitely Bountiful Planet" and editor of HumanProgress.org, and a senior fellow at the Cato Institute's Center for Global Liberty, joined WMAL's "O'Connor and Company" radio program on Tuesday about his new book. ABOUT NEW BOOK: In the book “Superabundance: The Story of Population Growth, Innovation, and Human Flourishing on an Infinitely Bountiful Planet” (Cato Institute, 2022), Marian Tupy and Gale Pooley detail how resource abundance increases, rather than depletes, as the human population grows. This phenomenon called “superabundance” discredits concerns over resource exhaustion by proving humans create more value than they consume. https://www.amazon.com/Superabundance-Population-Innovation-Flourishing-Infinitely/dp/1952223393 BOOK PARTY TUESDAY NIGHT: Marian is having a book event Tuesday night (TONIGHT) with CEI:When: 6:00 – 8:00 pm Tuesday, September 20, 2022Where: Planet Word / 925 13th Street NW (13th & K), Washington, D.C.RSVP: events@cei.org. For more coverage on the issues that matter to you, visit www.WMAL.com, download the WMAL app or tune in live on WMAL-FM 105.9 FM from 5-9 AM ET. To join the conversation, check us out on Twitter: @WMALDC, @LarryOConnor,  @Jgunlock,  @patricepinkfile and @heatherhunterdc.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight! August 6 at 7:30pm ET you can watch live as the film Mr. Jones, written and produced by Gaslit Nation's very own Andrea Chalupa, about Stalin's genocide famine in Ukraine, will be blasted at the Russian Embassy Press Office (a.k.a. the Russian Propaganda Office) in Washington, DC, at 1706 18th Street NW. Anyone anywhere in the world can watch the event -- it will be recorded and livestreamed. Here is the YouTube link where you can watch live or at a later time.   The screening will open with a Q&A with three-time Academy Award-nominee Agnieszka Holland -- the director of Mr. Jones, and Andrea. The discussion will continue with Olga Lautman of the Kremlin Files prodcast who will join to talk about Russia's ongoing genocide in Ukraine.   Last fall, a Putin mob and authorities shut down a screening of Mr. Jones in Moscow and shortly after banned the renowned human rights organization, Memorial, that dared to show it. The Guardian reported on it here. Memorial faced years of repression for fighting for historical truths. So we're blasting the film at the Russians using a powerful projector.    This is going to be an interesting evening you don't want to miss!

Going up? Going down? Or, staying in the same place? Those are the only options to ponder now that it is National Talk In An Elevator Day. The idea is to spark up a quick conversation with a stranger while you level up - or down. So, polish up your pitch and perhaps you will find your way somewhere new? That’s one thought to have on July 29, 2022 and this installment of Charlottesville Community Engagement hopes to get to the bottom of a few things. I’m your host, Sean Tubbs. Sign up for free to be informed about a great deal of things! Pay for a subscription and you’ll help the information keep flowing!On today’s show:The deadline will soon close to tell the University of Virginia that your company wants to build affordable units as part of a housing initiativeAlbemarle Supervisors approve funding to further advance affordable housing projects at SouthwoodThere’s another algae bloom at Chris Greene Lake And Albemarle Supervisors deny a request from a landowner next to the lake to import clean fill to help restore the land to raise livestock First shout-out: Piedmont Master Gardeners want to help you rethink your lawnIn today’s first subscriber supported public service announcement: Want to change up your lawn to something more sustainable for pollinators and other creatures? The Piedmont Master Gardeners wants you to know about a program called Healthy Virginia Lawns which can assist you in your transition. The program is a joint venture of Virginia Cooperative Extension and the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. If interested, the first step will be for a Piedmont Master Gardener to come for a visit for an assessment and soil tests. Healthy Virginia Lawns will give you a customized, science-based roadmap to a greener landscape that protects water quality, wildlife and other resources along the way. Visit piedmontmastergardeners.org to learn more!And if you want to learn more about how to use water more efficiently while gardening, Piedmont Master Gardeners are hosting a program at the Center at Belvedere this Tuesday, August 2, at 6:30 p.m. Learn more at thecentercville.org.Deadline looming for responses to UVA housing initiativeFirms and entities that seek to be part of the University of Virginia’s initiative to build up to 1,500 subsidized housing units have until Tuesday to answer a request for qualifications (RFQ). The University of Virginia Foundation has announced three sites on which mixed-use developments will be built, and the RFQ is for a 24 acre site on Fontaine Avenue known as Piedmont as well as a two acre site on Wertland Street near the intersection with 10th Street NW. Two weeks ago, the Foundation put out a list of answers to questions raised at a June 10 pre-proposal conference. (view the answers)“We expect submissions to provide clear examples of the approach to planning and development on other similar projects managed by the respondent,” reads the response to the first question. The document states that there have been no discussions with either Albemarle or Charlottesville about potential rezonings that might be necessary for the projects. The Piedmont site is located within Albemarle county and offers about 12 developable acres. The 10th and Wertland site is within Charlottesville close to three apartment buildings that have been constructed in the last ten years on West Main Street. There will be no homeownership options at either site and the Foundation’s involvement will be limited to leasing the ground to the development team. Existing tenants at the two locations are on year-to-year leases and have been informed of the potential redevelopment. Some but not all of the new tenants in the new buildings will be required to have specific low incomes. “Our team’s analysis demonstrates a need for units at [30 percent to 60 percent of area median income], but it will be up to the development team to determine the best approach to maximize affordability while producing a financially feasible project,” reads the response to question 10. The Foundation is also not stating a unit count at either location.“The count should be identified by the selected development team’s development program and financial plan,” reads the response to question 14. “It is assumed that teams will seek to maximize the number of affordable units while working to offer a variety of affordability levels across the development.”The response also clarifies that the units are not being targeted for UVA employees but for community members at the 30 percent to 60 percent level. The UVA Foundation has previously offered land at the North Fork Discovery Park, but an RFQ for that project will not be issued until after a rezoning is completed. See also:UVA announces three sites for affordable housing projects, December 14, 2021Places29-North committee gets first look at North Fork rezoning to add residential, March 3, 2022University of Virginia issues first request for qualifications for affordable housing developers, June 10, 2022Regional housing partnership endorses Piedmont Housing Alliance’s application to build affordable housing at two sites, July 7, 2022Albemarle Supervisors approve nearly $3.3 million in additional funding for projects at Southwood There’s a lot of demand for funding for housing projects across the community, and Albemarle County set aside some of its share of the American Rescue Plan Act to provide support to nonprofit agencies. The county asked those entities to apply for funding for affordable housing projects last gal “During the [Agency Budget Review Team] and [American Rescue Plan Act] processes we received requests for more than $20 million in funding support,” said Stacy Pethia, Albemarle’s Housing Policy Manager.On April 20, the Albemarle Board of Supervisors approved $1.29 million from the FY22 budget for three projects. “That money went to the Albemarle Housing Improvement Program to preserve 41 affordable units,” Pethia said. “$625,000 went to the Piedmont Community Land Trust to create 12 permanently affordable new housing units. And $250,000 was awarded to expand the county’s current energy improvement program and that would extend that program for an additional 25 existing units.” Another $2.7 million from Albemarle’s share of ARPA was set aside for housing, and Pethia said much of that went to the Premier Circle project being developed by Piedmont Housing Alliance, Virginia Supportive Housing, and the Thomas Jefferson Area Coalition for the Homeless. On July 20, Supervisors were asked to approve funding for two additional projects. “The staff is requesting the Board approve $3.3 million in funding [and] $3 million of that will be given to Piedmont Housing Alliance to support their Southwood Housing project and $306,000 will go to Habitat for Humanity to provide temporary rental assistance for 40 Southwood families that need to be relocated during the redevelopment process,” Pethia said. That relocation will take place for two years as the second phase of Habitat’s Southwood redevelopment gets underway. The total project cost is $2 million, making the county’s cost about 15 percent of that total. Pethia said the relocation will be in a building being constructed as part of phase one. Pethia said Piedmont Housing Alliance’s Southwood Apartments will have 121 units in the first phase of the Southwood redevelopment. “Those units will serve households with incomes between 30 percent and 60 percent of the area  median income,” Pethia said. “The total project cost is $24.9 million.”Pethia said Albemarle’s total contribution for that project will end up around 12 percent of the total cost, or about $25,000 per unit. The main bulk of the funding comes from the sale of Low-Income Housing Tax Credits but other sources include the National Housing Trust Fund and the Virginia Housing Trust Fund. Albemarle’s Office of Housing will also dedicate eight vouchers to the project. “That equals approximately $500,” Pethia said. “That will provide rental assistance to dedicated units for 15 years.”Supervisor Ann Mallek asked what would happen after that 15 years. Pethia responded they would have to remain affordable for 30 years because that is the requirement under the Low Income Housing Tax Credits mechanism. Supervisor Ned Gallaway said Supervisors have to have a discussion about the future of the county’s affordable housing trust.“We’re on the 20th day of the Fiscal Year and our affordable housing fund, which we’ve taken probably four years to get up to $5 million is now down to under $500,000 again,” Gallaway said. “That’s not bad because we’re using it but there’s still so much out there that we need to do.” Gallaway said the county needs to do more than rely on surpluses and one-time money. Second shout-out: Join me for a Cvillepedia training session - Brand styleIn today’s house-fueled public service announcement, the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society wants you to know about an upcoming exhibit at the Center at Belvedere featuring portraits of several historical figures active in the Charlottesville area in the 1970’s and 1980’s. Frances Brand was a folk artist who painted nearly 150 portraits of what she considered “firsts” including first Black Charlottesville Mayor Charles Barbour and Nancy O’Brien, the first woman to be Charlottesville Mayor. Brand’s work will be on display from July 5 to August 31 in the first public exhibit since 2004. And, if you’d like to help conduct community research into who some of the portraits are, cvillepedia is looking for volunteers! I will be leading a Cvillepedia 101 training session at the Center August 1 at 2 p.m. Sign up at the Center’s website.Another algae bloom at Chris Greene LakeAlbemarle County has closed the beach to people and animals at Chris Greene Lake due to another harmful algae bloom. “People and dogs are prohibited from swimming in the lake until further notice,” reads a press release that went out on Wednesday. “Hiking trails and the dog park remain open, and boating is still permitted.:This is the second such event in less than a year. Another harmful algae bloom shut down the water last October and Chris Greene Lake was reopened after tests showed reduced levels of the bacteria that cause the blooms to occur. Another bloom in June 2018 prompted the county to hire the firm SOLitude Lake Management to conduct a study of the lake’s chemistry to understand the source. Their work found that organic material has accumulated at the bottom of the lake since it was created in the 1970’s. Lower oxygen in warmer months releases phosphorus into the lake upon which the algae feeds.“Algae are naturally-occurring microscopic organisms that are found in fresh and salt waters of Virginia and around the world,” reads the Virginia Department of Health’s website on harmful algae blooms. “Most algal blooms are not harmful but some do affect fish and humans, as well as other animals like birds and marine mammals.” Western portions of Lake Anna are also experiencing harmful algae blooms and an advisory was issued on July 15. The next report on that situation is expected on August 10. Albemarle Supervisors deny landowners request to be exempt from new rules on clean fillThe Albemarle County Board of Supervisors has taken action on the first test of an ordinance adopted in the fall of 2020 to regulate the practice of importing dirt from construction sites and other excavations to agriculturally zoned land. “The fill regulations were developed to protect public health, safety, welfare, and those regulations were designed to limit the scale and impact on roads, the adjacent areas, noise, runoff,” said Bart Svoboda, the county’s zoning administrator. The owner of two properties just to the west of Chris Greene Lake wants an exemption from all of those rules because he says they restrict a contract he has with the federal government to further develop forested land that was clear cut in 2009 that he now wants to become suitable for livestock pasture. “I am currently working on a multiyear, federally-funded environmental quality incentive program  to improve the overall agricultural production of a 254 acre farm that has been in my family since the 1730’s,” said Tim Kindrick. The request is the first to come in since Supervisors adopted updated rules for what’s called clean fill on September 16, 2020. The new rules only allow imported fill on two acres per property. About 90 acres of the property were clear cut in 2009 and the stumps were left to decompose in place in order to prevent erosion. To move the land into productive use as pasture, Kindrick entered into a contract with the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Resources Conservation Service. One of the items in the meeting packet is a letter from Kory Kirkland with the NRCS. (read Kindrick’s application)“I have been working with Tim Kindrick on a multiyear project to conserve, improve, and protect the natural resources on his farm. This project promotes improved pasture condition and use, permanent/ perennial vegetation, and some use exclusion on areas that are most vulnerable. Part of the project area includes the area that Mr. Kindrick has proposed to use clean fill dirt as a land treatment to improve existing [conditions] for continued/ improved agricultural use.” Clean fill means solid matter brought from other sites that could include soil and other inert materials that change the topography of the landscape. Kindrick told the Board of Supervisors the project is agricultural in nature and that the new rules should not apply due to the Virginia Right to Farm Act. He said he has been held hostage by the new ordinance. Zoning administrator Bart Svoboda said staff does not see it that way. (county fill-dirt rules)“Under our ordinance, the zoning ordinance, the activity is not agricultural,” Svoboda said. “Fill activity is specifically excluded as an agricultural activity under state code and local code.”Svoboda acknowledged that the Virginia Right to Farm Act does restrict localities from regulating many agricultural uses, but clean fill brought in from external sites is not one of them.  “That activity of bringing fill from offsite is not an agricultural use,” Svoboda said. “It supports agriculture but under those definitions it is not agricultural use.” Svoboda said staff recommended denial in part because there was no plan for how environmental effects would be mitigated under the plan. Supervisor Jim Andrews questioned the request for exemption from all of the rules. “My sense is that this is really an attempt to say that this regulation shouldn’t apply at all and asking us to make that determination which seems highly inappropriate,” Andrews said. “Without conditions I can’t understand what I’m really looking at.” Before we get to the end of the story, we have to go back. Earlier in the meeting, Brian McCay spoke on behalf of the Earlysville Forest Homeowners Association and said Supervisors should not grant the exemption. “Earlysville Forest has a right of way easement with the Kindrick family that was signed when the neighborhood was first developed,” McCay said. The neighborhood dates back to the 1980’s and McCay said the terms give the association an 15-foot easement intended for a driveway that links to Carriage Hill Drive. “However that driveway is now being used as access for the fill dirt operation requiring repeated trips by heavy dump trucks and is not adequate for that purpose,” McCay said. When asked by Supervisor Ned Gallaway to further explain the neighborhood’s opposition, McCay spoke a second time saying he was not opposed to the use of the property. “Our opposition is directly to the use of this access by heavy equipment and we want to stop that basically,” McCay said. Supervisor Donna Price said she toured the property with Kindrick and saw the installation of mechanisms to keep additional organic material from being washed into the watershed of Chris Greene Lake. “I did have a tour of part of the property and I did see where livestock exclusion fencing has been constructed to protect the waterways,” Price said. “My concern here is that our ordinance may have someone created what I’d call the law of unintended consequences by limiting the soil to have to come from the farm itself.” Price said the farm was in existence many years before the homes were built on Carriage Hill Road and that Kindrick had a legal right to use it. “It is a farm,” Price said. ”A farm naturally engages in some sort of industrial use.” Price asked for a legal perspective on whether the county’s ordinance was against state rules.“As Mr. Svoboda said at the beginning, there’s a difference between agricultural use on the one hand and fill use on the other and as Mr. Svoboda also pointed out, there was a recent amendment to state law that specifically amended agricultural activity so as not to include imported fill,” said Deputy County Attorney Andy Herrick. Supervisor Ann Mallek said the county’s new rules on clean fill were the subject of much public discussion over several years.“I cannot support someone saying ‘I don’t want this law to apply to me,’ and I think we have to make a decision based on the information we have now and if there’s a future application that comes in with something different, that would be fair to the neighbors and to the process.” Supervisor Ned Gallaway said he was sympathetic to the landowner, but the county put its ordinance into place for a reason. “I think even then we knew that this would likely frustrate good actors coming forward but the regulations and the ordinance were put in place to stop the bad actors and the activity that we were concerned about,” Gallaway said. There are six ways you can get a waiver but Kindrick wanted a blanket exemption from all of the rules. Gallaway suggested a new application that sought to justify the waiver. Price said she also could not support a blanket exemption. “But I really want county staff to do what I believe county staff does which is help this community member achieve within the law what he wants to do which is to improve the quality of his farm,” Price said. The motion to deny the application for a special exemption was approved unanimously. Housekeeping notes for episode 413:And that’s it for another edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement, and you may have noticed a focus on Albemarle County. I’d been wanting to get some of these items out there and it took a bit. There’s so much going on and I hope to have another edition out Monday at noon. Between now and then, there’s the Week Ahead coming out on Sunday. There will also be another look at what’s happening at government meetings in the Fifth District in the new Government Glance. In a few days, the above stories will be on the Information Charlottesville website. Want to read articles on land use at the University of Virginia? Click here!What about information on local waterways? Click here!How about economic development? Elections in Virginia? The archive grows each week!All of this is supported by readers and listeners under the Town Crier Productions company I formed two years ago and am still learning how to operate. I’m breaking even, but I’d very much like to find a way to grow. There are ways to do that!For one, if you sign up for a paid subscription through Substack, Ting will match your initial payment! And, if you sign up for their services through this link you’ll get a free standard install, your 2nd month free, and a $75 downtown mall gift card! Enter the promo code COMMUNITY for full effect. Music on the podcast version of the show comes from the D.C. sensation Wraki, and you can support their work by paying whatever you want for the album on BandCamp. My sincere hope today, though, is that someone will ponder the concept of elevators. And what would happen if they could predict the future? Ting will match your initial contribution if you sign up for a paid subscription! This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

Numerological hijinks ensue today on 7/7/22. This is the 188th day of this particular orbital period, and there are 177 left until the next one. What does it all mean? What you make of it! If you’re one who misses celebrating an independent nation, July 7 also marks when the Solomon Islands observes Independence Day. No fireworks, please! I’m your host, Sean Tubbs, puzzling over what all of it might mean. You will need to click through to the website to see the whole thing. Also, please let me know if you have any trouble with links. There appears to be an issue. On today’s program:The Virginia State Police releases crime data for 2021, and violent crimes increased statewide The Regional Housing Partnership endorses a coalition led by the Piedmont Housing Alliance to build affordable housing at two sites to be donated by the University of Virginia Foundation through a ground leaseThe Albemarle County Electoral Board names a new registrar tIt’s been two months since the Board of Equalization affirmed nine out of eleven requests to lower real estate property tax assessments Charlottesville will purchase land on East Jefferson Street for additional municipal parking spaceFirst shout-out: WTJU staging the Cville Puzzle Hunt on August 27In today’s first Patreon-fueled shout-out: By now, readers and listeners know WTJU’s position on algorithms. But do you know that the radio station celebrates puzzles? In fact, on Saturday, August 27, WTJU is organizing the Cville Puzzle Hunt, a huge, cerebral puzzle that will spool out across downtown Charlottesville. The Cville Puzzle Hunt will take you and a team of friends on a wild afternoon running around trying to untangle five diabolical, large-scale puzzles inserted into the urban landscape. The opening clue will be read at 1 p.m. at the Ix Art Park. Find out more about this WTJU-organized event at cvillepuzzlehunt.com. Regional Housing Partnership endorses Piedmont Housing Alliance’s application to build affordable housing at two UVA sitesThe Central Virginia Regional Housing Partnership is a function of the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission and consists of elected officials, representatives from nonprofits, and developers. Last year they developed the Planning for Affordability report intended to suggest strategies for each of the six localities to create more below-market housing opportunities. (read that plan)On Wednesday, the group convened for one purpose. For background, the University of Virginia and its real estate foundation are offering land through a ground lease at three sites in the community for a partner to construct affordable housing. They issued a request for qualifications in June to develop sites on Fontaine Avenue and Wertland Street. (agenda packet)There was a pre-proposal presentation on June 22 led by Fred Missel, the director of development for the UVA Foundation. In a separate capacity, Missel is also a member of the Albemarle Planning Commission. Wednesday’s partnership meeting was to vote on an endorsement of the Piedmont Housing Alliance’s desire to lead a large group of partners to develop the two sites.“We have pulled together a largely local team of nonprofits and one for profit organization to come together to ideally provide a holistic housing ladder with a holistic set of viewpoints to make sure we are being responsive to the needs not just within those two sites,” said Sunshine Mathon, the executive director of the Piedmont Housing Alliance. That for profit developer would be Riverbend Development, which has assisted the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority with its recent redevelopment efforts. Another partner would be the Virginia Community Development Corporation and another would be 7 and M Development. A letter in the RHP agenda packet includes more details. “The development team is partnering to design, build, and operate affordable housing on both sites, with a focus on a broad array of housing opportunities, focused on rental housing for people earning 30 to 60 percent of area median income, but also including more deeply affordable rental housing, affordable homeownership opportunities, market rate housing, community amenities, and commercial space,” reads the letter.However, many of the partnership members had to recuse themselves from the vote out of conflicts of interest. That included:Dan Rosensweig of the Habitat for Humanity of Greater CharlottesvilleSunshine Mathon of the Piedmont Housing AllianceKeith Smith of the Piedmont Community Land Trust (now part of Piedmont Housing Alliance)Shelby Edwards of the Public Housing Association of Residents Anthony Haro of the Thomas Jefferson Coalition for the HomelessColette Sheehy is the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the University of Virginia. She also abstained from the vote but is not part of the development. “That was an impressive list of local organizations involved in this space and I was just curious if you anticipate anybody else out there locally that might propose anything?” Sheehy asked. Mathon said he thought there may be another group.“I think there are probably still one or two organizations which may find their way into a different team but I’m not 100 percent sure,” Mathon said. Those who were able to vote to support the letter were Antwon Brinson of the Piedmont Workforce Network, Greg Powe of Powe Studio Architects, Ned Gallaway of the Albemarle Board of Supervisors, Peter Holman of the University of Virginia Credit Union, Rachel Jones of the Louisa Board of Supervisors, Charlottesville Mayor Lloyd Snook, and Kim Hyland of the Fluvanna-Louisa Housing Foundation.“Seven yes, zero noes, and six abstentions,” said Ian Baxter, a planner with the TJPDC. One of those abstentions was Keith Smith, a realtor and chair of the Piedmont Community Land Trust.“This is what this body was designed to do and this is great stuff,” Smith said. The application is due on August 2. Will there be any other applications? Albemarle hires new registrar from within The Albemarle County Electoral Board has promoted the deputy registrar to serve as the new Director of Elections. Lauren Eddy has worked for the Voter Registration and Elections Office for 17 years, and will succeed Richard “Jake” Washburne, who will be retiring at the end of the month.“I can’t think of anyone more qualified than Lauren to take on this role,” Washburne is quoted in a release.Eddy has been deputy registrar for the past 15 years. She’s a native of Albemarle and is a Virginia Registered Election Official as well as a National Certified Elections/Registration Administrator.Charlottesville Board of Equalization declined all but one assessment appealsIt has now been seven weeks and two day since the Charlottesville Board of Equalization met on May 17 to hear appeals from property owners of their 2022 real estate tax assessments. Eleven were scheduled but one withdrew. The Board affirmed the property assessments in all ten of the cases that were heard. (read the minutes)The owner of an apartment in the Belmont Lofts wanted the BOE to lower the assessment to $265,000 down from the $400,900 for 2022. The Board agreed to lower the amount to $365,000. GIS for this property currently says $364,000. The owner of 409 Park Street in North Downtown sought reduction to $750,000, but the BOE affirmed the $914,800 assessment. The owner of 1010 Peartree Lane in the Locust Grove wanted to have the assessment dropped to $265,650 but the Board affirmed the $323,700 as the fair market value. The owner bought the 0.21 acre property in 1976 for $34,000. HPTMI Corporation owns the Residence Inn on Millmont Street. They argued the fair market value should be $11,547,400 rather than the $14,762,600 for 2022. The BOE disagreed and affirmed the assessment. When the motel was built in 1997, it was assessed at $3,845,500 and steadily increased each year until this year, when the assessment dropped around $1.5 million. The owners of the Omni Hotel withdrew their appeal of the property’s $35.8 million 2022 assessment. Like the Residence Inn, the assessment has been dropped since 2020 due to the pandemic. There’s still an active lawsuit regarding the 2021 assessment. Last year, the Omni sued Charlottesville over what they perceived as an overpayment of taxes. Read an April 2021 story by Tyler Hammel in the Charlottesville Daily Progress. Ludwig Kuttner sought an unspecified reduction for an industrial building at 1155 5th Street NW next to the Willoughby Shopping Center and claimed “appraiser failed to take into consideration the tremendous impact that ‘Covid’ had on all businesses and property owners.” The Board affirmed the assessment of $2,888,500 and said Kuttner presented no new evidence.Kuttner also sought an assessment reduction for the 10,75 acres of the Ix property, a request he has made in the past. This time, he cited the same reason. The property was assessed at nearly $14.4 million and it will stay that way. Read about the 2017 appeal on Charlottesville Tomorrow. The section of the Ix property that is operated as the Ix Park and is rented to Three Notch’d Brewery was assessed at $5.62 million. The BOE affirmed. Kuttner also sought relief for the Terraces at 100-106 West Main Street. The city assessors valued it at $12,690,400 and the Board of Equalization affirmed that amount.The same story can be said about 201 E. Main Street, otherwise known as Central Place. Kuttner made the same argument but the BOE affirmed the $2.83 million assessment for 2022. Kuttner also represented the owners of 301 E. High Street and made the same basic argument about COVID. The Board also affirmed this property.  Virginia State Police release 2021 crime report for the Commonwealth The rate of violent crime in Virginia increased in 2021 according to new data from the Virginia State Police. Last week, the agency’s Criminal Justice Information Service’s Data Analysis and Reporting Team (DART) published a report for last year showed an overall increase in murders, forcible sex offenses including rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. “There were 16,823 violent crime offenses reported in 2021 compared to 15,713 violent crime offenses reported in 2020, representing a 7.1 percent increase,” reads a press release on the report. Some of what’s in the report: There were 562 homicides in Virginia in 2021, a 6.4 percent increase. Of that amount, 38.6 percent were men between the ages of 18 and 34. Over $131 million worth of vehicles were stolen in 2021, a 3.8 percent increase. Firearms were used in 82.1 percent of homicides and 48.6 percent of robberies. There were 123 hate crime offenses involving 106 victims in 2021. That’s down 35.3 percent from 2020. These involve either aggravated assault, vandalism, or destruction of property. Fraud offenses were up 8.4 percent in 2021.Not all of the numbers are increasing. The number of burglaries continued to decline with an 8.3 percent drop in 2020. That’s part of a long-time trend. “In 2021, there were 10,464 burglaries and attempted burglaries whereas in 2011 there were 27,872, representing a decreased burglary rate in the last decade from 344.24 to 120.89 per 100,000 population,” reads the summary. Drug arrests were down 46.7 percent, with one major driver being the decriminalization of possession of less than an ounce of marijuana. The DART report also breaks down offenses by locality. The Albemarle County Police Department reported 4,191 total offenses and 1,527 arrests. There were no murders or negligent manslaughter, but there were 12 kidnapping incidents, 76 aggravated assaults, 99 burglaries, and 107 stolen vehicles.(page 92 of the .PDF)Charlottesville also reported no murders, but there there were 3,052 offenses tracked. There were 11 kidnappings, 162 aggravated assaults, 127 burglaries, and 155 stolen vehicles.  (page 130)There were no murders reported in any of the other localities in the Thomas Jefferson Planning District. The Fluvanna Sheriff’s Office reported four kidnappings, 29 aggravated assaults, 13 burglaries, and 12 stolen vehicles. (page 170)In Greene, there were five kidnappings, 21 aggravated assaults, 12 burglaries and 15 stolen vehicles. (page 186)There were nine kidnappings reported by the Louisa County Sheriff's Office in 2021. There were 21 aggravated assaults, 11 burglaries, and 32 stolen vehicles. (page 223)The Nelson County Sheriff’s Office reported five abductions, 26 aggravated assaults, 49 burglaries, and 18 stolen vehicles (page 241). Today’s second-shout: LEAP’s Thermalize Virginia program In today’s second Patreon-fueled shout-out: Have you been thinking of converting your fossil-fuel appliances and furnaces into something that will help the community reduce its greenhouse gas emissions? Your local energy nonprofit, LEAP,  has launched a new program to guide you through the steps toward electrifying your home. Thermalize Virginia will help you understand electrification and connect you with vetted contractors to get the work done and help you find any rebates or discounts. Visit thermalizeva.org to learn more and to sign up!  City to purchase downtown land for surface parking Sometimes it takes a while to get everything I’d like to write about in the show. For instance, so far, I’ve written several segments from the June 21, 2022 meeting of the Charlottesville City Council. Charlottesville’s FY22 surplus likely to increase, June 24, 2022Council makes appointments, but not yet to Planning Commission, June 24, 2022RWSA to vote today on Central Water Line project, June 28, 2022Charlottesville briefed on city-owned property, June 30, 2022Is there room for one more to memorialize, and is it worth it, two and a half weeks later? Yes. Charlottesville City Council has authorized the city’s economic development director to purchase 921 E. Jefferson Street for $1.6 million. Here’s Chris Engel. (read the staff report)“This parcel is four tenths of an acre and is currently used as a 39-space surface parking lot,” Engel said. “Staff recommends purchase as it puts the city in control of an asset that will help with current and future parking capacity issues.” Engel said one reason is to help satisfy the terms of an agreement between Albemarle and Charlottesville related to parking for the joint General District Court that will be built downtown. “Most of that agreement spoke to the creation of a new parking structure that the city was to undertake as part of its agreement with the county,” Engel said. “That project was ultimately canceled as you know last year about this time.” Engel said the agreement allows the city options to provide spaces at either the existing 7th Street surface lot or at Market Street Parking Garage, both owned by city government. He said either would displace existing parkers and this lot would be a replacement.Engel said volume in the Market Street Parking Garage is not at pre-pandemic levels but the city is currently on a waiting list for new monthly pass holders at that structure. If the county chooses 100 spaces at the Market Street garage, Engel said that would crowd out the ability of people to park there on a transient basis. “So you’d in some way be jeopardizing the health of the surrounding business community that relies on those spaces for activity,” Engel said. Engel said this purchase would also make up for the loss of 50 spaces that used to be underneath the Belmont Bridge but won’t be coming back when that project is complete. He said the city will also eventually lose a parking lot with 61 spaces for employees at a site on Levy Avenue owned by the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority. “If we were to add 39 spots we would still have a net loss of parking spaces in and around the downtown area,” Engel said. The current owner of the property is Gewinn Investors III, a firm that bought the land in 1985 for $175,000. The land is currently assessed at $953,000 and the sales price would be over 73 percent above the assessment. In January 2017, the city paid $2.85 million to purchase the corner lot at Market Street and 9th Street for a new parking garage. That transaction was 40.55 percent above assessment at the time. Councilor Michael Payne said the city was wrong to have entered into the agreement with the county, but he said they should be given the 100 spaces in Market Street Garage. “Quite frankly depending on how that’s implemented I don’t think that’s the end of the world but my understanding is that a majority of Council does not agree with that sentiment,” Payne said. However, he said he could support the purchase of this space if it meant keeping the two structures the city owns at the corner lot. “If purchasing this resolves the courts agreement in place of building a 10-million plus and tearing down Lucky 7 and Guadalajara to build a surface lot, it potentially makes sense to me,” Payne said. Engel said he could make no guarantees, but purchasing this lot would delay that outcome. Councilor Brian Pinkston said during his time in office to date, parking has proven to be controversial. “If you talk with folks at the Downtown Mall, they’re like ‘we absolutely need more parking’ and if you talk with other constituencies, they’re like ‘no, you’ve got plenty of parking,’” Pinkston said. Pinkston said he relies on staff to provide recommendations about occupancy and utilization rates. “Grabbing these 39 spaces for lack of a better term and taking advantage of this opportunity to acquire these 39 spaces basically is insurance against future possibilities,” Pinkston said. . Charlottesville Mayor Lloyd Snook said the property would be ready to go for the city’s parking needs for now. That would allow more time to watch trends and collect data on actual usage of the new courts. “Five years from now we decide we don’t in fact need those parking places, I think we will probably have profited from the wait,” Snook said. The vote was 4-1 with Payne  against.There is no overall parking plan for the City of Charlottesville, or for Albemarle County. The University of Virginia has a Parking and Transportation Master Plan from 2019 which seeks to manage parking demand. In June, the University of Virginia’s Building and Grounds Committee approved a plan to move forward with a 1,000 space parking garage with a $54 million budget but with no location determined. (UVA committee briefed on new capital projects, June 4, 2022)The current rewrite of the zoning code also provides another opportunity related to parking. The Zoning Diagnostics and Approach Report calls for the reduction of parking requirements in addition to allowing greater residential density throughout the city. Visit the Cville Plans Together website to learn more. See also:Toward a TDM plan for Charlottesville, June 9, 2021A quick plug for Michael ClemFinally today, local singer songwriter Michael Clem is looking for subscribers to his YouTube channel. Take a look at his trailer! This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

Sixteenth Street NW in Washington, DC, has been called the Avenue of the Presidents, Executive Avenue, and the Avenue of Churches. From the front door of the White House, this north-south artery runs through the middle of the District and extends just past its border with Maryland. The street is as central to the cityscape as it is to DC's history and culture. In Sixteenth Street NW: Washington, DC's Avenue of Ambitions (Georgetown UP, 2022), John DeFerrari and Douglas Peter Sefton depict the social and architectural history of the street and immediate neighborhoods, inviting readers to explore how the push and pull between ordinary Washingtonians and powerful elites has shaped the corridor ― and the city. This highly illustrated book features notable buildings along Sixteenth Street and recounts colorful stories of those who lived, worked, and worshipped there. Maps offer readers an opportunity to create self-guided tours of the places and people that have defined this main thoroughfare over time. What readers will find is that both then and now, Sixteenth Street NW has been shaped by a diverse array of people and communities. The street, and the book, feature a range of sites ― from Black Lives Matter Plaza to the White House, from mansions and rowhomes to apartment buildings, from Meridian Hill (Malcolm X) Park with its drum circles to Rock Creek Park with its tennis tournaments, and from hotels to houses of worship. Sixteenth Street, NW reveals a cross section of Washington, DC, that shows the vibrant makeup of our nation's capital. Bryan Toepfer, AIA, NCARB, CAPM is the Principal Architect for TOEPFER Architecture, PLLC, an Architecture firm specializing in Residential Architecture and Virtual Reality. He has authored two books, “Contractors CANNOT Build Your House,” and “Six Months Now, ARCHITECT for Life.” He is an Assistant Professor at Alfred State College and has served as the Director of Government Affairs and as the Director of Education for the AIA Rochester Board of Directors. Always eager to help anyone understand the world of Architecture, he hosts the New Books Network – Architecture podcast, is an NCARB Licensing Advisor and helps coach candidates taking the Architectural Registration Exam. btoepfer@toepferarchitecture Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Sixteenth Street NW in Washington, DC, has been called the Avenue of the Presidents, Executive Avenue, and the Avenue of Churches. From the front door of the White House, this north-south artery runs through the middle of the District and extends just past its border with Maryland. The street is as central to the cityscape as it is to DC's history and culture. In Sixteenth Street NW: Washington, DC's Avenue of Ambitions (Georgetown UP, 2022), John DeFerrari and Douglas Peter Sefton depict the social and architectural history of the street and immediate neighborhoods, inviting readers to explore how the push and pull between ordinary Washingtonians and powerful elites has shaped the corridor ― and the city. This highly illustrated book features notable buildings along Sixteenth Street and recounts colorful stories of those who lived, worked, and worshipped there. Maps offer readers an opportunity to create self-guided tours of the places and people that have defined this main thoroughfare over time. What readers will find is that both then and now, Sixteenth Street NW has been shaped by a diverse array of people and communities. The street, and the book, feature a range of sites ― from Black Lives Matter Plaza to the White House, from mansions and rowhomes to apartment buildings, from Meridian Hill (Malcolm X) Park with its drum circles to Rock Creek Park with its tennis tournaments, and from hotels to houses of worship. Sixteenth Street, NW reveals a cross section of Washington, DC, that shows the vibrant makeup of our nation's capital. Bryan Toepfer, AIA, NCARB, CAPM is the Principal Architect for TOEPFER Architecture, PLLC, an Architecture firm specializing in Residential Architecture and Virtual Reality. He has authored two books, “Contractors CANNOT Build Your House,” and “Six Months Now, ARCHITECT for Life.” He is an Assistant Professor at Alfred State College and has served as the Director of Government Affairs and as the Director of Education for the AIA Rochester Board of Directors. Always eager to help anyone understand the world of Architecture, he hosts the New Books Network – Architecture podcast, is an NCARB Licensing Advisor and helps coach candidates taking the Architectural Registration Exam. btoepfer@toepferarchitecture Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

Sixteenth Street NW in Washington, DC, has been called the Avenue of the Presidents, Executive Avenue, and the Avenue of Churches. From the front door of the White House, this north-south artery runs through the middle of the District and extends just past its border with Maryland. The street is as central to the cityscape as it is to DC's history and culture. In Sixteenth Street NW: Washington, DC's Avenue of Ambitions (Georgetown UP, 2022), John DeFerrari and Douglas Peter Sefton depict the social and architectural history of the street and immediate neighborhoods, inviting readers to explore how the push and pull between ordinary Washingtonians and powerful elites has shaped the corridor ― and the city. This highly illustrated book features notable buildings along Sixteenth Street and recounts colorful stories of those who lived, worked, and worshipped there. Maps offer readers an opportunity to create self-guided tours of the places and people that have defined this main thoroughfare over time. What readers will find is that both then and now, Sixteenth Street NW has been shaped by a diverse array of people and communities. The street, and the book, feature a range of sites ― from Black Lives Matter Plaza to the White House, from mansions and rowhomes to apartment buildings, from Meridian Hill (Malcolm X) Park with its drum circles to Rock Creek Park with its tennis tournaments, and from hotels to houses of worship. Sixteenth Street, NW reveals a cross section of Washington, DC, that shows the vibrant makeup of our nation's capital. Bryan Toepfer, AIA, NCARB, CAPM is the Principal Architect for TOEPFER Architecture, PLLC, an Architecture firm specializing in Residential Architecture and Virtual Reality. He has authored two books, “Contractors CANNOT Build Your House,” and “Six Months Now, ARCHITECT for Life.” He is an Assistant Professor at Alfred State College and has served as the Director of Government Affairs and as the Director of Education for the AIA Rochester Board of Directors. Always eager to help anyone understand the world of Architecture, he hosts the New Books Network – Architecture podcast, is an NCARB Licensing Advisor and helps coach candidates taking the Architectural Registration Exam. btoepfer@toepferarchitecture Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/architecture

Sixteenth Street NW in Washington, DC, has been called the Avenue of the Presidents, Executive Avenue, and the Avenue of Churches. From the front door of the White House, this north-south artery runs through the middle of the District and extends just past its border with Maryland. The street is as central to the cityscape as it is to DC's history and culture. In Sixteenth Street NW: Washington, DC's Avenue of Ambitions (Georgetown UP, 2022), John DeFerrari and Douglas Peter Sefton depict the social and architectural history of the street and immediate neighborhoods, inviting readers to explore how the push and pull between ordinary Washingtonians and powerful elites has shaped the corridor ― and the city. This highly illustrated book features notable buildings along Sixteenth Street and recounts colorful stories of those who lived, worked, and worshipped there. Maps offer readers an opportunity to create self-guided tours of the places and people that have defined this main thoroughfare over time. What readers will find is that both then and now, Sixteenth Street NW has been shaped by a diverse array of people and communities. The street, and the book, feature a range of sites ― from Black Lives Matter Plaza to the White House, from mansions and rowhomes to apartment buildings, from Meridian Hill (Malcolm X) Park with its drum circles to Rock Creek Park with its tennis tournaments, and from hotels to houses of worship. Sixteenth Street, NW reveals a cross section of Washington, DC, that shows the vibrant makeup of our nation's capital. Bryan Toepfer, AIA, NCARB, CAPM is the Principal Architect for TOEPFER Architecture, PLLC, an Architecture firm specializing in Residential Architecture and Virtual Reality. He has authored two books, “Contractors CANNOT Build Your House,” and “Six Months Now, ARCHITECT for Life.” He is an Assistant Professor at Alfred State College and has served as the Director of Government Affairs and as the Director of Education for the AIA Rochester Board of Directors. Always eager to help anyone understand the world of Architecture, he hosts the New Books Network – Architecture podcast, is an NCARB Licensing Advisor and helps coach candidates taking the Architectural Registration Exam. btoepfer@toepferarchitecture Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-studies

There are 32 days left until the summer solstice which will mark the longest time this year that the rays of our star will soak our area of the planet with light and other forms of radiation. However, this is the first day of the year when temperature gauges on the Fahrenheit scale will come very close to triple digits. What will Charlottesville Community Engagement say about the matter in this May 20, 2022 edition of the program? Very little, but the host, Sean Tubbs, is sincere in wishing everyone well in the heat to come. On today’s program:A historical marker is unveiled at the Central Library in downtown Charlottesville to honor the legal battle to admit a Black man to the University of Virginia Law School Charlottesville City Council is briefed on efforts to get a handle on what property the city leases out and whether all of the tenants are paying their fair shareFifth District Republicans will meet tomorrow to select a nominee for the U.S. House of Representatives And work on a Regional Transit Vision will culminate next week in a long presentation to regional officials about what could happen if the area found a new mechanism for more funding for expanded transit Shout-out for an ACHS program on the Fields of Honor This year, the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society has been working with a group called the Fields of Honor to identify soldiers who were killed in action in the Second World War. Since February, ACHS researchers have helped locate several photographs of the fallen, including that of Private Clarence Edward McCauley who was tracked down through high school records. There are 18 remaining photographs to be found, and on Thursday, May 26 at 7 p.m. the ACHS will host Debbie Holloman and Sebastian Vonk of the Fields of Honor Foundation to talk about how you can take part in their volunteer efforts honoring the service and sacrifice of US WWII service members buried or memorialized at US war cemeteries in Europe. That’s Thursday, May 26, at 7 p.m. via Zoom or Facebook Live.Historical Marker unveiled at Central Library for crucial desegregation caseA crowd assembled yesterday afternoon at the intersection of East Market Street and 3rd Street NW in downtown Charlottesville to watch the unveiling of a historic marker to commemorate an important moment in the desegregation of education in Virginia. In 1950, Gregory Swanson applied to attend the University of Virginia School of Law, but he was denied a space because he was Black. He sued in federal court citing 14th Amendment rights to equal protection, and a three-panel judge heard arguments on September 5 that year. David Plunkett is the director of the Jefferson Madison Regional Library, and he noted the historic nature of the building that is the library system’s headquarters.“This building is formerly a federal building and home to the courtroom where Gregory Swanson won his legal petition for entry into the University of Virginia law school,” Plunkett said.     Plunkett said Swanson’s case was part of the NAACP’s legal strategy to challenge the system of desegregation. “While the law school had admitted Mr. Swanson on his merit, with the support of staff including Mortimer Caplin, the Board of University Board of Visitors subsequently denied his admittance based on his skin color,” Plunkett said. “The case tried here overturned that ruling and helped lead to the desegregation of higher education in the South.”Risa Goluboff is the current Dean of the UVA Law School, and she said the marker celebrates Swanson’s bravery and persistence. “He did all this for a belief, for a legal and constitutional principle, for his own growth as a lawyer and a person, for his race, and for the nation as a whole,” Goluboff said. Swanson was represented by the law firm of Hill, Martin, & Robinson, with future Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall serving as his legal counsel. Goluboff said the denial back in 1950 must be remembered, as well as the University’s condoning of slavery and the continuance of Jim Crow era laws. She said Swanson’s case should be celebrated.“And when he succeeded, he became the first Black student not only at the University of Virginia Law School, not only at the University of Virginia writ large, but at any state in the former Confederacy,” Goluboff said. “Telling his story both forces and enables us to remember those aspects of our history of exclusion and segregation that we must know in order to repudiate them.” Also on hand at the ceremony was M. Rick Turner, a former president of the Albemarle-Charlottesville NAACP. He said Black students at UVA have always challenged the status quo of an institution founded to perpetuate racial and class inequalities. “It is worth remembering that the [admittance] of Black students at UVA years ago was not a benevolent gesture on the part of the UVA administrators and state officials, but rather the presence of Gregory Swanson paved the way,” Turner said. To hear the event in full, visit the Charlottesville Podcasting Network where the full audio is posted and is available.Fifth District Republican convention tomorrowRepublicans across Virginia’s new Fifth Congressional District will gather tomorrow at Hampden-Sydney College in Prince Edward County to select a candidate for the November 8 election. Over 2,000 attendees are pre-filed for the event, according to the draft program. Incumbent Bob Good of Campbell County faces challenger Dan Moy in the race, and the program states that each will give a speech before the votes are taken. There will also be remarks from outgoing Chair William Pace and incoming Chair Rick Buchannan. The program contains multiple endorsements for Good from Republican leaders across the United States, as well as several Delegates and Senators of the General Assembly. Moy’s sole endorsement is from the group Chasing Freedom Virginia.There are a total of 24 Republican committees in the fifth District. The convention will be called to order at 10 a.m. and will use a weighted voting system. The winner will face Democrat Joshua Throneburg in the November election. Regional Transit Vision updateConsultants hired by the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission to craft a vision for how public transportation might work better in the Charlottesville area will present more details next Thursday. The firm AECOM is the lead consultant with Jarrett Walker and Associates serving as a subcontractor. The study may recommend the eventualtransition to a unified regional transit authority. (meeting info)“There will be a 90 minute presentation from the consultants to go over what we’ve done so far, survey the results of the first round of public engagement, and then also what they found for the vision for the community,” said Lucinda Shannon, a transportation planner for the TJPDC. Shannon told a technical committee of the Metropolitan Planning Organization that a three-day workshop was held with the transit providers to imagine new bus routes under a new scenario where there is $30 million in annual funding from a new transportation authority. The consultants modeled that scenario after a new authority in the Richmond area that was created in 2020. “We looked at the Central Virginia [Transportation] Authority’s model of how they collect revenue to kind of calculate how much we could collect if we formed an authority to pay for the vision,” Shannon said.Shannon said that for now, the JWA’s work is more about what the vision will be.  A second round of public engagement will take place soon after next week’s partnership meeting. Shannon said the firm AECOM may also be hired to conduct a governance study to recommend how to actually come up with that hypothetical $30 million. That work is contingent on approval by the Commonwealth Transportation Board at their meeting in June. Shannon said this study will be more about the funding than changing the structure of area transit. “So it’s not going to be looking at how [Charlottesville Area Transit] or any of the service providers are governed or run or anything like that,” Shannon said. “It’s just bringing in money and putting it out for transit.” Funding for these studies come from Albemarle County, Charlottesville, and the Department of Rail and Public Transportation. The budget for the vision plan is $350,000 and the budget for the governance plan is $150,000. See also: Regional Transit Partnership briefed on Regional Transit Vision, looming Charlottesville Area Transit route changes, April 1, 2021Regional Transit Vision may suggest resumption of Regional Transit Authority foundation, December 14, 2021Shout-out to Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards In today’s subscriber-supported Public Service Announcement, the Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards continues to offer classes this spring and summer to increase your awareness of our wooden neighbors and to prepare for the future. Coming up on June 7 is a tree identification course taught on Zoom by tree steward Elizabeth Ferguson followed by a separate hike on June 11 at the Department of Forestry’s headquarters near the Fontaine Research Park. That’s followed by a tree identification walk at the University of Virginia on June 12 for the public. On June 14, Rachel Keen will give a lecture on Zoom on the Social Life of Trees. Do trees really communicate with one another? What is a 'mother tree'? Can a tree do anything to repel a pest? Learn more at charlottesvilleareatreestewards.org.City seeking to know more about what property it rents The City of Charlottesville could be pulling in more revenue from tenants who may be leasing city property at rates well below the market rate. That’s one of the takeaways from a report given to Council at their meeting on May 16. As the City of Charlottesville government seeks to rebuild after a recent era of frequent leadership transitions, the current management is looking at aspects of the city administration that have gone unnoticed or unchecked. Until now, there has not been one central source in city government that controls all of the various leases the city has for its properties as well as service agreements. That makes it hard to track who is responsible or where the public can get information.“So what we’re trying to do at this moment is compile that but one of the first things we had to do was identify an individual who would have that as their job,” said Sam Sanders, the Deputy City Manager for operations. That person will be Brenda Kelley, who has been the redevelopment manager for the city for the past several years. Her position has been elevated to the Office of Community Solutions, and she’ll be presenting a full report to Council this summer. In the meantime, she prepared a briefing for Council for their May 16 meeting which began with a basic definition of what she’ll cover. “Leases or agreement-type leases where either the city is a party,” Kelley said. “This is where the city owns the property or the city is a tenant of a property owned by someone else.” The city has about 155,000 square feet of building spaces that bring in about $580,000 a year in revenue for the city. That doesn’t include about 50 acres under ground lease. The oldest lease dates back to 1922 and allows the city’s utilities office to use space at a pump station at the University of Virginia. One of the biggest amounts of space the city leases is at the Water Street Parking Garage. “The city doesn’t own the Water Street Parking Garage but we lease parking spaces,” Kelley said. The city does own the Market Street Parking Garage, as well as the buildings on East Market Street that are currently occupied by the Lucky 7 and a Guadalajara restaurant. The City Council of January 2017 paid $2.85 million for an eventual parking garage at the location, but the City Council of March 2021 opted to go in a different direction. For now, the city gets rent from those businesses. “The Lucky 7 and the Guadalajara and all of the Market Street Parking Garage retail spaces, those rent funds go into the Parking Enterprise Fund,” Kelley said. Revenues from the Charlottesville Pavilion and the building where S&P Global operates go into the Charlottesville Economic Development Authority fund. Kelley said further research needs to be done into intergovernmental leases with the courts, libraries, and other entities. She said that systems need to be in place to track the leases and make sure that any rent increases due to the city are at least known about for Council’s consideration. Councilor Sena Magill said she appreciated being able to see a more complete picture of the city’s property portfolio, and the potential to get more out of its investment. “When we look at a lot of these rents on a lot of these buildings, they are at about half of market rate,” Magill said. Magill said if the city is charging below market, it should be as a way of helping small businesses who are just getting started. She wanted to see a presentation from the Charlottesville Economic Development Authority on the leases they currently manage. Mayor Lloyd Snook said he wanted any lessees to know that the preliminary report is not intended to raise rates, but just to provide information. “Until this report and this information is gathered, we on Council had no idea who we were subsidizing and we have no idea why we’re subsidizing them in some cases and we may want to make some conscious decisions to continue to subsidize in the form of the rent or we may not but at least we will be doing so from the basis of actual knowledge,” Snook said. More to come as the summer heats up. Help Ting help support Town Crier productions!For one year now, Town Crier Productions has had a promotional offering through Ting!Are you interested in fast internet? Visit this site and enter your address to see if you can get service through Ting. If you decide to proceed to make the switch, you’ll get:Free installationSecond month of Ting service for freeA $75 gift card to the Downtown MallAdditionally, Ting will match your Substack subscription to support Town Crier Productions, the company that produces this newsletter and other community offerings. So, your $5 a month subscription yields $5 for TCP. Your $50 a year subscription yields $50 for TCP! The same goes for a $200 a year subscription! All goes to cover the costs of getting this newsletter out as often as possible. Learn more here! This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

Sixteenth Street NW in Washington, DC, has been called the Avenue of the Presidents, Executive Avenue, and the Avenue of Churches. From the front door of the White House, this north-south artery runs through the middle of the District and extends just past its border with Maryland. The street is as central to the cityscape as it is to DC's history and culture. In Sixteenth Street NW: Washington, DC's Avenue of Ambitions (Georgetown UP, 2022), John DeFerrari and Douglas Peter Sefton depict the social and architectural history of the street and immediate neighborhoods, inviting readers to explore how the push and pull between ordinary Washingtonians and powerful elites has shaped the corridor ― and the city. This highly illustrated book features notable buildings along Sixteenth Street and recounts colorful stories of those who lived, worked, and worshipped there. Maps offer readers an opportunity to create self-guided tours of the places and people that have defined this main thoroughfare over time. What readers will find is that both then and now, Sixteenth Street NW has been shaped by a diverse array of people and communities. The street, and the book, feature a range of sites ― from Black Lives Matter Plaza to the White House, from mansions and rowhomes to apartment buildings, from Meridian Hill (Malcolm X) Park with its drum circles to Rock Creek Park with its tennis tournaments, and from hotels to houses of worship. Sixteenth Street, NW reveals a cross section of Washington, DC, that shows the vibrant makeup of our nation's capital. Bryan Toepfer, AIA, NCARB, CAPM is the Principal Architect for TOEPFER Architecture, PLLC, an Architecture firm specializing in Residential Architecture and Virtual Reality. He has authored two books, “Contractors CANNOT Build Your House,” and “Six Months Now, ARCHITECT for Life.” He is an Assistant Professor at Alfred State College and has served as the Director of Government Affairs and as the Director of Education for the AIA Rochester Board of Directors. Always eager to help anyone understand the world of Architecture, he hosts the New Books Network – Architecture podcast, is an NCARB Licensing Advisor and helps coach candidates taking the Architectural Registration Exam. btoepfer@toepferarchitecture Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is the 78th day of the year, otherwise known as March 19, 2022. We are days away from the spring equinox, and there’s no turning back the clock in our future for some time. Sunlight and warmth fuel an explosion of vegetation, as well as the production of every installment of Charlottesville Community Engagement, a newsletter and podcast that seeks to keep you up to date on things trivial and things substantial. I’m your host, Sean Tubbs.Sign up to not miss an installment in your inbox! Payment is optional but very much appreciated and makes future installments much more likely! On today’s program:A plan to build four seven-plexes on 0.62 acres in Fifeville gets the Planning Commission’s approval for a second timeA lawsuit seeking the voidance of the city’s new Comprehensive Plan moves forwardAnd the City Tree Commission presents ideas to the Planning Commission. First shout-out goes for a Charlottesville United for Public Education eventToday’s first Patreon-fueled shout-out goes to Charlottesville United for Public Education who want listeners and readers to know about an event happening Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Ix Park in collaboration with the Black Parents Association. They’re looking for people who want to show support for local public schools and speakers will provide updates on school reconfiguration and the city’s budget cycle. There will be art activities, bubbles, poster making, Kona ice, and an appearance of the Free Book Bus. Visit charlottesvilleunited.org to learn more.Charlottesville served with suit against the Comprehensive Plan The city of Charlottesville has been formally served with a lawsuit that seeks to overturn the Comprehensive Plan adopted by City Council last year. Seven anonymous parties filed the suit in Charlottesville Circuit Court in mid-December arguing that the city did not follow state law when adopting the plan. (visit the code) However, the city had not yet been formally served with the suit, which requires a response from the city. Interim Deputy Communications Director David Dillehunt confirmed receipt of the suit on Friday, meaning the city has until April 8 to make a response to the court.The suit argues four points of failure, one of which is an alleged lack of “designation of new and expanded transportation facilities… that support the planned development of the territory covered by the plan.” The anonymous property owners include people who own land on Rugby Road, Altavista Avenue, Davis Avenue, Locust Avenue, and Rugby Avenue. They claim the Future Land Use Map is too specific in nature and argues the additional density called for in the plan is affecting property values. “For example, a house located at 507 10th Street NW, which is currently assessed at $315,000, is being marketed at $485,000 due to its development potential based on the higher density prescribed in the plan,” reads paragraph 16 of the suit. There are actually two houses at that address, and both and the 0.19 acre property sold for $475,000 to Bloom Hill LLC, which has an address in Somerset, Virginia. The transportation argument claims that rather than writing a new transportation plan, the plan adopted in November 2021 recycles previous plans such as the 2015 Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan and the 2016 Streets That Work Plan. “Despite radically upzoning all of the real estate in the City, which will result in significant population increases, the Plan fails to include transportation infrastructure improvements to support the increased density,” reads paragraph 22.The suit also alleges that the city failed to provide public notice that a vote would be held after the November 15, 2021 public hearing. The Comprehensive Plan was the second achievement of the Cville Plans Together initiative, following on the heels of an affordable housing plan that Council adopted in March 2021. While the lawsuit makes its way through the legal process, staff in both the city’s Neighborhood Development Services Department and consultant Rhodeside and Harwell are working on the zoning code. The next step in the process is release of an assessment of whether the approach they are taking will yield the desired results. Tree and Planning Commissions discuss loss of Charlottesville treesVirginia State Code assigns the task of overseeing the Comprehensive Plan to the Planning Commission. Earlier this month, members of the Tree Commission urged Planning Commissioners to consider the importance of woody perennial plants. “Our tree canopy is declining at an increasing rate,” said Jeffrey Aten, the vice chair of the Tree Commission. “We have good intentions and are planning for a robust urban canopy in our Comprehensive Plan. But we believe more needs to be done to ensure this is the case as we build for more affordable housing and adjust streets to be more friendly for pedestrians and cyclists.” The city is finalizing a tree canopy study that appears to indicate the total tree canopy is at 40 percent of Charlottesville’s 10.2 square miles, down from 47 percent in 2008. The most recent report is based on data from an aerial survey conducted in 2018. Aten said that there are improvements that could be made to the city code to protect trees. “We believe that there are code issues that we can work with the Planning Commission on revising and updating,” Aten said. “Development in the city has been happening per code and staff is enforcing code but we believe the code does need to change to help preserve some existing high value trees and to really incentivize developers to work with the city to keep those trees and or plant new ones when existing ones must be removed.” Tree Commission Peggy Van Yahres said her group also wants to make sure there is better protection for trees during construction and greater costs to disturbing a public tree such as oaks on Garrett Street that were recently removed to make way for the redevelopment of Friendship Court. “In Richmond, they have an ordinance when a developer is allowed to take down a public tree they have to pay into a fund for more planting around the city and this can result in hundreds of thousands of dollars,” Van Yahres said. “Those oaks would be conservatively estimated at $25,000 a piece so eight times 25 would be $200,000!”Van Yahres said the Tree Commission wants the zoning ordinance to be updated to make sure trees are considered a vital asset. That means maintaining requirements that buildings be set back from the property line. The Standard on West Main Street is an example of a building constructed right to the sidewalk and public realm. “Some people think that means you’re going to lost a lot of land,” Van Yahres said. “We’re not talking about huge set backs. Ten feet, fifteen feet.”The Tree Commission also wants to be able to look at site plans for large projects like Friendship Court. Commissioner Rory Stolzenberg said during the code review, he wants consideration of ways to plant more trees in the right of way of streets by reducing space for cars.“And I wonder if we can look at our rules to make it make more sense to be able to fit trees in front of buildings even without increasing set backs by using that right of way,” Stolzenberg said. Commissioner Jody Lahendro said the city could learn a lot from the University of Virginia regarding the treatment of trees. “They’ve been treating their ash trees for many, many years now to save them,” Lahendro said. “They’re adding trees all the time. They have an arboretum committee that reviews any proposal to remove a tree. Has to be approved. They have two arborists on staff.” Bill Palmer works in the Office of the UVA Architect and sits on the Planning Commission as a non-voting member. He acknowledged that there has been canopy loss associated with at least one major construction project at the Emmet-Ivy corridor.“There was a landscape of trees there that is no longer there,” Palmer said. “We’ll be putting them back but trees take a long to grow. But the end result thirty years from now will be much better than what was there before and also meet UVA’s mission.” If you want more on this topic, go watch the Tree Commission’s Codes and Practices Subcommittee on Charlottesville’s streaming media portal. (watch)Second Shout-out goes to Mulch Madness! In today’s second subscriber-supported shout-out, are you ready for Mulch Madness? The Rivanna Solid Waste Authority has a free mulch giveaway through April 16. In between all the big games, the RSWA wants you to get your yard ready for spring. If you have a way to transport mulch, head on over to the Ivy Material Utilization Center between 7:30am and 4:00pm, Monday through Saturday, where you can pick up up to two tons free. Rivanna staff are available to help load, but ask that you bring a covering. Mulch is double ground and derived from vegetative materials brought to Ivy for disposal. That’s Mulch Madness at the Ivy Material Utilization Center. Visit rivanna.org to learn more. Divided Planning Commission recommends Grove Street rezoning There was a slightly different vote this month when the Charlottesville Planning Commission once again recommended approval of a rezoning that would allow 28 units to be built on just under two thirds of an acre on a cul-de-sac in the Fry’s Spring neighborhood. In October, the Charlottesville Planning Commission voted 4-2 for the rezoning, a vote at which Commissioner Taneia Dowell was not present. However, Dowell joined Commissioners Hosea Mitchell and Liz Russell in voting against the proposal, which also required a special use permit for additional density and a critical slopes waiver. The public hearing for all three had to be held a second time, as city planner Matt Alfele explained at the March 9 Planning Commission meeting.“In preparing to move the application forward to City Council it was discovered one of the tax map parcel numbers was mistyped in the public ad,” Alfele said. “To ensure accuracy, all three applications have been readvertised and returned to the Planning Commission for action. No information has been changed or been updated in the application materials.”As was the case in October, the developer will contribute $48,000 to construct pedestrian improvements in the Fifeville neighborhood and 28 percent of the units will have some affordability provision for at least ten years. Civil Engineer Justin Shimp is working on behalf of property owner Lorven Investments. “Twenty-eight percent in total affordable, which is eight units,” Shimp said. “Of those, four of the them, the rent including the utilities is capped at the [U.S. Department of Health] fair market rate.” (learn more from HUD about fair market rent)The other four would be called at 125 percent of the fair market rate, which is the upper limit for a unit to be eligible to receive housing vouchers. The Comprehensive Plan designation has changed since the October 2021 review.“The Comprehensive land use map for this area calls for General Residential which recommends up to 2.5 stories in height, up to three units per lot, or four units if an existing structure remains,” Alfele said. This application would have four seven-unit buildings with some three-story and some four-story buildings for what Shimp called a sevenplex that provides bonus density in exchange for providing housing at a below-market price. That’s a basic tenet of the Affordable Housing Plan Council adopted in March 2021. “We ended up with buildings that are basically three stories in the front and then kind of three stories but with units in the attic that backfill and have units in the roof system,” said civil engineer Justin Shimp. “So, trying to keep it at that 30 to 35 unit building height.” Alfele had recommended denial of the rezoning in part because of the conditions on Valley Road Extended. “Valley Road Extended on the east side you have Rock Creek and on the western side you have a fully developed neighborhood with limited sidewalks and with parking,” Alfele said. “Any improvements to Valley Road for pedestrians and foot traffic would be a major undertaking and would remove parking from existing homeowners.” Only one community member spoke during the public hearing. Paul Benneche was concerned about the potential for Valley Street Road to handle additional vehicles.“By my count, I counted the houses on that road currently and this would seem to increase the total number of people on that road by 30 to 40 percent potentially,” Benneche said. “It just seems like that road is already not wide enough. It’s only about one and a half lanes wide.” Vice Mayor Juandiego Wade was not on Council when the matter was last before a joint  meeting. In the late 2000’s, Wade worked for Albemarle County as a transportation planner. “I’m trying to figure out from my planning days, even back then, $48,000 doesn’t get you much sidewalk,” Wade said, “Or is there a new way to build them cheaper now? What are we getting for $48,000? Why not $40,000 or $50,000? What’s magic about $48,000? Is it a formula or something?”Shimp said $48,000 did come from the formula that the city uses to calculate what a developer would pay if they got a waiver from having to build a sidewalk in front of their development. In this case, they are also building a sidewalk in front of the new units. “The site plan ordinance requires us to build our own sidewalks and then we would offer the money up for some improvement down the road,” Shimp said. “We talked last time about maybe something at the entrance of Valley Road Extended. That would be up to the city. We tried to make the proffer sufficiently vague so it could be used where in that neighborhood it made sense.” Commissioner Rory Stolzenberg said he supported the plan because it is an example of what should be built under the General Residential designation across the city. “There’s no buildings to demolish on this site so that’s a fourplex by right, and then we have provisions for bonuses at affordable housing,” Stolzeberg said. Stolzenberg said there are other thin roads that lead to cul-de-sacs such as Altamont Street in North Downtown. “People kind of manage and people walk in the street and then people slow down when they see them,” Stolzenberg said. Commissioner Liz Russell had a different interpretation of General Residential. “My take on the General Residential category is three units per lot with an additional bonus and we haven’t defined what that bonus is, but presumably it would be another unit,” Russell said. “So we have three parcels here and the max would be four units per parcel, twelve units max. And this is a proposal that proposes  no more than 28.”After some discussion, the vote was taken again and resulted in a 4 to 3 vote on both the rezoning and the special use permit, but Commissioner Hosea Mitchell did vote for the critical slopes waiver. The matter will next go to before City Council at a later date. The original plan pointed to a concept in the city’s 2016 Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan which showed a tunnel underneath the railroad track to what is now the University of Virginia’s Brandon Avenue precinct. The end of Valley Road Extended is only 250 feet away from an access road behind Bond House, one of UVA’s newest residence halls. Valley Circle is a few more steps away. However, there are no actual plans for such an underpass. Support the program!Special announcement of a continuing promo with Ting! Are you interested in fast internet? Visit this site and enter your address to see if you can get service through Ting. If you decide to proceed to make the switch, you’ll get:Free installationSecond month of Ting service for freeA $75 gift card to the Downtown MallAdditionally, Ting will match your Substack subscription to support Town Crier Productions, the company that produces this newsletter and other community offerings. So, your $5 a month subscription yields $5 for TCP. Your $50 a year subscription yields $50 for TCP! The same goes for a $200 a year subscription! All goes to cover the costs of getting this newsletter out as often as possible. Learn more here! This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

Today's guest: Monica Dudley-Weldon Her son was the 6th child diagnosed in the world! In November of 2012, Monica's twin son, Beckett, was the first to be diagnosed at Texas Children's Genetics Clinic with the gene mutation SYNGAP1. When Beckett was 4 months old, we noticed he was not meeting the same milestones as his twin sister. We then began a journey to find answers to help our son. She began to blog about his progress & this led to building a community of parents & caregivers & a strong support group. She is the Founder, President/CEO of Bridge the Gap – SYNGAP Education & Research Foundation. It is her passion to help support these families by raising awareness & creating a strong foundation that will accelerate a path to better therapies. She retired in 2016 after 23 years in education teaching secondary science. Her new focus is on building the programs & mission of Bridge the Gap – SYNGAP Education and Research Foundation. She is the Primary Investigator on the SYNGAP1 (MRD5) Registry & Natural History Study. She is a life member of the Worldwide Association of Female Professionals, DIA 2016 Patient Scholar, a member of the first-class of 2017 Illumina Ambassadors established in the United States, and a member of Women in Bio – Capital DC and Texas Chapters. In addition to leading the foundation, she is an author, public speaker, consultant on rare disease business strategies & advocates for rare disease legislation at both the federal & state levels. Several of her authored scientific publications include Nature Neuroscience, The Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders, The Journal of Pediatrics, and Value in Health Journal. She is also an internationally known editorial contributor and key opinion leader for Pharma Boardroom, London. She has authored a book about her son Beckett's diagnostic journey called “Slow Moving Stream - My Special Boy”. She is a graduate from East Texas Baptist University with a Bachelor of Science in Biology/Psychology (1991) & Secondary Certification in Education (1995). She is a Northwestern University Pritzker Law School candidate earning her Master in Science Law with a concentration in health and data privacy law. The projected graduation is in the Summer of 2022. She has five beautiful children, Haleigh (29), Taylor, USMC (27), Sawyer (24), & the twins Beckett & Pyper (13). A Global Genes 2015 & 2016 RARE Champion in Advocacy Award nominee & WEGO Health Awards Nominee for years 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, & 2021 and chosen as a Global Shakers Rare Disease Awardee 2020 and 2021. To get in touch with Monica or follow her on Social Media: Founder of Syngap1 President/CEO SYNGAP1 Foundation 1012 14th Street NW, Suite 500 Washington DC 20005 O: 240-347-0302 C: 832-671-0010 Website: http://www.syngap1foundation.org Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/SYNGAP1Foundation Twitter Page: https://twitter.com/Syngap1Fnd Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/syngap1_foundation/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/syngap1foundation/

As we commemorate the 49th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade on January 22, abortion access is at stake like never before, with the Supreme Court expected to weigh in on a key case later this year that could decimate the ability to get abortion care.Still, even with Roe in place for decades, anti-choice politicians have passed state laws and created obstacles that have pushed abortion care out of reach for far too many.Kimberly Inez McGuire is the executive director of URGE: NATIONAL EXPERT KIMBERLY INEZ MCGUIRE EXPLAINS WHAT IS NEEDED TO SECURE ABORTION ACCESS NATIONWIDE. JANUARY 22ND MARKS THE 49TH ANNIVERSARY OF ROE VS. WADE Kimberly Inez McGuire is an award-winning communications strategist, queer Latina reproductive justice advocate, and lifelong policy wonk with more than a decade of experience creating and implementing winning strategies to reshape the public narrative and policy landscape. As Executive Director of URGE: Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity, Kimberly leads the organization in building a world where all people have agency over their own bodies and relationships, and the power, knowledge, and tools to exercise that agency. Kimberly brings to her work with URGE comprehensive, intersectional experience with youth leadership, wins in federal and state policy and campaigns, and deep roots in reproductive justice organizing. Previously, Kimberly served as a Senior Program Director with Conway Strategic and Director of Public Affairs for the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health (NLIRH). Kimberly is also an URGE success story – her journey in reproductive justice began with an URGE internship as a college student. Kimberly participated in the 2017 cohort of the Rockwood Leadership Institute Reproductive Health, Rights, & Justice Fellowship. Currently, she serves on the Board of Directors for the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS). A prominent spokesperson on reproductive justice and public policy, Kimberly have been featured in: Washington Post, NBC Latino, Fox News Latino, Color Lines, ThinkProgress, and other outlets. Kimberly uses she/her/ella pronouns. Unite for Reproductive and Gender Equity, is a state-driven national organization that builds power and sustains a young people's movement for reproductive justice by centering the leadership of young people of color who are women, queer, trans, nonbinary, and people of low income. She is a national expert on abortion access and a prominent spokesperson on reproductive justice and public policy, who has been featured on The Washington Post, NBC Latino, Fox News Latino, Color Lines, ThinkProgress, and others. 1012 14th Street NW, Suite 305 Washington, DC 20005 Toll Free 1 (888) 784-4494 Phone 1 (202) 965-7700 Fax 1 (202) 965-7701

As we commemorate the 49th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade on January 22, abortion access is at stake like never before, with the Supreme Court expected to weigh in on a key case later this year that could decimate the ability to get abortion care.Still, even with Roe in place for decades, anti-choice politicians have passed state laws and created obstacles that have pushed abortion care out of reach for far too many.Kimberly Inez McGuire is the executive director of URGE: NATIONAL EXPERT KIMBERLY INEZ MCGUIRE EXPLAINS WHAT IS NEEDED TO SECURE ABORTION ACCESS NATIONWIDE. JANUARY 22ND MARKS THE 49TH ANNIVERSARY OF ROE VS. WADE Kimberly Inez McGuire is an award-winning communications strategist, queer Latina reproductive justice advocate, and lifelong policy wonk with more than a decade of experience creating and implementing winning strategies to reshape the public narrative and policy landscape. As Executive Director of URGE: Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity, Kimberly leads the organization in building a world where all people have agency over their own bodies and relationships, and the power, knowledge, and tools to exercise that agency. Kimberly brings to her work with URGE comprehensive, intersectional experience with youth leadership, wins in federal and state policy and campaigns, and deep roots in reproductive justice organizing. Previously, Kimberly served as a Senior Program Director with Conway Strategic and Director of Public Affairs for the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health (NLIRH). Kimberly is also an URGE success story – her journey in reproductive justice began with an URGE internship as a college student. Kimberly participated in the 2017 cohort of the Rockwood Leadership Institute Reproductive Health, Rights, & Justice Fellowship. Currently, she serves on the Board of Directors for the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS). A prominent spokesperson on reproductive justice and public policy, Kimberly have been featured in: Washington Post, NBC Latino, Fox News Latino, Color Lines, ThinkProgress, and other outlets. Kimberly uses she/her/ella pronouns. Unite for Reproductive and Gender Equity, is a state-driven national organization that builds power and sustains a young people's movement for reproductive justice by centering the leadership of young people of color who are women, queer, trans, nonbinary, and people of low income. She is a national expert on abortion access and a prominent spokesperson on reproductive justice and public policy, who has been featured on The Washington Post, NBC Latino, Fox News Latino, Color Lines, ThinkProgress, and others. 1012 14th Street NW, Suite 305 Washington, DC 20005 Toll Free 1 (888) 784-4494 Phone 1 (202) 965-7700 Fax 1 (202) 965-7701

There have been a dozen days to the year so far, and after today there are 29.4 dozen 24-hour periods left until we all sing Auld Lang Syne once again. Until then, let’s not forget any of our acquaintances for now, and let’s stock up on cups of kindness. This is Charlottesville Community Engagement for this particular period of time, and I’m Sean Tubbs, here everyday “to take a right goodwill draught for auld lang syne.” Sign up for free for regular installments of information. Payment is encouraged, but not mandatory. On today’s show:New data shows that inflation is occurring at the highest rate since 1982Charlottesville City Council holds interviews for interim city manager but don’t yet make a decisionRegional planners get a first look at a rezoning at UVA’s North Fork Discovery Park The Charlottesville Democratic Committee selects two new co-chairsCharlottesville’s NDS director gives a preview of the rewrite of the zoning ordinanceTwo options are alive for a pedestrian bridge over the Rivanna River Today’s first subscriber supported shout-outMonday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society invites you to hear from their newest board member at a meeting beginning at 7 p.m. Gayle Jessup White is the first Public Relations and Community Engagement Officer for Monticello and the first descendant of Thomas Jefferson and the enslaved community to work for the Thomas Jefferson Foundation. Gayle Jessup White will talk about her book Reclamation: Sally Hemmings, Thomas Jefferson, and a Descendant’s Search for her Family’s Lasting Legacy. That’s 7 p.m on Monday and you can register for the Zoom call or watch on Facebook Live. Sign up now at albemarlehistory.org. More “investigation” needed before interim city manager pickCharlottesville City Council met in closed session for over three hours yesterday to meet with candidates for interim city manager. The five elected officials met with Robert Bobb of the Robert Bobb Group as well, but had nothing much to report at the end of the meeting. Here’s Mayor Lloyd Snook. “We have interviewed some very impressive candidates,” Snook said. “We have some further investigation yet to be done. We are not yet prepared to make a decision but expect to make a decision probably on Tuesday, January 18.” Council’s regular meeting will be that day due to the commemoration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Zoning rewrite updateIn November, the City Council adopted a new Comprehensive Plan as the second leg of the Cville Plans Together initiative. The first was adoption of a new affordable housing plan in March. The next step is the rewriting of the city’s zoning code. James Freas, the director of Neighborhood Development Services, told the Charlottesville Planning Commission that the public process for the three phases of the zoning rewrite will kick off at the end of the month.“What we are looking at is a complete rewrite,” Freas said. “This isn’t going to take your existing ordinance and redline it and make changes. This is going to be a complete rewrite.” Freas said some portions of the existing code would be copied over into the new version with new formatting and wording. “There are some aspects of the new ordinance we anticipate bringing over wholesale but it will be a new document,” Freas said. The first phase will be a diagnostic comparing the existing zoning code to the Comprehensive Plan to eliminate barriers to implementation. A report will come before the Planning Commission and City Council for approval before the drafting process begins.“That first phase will probably take us up to the end of May, hopefully not, but maybe the beginning of June but I’m anticipating that first phase will take us to the end of May,” Freas said.In the fall, drafts will begin to be shared with the Planning Commission and Council. The adoption process will be the third phase and that section has not yet been determined. “But we’re anticipating that adoption process taking us into 2023 and culminating in a vote by Council sometime in the spring of 2023,” Freas said. There will be a community engagement process, but of course, there will also be Charlottesville Community Engagement. Details to come as they’re known. During the process, there will be at least two new Planning Commissioners. The terms of Commissioners Jody Lahendro and Taneia Dowell will expire at the end of August and neither can reapply. Commissioner Karim Habbab is filling out an unexpired term that ends in August, but he can reapply. Hosea Mitchell and Rory Stolzenberg’s terms expire at the end of August, too, and both can reapply. Comprehensive Plan lawsuitLast week, a group of citizens filed a lawsuit in Charlottesville Circuit Court against the validity of the Comprehensive Plan. The argument cites four specific failures and asks that Council’s vote be held null and void. The seven plaintiffs are Charlottesville residents seeking to withhold their identity. They argue the Future Land Use Map “radically increases density within the city” in a way that violates state code. (read the argument)“Unlike the Comprehensive Plans that are contemplated by the General Assembly…the Plan at issue is very specific, and assigns new zoning designations to each specific parcel in the City,” reads paragraph 15 of the argument. “As a result of this approach, the City’s actions are already  having a direct impact on property owners.” The argument singles out one home on 10th Street NW that is now listed on the market for $485,000 but has a 2021 assessment of $315,600. According to the real estate listing, there are currently three one-bedroom apartments there, but states “Charlottesville City's new proposed plan shows this property as mixed urban use.”The suit also argues the plan does not sufficiently plan for transportation improvements within the city to support additional growth, and that the public notice for the adoption on November 15 was not sufficient. The city has not yet been served with the lawsuit, according to city attorney Lisa Robertson. (image) The lawsuit was filed on December 15, 2021 but has not yet been served to the parties, which would trigger a response from the defendants. Read the argument here. Charlottesville Democrats pick new chairsThere’s new leadership in the Charlottesville Democratic Committee. At a reorganizational meeting on Monday, about a hundred participants selected John McLaren and Dashad Cooper to serve as the co-chairs of the committee. McLaren is a resident of the Martha Jefferson neighborhood and Cooper is a student at Piedmont Virginia Community College who worked on the City Council campaigns of Brian Pinkston and Juandiego Wade. The vice chair is Nancy Damon, a Fry’s Spring resident and former member of the Charlottesville Planning Commission. The secretary will continue to be Mary Ann Harris. Jason Vandever is the party’s treasurer.  Vandever was elected as the city’s treasurer in a special election in 2013 and has held the position ever since. The Republican Party of Charlottesville has not fielded a City Council candidate since 2015 when Anson Parker was their candidate. The chair of the party in Charlottesville is Dan Moy and the treasurer is Buddy Weber. Weber ran for Council in 2013 along with former Planning Commissioner Mike Farruggio. Second subscriber supported shout-outAlgorithms know how to put songs and artists together based on genre or beats per minute. But only people can make connections that engage your mind and warm your heart. The music on WTJU 91.1 FM is chosen by dozens and dozens of volunteer hosts -- music lovers like you who live right here in the Charlottesville area. Listener donations keep WTJU alive and thriving. In this era of algorithm-driven everything, go against the grain. Support freeform community radio on WTJU. Consider a donation at wtju.net/donate.Regional planners get preview of North Fork rezoningAn official group of planning officials from around the Charlottesville area got a preview last month on a major rezoning on land at the University of Virginia Foundation’s North Fork research park. The Land Use Environmental and Planning Committee was created in 2019 when elected officials agreed to cease meeting in public as a body known as the Planning and Coordination Council.  One of its members is Hosea Mitchell of the Charlottesville Planning Commission.“They are actually asking for a rezoning and the rezoning is to allow for residential to be included in the industrial developments that they’re doing there,” Mitchell said. The presentation at the December meeting was made by Fred Missel, the UVA Foundation’s director of design and development. He has since been named to serve on the Albemarle Planning Commission as a voting member after spending several years on the Albemarle Architectural Review Board. The LUEPC meetings are not open to the public, but Missel presented the rezoning in detail. The Foundation seeks a rezoning for portions of the North Fork park to the Neighborhood Model District. The Code of Development calls for a multiblock approach with a minimum of 200 residential units and a maximum of 1,400 units. The University of Virginia has announced this location as one of three sites where the Foundation will partner with a developer to build affordable units. At North Fork, buildings would be up to six stories. Albemarle County’s first round of comments back to the foundation are due at the end of this month, according to the presentation. A community meeting will also need to be held for the rezoning.  Back to the Land Use, Environmental and Planning Committee. This year, the city of Charlottesville takes on administrative responsibility for the group. According to Mitchell, utilities director Lauren Hildebrand will be the chair this year. The University of Virginia Master Planning Council meets next week. Those meetings are not open to the public but there are representatives from Albemarle and Charlottesville. Rivanna bridge options narrowed to onePlans are being made to build a pedestrian and bicycle bridge over the Rivanna River and the Charlottesville Planning Commission got an update last night. The Thomas Jefferson Planning District Committee is leading the efforts and a stakeholders group has been meeting to review options. One of its members is Planning Commission Karim Habbab. “The two options that we’re looking at are a connection near Riverview Park on Chesapeake and the other would be at the Wool Factory,” Habbab said. “One would span between city and county and the other would be basically on county land.”The Woolen Mills is located on a small peninsula of Albemarle County that is landlocked within Charlottesville. The stakeholder group will take a tour of the two sites on Friday. Prices continues to riseThe cost of goods in the United States has increased seven percent over the last 12 months according to data released this morning by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s the largest yearly increase since 1982. The consumer price index rose half a percentage point in December.“Increases in the indexes for shelter and for used cars and trucks were the largest contributors to the seasonally adjusted all items increase,” reads the press release. “The energy index declined in December, ending a long series of increases.”Overall, energy prices increased 29.3 percent from December 2020 to December 2021. Pre-filing period for General Assembly completedBy the time you hear or see this, the Virginia General Assembly will have convened for the 2022 session. Republicans now have 52 seats in the House of Delegates and the Speaker is now Todd Gilbert, a Republican from the 15th District. Democrat Eileen Filler-Corn will be the minority leader with 48 seats. Yesterday, Democrats retained the 89th District in Norfolk when Democrat Jackie Hope Glass defeated the Republican candidate with 75 percent of the vote. (election results) For the past couple of weeks I’ve been writing up some of the bills, and now we’ll see how many make their way through the legislative process. General Assembly sessions move fast. Here’s some more of the legislation to give you a sense of this aspect of our democracy: Delegate M. Keith Hodges (R-98) has a bill that would assign chief executive powers to the Mayor of the Town of Urbanna in Middlesex County. (HB190)Hodges has another bill that would create the position of Special Advisor to the Governor for Health Workforce Development. (HB191)Another bill from Hodges would add more chemicals to Virginia’s list of Schedule 1 drugs, including 4-chloro-alpha-methylaminobutiophenone. Also known as 4-chloro Buphedrone. (HB193)Delegate Chris Runion (R-25) filed legislation that would allow electric cooperatives to petition the State Corporation Commission for permission to raise rates to recover the cost of providing broadband. (HB194)Delegate Michael Webert (R-18) has a bill that would allow school board to use an alternative system to measure the progress of elementary and middle school students in reading and mathematics. Specifically, the NWEA MAP Growth system. (HB197)Webert also filed legislation that would require localities that do not provide in-person instruction to pay parents who remove their children from school “a prorated share of the applicable Standards of Quality per-pupil state funds appropriated for public school purposes.” (HB201)Another bill from Webert would prohibit localities from removing property from land use taxation programs if a hardship related to an emergency declaration made by a governor. (HB199)Webert also has legislation that would lower the threshold for streamlined permitting processes for solar facilities from 150 megawatts to 20 megawatts (HB202)Delegate Keith Hodges (R-98) has filed a bill that would allow certain pharmacies to sell cannabis products at the retail level without a prescription to people over the age of 21. (HB211)Delegate Karen Greenhalgh has submitted a bill to require physicians and nurses to follow certain procedures related to getting a woman’s informed written consent when a woman seeks an abortion. (HB212)Senator Mark Peake (R-22) filed a bill directing the Virginia Department of Health to develop a plan to mitigate algae blooms. (SB171)Peake has another bill that would allow nurses to pronounce a person dead (SB169)Peake would also end the state’s further minimum wage increase, capping it at $11 an hour. (SB173)Babysitters, home health aides, and personal care aides would no longer be considered “domestic workers” under another bill from Peake (SB179)A bill from Senator Montgomery Mason would allow people with advanced degrees in public health to serve as health directors, something that’s currently reserved for people with medical degrees. (SB192)Senator Joe Morrissey (D-16) wants Petersburg to be added to the list of cities that can hold a local referendum to allow for opening of a casino. (SB203)Senator Chap Petersen (D-34) has a bill to require the Virginia Department of Health to expedite the process to issue certificates of need for certain medical facilities, such as increased psychiatric beds. (SB205)Senator Jeremy McPike (D-29) would require all candidates for office to file electronically with the Department of Elections. (SB222)More tomorrow. t This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

Detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department's Homicide Branch are investigating a homicide that occurred on Sunday, July 18, 2021, in the 6100 block of 4th Street NW, Washington DC. At approximately 1:29 am, members of the Fourth District responded to the 6700 block of 5th Street NW, for the report of a shooting. Upon arrival, members located an adult female victim suffering from a gunshot wound. DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services responded to the scene and transported the victim to an area hospital for treatment. After all life-saving efforts failed, the victim was pronounced dead. Further investigation revealed the incident occurred in the 6100 block of 4th Street NW. The decedent has been identified as 29 year-old Dara Northern, of Northwest DC. The Metropolitan Police Department currently is offering a reward of up to $25,000 to anyone that provides information which leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for each homicide committed in the District of Columbia. Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the police at 202-727-9099. Additionally, anonymous information may be submitted to the department's TEXT TIP LINE by sending a text message to 50411. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/leah-gordone/support

The District's police chief stood Friday on one of the corners most emblematic of D.C.'s recent development boom, surrounded by a circle of more than 40 people with dozens of concerned questions. A day after a gunman opened fire outside a restaurant on 14th Street NW, leaving two people injured and forcing dozens to duck for cover, residents and business owners on the tony corridor wanted to know: What are District leaders doing about the rising tide of gun violence? Chief Robert J. Contee III spoke to the group bluntly: “It's getting the attention that it's getting now because it happened where it happened.” Where it happened is one of the city's trendiest neighborhoods, a potent symbol of the city's renaissance over the past 20 years, with condos and restaurants replacing auto shops and quality-of-life crimes in the area. D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) had rushed to the scene the night before, telling reporters she was “outraged” after yet another act of gun violence. But amid a surge in shootings and recent high-profile incidents across the city — such as last week's gunfire outside of Nationals Park and the killing of a 6-year-old girl in Southeast earlier this month. There is pressure on the two-term mayor and her administration to do something. I got together with my brothers and business partners of T.Y.P.E. INC. to talk about the DMV's gun violence problem. I thought it was a great way for us to start sharing with the public who we are and what we want to do. I appreciate the men we are today and I hope we can provide programs and services that will impact our community in a positive way. #therealtalkpodcast --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/the6thman/message

I hope you are blessed with my factual stories of events that took place in my being with a witch as a mother --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

In today’s reader-supported public service announcement, the Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards is getting ready for a series of fall classes for new volunteers. The Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards increase public awareness of the value of trees in all environments, rural and urban. The Fall 2021 class will involve a combination of online training sessions and field activities with a maximum of 32 students to facilitate the best field training possible. The registration period opens on June 15 and slots will fill quickly! With a 15-week duration beginning August 7th and ending November 13th, the online classes will precede the field activities held on every other Saturday at various locations in the Charlottesville area. Learn more at charlottesvilleareatreestewards.org. On today’s installment:The Pantops Community Advisory Committee got a review last week on the update of Albemarle’s affordable housing planA quick tour of the CODE Building under construction in Downtown Charlottesville Charlottesville Parks and Recreation announces further easing of pandemic shutdownsCharlottesville Police are investigating four shooting incidents that took place over the weekend, including an incident in Westhaven at which the filming of a rap video on a playground was interrupted by gunfire. One person went to the hospital with a gunshot wound. That’s according to a press release from Charlottesville Police, which also detailed incidents on Longwood Drive, 12th Street NW and Swanson Drive. (press release)The Charlottesville Parks and Recreation Department has unveiled the further easing of restrictions, including the opening of the Charlottesville City Market to in-person attendance on May 15. That’s with COVID protocols in place, including wearing masks and temperature checks before admittance. Carver Recreation Center and Key Recreation Center will open on May 17 and the Tonsler Recreation Center will open May 24. The Spray Grounds at Belmont Park, Forest Hills Park, Greenleaf Park, and Tonsler Park will open on May 29. Crow Indoor Pool and Washington Park Pool will also reopen on May 29. Except for Tonsler, attendees must make reservations in advance at www.webtrac.charlottesville.gov or by telephoning the facility. The Smith Aquatic and Fitness Center will not open until August 1 given ongoing repairs to the internal ventilation system. There is no time set for the outdoor Onesty Family Aquatic Center, which will remain closed due to staff constraints. Visit the city’s website for more information. At production time today, a rock slide has closed U.S. 250 on Afton Mountain, and the Virginia Department of Transportation is advising people to use I-64 as an alternative through tomorrow. “Personnel from the Virginia Department of Transportation are on the scene assessing the extent of the slide and how to remove the material from the road and ensure the slope is stabilized,” reads a release. No one was injured in the rock slide. Credit: Nicole HenryOn Tuesday, May 4, the Albemarle Planning Commission will take up the Housing Albemarle plan, which is intended to update the county’s policies to encourage the production and sustaining of affordable places for people to live. Stacy Pethia, the county’s housing coordinator, has been making the rounds of the county’s Community Advisory Committees and spoke to the Pantops group on April 26.“Our current affordable housing policy was updated in 2004, and that became Chapter 9 of the Comprehensive Plan and the policy itself is an appendix to the current comp plan,” Pethia said. “In July 2019, the Albemarle Planning Commission passed a resolution of intent to update the current housing policy.”     The Planning Commission had a work session in March and their public hearing will be held on Tuesday, May 4. Much of the work is built off of a regional housing needs assessment conducted in 2019 by the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission.  The work is based on four conclusions from that study.“One is that our population is going to continue to grow,” Pethia said. “It’s currently projected to grow by about 27 percent over the next twenty years so we will need to find housing and make sure we have appropriate housing stock for that increased population.” Read the whole plan hereThe current policy expands the number of policy objectives from five to 12, and has 39 recommended strategies. These include ideas to increase the overall number of houses in Albemarle, preserving existing affordable options, expanding community engagement opportunities about housing, and more. “Really addressing fair housing and community equity throughout the county,” Pethia said. “Housing for the homeless and special populations, and then how we can fit all of this together to support sustainable communities.”The new plan also amends and expands the county’s definition of affordable housing to include sub-definitions such as workforce housing. Currently the definition of “affordable” is set at anything below 80 percent of the area median. Under that term, housing costs should make up no more than 30 percent of a family’s yearly income. “The new policy recommends redefining affordable housing so that when it is renter-occupied housing, that those units would be available to households with incomes of 60 percent or less,” Pethia said. But what about units for sale? “For owner-occupied housing those units would still be available to households at the 80 percent AMI category or less,” Pethia said. “And we would set the maximum for-sale price at 65 percent of the federal HOME program one-unit purchase price limit for existing housing, it’s a really long title. As of today that maximum sales price would be under $200,000.” The maximum is now much higher at $243,750, which is out of reach for many households. Pethia said the median sales price in the county is $405,000. “So this I think will open the door to home-ownership to a lot of different families that have not been able to react it,” Pethia said. In the new plan, Albemarle would adopt a new affordable dwelling unit ordinance to replace the current system where rezonings or special use permits trigger the developer to designate fifteen percent of the total number of units as below-market to households with incomes less than 80 percent of the AMI. “With an affordable dwelling unit ordinance, that would become mandatory so the developers would have to provide a percentage of affordable housing with rezonings and special use permits,” Pethis said. “The policy proposes increasing that percentage from 15 to 20 percent.” Developers would still have the ability to make a payment in lieu of providing the housing. Pethia also said that the county would have the right of first refusal to purchase those units when they are ready for sale. “We could purchase up to one-third of those right off the bat,” Pethia said.A current issue with the home-ownership system  is that proffered for-sale units required to be below-market only have a 90-day eligibility window, after which they can be sold on the open market. “Right now we have a very difficult time getting proffered for-sale units purchased as affordable units,” Pethia said. “And finally an affordable dwelling unit ordinance would allow the county to set affordability periods and control the resale price.” Other planks in the plan include exploring county land that could be used to develop below-market housing for public employees, incentives and fee reductions for developers who limit their profit, and more. The Albemarle Planning Commission’s public hearing is the second scheduled on the agenda. Read the latest version of the plan before you watch. Or, watch the Pantops meeting on the county’s YouTube page. You’re listening to Charlottesville Community Engagement and time for another subscriber-supported public service announcement. It’s becoming more and more safe to go out and check out live music. If you’re interested in going out and hearing people who have been waiting to get out and play, check out the Charlottesville Jazz Society and their running list of events! The Charlottesville Jazz Society is dedicated to the promotion, preservation and perpetuation of all jazz, and that the best thing you can do now is to go check out some music. Check out the event listing on their website!The following segment is best heard as an audio piece. This is a podcast as well, after all! Finally today, last week, the developers of the new CODE Building on the eastern end of the Charlottesville Downtown Mall opened up for a preview for the press. The name of the structure at 240 West Main Street stands for Center of Developing Entrepreneurs. “So, we have not done an on-site tour for those of you that have come before, we’ve met at the Omni,” said Andrew Boninti of CSH Development, the firm overseeing the site’s development.  “This time it’s so cool to get on the site. Hourigan Construction team is with us.” The site of the former Main Street Arena was purchased by a firm associated with Jaffray Woodriff in March 2017 for $5.7 million. That building was razed and construction on a triangular replacement is nearing completion. Rob Archer leads a media tour of the CODE Building on April 28, 2021One of the main features of the new building will be the CODEBASE co-working space, which will be managed by Rob Archer. He leads the group of hard-hat wearing media into the building. “So we’ve just walked into the main entrance right here,” Archer said. “We come through the vestibule area and we are here in what we like to call the hotel lobby.”The walls are made of concrete and nothing has been furnished yet. But Archer holds up a picture depicting neatly-arranged couches and coffee tables. This will be a public space which leads both to the small working spaces as well as the offices on the upper floors. Fred Wolf of the firm Wolf Ackerman explains the purpose of the lobby.“So the lobby is basically a big mixing bowl for all of the people in the building obviously, that’s why we have this bar that’s going to serve nitro coffee, wine, beer, get a newspaper,” Wolf said. “This could be event space if they have like a reception.”There will be room for two pop-up restaurants to come and go, as well as a retail space that will face the Downtown Mall. “The idea is that you can have to bring energy and people, you want to be able to feed them as well,” Archer said. While standing in the “hotel lobby,” Andrew Boninti shows off what it is soon intended to look likeThey’ll also need energy to climb the stairs, which were the only way to climb up the nine stories to the top of the part of the building that faces Water Street. The elevator wasn’t yet installed on the day we took the tour. On the way there, we passed through an 200-person auditorium that can be used for a variety of different purposes. Along the way, I asked Wolf a question.“Is this the biggest thing you’ve ever worked on?” I asked.“Yes,” Wolf said. Being an active construction site, it was far too noisy to conduct interviews, so we’ll get to that in a moment. There’s only one level of parking in the basement. I asked Wolf how many spaces.“I think we ended up with 74,” Wolf said. They didn’t have to build any spaces given the site’s location in a parking exempt zone. “The spirit of this building, which had a lot to do about the health of the work environment, the health of the tenants and occupants and the belief there is going to continue to be advances in driverless vehicles, Uber, electric bikes,” Wolf said. “All of these other things instead of parking spaces that parking could become in the next ten or fifteen years kind of an obsolete notion.” We climbed to the top of the building, passing through spaces that will one day be private offices for tenants. From the top of the Water Street side, you can see the three open rooftops connected to the offices on the Downtown Mall side. Back down on the ground, I asked Rob Archer to talk about what CODE Base will be like. “CODE Base Co-Working is really designed to serve business professionals and entrepreneurs do its specifically designed to aid in getting work done so what we always say is that Code Base Co-Working is a space to do your very best work,” Archer said. “Obviously, this this thing happened and you started building this thing at the beginning of the pandemic, and a lot of people have said, ‘Why should we ever have to go back to work?’ What would you say to that?” I asked.“So, a really interesting phenomenon has happened in terms of the timing of things,” Archer said. “With the real estate market changing, corporate entities have realized that the lagging asset in terms of change and flexibility is usually real estate. And so now bringing on a model that allows for flexibility, it really is a benefit to the corporate structure. It’s also a benefit to those who are tired of working at home, who need to join community.”In all there are 38 private offices and another 15,000 square feet of open space to be shared. The rest of the space will be leased to companies. From the top of the building you can see the Apex building under construction to the south, and the 3-Twenty-3 building to the east. You also can’t help but notice the skeleton of the Landmark two blocks away. Does Charlottesville have enough companies that want this much office space? Here’s Andrew Boninti again. “When we first started before the pandemic, I really felt pretty confident with interest that we had and letters of intent and things of that nature that we would have been 100 percent occupied when we open this September,” Boninti said. “But, everyone pressed paused for a moment and so we’ve been in the pause mode for about 12 months, but I think really with the roll-out with the vaccine we’ve really seen activity starting to pick up. We are in the process of signing several small tenant leases and I feel comfortable saying we’ll be 75 to 80 percent leased when we open. In this environment I feel very good about that.”“Now, you’ve got a couple of other buildings that are coming online,” I said. “3-Twenty-3, the Apex Building. There’s a lot coming on the market all at once. Does that change things?”“I think that it does,” Bointi said. “They’re both very good buildings and gives people good choices anyway. Obviously, if you’re a Monopoly player we consider ourselves to be Boardwalk and Park Place, but the other buildings are extremely nice. Apex, which is obviously predominantly taken by Apex, really did not have a lot of space that would be offered to the community and 3-Twenty-3 has been ahead of us so they’ve been signing up tenants at a little quicker pace. I think the real key for leasing here in Charlottesville is can we bring new businesses from out of town? I think what you see is a circulation of moving the same tenants around. We need to see new blood come into the community and that’s what we’re hoping to attract here at CODE but right now our tenants are existing tenants that are in the community already.” Stay tuned. The Apex building under construction to the south with Carter Mountain in the background This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

In today’s Patreon-fueled shout-out, supporter Lonnie Murray wants you to know about a series of seminars on spring and fall landscaping with native plants. Plant Virginia Natives has held four of these already, but the next one is coming up on April 20 with Beth Mizell of Blue Ridge Prism on how to identify and eradicate invasive plants in Virginia. On today’s show: A review of Charlottesville City Council’s meeting from this past Monday, including a first reading of the budget and a discussion of performance metrics Council also adds the Starr Hill Vision Plan to the 2013 Comprehensive Plan as part of the appendix The eastern entrance to the Blue Ridge Tunnel will close for repairs to the parking lot beginning this Monday The University of Virginia will live-stream the dedication of the Memorial to Enslaved Workers Saturday morningThe bulk of today’s show deals with the Charlottesville City Council meeting from Monday, April 5. But before we get to that, here’s a few quicker stories. The unemployment rate in the Charlottesville Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) dropped to 4.8 percent February, down from 5.1 percent in January. That’s according to data released Wednesday by the Virginia Employment Commission. Statewide the rate in February was 5.4 percent, down from 5.7 percent in January. The unemployment rate in February 2020 was 2.1 percent in the Charlottesville MSA and 2.5 percent statewide.  Over in the Shenandoah Valley, the Staunton-Waynesboro MSA has an unemployment rate of 4.6 in February, down from 4.8 in 4.8 in January. In February 2020, those communities had an unemployment rate of 2.2 percent. Source: Virginia Employment CommissionTomorrow morning at 11 a.m., the University of Virginia will hold a ceremony to formally dedicate the Memorial to Enslaved Laborers, which was completed last year but the pandemic prevented a public dedication. There are at least 4,000 people who built and maintained the University of Virginia from 1819 until Liberation Day in 1865. The event will be live-streamed. (UVA Today article)Tonight at 6 p.m., a group called the Descendants of Enslaved Communities at the University of Virginia will have its public launch on a virtual event that begins at 6 p.m. Speakers will be Dr. Andrea Douglass of the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center, Dr. Jody Allen of The Lemon Project at William and Mary, and Dr. Michael Blakey of the Montpelier Descendant Committee.  Registration is limited. (Descendant’s Day event)*The eastern parking lot of the Blue Ridge Tunnel in Nelson County will be closed for at least three weeks beginning Monday, April 12 so that it can be expanded. The director of the Nelson County Parks and Recreation department sent out an email stating that barriers will be placed on Afton Depot Lane and people will be stationed outside to direct people to the western trailhead which is in Waynesboro. Traffic congestion, over-parking, and litter have been issues on the eastern side since it opened last November. (more information) The view last November shortly after the tunnel opened for pedestrian passage (Credit: Victoria Dunham)The rest of this newsletter is dedicated to the Charlottesville City Council meeting from Monday, April 5. Let’s just go through it, more or less in order. As reported elsewhere, the Charlottesville School Board has entered into a $1.47 million contract with architectural firm VMDO to conduct design services for the reconfiguration of the city’s middle schools. VMDO has also been hired to put together growth and capacity scenarios for the entire school system. Source: December 19, 2018 Charlottesville School Board budget presentationThe capital budget before the City Council includes a placeholder of $50 million for the project, but more detailed analysis will yield a more accurate cost estimate. “The initial analysis of the existing buildings of the schools, the two buildings being Buford Middle School and Walker Upper Elementary School, have been completed including building envelope assessments, general building condition analysis, a building 3D digital modeling, and site survey,” Boyles said. A kick-off meeting will be held next week and community engagement will begin in early May. “An initial assessment of the findings are due back in June,” Boyles said. “While these will be preliminary and an initial assessment, it will begin to start giving feedback and data to the City Council and the Charlottesville School Board.” This week, several housing advocacy groups asked Council to help cover the legal costs of preventing evictions. The entire nation is currently under a moratorium imposed by the Centers for Disease Control that has now been extended to June 30, and groups are concerned that tenants will face renewed pressures once it is lifted. Boyles said Council has provided direction at work sessions this spring to provide resources. (CDC order)“We have engaged discussions with the Legal Aid Justice Center,” Boyles said. “They have presented some ideas of how this could move forward. At this point our recommendation is to utilize the American Recovery Plan funds that the city should be receiving.” Boyles said one possibility is for a two-year agreement between the Legal Aid Justice Center and the city. A community outreach person would be funded as part of this arrangement. “I do believe that the right direction to go is with contracting with someone like Legal Aid Justice Center and they have begun to work up what the cost estimates would be as soon as the American Recovery Funds are available, we can present that to Council for approval,” Boyles said. Virginia is also continuing to offer a rent relief program related to the pandemic. Councilor Lloyd Snook noted that many in Albemarle County had asked Council to increase funding for eviction prevention and to push for policies to protect tenants’ rights. “I would hope that there would be also be conversations with Albemarle County just as they are having with the city of Charlottesville,” Snook said. “I’ve been interested to note that roughly half of the letters that we have received in the last few days imploring the city to do something have been from county residents. And I’ve asked some of them if they’ve sent a comparable letter to the Board of Supervisors.” Boyles said he has already reached out to Albemarle to begin the conversations of working together. I put the question to Emily Kilroy, the county’s Director of Communications and Public Engagement. She said Albemarle does not have a specific eviction prevention program, but does fund Legal Aid Justice Center and Piedmont Housing Alliance to provide direct services.“Over the course of the pandemic, the Emergency Financial Assistance Program that the County is sponsoring through United Way has provided funds for rent, including referrals from the General District Court related to eviction petitions,” Kilroy said in an email. “The Housing Choice Voucher program has been able to increase subsidy payments to owners on behalf of our participants who may have lost their income during COVID and have done so, on several occasions.Later in the meeting, Council held a public hearing on the budget for FY22 which so far does not include any funding from the American Recovery Plan because staff wants to have a full sense of restrictions that may come with the money. However, Boyles said one of the first uses will be to fill the revenue shortfalls from FY21. Staff have been working to close a multimillion dollar budget gap. “While revenue projections are improving for FY21, we still estimate a $9.2 revenue loss for fiscal year 21,” Boyles said. Final budget adoption is scheduled for April 13. After that, Boyles is hoping to relaunch the city’s strategic planning process in order to inform future budgets. The current strategic plan was adopted in June 2017 and no one is left on Council from that time. “My vision is that as soon as we get through with this budget process, then we begin a strategic planning process that will start to lead us toward the FY23 budget,” Boyles said. A strategic plan is not to be confused with the Comprehensive Plan, which is a document intended to direct the development of land and public infrastructure. The strategic plan is intended to create policy objectives which then direct the work of the city’s employees as well as what the city chooses to fund. Mayor Nikuyah Walker said one of her main objectives is to ensure city funding for non-profits is tied to performance. “One of the major points that came out of the task force or working group meeting I convened or whatever we called it was to figure out how to get citizens input directly and not just have nonprofits be able to say that X people of number participated and thereby just by participating they get the dollars that there are allocated,” Walker said.For many years, Albemarle and Charlottesville participated in something called the Agency Budget Review Team in which a sixteen member team evaluated requests jointly.However, Council opted to go its own way beginning with the development of the FY21 budget in favor of something the Vibrant Community Fund. In her comments above, Walker was referring to the Measurement and Solutions Group which had been intended to meet to “identify appropriate measurements, benchmarks, solutions and metrics for the designated priority areas for use in The Vibrant Community Funding process.” Those priority areas are “Jobs/Wages, Affordable Housing, Public Health Care, and Education.” However, that process has been delayed by the pandemic. Boyles said the process would be improved for the next fiscal year.“For FY23 we want to come up with a means to be able to identify some of our nonprofit and community stakeholders and partners that will become more of a line item within the budget so that even though it is an annual basis, it be a little bit more definitive for them to know they’re going to get a funding of a certain amount every year,” Boyles said. A work session on the process going into the next fiscal year will be held in May.You’re listening to Charlottesville Community Engagement. What do you know about rock music? Want to put it to the test? Join WTJU virtually on April 16 for their first-ever Trivia Night at 8 p.m. Join a team in the virtual pub and put your screens together to answer rounds of questions with themes that relate to rock, radio, and local lore. There will be merriment! There will be prizes! Trivia Night is just three days before the beginning of the rock marathon, a seven-day extravaganza to help fund the station. Visit wtju.net to learn more!The entire plan can be downloaded from the New Hill Development Corporation's website (download) Council next took up the adoption of the Starr Hill Vision Plan to the City’s Comprehensive Plan. In November 2018, Council used $500,000 from its Equity Fund to pay the nonprofit New Hill Development Corporation to create a small area plan. Alex Ikefuna is the deputy director of the Neighborhood Development Services department.“Planning Commission and staff worked together,” Ikefuna said. “Originally it was a small area plan that because of the contents and the efficiencies in the land use it was agreed with the consultant that it would be submitted to the Planning Commission and subsequently to the City Council as a vision plan,” Ikefuna said. Yolunda Harrell is with New Hill Development Corporation, which was formed following conversations that began in July 2017 with former Councilors Wes Bellamy and Kathy Galvin. “This plan intentionally centers the Black community, not to the exclusion of others, but rather to the intentional inclusion of us,” Harrell said. “This plan specifically looks at opportunities to increase the street-level presence of sustainable, well-capitalized, existing and start-up Black-owned businesses.” Harrell said part of the work going forward will involved providing gap money to finance entrepreneurial efforts. From the land use perspective, the idea is to create multiple types of housing so as to cover different affordability ranges. “Whether you are a first-time homebuyer, a voucher-holder, or someone looking for the next phase of housing along their financial growth path, in this plan we have demonstrated how those opportunities can and will exist,” Harrell said. Harrell said the plan would build off of the work the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center has done to curate local Black history. The Jefferson School received $450,000 from the city’s Strategic Initiatives fund in FY2018 and another $500,000 in FY2019. “This plan also speaks to the need for gathering spaces where folks can connect or just simply be,” Harrell said. “Where they can be empowered to congregate and co-create, build and own, and innovate and learn.” Harrell said the 10.4 acre City Yard property offers the best chance to create new housing. Currently the city’s public works department is located in the space. City Council agreed to fund a $300,000 environmental remediation plan in FY20. Ikefuna said that money has not yet been spent. “While City Yard represents a genuine opportunity for new affordable housing as part of a mixed-use development, Starr Hill’s existing residential neighborhood must be sustained and strengthened,” Harrell said. Harrell said the plan offers suggestions on what could happen immediately. “Which is, creating housing on Brown Street, thus shoring up and strengthening the integrity of the existing residential neighborhood,” Harrell said. “This can be done while we explore other opportunities in the larger plan.”Looking west on Brown Street, April 8, 2021 (Credit: Sean Tubbs)Brown Street runs east-west between Cream Street and 5th Street NW and most of the parcels on the northern side are vacant. The city’s property records indicate there are 14 landowners on the street. In addition to the City Yard, the City of Charlottesville owns a 0.13 acre vacant lot at 609 Brown Street. Harrell suggested these properties could be be subdivided to create between 10 and 46 new residential units, including homeownership opportunities to first-time home buyers.  As for the greater City Yard, Harrell said the vision could yield many more places to live.“If we just look for a moment at the proposed vision, our city could gain upwards of 250 additional housing units not to mention the additional office and retail space to support the presence of Main Street, Black-owned businesses which can significantly change the social fabric of our community,” Harrell said. Source: New Hill Development CorporationThe plan also calls for the identification of 50 parking spaces for First Baptist Church on West Main Street, which Harrell said will eventually lose 50 spaces when the Amtrak parking lot is eventually redeveloped. There are no plans for that now, but Harrell said the Starr Hill Vision Plan identified that need for the future. But the main idea is to reconnect the city after decades of fragmentation using new infrastructure.“There is an important opportunity to restore and strengthen the connections between Starr Hill to a broader network of neighborhoods from Westhaven, 10th and Page, and Rose Hill to the Downtown Mall,” Harrell said. Councilor Lloyd Snook said he was interested to come up with a future for the City Yard, but had some concerns about adding this specific vision to the Comprehensive Plan.“A Comprehensive Plan, it seems to me, needs to be more than just here’s a possibility,” Snook said. “It has to be ‘we’ve made a decision that this is the possibility not just a possibility.’”Snook said the visioning work was a start, but the city is in the middle of a Comprehensive Plan process through the Cville Plans Together initiative. “I’m not sure we’re there yet,” Snook said. “I think you’ve given us a great start for a lot of discussions that we need to be having.”Harrell said they have met with the Cville Plans Together consultants, Rhodeside & Harwell, and have updated them on the plan.“They are just waiting for this plan to be adopted so that they can then roll it up into consideration of the overall plan,” Harrell said. “We did make suggestions on what zoning should happen and what ways the land could be used.”  Ikefuna said the Starr Hill Vision Plan did not have enough land use analysis and the level of detail required for a small area plan. “However, it has several contents such as housing, economic development, and placemaking part of which is the connectivity concept which Yolunda alluded to in her presentationFor City Yard to be developed, City Council would need to approve a plan to move Public Works elsewhere and there is no estimate for how much that would cost the city. But redevelopment would begin with remediation.“I don’t think you can reuse that site without remediation,” Ikefuna said. “Maybe the areas around Brown Street could be carved out and developed. It has a good potential for development for housing. But in terms of redevelopment of City Yard, there has to be remediation.” Harrell said the vision plan addresses remediation. The plan suggests the city consider enrolling in the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality’s Voluntary Remediation Program which can lead to grants to pay for clean-up efforts. The plan also lists previous efforts to document contamination at the site and noted that remediation may have a preliminary cost estimate of $3.4 million. Harrell said that the plan has taken previous studies into consideration and designates commercial uses in areas that might need remediation. Council voted unanimously to approve a motion to add the Starr Hill Vision Plan to the appendix of 2013 Comprehensive Plan, the same way that the Cherry Avenue Small Area Plan and the Hydraulic Area Plan were added. (see all approved city plans)That’s still not all from the Council meeting. I’ve clipped out audio for potential future segments on the 4-1 vote for an amendment of the special use permit for new apartments on Harris Street, action on changes to City Council rules related to expenditures of funds, and a presentation on the latest version of the Orange Dot Report from Piedmont Virginia Community College’s Division of Community Self-Sufficiency Programs. This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

Police Activity at 16th and Webster Street NW WashDC COPS 745 PM EST appears with Hispanics + may have been planted to pose as someone else or a fraud stage - could it have been planned for attacking the Journalist? No worries one is there. Reporting for DatgeeTV StreetNOW News Broadcast by TERRY DWAYNE ASHFORD indacarseat DatGuY

With the COVID pandemic still affecting our lives, today’s Patreon-fueled shout-out from an anonymous contributor is once again to state clearly: "We keep each other safe. Wear a mask, wash your hands, and keep your distance."If you’d like to help support this program and get a message out there, a $25 monthly contribution through Patreon gets you four such shout-outs. Some restrictions apply. Contact me if you have any questions or have interest. Now, on with the show! On today’s show:Another Democrat has entered the race for Charlottesville City Council A pedestrian is struck on West Main Street during a protestVirginia State Police explode a suspicious device this morning on the Downtown Mall An update on vaccines and the pandemicWe’ll begin today with a pandemic update. Statewide trends continue to head down with percent positivity statewide at 7.4 percent today. Numbers in the Blue Ridge Health District have also been declining a week after a sudden surge related to the return of University of Virginia students. Yesterday, UVA eased restrictions on in-person gatherings according to a news release sent out yesterday. Students are now allowed to leave their residences for non-academic or non-dining purposes, and people can meet in groups up to six. “Out of concern for spreading the virus into the surrounding Charlottesville community, the University will continue to limit community volunteering activity until further notice, with one exception,” the release continues. That exception is UVA students who volunteer on public safety crews who have also been vaccinated. The fatality count statewide continues to rise as death certificates continue to be entered into the system used by the Virginia Department of Health to track the disease. Nearly 1,200 deaths have been recorded this week for a statewide total now of 8,382. Most of these deaths actually occured in January. In the Blue Ridge Health District, there are now a total of 148 deaths including 57 in Albemarle and 43 in Charlottesville. Over 98 percent of these were people over the age of 50, with 81.1 percent over the age of 70. Source: Virginia Department of HealthIn an email update that went out last night, the Blue Ridge Health District announced it will receive the largest shipment of vaccine doses next week. That will allow them to expand vaccinations to people over the age of 65. “BRHD will receive 4,170 first dose vaccines (both Pfizer and Moderna). Nearly half of these will be distributed to UVA Health to assist with vaccinating Phase 1A and 1B individuals at the Seminole Square location and Community Sites. Additionally, 300 doses will go to the Blue Ridge Medical Center in Nelson and 300 doses will go to Walmart Pharmacies in Greene and Louisa for vaccinating individuals 65+.”Source: Virginia Department of HealthThis week, the University of Virginia passed a milestone of administering more than 50,000 doses since December 15. They’re also moving all of their vaccination operations to the temporary facility in the Seminole Square Shopping Center which has been informally dubbed by some as “Big Shots.” Dr. Costi Sifri is leading up the Health System’s community health efforts. “It is challenging to get here into the medical center,” Dr. Sifri said. “There are a lot of traffic and some challenges with that.” Yesterday, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration panel approved emergency authorization for a vaccine from Johnson and Johnson. The time will soon come when anyone who wants a dose can get one. There is some reluctance among many in the population about the safety of a new type of vaccine. Dr. Sifri said hesitancy among some may be waning. “The vaccine is showing really important efficacy results as were seen in the clinical trials,” Sifri said. “That’s been demonstrated really around the world where they have been rolled out. But in addition they are very well tolerated. People can have some of these side effects but for the most part they’re reasonable and it is too difficult to manage.”Dr. Sifri said there are some who are reluctant to receive a vaccine and public health professionals need to continue discussions with those who are hesitant in order to allay their fears.“Vaccination is going to be our best tool to get over this pandemic,” Dr. Sifri said. Dr. Sifri said UVA would follow the Blue Ridge Health District’s lead on how to continue to support the response to this community health crisis by providing vaccinations. Another source of information is a Q&A with Dr. Eric Houpt on vaccinations and how the world around us may be slowly changing. Stay informed. The University of Virginia Health System will begin to allow visitation at some in-patient units beginning on March 2. For a full list, read the update on their website. Finally in this segment, a friend of mine on social media yesterday posed the question of whether it was a good idea for people to post pictures of themselves getting a vaccine on social media. To hear that conversation, take a listen to the podcast version of this newsletter. Subscribe through Apple MusicSubscribe through SpotifyListen through AmazonA pedestrian was struck yesterday afternoon at rush hour in the intersection of West Main Street and Roosevelt Brown Boulevard. A press release issued by the city of Charlottesville Police Department later in the evening said the person suffered “minor injuries.”“As vehicles swerved to avoid confrontations, an uninvolved pedestrian was struck by another vehicle as she attempted to cross the street,” reads the release. Video footage of the incident released on Twitter by Arianna Coghill is more complicated. As the 45 second video begins, a crowd of people are standing within the intersection as part of a Black Lives Matters protest organized by the group BLM757 that had been moving within the city since 230 p.m. The traffic light controlling vehicles traveling on to Roosevelt Brown Boulevard is green but the group is standing directly in the line of traffic. At four seconds, the light turns yellow. A person holding a blue sign blocks vehicles seeking to northbound travel from Roosevelt Brown Boulevard onto 10th Street NW. At almost seven seconds, the light is still yellow. A person in a white jacket can be seen waiting to cross Roosevelt Brown heading west toward the University of Virginia. As soon as the light changes, this person begins crossing the road at a jogging pace. A dark gray pick-up truck crosses the perimeter of the intersection despite the traffic signal being red. This vehicle can be heard revving its engines to accelerate. At ten seconds, the vehicle strikes the person crossing the street and they fall to the ground. The crowd of people move to assist them. The driver stops and the videographer films the rest of the incident. The driver gets out of his vehicle, and others race to the person to help. The video ends. The first paragraph of the Police Department’s press release mentions the name of the protest organizer and the fourth states that the Commonwealth’s Attorney office will assist in the investigation. A question is out for more information about whether the driver will be charged. This morning, another press release from the Charlottesville Police Department announced a suspicious device was found this morning on 4th Street SE near the Downtown Mall Crossing. The Virginia State Police were called in and the device was detonated. “CPD’s forensic investigators are processing the scene and have collected relevant evidence, which will be sent to the Virginia Division of Forensic Science for analysis,” reads the release. (Note - I did not link to the tweet pending identification of the person who took it. I want to make sure they get credit and that I have permission to use it. I can provide the link upon email and will update this newsletter once I have permission)*There are now three Democrats seeking two nominations for two seats on the Charlottesville City Council. Charlottesville Tomorrow reports that Albemarle High School graduate Yasmine Washington is running and Charlotte Rene Woods has a profile on her published Friday. Washington joins school board member Juandiego Wade and 2019 candidate Brian Pinkston in the race. Keep track of campaign finance on the Virginia Public Access Project. There’s an open seat in a House of Delegates district in the Fredericksburg area. Delegate Mark Cole will not seek reelection to a seat he has held since 2002 according to the Virginia Public Access Project. On his website, Cole announced this would be his last term. For more on this story, read an article in the Fauquier Times. Thank you for reading. Please drop me a line if you have any questions. This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

Follow Mel's first solo episode interviewing her favourite physiotherapist Jason Dyck. This week we talk a bit more Crossfit and training and we talk on how Jason changed his practice to something different and with more one on one attention to his clients. Learn how Mel and Jason got to work together and how Mel challenged him to find something different to work on her shoulder injury.    Jason Dyck  Instagram @movementfirstphysio #201, 6766 75th Street NW, Edmonton AB www.movementfirstphysio.com   Book with Mel https://linktr.ee/mel_connects_the_dots

Nycci Nellis from Industry Night on Real.Fun.DC. and TheListAreYouOnIt.com has an array of ideas to wow your sweetie. From Yurts to Champagne to Blindfolds to Baked Goods the options are endless. Baker’s Daughter Breakfast In Bed Chef Matt Baker's carryout café and market, Baker’s Daughter, is offering breakfast in bed this Valentine's Day with a romantic take-home brunch. Brasserie Liberté Valentine’s Day Brasserie Liberté is celebrating Valentine’s Day all weekend with a signature a-la-carte menu, including French favorites. Celebrate the day with half bottle champagne specials. 251 Prospect Street NW; 202.878.8404; libertedc.com/Le. ButterLove Tiffany MacIssac and the team at Buttercream Bakeshop have all the treats to make your sweet say mmm. Mix up the heart cocoa bombs: the 4-pack includes two Nutella and two cotton candy. 1250 9th Street NW; 202.735.0102; A Yurt? Valentine's Week Dine-In & At-Home at Fiola Indoor & yurt reservations, as well as pickup & delivery options for Valentine's weekend are available now at Fiola. Enjoy a five-course menu if you choose to dine indoors or outside in Fiola’s yurts. 601 Pennsylvania Avenue NW MAXWELL Love is not Blind - Valentine's Day. It's coming. Oh what's that? You haven't made plans yet?! Don't worry, we have you covered with the return of our hit virtual Blind Tasting class! Free local delivery for all orders over $100 Custom Bottle Engraving By One Eight Distilling & Samantha Testa This Galentine’s or Valentine’s Day, give that special someone a conversation heart to remember. One Eight Distilling teamed up with the very talented Samantha Testa of Painted Palettes for personalized bottle engravings. 1135 Okie Street NE A Room - Valentine’s Weekend at Riggs Whether a staycation in your home town or an escape to DC to enjoy the national monuments and atmosphere, Valentines Weekend at Riggs will be sure to delight both you and your loved one. 900 F Street NW Love Prevails: Women’s Food Fest Valentine’s Gift Bag This gift bag features curated food, wine, and gifts. It is a collaboration between some of Washington DC’s best women business owners. The bags will also include an assortment of sweet and savory items and will be available for pre-order. From Real.Fun.DC. “The Tommy + Kelly Show” is produced in Washington, DC providing news, culture, playful conversation, positive energy, and a dose of morning fun any time. Download the Real.Fun.DC. APP to check out our wide array of programming app.RealFunDC.com Follow Kelly Collis Instagram and Twitter: @CityShopGirl LinkedIN: Kelly Collis Follow Tommy McFLY Twitter: @TommyMcFLY Instagram: @MrTommyMcFLY LinkedIN: Tommy McFLY

In today’s Patreon fueled shout-out: The Local Energy Alliance Program, your local energy nonprofit, wants to help you lower your energy bills, make your home more comfortable, and save energy. Schedule your Home Energy Check-Up to get started - now only $45 for City of Charlottesville and Albemarle County residents. You’ll receive energy-saving products and expert advice customized to your needs. Sign up today!On this edition:Albemarle Supervisors get an update on assessments and economic indicators The Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority holds its first work session of the yearMore information about Smart Scale projectsAnd the Virginia Department of Transportation briefs officials on a program to create more habitat for monarch butterflies*The shape of Albemarle County’s budget for fiscal year became a little more clear with the announcement that property values are up at an average of 1.4 percent according to assessor Peter Lynch. “Out of all of the properties in Albemarle County, we review twenty percent each year so we try to cover over a five-year period all of the properties to make sure our data is up to date,” Lynch said. Part of the work of the Office of the Assessor is to validate properties that qualify for tax breaks due to agricultural use. Some properties convert to different uses, and when they do, the owners have to pay what they would have been charged under the new use for the past five years in what is known as a roll-back tax. This year, the assessor’s office was more productive in this area than in usual times. “We worked 135 roll-backs for more than $975,00 in rollback, in tax dollars,” Lynch said. “In an average year, we would do 38 rollbacks so this is a huge improvement over that.” The pandemic affected the overall assessment for 2021. “The properties that were affected the most by the economic impacts of the COVID situation that we’re going through were hotels and shopping centers,” Lynch said. “And it’s reflected in their values. Those properties were in excess of twenty percent decreases on average for that property class.” Lynch said hotels in Albemarle usually have an occupancy rate of 60 to 70 percent, but that number has been in the 20 to 30 percent range for much of the pandemic. He said office properties were also affected, but not to the same extent. For more details on this topic including a further breakdown in the numbers, go read Allison Wrabel’s story in the Daily Progress. After the assessment discussion, Supervisors got an update on the county’s financial outlook. Steve Allshouse is with the county’s Department of Community Development. “Economic forecasting in this era is very difficult mainly because last time we had a pandemic in the United States was in 1918 but at that time economic data was not being kept very carefully or was not in existence so economists today are being challenged by doing forecasting without really having a good historical context to look at,’ Allshouse said. However, the forecast for Fiscal Year 22 is built off recent data, such as those assessment numbers we just heard about. Allshouse predicted a “bumpy” road ahead.“The reason I say bumpy is that you’ll see lots of good news mixed with lots of bad news and that’s typical when we’re looking at recoveries so please expect that if you hear something negative in the media about the economy locally, you’re likely to hear things that are positive.” Overall, the unemployment rate in Albemarle was 3.6% in November 2019. In April 2020, that jumped to 9 percent. In Albemarle, in the past year there has been a 44 percent decline in the number of people employed in the food service and hospitality industry, or about 1,950 jobs lost. The arts, entertainment and recreation industry lost 962 jobs, and retail lost 712 jobs. Some sectors actually gained positions over the study period. “Between the two period, spring of 2019 and spring of 2020, what we saw in construction was an increase of about 4 percent, or 98 jobs,” Allshouse said. “And also in the finance and insurance sector we saw a modest increase of about 1.2 percent or a total of about 12 jobs.” Allshouse estimated that about 40 percent of the jobs initially lost have returned as the shutdown lifted, and he projects that at least 60 percent will come back by the end of this calendar year.“That’s not a full recovery by the end of the first half of the next fiscal year but I do believe that we will see eventually the total number of jobs come back to where they were pre-pandemic but that’s going to take a while,” Allshouse said. “This is going to be a very slow process in my estimation.”If the pandemic recedes, the tourism industry is one area that could come back quickly. However, adaptations to social distancing may have long-term effects on business travel. “My concern is that some of what takes place in the motel and hotel industry reflects activity that is dependent on business travel and I think that is going to take a longer time to come back mainly because I think businesses have gotten used to having remote meetings,” Allshouse said. County Executive Jeff Richardson will present a budget later sometime toward the end of February. It will be the first budget prepared under Nelsie Birch, who became Albemarle’s chief financial officer. “We’re taking that information that Mr. Lynch, the county assessor, has provided, and Mr. Allshouse, and building that into our framework for what you all will be undertaking for the next few months,” Birch said. Source: Albemarle CountyThis being budget season, the Board of Commissioners for the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority are also getting ready for the next fiscal year. Their budget is being prepared with assistance from consultant Hayley Fetrow of HSF Consulting. Fetrow briefed the CHRA Board at a work session on Wednesday. (watch the work session)“The goal of today is to provide you with an overview of the budgeting process,” Fetrow said. “And this year, interestingly, we have some new revenue lines that we’re getting additional levels of funding that we can talk a little bit about.” In addition to being a consultant, Fetrow is the director of a public housing authority in Medway, Massachusetts. Her firm specializes in helping financially troubled housing authorities. “We usually come in, help them reorganize, restructure, and really put best practices in place and the goal for us is provide a sustainable model for housing authorities going forward,”Fetrow said. “I think at Charlottesville we’ve had a varying opportunity to kind of help out in the finance department and it’s been exciting to have new staff come on in the last year with Mr. Sales.”Mr. Sales is John Sales, who became the new executive director at CRHA last August. He had previously served as the city’s housing coordinator. One outcome of better recordkeeping has been the receipt of federal CARES funding to help tenants catch up rent due to lost wages, among other things.One new line item in the budget will be a column that lists revenue from Charlottesville and other sources for redevelopment efforts. “We can start to put these things down in writing and be clear about where we anticipate getting support from the city and other sources and how we anticipate spending them,” Fetrow said. Commissioners were taken through a full look at the details of the budget, and new systems that are being put in place to better manage the accounts. This is one way the agency might one day move on from troubled status.“Charlottesville is really going to evolve in the next year or two with respect to budgeting and operations and how you manage this,” Fetrow said. A next step is to present the budget information to the public in community meetings. The draft budget should be available for review next week. Here’s John Sales. “Our first meeting is going to be on February 10,” sales said. One is at 4 p.m. and one is at 6 p.m. And then we have the Board work session which will be on the CFP budget on February 11 at p.m. And then we’re hoping to get Board approval on March 9.”Source: City of Charlottesville*The Smart Scale funding process has recommended nine out of ten transportation projects in Albemarle County submitted in the latest round. The Commonwealth Transportation Board will consider the projects this spring and will take a final vote in June. “The total amount of Smart Scale funds that would come to Albemarle from these projects is just over $60 million,” said Albemarle transportation planner Kevin McDermott sent in an email to the Board of Supervisors. Smart Scale is a process where projects submitted by localities and planning districts are ranked according to how they provide a series of desired outcomes. VDOT staff matches higher-ranked projects with funding sources. However, funding for the projects will not come for a few years, allowing time for the projects to be designed. “The projects are not just a benefit for private vehicular transportation but also represent a park and ride lot with potential to be served by regional transit, two projects that are solely bicycle and pedestrian improvements, and the inclusion of a bicycle and pedestrian element within every project recommended for funding.Another high-scoring project is $50 million to increase passenger rail along the Interstate 81 and U.S. 29 corridors. Here are the projects recommended for funding:$5.73 million in funding for a $24 million project to make improvements around the intersection of U.S. 29 and Hydraulic Road. The rest of the funding is leftover from projects completed on U.S. 29 over the past few years.$3.94 million for a $5.9 million for Route 250 East Corridor Improvements$5.2 million for a $7.26 million for improvements at intersection of Old Lynchburg Road and 5th Street Extended $8.7 million for the total cost of improvements to address safety concerns on Ridge Street$8.126 million for a $10.126 million roundabout at intersection of John Warner Parkway and East Rio Road $10.874 million for the total cost of Phase 3 of the West Main Streetscape between 8th Street NW to Roosevelt Brown Boulevard$7.743 million for the total cost of intersection improvements at Preston Avenue and Grady Avenue$3.38 million for the total cost of a park and ride lot at Exit 107 on Interstate 64$3.524 million for the total cost of a shared-use path on U.S. 29 from Carrsbrook to Seminole Lane$9.841 million for a project to build a trailhead and trails near 5th Street Station$12.374 million for improvements at the U.S. 29 and Fontaine Avenue interchange$9.2 million for a roundabout in Fluvanna County at Troy Road and Route 250$7.762 million for a roundabout at Route 231 and High Street in Gordonsville$20.465 million for the second phase of multimodal improvements on Emmet StreetOne project in Charlottesville that did not get recommended for funding is a $34.3 million project to extend Hillsdale Drive south to a new interchange at the U.S. 250 bypass. A project to remove a traffic light at U.S. 29 and Fray’s Mill Road also did not make the cut. Two intersection projects in Louisa County also did not get recommended, as well as a roundabout at Route 53 and Turkeysag Trail in Fluvanna. *The Virginia Department of Transportation is participating in a program that seeks to help provide a safer journey for winged creatures that majestically migrate across the Commonwealth. Angel Deem is the director of VDOT’s environmental division and she spoke before the Commonwealth Transportation Board on January 19. “So I’m happy to present to the Board today an overview of what’s termed the Monarch Butterfly Candidate Conversation Agreement with Assurances,” Deem said. “That’s a long title and its shortened up to CCAA.”CCAA is a program of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that works with other government agencies to conserve land for at-risk species, such as the Monarch butterfly. Deem said the goal is to conserve millions of acres of land across the nation that are currently being used by state highway agencies and land used to produce energy. Another specific goal is to plant milkweed on 2.3 million acres. Last December, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services updated the endangered species list, and the Monarch is listed as “warranted but precluded.” Deem explains. “What they mean by precluded is that there are other priority listings ahead of this one so they are essentially going to put it on hold if you will and continue to monitor its progress,” Deem said. Progress would be made if existing habitats aren’t threatened to be converted to some other uses. The use of pesticides and mowing of state right of way are other threats. “Those things are impacting the available foraging and breeding habitat for the Monarch,” Deem said. Under the CCAA, VDOT would agree to taking several conservation measures. “We would do some specific seeding and planting and brush removal to encourage suitable habitat for the Monarch,” Deem said. “We would also participate in what’s called conservation mowing, allowing food sources to be available to develop for the Monarch as well as breeding sites.”VDOT entered into the agreement last November and the goal in the first year will be to apply the measures to 1,567 acres. Deem said VDOT has already achieved that goal and is now making progress towards the five year goal of doubling that amount. For more information on the program, watch the entire presentation on YouTube. (view the slides) This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

Today’s show is brought to you by the generosity of supporters who have made a monthly contribution through Patreon or signed up for a paid subscription through Substack. Thank you for supporting community journalism and the launch of this new venture. Now, on with the information.*There are another 450 new cases of COVID-19 reported by the Virginia Department of Health today. That’s the lowest number since July 6, when 354 cases were reported. However the seven day average for new daily cases is 747. The statewide seven-day average for positive PCR tests remains at 4.5 percent today. In the Thomas Jefferson Health District there are another 46 cases, bringing the seven-day average for new cases to 42. That’s another 28 cases in Charlottesville and 15 in Albemarle. Charlottesville’s seven day average for new daily cases is 22 while that figure in Albemarle is 15. The district’s seven-day average for positive PCR tests is also at 4.5 percent today.The University of Virginia reported another 45 cases yesterday, with 42 of them students. The officials COVID tracker lists 224 active cases, with 214 cases of those students. The number of people in isolation rooms has dropped to five percent and the number of quarantine rooms remains steady at 29 percent. Some of those quarantine rooms are in local hotels, as reported by Raghda Labban and Ava MacBlane in the Cavalier Daily yesterday in a story about what life has been like for the students in residence halls where outbreaks have occurred. The Cavalier Daily also has a story today by Sierra Martin about how coursework and examinations are changing during an academic term in which only one quarter of classes have an in-person component. Last week, UVA President Jim Ryan imposed a five-person limit on students gatherings on and off Grounds to help slow the spread of COVID. If cases were to become less manageable at UVA, there is another level of further mitigation that could be triggered. The in-house publication UVA Today has a Q&A with officials about the “Short-Term Restricted Operations” that would include ending in-person classes. * Charlottesville City Council has reiterated a desire to remove the Lewis and Clark and Sacagewea statue from the intersection of West Main Street. The topic came up during a work session on the future of a road improvement project for the street, which has seen construction of at least seven multistory buildings in the past ten years. The statue is within the first phase of the project, which runs from Ridge Street to 6th Street NW and has a cost estimate of $17 million. That’s the result of an urban design study that began in 2013 and was approved by City Council in March 2016. The work will involve removing the slip lane that allows vehicles to travel south onto Ridge Street in favor of a public park. Council discussed how to move forward with removing the statue, and directed staff to proceed with cost-reductions through a “value-engineering study.” “Being one of the newbies I was not around during any previous discussion but part of what I want this project to do is to connect the University of Virginia to downtown at a bike and pedestrian level in a way that is inviting,” said City Councilor Lloyd Snook. I’ll have a longer story and podcast about this available for paid subscribers shortly. *This weekend, Charlottesville public works crews will begin using street sweepers to clean selected roadways in Albemarle County’s growth area. This is a pilot program where the county is paying to use city resources in order to avoid having to purchase their own machines. A quick web search reveals that the cost of a used 2016 model is $170,000. According to an email from the county’s director of Facilities and Environmental Services, the work this weekend will attempt to sweep the John Warner Parkway, Rio Road East and West, Hydraulic Road, Georgetown Road and Barracks Road. “Combined those roads are the longest of the three work areas, and the widest, so it will be a challenge to complete the work in a single weekend,” said Lance Stewart “It also represents the kind of assumption we want to test as part of the pilot – how long it will take per lane mile of busy commuter roads.” In addition to making bike lanes safer, street sweeping helps remove sediment and debris that would otherwise enter into the watershed as pollutants. They are considered one of several dozen Best Management Practices (BMP) in the long-going quest to improve water quality in the Chesapeake Bay. *This weekend, the Jefferson Madison Regional Library will add Sunday hours back at the Central branch downtown. However, the library doors will remain closed and items will be circulated through curbside pick-up. The goal of opening from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. is to give additional opportunities for those unable to some during the week or on Saturday. "This is the ONLY Sunday service in JMRL, so it is a crucial piece of customer service for working families,” said David Plunkett, the system’s director. *In meetings today, The Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission’s Board of Directors meets at 7 p.m. with two items related to pandemic relief. That includes a vote on an agreement with the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development and an update on the Rental and Mortgage Relief Program administered by the TJPDC. As of September 22, the program had received $664,704 in funds and distributed $565,000 in relief. The TJPDC uses 15 percent of the funding to cover its internal costs. In Albemarle, 165 households have received a cumulative $240,087 in funding with another 291 applications pending. Ten were denied. In Charlottesville, $45,778 has been distributed to 32 households with another 171 pending. Twelve were denied. You can see the details in the packet. (agenda packet)You can also find out how Tuesday’s presidential debate may have affected predictions about the outcome. The Center for Politics at the University of Virginia will take another gaze into Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball at 2 p.m. in an event that can be watched live on the center’s YouTube channel. This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis. On today's show: • Mitch Berliner and Deb Moser of Central Farm Markets; • Co-owner Jennifer McLaughlin of the Caboose Brewing Company, a RAMMY nominee for beer program of the year; • Pit master Shawn McWhirter of a barbecue joint that's finally opening on the H Street NE corridor, the Smokin' Pig; • Linda & George Meyers, the founders of Cook in Tuscany, an immersive cooking school that hosts weeklong culinary vacations from their 19-room boutique hotel, La Chiusa, located in the hills of Montefollonico in the Italian countryside; • Prince Matey, of the Appioo African Bar and Grill on 9th Street NW, which features West African food and culture They've got real, no-kidding Ghanaian food, which we tried the other night and loved. But watch out for that pepper soup!

Hosted by David and Nycci Nellis. On today’s show: • Mitch Berliner and Deb Moser of Central Farm Markets; • Co-owner Jennifer McLaughlin of the Caboose Brewing Company, a RAMMY nominee for beer program of the year; • Pit master Shawn McWhirter of a barbecue joint that’s finally opening on the H Street NE corridor, the Smokin’ Pig; • Linda & George Meyers, the founders of Cook in Tuscany, an immersive cooking school that hosts weeklong culinary vacations from their 19-room boutique hotel, La Chiusa, located in the hills of Montefollonico in the Italian countryside; • Prince Matey, of the Appioo African Bar and Grill on 9th Street NW, which features West African food and culture They’ve got real, no-kidding Ghanaian food, which we tried the other night and loved. But watch out for that pepper soup!

Mornings on the Mall 06.12.20 Hosts: Mary Walter and Vince Coglianese Guests: WaPo's Dana Hedgpeth, Tom Fitton, Julio Rosas in Seattle and Bret Baier 5-A WORRY TROLLING OF SECOND WAVE OF CORONAVIRUS: Two hairstylists who had coronavirus saw 140 clients. No new infections have been linked to the salon, officials say No cases of coronavirus have been linked to two Missouri hairstylists who saw 140 clients last month while symptomatic, county health officials said.  Both stylists worked at the same Great Clips location in Springfield. The clients and the stylists all wore face coverings, and the salon had set up other measures such as social distancing of chairs and staggered appointments, the Springfield-Greene County Health Department said this week. Of the 140 clients and seven co-workers potentially exposed, 46 took tests that came back negative. All the others were quarantined for the duration of the coronavirus incubation period. The 14-day incubation period has now passed with no coronavirus cases linked to the salon beyond the two stylists, county health officials said. During the quarantine, those who did not get tested got a call twice a day from health officials asking whether they had symptoms related to Covid-19, said Kathryn Wall, a spokeswoman for the Springfield-Green County Health Department. "This is exciting news about the value of masking to prevent Covid-19," said Clay Goddard, the county's director of health. DOJ BRINGS HAMMER DOWN ON MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD... KERRI KUPEC: NEW: DOJ Letter “During a crisis it is important for people of faith to be able to exercise their religion. Montgomery County has shown no good reason for not trusting congregants who promise to use care in worship the same way it trusts political protesters to do the same.” (LETTER) 5-D --  JUDICIAL WATCH ASKS BOWSER TO PAINT MESSAGE ON DC STREET Judicial Watch Asks DC Mayor for Permission to Paint ‘Because No One is Above Law!’ on Capitol Hill Street Conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch has asked Mayor Muriel Bowser for permission to paint its own message on Washington, D.C., streets, after the mayor allowed “Black Lives Matter” to be painted on a road leading to the White House before “Defund The Police” was added by protesters. Judicial Watch asked Bowser and D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine for permission to paint “Because No One is Above the Law!” on a Capitol Hill street. “Mayor Bowser made a decision to turn D.C. streets into a forum for public expression. Judicial Watch seeks equal access to use this new forum to educate Americans by painting our organization’s motto and motivation, ‘Because No One Is Above the Law!,’ on a Capitol Hill street,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said in a statement. The conservative group said it is prepared to sue, if their request is denied, on the basis of “viewpoint discrimination.” “This rule of law message is timely, as it is a reminder that rule of law applies to – and protects – all Americans," Fitton said. "If we are unlawfully denied access and face viewpoint discrimination, we are prepared to go to court to vindicate our First Amendment rights.” D.C.’s liberal mayor had "Black Lives Matter" painted in bright yellow letters on the street that runs into the White House amid the ongoing protests against police brutality and racial injustice in the wake of the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis last month. Floyd died in police custody on May 25 after a police officer kneeled on his neck for more than 8 minutes. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/conservative-group-asks-dc-mayor-for-permission-to-paint-their-own-message-on-street 5-E - STARBUCKS BANS EMPLOYEES FROM WEARING BLM TAGGED CLOTHING According to an internal bulletin obtained by BuzzFeed News, store managers had been contacting senior leadership on behalf of employees who wanted to wear BLM-related attire as protests continued to sweep major cities and small towns across the country. In response, management, according to the memo from last week, argued that wearing clothing and accessories highlighting Black Lives Matter could be misunderstood and potentially incite violence. The bulletin pointed employees to a video, which has now been removed, in which its VP of inclusion and diversity explained that "agitators who misconstrue the fundamental principles" of the movement and could use them to "amplify divisiveness." https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/briannasacks/starbucks-is-now-very-pro-black-lives-matter-but-it-wont?bftwnews&utm_term=4ldqpgc#4ldqpgc 6-A -- MILLEY APOLOGIZES: Joint Chiefs Chairman Milley says it was 'mistake' to appear with Trump in Lafayette Square Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley on Thursday expressed regret for accompanying President Trump during a photo-op last week at Lafayette Square amid protests, calling the decision “a mistake” – in the latest sign of friction between the White House and the military over the response to racial unrest. Milley made the remarks during a remote video speech to graduates at National Defense University, advising young officers to “always maintain a keen sense of situational awareness.” “As senior leaders, everything you do will be closely watched,” he said. “And I am not immune. “As many of you saw, the result of the photograph of me at Lafayette Square last week. That sparked a national debate about the role of the military in civil society,” Milley continued. “I should not have been there. My presence in that moment and in that environment created a perception of the military involved in domestic politics.” He added: “As a commissioned uniformed officer, it was a mistake that I have learned from, and I sincerely hope we all can learn from it.” Thursday was the first time Milley addressed the visit to Lafayette Square since the incident earlier this month. Milley did not address the issue of renaming the 10 U.S. Army bases named after Confederate generals – after President Trump made clear a day earlier he would not support such a discussion – but acknowledged the U.S. military’s “mixed record on equality.” https://www.foxnews.com/politics/joint-chiefs-chairman-milley-says-it-was-mistake-to-appear-with-trump-in-lafayette-square 6-B/C -- BIDEN NEWS: NYT: Biden says Floyd’s death is having a bigger impact than the King assassination Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. said on Thursday that the killing of George Floyd in police custody had a larger effect globally than the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968. "Even Dr. King’s assassination did not have the worldwide impact that George Floyd’s death did,” Mr. Biden said at a roundtable event in Philadelphia. Mr. Biden noted that “television changed the civil rights movement for the better,” and added that the prevalence of cellphones today had “changed the way everybody’s looking at this.” 'Uh With Uh I Don't Know:' Joe Biden Appears To Lose Train Of Thought During Coronavirus Roundtable Former Vice President Joe Biden appeared to lose his train of thought Thursday, during a coronavirus roundtable discussion hosted by the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee’s campaign. The roundtable was organized to discuss safety measures as most of the U.S. reopens for business. “You know the rapidly rising umm uh in with uh with I uh don’t know,” Biden said at one point during the event. 6-D -- INTERVIEW - DANA HEDGPETH - WASHINGTON POST - discussed the DC area loosening restrictions around the DC area today and Monday. MARYLAND - MD GOVERNOR HOGAN LOOSENING RESTRICTIONS TODAY, MOCO LIKELY TO REOPEN NEXT WEEK:  Hogan announces wave of reopenings, including day cares and gyms, as region lifts more restrictions in Maryland. Montgomery County plans to move to Phase 2 of reopening next week.  Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) announced Wednesday that the state’s day cares, gyms, malls, school buildings, casinos and amusement parks can reopen within the next 10 days — an extension of its Phase 2 reopening. Restaurants will be able to offer indoor dining with 50 percent capacity. Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich (D) said Wednesday that the state’s largest jurisdiction will probably enter its next phase of reopening next week — a timeline he said was “in the same ballpark” as the District and Prince George’s County, neither of which has made an announcement — but Elrich did not provide a date. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/montgomery-maryland-virginia-coronavirus-phase-2/2020/06/10/968a2440-ab06-11ea-9063-e69bd6520940_story.html - PRINCE GEORGES COUNTY REOPENING ON MONDAY: Prince George’s County will enter next phase of coronavirus recovery on Monday, loosening more restrictions. Indoor restaurant dining and retail store operation will be allowed in Prince George’s, both at 50 percent capacity.  Maryland’s Prince George’s County announced Thursday it is moving toward its next phase of reopening, part of a collective shift toward looser pandemic restrictions in the Washington region that some health experts warn may be happening too quickly. Prince George’s County executive Angela D. Alsobrooks (D) said declining rates in new covid-19 deaths, hospitalizations and coronavirus infections support moving to a second phase of reopening Monday — when, among other things, restaurants can offer dine-in service and swimming pools can open, both with social distancing restrictions Prince George’s officials said the second phase of reopening will mean restaurants can offer dine-in service and retail stores can stop limiting operations only to curbside service, provided those businesses limit customers to 50 percent of capacity. Outdoor pools — both public and private — can open at 25 percent capacity, but indoor pools will remain closed, officials said. Parks can reopen and youth sports teams will be able to begin practicing in groups of 10 or less. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/coronavirus-maryland-prince-georges-virginia-dc-phase-2/2020/06/11/0b88bd34-abe7-11ea-9063-e69bd6520940_story.html NORTHERN VIRGINIA REOPENING  - Northern Virginia to ease coronavirus restrictions Friday; Northern Virginia and Richmond will move to the next phase of shutdown recovery starting Friday, Gov. Ralph Northam announced, as data shows the novel coronavirus appears to be slowing its spread across the region. The looser restrictions include opening restaurants for indoor dining at half capacity and allowing gyms and fitness centers to reopen indoors at 30 percent capacity. Most of Virginia entered Phase 2 earlier this month, but Northern Virginia and Richmond were granted delays because they had been hit harder by the pandemic. In addition, Northam (D) said Virginia students will return to school in the fall if the state continues to limit the spread of the virus. Phase 2 of the education reopening plan allows for in-person teaching for prekindergarten through third-grade students, students with disabilities and students who are not fluent in English. Strict social distancing protocols must be enforced; on school buses, just one child may be assigned to each seat, Northam said. School assemblies and other large gatherings are limited to 50 people; school clubs and extracurricular activities may be reinstated as long as students follow social distancing guidelines. Student-athletes are permitted to resume practices, so long as they keep 10 feet away from one another and disinfect shared equipment, such as helmets and uniforms, between uses. Northam sounded confident the state will be in Phase 3 in time for school to open, but officials said that will depend on current favorable trends continuing. Local schools may impose tighter restrictions if they need to. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/northern-virginia-to-ease-coronavirus-restrictions-friday/2020/06/09/95033ee4-aa58-11ea-a9d9-a81c1a491c52_story.html 6-E -- HOLLYWOOD GETS PREACHY Sarah Paulson, Kristen Bell, Aaron Paul and other white celebrities are slammed for 'tone deaf' I Take Responsibility PSA video that smacks of 'white guilt' By BRIAN GALLAGHER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM Three months after Gal Gadot and other celebs caught backlash for their video singing Imagine, another group of white celebs are facing backlash for another PSA. Confluential Content, a production company that produces OWN's Black Love and Sony's The Perfect Guy, teamed up with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) for a video called I Take Responsibility. The two-minute video features white celebs such as Sarah Paulson, Aaron Paul, Aly Raisman, Ilana Glazer, Stanley Tucci and many more taking responsibility for perpetuating racism in their lives, vowing to take action, which has drawn backlash from many on social media. The black and white video begins with Sarah Paulson saying 'I take responsibility,' followed by Aaron Paul and Kesha. Bethany Joy Lenz added that she takes responsibility, 'for every unchecked moment,' while Kristen Bell added she is responsible, 'for every time it was easier to ignore it than to call it out for what it was.' https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-8412825/Sarah-Paulson-Aaron-Paul-team-NAACP-Responsibility-PSA-video.html 6-F -- IT’S OFFICIAL: GOP CONVENTION IN JACKSONVILLE RONNA MCDANIEL: We are thrilled to hold @realDonaldTrump's acceptance of the Republican nomination in the great city of Jacksonville! Not only is Florida his home state, it is crucial to victory. We look forward to bringing this great celebration and economic boon to the Sunshine State! Republicans pick Jacksonville, Florida, as convention site for Trump to accept nomination The move to the crucial battleground state comes after the committee was at loggerheads with North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, whose was reluctant to ease COVID-19 restrictions. The Republican National Committee announced Thursday that it had selected Jacksonville, Florida, as the site where President Donald Trump will accept the party's nomination after bailing on Charlotte, North Carolina, over coronavirus restrictions. "We are thrilled to celebrate this momentous occasion in the great city of Jacksonville," RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in a statement. "Not only does Florida hold a special place in President Trump's heart as his home state, but it is crucial in the path to victory in 2020. We look forward to bringing this great celebration and economic boon to the Sunshine State in just a few short months." The move to Florida, a crucial battleground state, comes after the committee was at loggerheads with North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, whose was reluctant to ease COVID-19 restrictions.  The convention is scheduled for the week of Aug. 24; Trump will accept the Republican presidential nomination at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. There is still a plan to hold all convention business in Charlotte because of contractual obligations between the city and Republican National Committee. Jacksonville is one of the largest cities in the U.S. to be led by a Republican mayor, Lenny Curry, the former head of the state's Republican Party and an ally of Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has eased restrictions in the state. DeSantis said in a statement that he was "honored" to host the convention. Curry called it "a huge win" for the city. Others have also noted that despite nationwide reckoning over racial discrimination in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd, Trump's acceptance speech, which traditionally occurs on the final day of the convention, falls on the 60th anniversary of one of Jacksonville's most horrific events during the civil rights movement — Ax Handle Saturday. Sixty years ago, several members of the NAACP's youth council participated in a sit-in at a whites-only lunch counter and were later chased through the streets of downtown Jacksonville by a mob of 200 white people, who attacked them with ax handles and baseball bats. Trump's campaign and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/rnc-picks-jacksonville-florida-convention-site-trump-accept-gop-nomination-n1230326 7-A -- SEATTLE: Trump tells Fox News he won't 'let Seattle be occupied by anarchists' President Trump told Fox News' Harris Faulkner in an exclusive interview Thursday that his administration is "not going to let Seattle be occupied by anarchists." https://www.foxnews.com/media/trump-seattle-occupied-anarchists-straighten-it-out 'I'M ANGRY'... Seattle Police Chief Says Abandoning Precinct ‘Was Not My Decision’ Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best, in a Thursday address, told officers that it was not her decision to abandon the East Police Precinct located in what protesters are now calling the “Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone.” The “Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone” formed after the Seattle Police Department evacuated the East Precinct Monday giving way for protesters to set up barricades, and signs near the Zone’s entrance that read, “You are now leaving the USA.” After days of protests over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody, Seattle police boarded up and left the East Precinct building Monday night – and then a crowd of protesters set up barricades in the surrounding area, declaring it an “autonomous” and “cop-free zone.” Images of the barricades show hand-written messages including “Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone” and “You are now leaving the USA.” “You should know, leaving the precinct was not my decision,” Best said in the address. “You fought for days to protect it. I asked you to stand on that line. Day in and day out, to be pelted with projectiles, to be screamed at, threatened and in some cases hurt. Then to have a change of course nearly two weeks in, it seems like an insult to you and our community.” “Ultimately the city had other plans for the building and relented to public pressure. I’m angry about how this all came about.” WARLORD PATROLS CHAZ... “We are the police of this community now!” ... “We got to the point where addressing the point physically was the best way to get our point across.” ... The Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone Has Already Had Its First Incident Of Self-Appointed-Police Violence (VIDEO) The denizens of this new experiment in police-free living were probably envisioning a utopia full of peace and community love. Instead they got a new self-appointed police force led by a rapper named Raz Simone. Early this morning someone posted a video clip to Reddit which shows Simone and a group of people confronting a graffiti artist. Things escalate and eventually the tagger is assaulted by someone in the group and has his phone taken away. [...] tl;dw: Man was tagging over someone else’s art, Raz and group approach and separate him from crowd, chasing him for two blocks. He begins to film them with his phone, they take it from him. He tries to get it back and they attack him, kicking him in the head and breaking his glasses. At one point, Raz threatens to shoot the man. They then begin to gaslight him that it was all his fault. Audio only for most of the end, because woman in Raz’ crew filming puts the phone in her pocket while the stream continues. TUCKER: ‘Not a Big Deal, a Brand-New Nation Within Our Own Borders’ (VIDEO) “[S]o CHAZ is a nation without leaders. It is a flat system. It is anarchy. How long can it continue? Probably not very long. Anarchy isn’t built to last. In the end, the strong always dominate the week. And, in fact, it’s already happening. It took barely a day for the nation to get its first warlord, and it was quite a promotion for him. Just a week ago, Raz Simone was an up-and-coming rapper. He was also a super host for Airbnb. Now, he has a monarch. In videos taken within CHAZ, Simone is seen patrolling the area with his allies. They have guns. They’re declaring ‘we’re the police now.’ In one clip, the monarch’s men assault a citizen of CHAZ for spray painting graffiti inside the zone. Just like the mafia, CHAZ doesn’t put up with nonsense like that in their own neighborhood.” ‘Closest I’ve Seen To Our Country Becoming A Lawless State’: Seattle Police Union President Rips Mayor’s Defense Of CHAZ (VIDEO) Solan wondered whether the surrender of one police facility would eventually mean others, including the precinct “which houses the 911 call center,” which would stop all police service in the city. “So where is the reasonableness here?” he asked. “Where is the safety of the reasonable community of the city of Seattle? To me, that is absolutely appalling, and I am embarrassed being a Seattle resident to even talk about this.” Reacting to the defund the police movement, the police union chief noted that success in this area would mean lack of much-needed training, which would eventually mean a decline in the “quality” of “police service.” After Carlson played a clip of Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan describing the protesters as engaging in “patriotism” rather than “terrorism,” Solan said officer morale “is the lowest I have ever seen in my career.” No Police, Extortion Of Private Businesses: Inside The Latest On Seattle’s Downtown ‘Autonomous Zone’ Seattle police say they are not responding to calls for assistance while armed protesters operate checkpoints and have declared a portion of the city as “cop-free” and an “autonomous zone.” The area is called the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ) by the forces who have occupied it, KOMO News reported Thursday morning. Antifa-affiliated groups and armed members of the far-left John Brown Gun Club seized control of the neighborhood, according to the City-Journal, which also reports that they set up barricades with a cardboard sign declaring “you are now leaving the USA.” President Donald Trump has called the activists “domestic terrorists” and has urged Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan to deal with the problem in her backyard,  Durkan told Trump Thursday to “to go back to your bunker.” Trump urged both the Washington governor and mayor to “take back your city NOW.” 7:35 AM - INTERVIEW - TOM FITTON - President, Judicial Watch Judicial Watch Asks DC Mayor for Permission to Paint ‘Because No One is Above Law!’ on Capitol Hill Street Seeks Equal Access to New Free Speech Forum After DC Government Authorized Painting of Political Slogan on DC Street (Washington, DC) Judicial Watch announced today that it has formally asked District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser and DC Attorney General Karl Racine for permission to paint “Because No One is Above the Law!” on a Capitol Hill street (Independence Ave, SW between 2nd and 4th Streets SW). The Judicial Watch message would be the identical size and coloring of the DC Government’s “Black Lives Matter” political message on 16th Street NW. On June 5, 2020, after days of protests and riots in Washington, DC, Mayor Bowser authorized the painting of “Black Lives Matter” on 16th Street NW, and later allowed “Defund the Police” to be painted alongside it. “Mayor Bowser made a decision to turn DC streets into a forum for public expression. Judicial Watch seeks equal access to use this new forum to educate Americans by painting our organization’s motto and motivation, ‘Because No One Is Above the Law!,’ on a Capitol Hill street,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “This rule of law message is timely, as it a reminder that rule of law applies to – and protects – all Americans. If we are unlawfully denied access and face viewpoint discrimination, we are prepared to go to court to vindicate our First Amendment rights.” 7-E -- POLICE GET CALLED ON MARYLAND FAMILY FOR STUDENT HAVING A BB GUN IN THE BACKGROUND OF HIS ONLINE CLASSROOM VIDEO: 'I felt violated': Police search Maryland house over BB gun in virtual class BALTIMORE, Md. (WBFF) – A Baltimore County family is warning other parents after they say police were called to their house over something that happened during a virtual school lesson. The incident is raising concerns over privacy and safety in the era of online learning. As a Navy veteran with four years of active duty, Courtney Lancaster has extensive knowledge of guns, how to use them and how to store them. Her 11-year-old son, who owns BB guns, is a boy scout in fifth grade at Seneca Elementary School. “He's just a very intellectual child, but he's all boy as well. He loves to be outside and play and ride his bikes and that sort of thing,” Courtney told Project Baltimore. In his pursuit of becoming an Eagle Scout, Courtney says her son has learned how to shoot a BB gun and an airsoft gun. He’s also taken three levels of archery lessons. His mother says he stores his bow and guns on this wall in his bedroom. It’s never been a problem until June 1, when police pulled up outside her house. Courtney says she was home with her son who’s been doing virtual learning since schools shut down in March. “So, I answered the door. The police officer was, he was very nice. He explained to me that he was coming to address an issue with my son's school,” Courtney told Project Baltimore. “And then explained to me that he was here to search for weapons, in my home. And I consented to let him in. And then I, unfortunately, stood there and watched police officers enter my 11-year-old son's bedroom.” Courtney was told someone had seen the guns in her son’s bedroom during a Google Meet class on his laptop. “I thought, this is outrageous. This is despicable,” she said. “I had no idea what in the world could this be over? BB guns never even once entered my mind. How many 11-year-old boys have BB guns?” According to emails Courtney later exchanged with a school administrator, a screenshot was taken during the online class. The principal of Seneca Elementary was notified. Courtney says she was told the school safety officer then called police. “I felt violated as a parent, for my child, who's standing there with police officers in his room, just to see the fear on his face,” she said. Courtney says the police officers were in her home for about 20 minutes and found no violations. No laws were broken and no dangers present. They left without any further action, but Courtney wasn’t done. Since that day, she has written school administrators, the superintendent and the school board, demanding answers. She says the principal initially compared bringing a weapon to a virtual class to bringing a gun to school. She was also told she could not see the screenshot of her son’s bedroom, because it’s not part of his student record. “It's absolutely scary to think about,” Courtney said. “Who are on these calls? Who do we have viewing your children and subsequently taking these screenshots that can be sent anywhere or used for any purpose?” Project Baltimore reached out to Baltimore County Schools requesting an interview. We received this statement, “Our longstanding policy is to not debate individual circumstances through the media. There are multiple ways for families to share concerns with us. In general terms, the safety of students and staff is our chief concern, whether we are meeting in classrooms or via continuity of learning.” Courtney says she understands the safety concerns, but no one called her first before involving police. “There's no more trust. There have just been a series of lies and just no cooperation,” she said. Now, she worries about the future of virtual learning without clear policies in place. “So, what are the parameters? Where are the lines drawn? If my son is sitting at the kitchen island next to a butcher block, does that constitute a weapon? It's not allowed at school, right? So, would my home then be searched because he's sitting next to a butcher block,” Courtney said. “I feel like parents need to be made aware of what the implications are, what the expectations are.” https://wjla.com/news/nation-world/i-felt-violated-police-search-maryland-house-over-bb-gun-in-virtual-class 8-A -- CRAZY PROTESTERS Glass Found In Pizza Delivered To South Carolina National Guard Soldiers While They Were Protecting DC... Two National Guard soldiers found pieces of glass baked into a pizza they had ordered to their Washington D.C. hotel, the Post and Courier reported.  A Department of Defense report said that the South Carolina National Guard soldiers ordered pizza to the Marriott Marquis Hotel in D.C. while they were deployed to assist police in handling the George Floyd protests, according to the Post and Courier. The soldiers used UberEats to order the food from an unnamed restaurant. They noticed the shards of glass in the cheese and dough before they started eating, the Post and Courier reported. BOSTON GLOBE: Berklee College of Music says it is “deeply sorry” for allowing Boston police officers to use the school’s restrooms Berklee College of Music says it is “deeply sorry” for allowing Boston police officers to use the school’s restrooms, following the downtown protests on May 31 in the wake of the killing of George Floyd. And the school says it will not happen again. In a joint statement Wednesday night, Berklee President Roger Brown, chief financial officer Mac Hisey, and public safety chief David Ransom said the college had heard expressions of anger and betrayal from their community, after giving Boston police officers, who were staged at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Boylston Street, access to the Back Bay school’s restrooms. “Boston Police of course have jurisdiction over the roads and other public spaces around our campus, but not inside our buildings,” Berklee officials said. (Like many colleges, Berklee has its own public safety department.) “The decision to allow them into our facilities was ours,” the statement continued. “This was not a formal decision by the institution, but an informal one, made on the spot.” 8-B/C -- INTERVIEW - JULIO ROSAS - TOWNHALL.com - IN SEATTLE TOPIC: Describes The Scene From The “Autonomous Zone” In Seattle The recently dubbed 'Autonomous Zone' is a section of a Seattle neighborhood where police officers have effectively abandoned the area due to violent clashes with demonstrators calling to 'Defund the Police'. Protesters have taken control of the area spanning six blocks.  - Julio Rosas @Julio_Rosas11: My latest report from the “Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone“: Things are getting dangerous for people who are accused of wrongdoing. In one instance, an accused thief was surrounded by a crowd and interrogated, with one person brandishing a bat in his face.  https://twitter.com/Julio_Rosas11/status/1271166157412634624 - Julio Rosas @Julio_Rosas11: Jun 11: Protesters called the fire department about the dumpster fire. https://twitter.com/Julio_Rosas11/status/1270968437179740160 Cracks Are Starting to Appear at Seattle's 'Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone' By Julio Rosas| @Julio_Rosas11|Posted: Jun 11, 2020 3:35 PM Seattle, Wash. — In a shock to no one, days after Seattle's government gave the area around the city's East Precinct to protesters following days of unrest, there are tensions within the loose coalition of people occupying the area and evidence they still are relying on city's services to help the "Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone." While the zone has been relatively peaceful, it took less than 48 hours for an armed local, a rapper by the name of Raz Simone, to start "policing" the area with firearms. This led to a tense confrontation with a tagger that resulted in an alleged assault of a streamer who recorded the interaction. The problems have not stopped there. In addition to still utilizing the city's power, water, and porta-potties, the occupiers called the Seattle Fire Department after a dumpster fire was started just outside the "Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone" as it threatened to set a nearby building on fire. Without the presence of police in the area, things can be dangerous for people accused of wrongdoing. In one instance, a young man was accused of stealing a phone from another protester. A crowd quickly surrounded him and tried to interrogate him, with one individual brandishing a baseball bat in the man's face. The accused thief was clearly frightened and explained he did not steal anything, to which the crowd asked why did he run away. The situation was resolved after it was discovered the phone was never stolen, but it only came after the man was able to once again run away from the crowd. President Trump has tweeted that if the city of Seattle or Washington state refuses to get the situation under control in the "Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone," then the federal government will have to step in. https://townhall.com/tipsheet/juliorosas/2020/06/11/cracks-appear-capitol-hill-zone-n2570461 8-D -- 8:35 AM - INTERVIEW - BRET BAIER - Anchor of "Special Report" on Fox News Channel weekdays at 6 pm and author of the latest book "Three Days at the Brink: FDR's Daring Gamble to Win World War II" TOPIC: News of the day 8-E -- CONFEDERATE STATUES AND MONUMENTS DEBATE IN VIRGINIA AND CONGRESS: - Citing dangers to protesters, Northam urges them to stop pulling down monuments  At least three Confederate statues have been taken down by protesters in Virginia since demonstrations began in late May, and with at least one person getting severely injured in the process, Gov. Ralph Northam urged protesters to be safe and let the local governments handle the monuments’ removal instead. “I know these statues are causing a lot of pain, but pulling them down is not worth risking someone’s life,” Northam said at a press conference in Richmond. On Wednesday night in Portsmouth, protesters began by throwing paint and tagging graffiti onto the statue honoring the Confederate dead. Gradually, they began beheading the four figures, hitting them with tools and removing a rifle and sword from their arms. One of the figures was pulled down using a tow rope and fell onto Chris Green, who was standing underneath it. Green was taken to the hospital, where he is being treated for life-threatening injuries, according to the Virginia State Police. Also on Wednesday, protesters in Richmond took down the statue of Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederacy, on Monument Avenue, the Washington Post reported. The statue was towed away by a truck a little before midnight. https://www.pilotonline.com/government/virginia/vp-nw-northam-confederate-statues-protests-20200611-vp2beakov5ai7okndnesbchzz4-story.html - Man injured when Portsmouth Confederate statue fell on him is fighting for his life.  Gov. Northam encourages protesters to let statues be removed 'the right way'  Chris Green, who had been trying to get people out of the way when one of the four Confederate statues on the monument in Portsmouth fell on him Wednesday night, is in stable condition, according to state police. Green, 45, was with hundreds of others who rallied around the statues Wednesday after the City Council put off taking action on removing the monument in a meeting earlier that night. Demonstrators beheaded the four statues and pulled one down with a tow rope. When the statue came down, Green was under it.He remains hospitalized in stable condition, Sgt. Michelle Anaya, spokeswoman for Virginia State Police, said Thursday night. Portsmouth Police asked state police to investigate the man’s injuries. Whether any charges are filed from the incident would be determined by the commonwealth’s attorney, Anaya said. Green lost consciousness after his head was cut open. Protesters first took a knee and then began to disperse as Green was taken to the hospital. https://www.pilotonline.com/news/vp-nw-man-injured-20200611-3mp5z4smffanni7qr4dxkpja34-story.html   ============================================================ Mornings on the Mall Podcast - 2020-6-12 [00:00:00] 5:00 am - Mornings on the Mall [01:00:16] 6:00 am - Mornings on the Mall [02:00:27] 7:00 am - Mornings on the Mall [03:00:38] 8:00 am - Mornings on the Mall

7:35 AM – INTERVIEW – TOM FITTON – President, Judicial Watch Judicial Watch Asks DC Mayor for Permission to Paint ‘Because No One is Above Law!’ on Capitol Hill Street Seeks Equal Access to New Free Speech Forum After DC Government Authorized Painting of Political Slogan on DC Street (Washington, DC) Judicial Watch announced today that it has formally asked District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser and DC Attorney General Karl Racine for permission to paint “Because No One is Above the Law!” on a Capitol Hill street (Independence Ave, SW between 2nd and 4th Streets SW). The Judicial Watch message would be the identical size and coloring of the DC Government’s “Black Lives Matter” political message on 16th Street NW. On June 5, 2020, after days of protests and riots in Washington, DC, Mayor Bowser authorized the painting of “Black Lives Matter” on 16th Street NW, and later allowed “Defund the Police” to be painted alongside it. “Mayor Bowser made a decision to turn DC streets into a forum for public expression. Judicial Watch seeks equal access to use this new forum to educate Americans by painting our organization’s motto and motivation, ‘Because No One Is Above the Law!,’ on a Capitol Hill street,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “This rule of law message is timely, as it a reminder that rule of law applies to – and protects – all Americans. If we are unlawfully denied access and face viewpoint discrimination, we are prepared to go to court to vindicate our First Amendment rights.”

Today on the show we sit down with Dr. Tim Nelson, a researcher and physician at Mayo Clinic specializing in hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). HLHS is a severe congenital disease where infants are born without the left side of the heart and require three open-heart surgeries to survive. Dr. Nelson is also a founder at Rochester-based biotech firm ReGen Theranostics, which manufactures induced pluripotent stem cells in a reproducible manner. ReGen was one of the first tenants in the Minnesota BioBusiness Center and now is located on 41st Street NW. Currently, ReGen is in the final stages of preclinical testing and hopes to offer the first clinical trial of bioengineered cardiac tissues in 2021. On the podcast today we talk about Dr. Nelson’s journey with ReGen and his biomedical research, including local resources key to the company’s success. Links from today’s podcast: ReGen Theranostics Website: https://regentheranostics.com/ Cause2Cure Podcast Website: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cause2cure/id1489215831 NIH Stem Cell Information Website: https://stemcells.nih.gov/info/basics/5.htm Collider Donation Campaign: Website: https://www.4giving.com/C2C3 Music Attribution: Jane Fonda by The Grand Affair is licensed through the YouTube Audio Library.

  Bio Dr. Safiya Umoja Noble (@safiyanoble) is an Associate Professor at UCLA in the Departments of Information Studies and African American Studies, and a visiting faculty member to the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School of Communication. Previously, she was an Assistant Professor in Department of Media and Cinema Studies and the Institute for Communications Research at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  She is the author of a best-selling book on racist and sexist algorithmic bias in commercial search engines, entitled Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism (NYU Press), which has been widely-reviewed in journals and periodicals including the Los Angeles Review of Books, featured in the New York Public Library 2018 Best Books for Adults (non-fiction), and recognized by Bustle magazine as one of 10 Books about Race to Read Instead of Asking a Person of Color to Explain Things to You. Safiya is the recipient of a Hellman Fellowship and the UCLA Early Career Award. Her academic research focuses on the design of digital media platforms on the internet and their impact on society. Her work is both sociological and interdisciplinary, marking the ways that digital media impacts and intersects with issues of race, gender, culture, and technology. She is regularly quoted for her expertise on issues of algorithmic discrimination and technology bias by national and international press including The Guardian, the BBC, CNN International, USA Today, Wired, Time, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, The New York Times, and Virginia Public Radio, and a host of local news and podcasts, including Science Friction, and Science Friday to name a few. Recently, she was named in the “Top 25  Doers, Dreamers, and Drivers of 2019” by Government Technology magazine.  Dr. Noble is the co-editor of two edited volumes: The Intersectional Internet: Race, Sex, Culture and Class Online and Emotions, Technology & Design. She currently serves as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Critical Library and Information Studies, and is the co-editor of the Commentary & Criticism section of the Journal of Feminist Media Studies. She is a member of several academic journal and advisory boards, including Taboo: The Journal of Culture and Education. She holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Library & Information Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a B.A. in Sociology from California State University, Fresno where she was recently awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award for 2018.    Resources  Safiya U. Noble Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism by Safiya U. Noble (NYU Press: 2019) Behind the Screen: Content Moderation in the Shadows of Social Media by Sarah T. Roberts (Yale University Press: 2019)   News Roundup   FTC is investigating YouTube over children’s privacy The Federal Trade Commission is investigating YouTube over children’s privacy concerns, according to the Washington Post. The Alphabet subsidiary faces steep fines if it’s found to have violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which prohibits tracking and targeting children under 13. The FTC and YouTube both declined to comment.   Lawmakers divided over election security The Hill reports that GOP lawmakers are divided over election security, with some, including Mitch McConnell, who think additional legislation is unnecessary to deal with the challenges posed by technology. Other Republicans, like Lindsay Graham think there’s more we can do.    Facebook plans cryptocurrency, Maxine Waters resists We reported last week that Facebook announced plans to launch its own cryptocurrency called Libra. But House Financial Services Committee Chair Maxine Waters is pushing back. Waters asked Facebook to place a moratorium on the release of its cryptocurrency until after Congress has had a chance to review it. Virginia Senator Mark Warner agreed. Both lawmakers said the company’s troubled past is a warning sign. Waters has scheduled a hearing for July 17.    DHS moving global biometric data to Amazon Cloud The Department of Homeland Security stated in request for information it released last week that it would be moving the data of hundreds of millions of people around the globe to Amazon Web Services. The DHS is moving the data to a Homeland Advanced Recognition Technology (HART) System, hosted by AWS, which will upgrade the agency’s ability to link biometric and biographical data to DNA. The system is designed to quickly identify anyone who’s in the database such as suspected criminals, immigration violators, terrorists and, frankly, you, if you’re in the database.   Google’s board rejects shareholder proposals to fight sexual harassment and boost diversity The Guardian reports that Google parent Alphabet’s board of directors voted down thirteen shareholder proposals that would have ended forced arbitration for sexual harassment claims by contract workers, addressed ethical concerns stemming from AI and China, and several other social concerns. The board voted against the proposals despite a protest happening outside the company’s headquarters during the vote.   Apple CEO Tim Cook calls out big tech Apple CEO Tim Cook called out big tech at a Stanford Commencement speech last week. He said tech companies need to accept responsibility for the chaos they create and that “Lately it seems this industry is becoming better known for a less noble innovation – the belief you can claim credit without accepting responsibility … We see it every day now with every data breach, every privacy violation, every blind eye turned to hate speech, fake news poisoning out national conversation, the false miracles in exchange for a single drop of your blood.”   Members call on tech companies to address law firm diversity concerns In a letter penned by Missouri Representative Emanuel Cleaver, members of the House of Representatives are calling on tech companies to diversify the ranks of outside counsel the companies use. Currently, tech companies retain large law firms notorious for their dismal diversity records and segregating lawyers of color into contractor roles. Congressman Cleaver, along with Representatives Robin Kelly, G.K. Butterfield, and Barbara Lee sent the letter to Apple, Amazon, Alphabet, Microsoft, IBM, Dell, Intel, HP, Cisco and Facebook.   Fairfax County gets first state funding for autonomous vehicles Fairfax County Virginia and Dominion Energy landed a $250,000 grant from the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation for an autonomous electric shuttle in Merrifield. The pilot will be part of a larger potential effort to build a largescale autonomous transportation system in Virginia. This first pilot will connect the Dunn Loring MetroRail Station with the Mosaic district. Under the deal, Dominion will purchase or lease the vehicle and Fairfax County will handle operations.   Events   Tues., 6/25 Senate Commerce Committee, Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet Optimizing for Engagement: Understanding the Use of Persuasive Technology on Internet Platforms 10AM Hart 216   House Committee on Homeland Security: Subcommittee on Intelligence and Counterterrorism Artificial Intelligence and Counterterrorism: Possibilities and Limitations 10AM Cannon 310   House Committee on Small Business: Subcommittee on Contracting and Infrastructure Broadband Mapping: Small Carrier Perspectives on a Path Forward 10AM Rayburn 2360   House Energy & Commerce Committee: Subcommittee on Communications and Technology Stopping Bad Robocalls Act 2PM Rayburn 2123   House Committee on Financial Services Task Force on Financial Technology: Overseeing the Fintech Revolution: Domestic and International Perspectives on Fintech Regulation 2PM Rayburn 2128   House Committee on Homeland Security: Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Innovation                                                  Cybersecurity Challenges for State and Local Governments: Assessing How the Federal Government Can Help 2PM Cannon 310   House Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties Continuing Challenges to the Voting Rights Act Since Shelby County v. Holder 2PM Rayburn 2141     House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology: Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight Election Security: Voting Technology Vulnerabilities 2PM Rayburn 2318       Transformative Technology of DC How the Future of Work and STEM are impacting social wellbeing, digital transformation and mindset growth through tech 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM EDT District Offices 10 G Street Northeast   GEICO Data Science Tech Talk & Open House 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM EDT 5260 Western Avenue Bethesda, MD 20815   Wed., 6/26   House Committee on Homeland Security Examining Social Media Companies' Efforts to Counter Online Terror Content and Misinformation 10AM Cannon 310   House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology Artificial Intelligence: Societal and Ethical Implications 10AM Rayburn 2318   House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology: Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics NASA’s Aeronautics Mission: Enabling the Transformation of Aviation 2PM Rayburn 2318   Wine Wednesday Founding Farmers 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM EDT Founding Farmers, Reston 1904 Reston Metro Plaza   Thurs., 6/27   Federal Trade Commission PrivacyCon 8:15AM-5PM FTC Constitution Center 400 7th ST., SW   Ford Motor Company Fund  HERImpact Entrepreneurship Summit 9:30AM-4PM Georgetown University, McDonough School of Business 3700 O St NW   General Assembly Inside the Minds of Brilliant Designers 6:30-8:30PM General Assembly, 509 7th Street NW, 3rd Floor      Fri., 6/28   Federal Communications Commission Workshop on Promoting Multilingual Alerting 9AM-2:30PM FCC   Tues., 7/2   Universal Service Administrative Company Lifeline Program Consumer Support Training for caseworkers, service agents, and support professionals 9:30AM-12PM Universal Service Administrative Company 700 12th St., NW

Ashley Moberg (https://www.facebook.com/ashley.thompson.3154?__tn__=K-R&eid=ARBnwuLkFPP9m2Wr3Aaz4bnm4HPznlRfKLuzz7X0vAR20pPmnkP-_oD_ACqe6rbWnOGwqz8Mo0_HGC2r&fref=mentions&__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARD7c7swT0riIbneJudYanvh97GSgj2-vEO11kmhC1-lt172cmWfHt7MVtpDHOTde6j6gpC0ztvbeIrSD9oPN20fbGBdEuc7Akt3CPm5lrx1hXq2mGl1HuERH1WglbzyUhKPEkyANzZmm8kBmafvrr0dtdXn1T1yIhsZ80y7i4e4Eu59vw-Wu0GweuSh4H6LcEloZZpIbFsWIT0w5ZQjFRgZLrFdkfo3OBFRR-CEDYm8HpubhSnHtNcl-xg8WBKYSWYYM1_qy4RVc2OwL3Lcmk5ID6PdGcJ-LC7YESk5XLT27H3_D2FgkHehmn3xR4loJRZFlOMaY0d1A8wswp19ZoBKmnbVafSmT9M) is an entrepreneur originally from Iowa and has lived in Rochester now for 14 years. Her dream of owning her business started 5 years ago and it took a couple of years to build up the courage and jump in. Come learn about Real Deals - Rochester, MN (https://www.facebook.com/rochesterRD/?__tn__=K-R&eid=ARBdRJruDNATPmxl7gTCZhzR4_kVgzeXaj-KezFfbgCMdbfRqFUc61lRYK45Oq29vPdXXTSLDav9H_fe&fref=mentions&__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARD7c7swT0riIbneJudYanvh97GSgj2-vEO11kmhC1-lt172cmWfHt7MVtpDHOTde6j6gpC0ztvbeIrSD9oPN20fbGBdEuc7Akt3CPm5lrx1hXq2mGl1HuERH1WglbzyUhKPEkyANzZmm8kBmafvrr0dtdXn1T1yIhsZ80y7i4e4Eu59vw-Wu0GweuSh4H6LcEloZZpIbFsWIT0w5ZQjFRgZLrFdkfo3OBFRR-CEDYm8HpubhSnHtNcl-xg8WBKYSWYYM1_qy4RVc2OwL3Lcmk5ID6PdGcJ-LC7YESk5XLT27H3_D2FgkHehmn3xR4loJRZFlOMaY0d1A8wswp19ZoBKmnbVafSmT9M) a business just off 7th Street NW and 6th Ave in Rochester.

  Bio   Luis Avila (@phoenikera) is the President and Founder of Iconico Campaigns, a company that works to build advocacy capacity in organizations around the country. Migrating in 2000 from Mexico, Luis stayed in the U.S. to attend college, where he developed projects with people involved in arts, politics and social justice.  In 2004, Luis learned about civic participation in Jackson, Mississippi, as part of the American Freedom Summer program. He collaborated with organizers and leaders to advocate for the DREAM Act, fight against SB1070 and challenge Sheriff Joe Arpaio's discriminatory practices in Arizona. In 2008, Luis joined the Obama campaign where he got insight on cornerstone aspects of electoral organizing. This knowledge, paired with technologies developed to boost volunteer engagement, is applied now in all his advocacy and community engagement work. Luis spearheaded Somos América in 2011, the largest immigrant-rights coalition in Arizona, and currently sits on the Boards of Advisors of the National Council for La Raza and The New Teacher Project, an organization working to end education inequality. A long-time family and community engagement expert, Luis has designed engagement models for domestic and international organizations and school systems. In 2016, he served as Nevada's Democratic Coordinated Campaign Field Director, contributing to major victories in the state legislature, electing the first Latina Senator and delivering the state to Hillary Clinton, and he’s currently launching Instituto, an organization to build political infrastructure in communities of color in Arizona. Resources Instituto   Iconico    News Roundup The FCC signals that it will approve the Sprint/T-Mobile merger, China’s Huawei has a tough week as President Trump limits its U.S.-based business, and Luis Avila is my guest   FCC signals Sprint/TMobile approval The Trump administration appears divided over whether to approve the Sprint/TMobile merger. The companies say if the merger’s approved they’ll have 5G built out to the entire country in 6 years. Sprint says they’ll also sell prepaid wireless company Boost mobile. FCC Chair Ajit Pai says the merger conditions the companies are proposing are adequate and said he’d approve the deal. The two other Republicans on the Commission signaled their support as well giving the deal the majority it needs at the FCC. Policy expert Gigi Sohn says though that over at the DOJ’s antitrust division, Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim is saying the conditions aren’t enough.   Tough week for Huawei   Chinese device manufacturer Huawei had a tough week last week as President Trump signed an executive order Wednesday that bans American telecom companies from installing foreign-made equipment that could pose a national security threat. American officials have accused the company of violating an American trade embargo against Iran and with assisting China with spying on U.S. companies. Since Trump issued the order, Google parent Alphabet has suspended doing business with Huawei, outside of what’s available via open source, by revoking the Android licensing deal the tech giant had with Huawei.   President Trump creates story database to collect stories of conservatives being censored on social media   Looks like the White House wants to set up its own social network to compete with Twitter and Facebook. The White House has created a creepy new database that lets conservatives report instances in which they’ve been censored on social media platforms. The President is attempting to get users to opt-in to a separate White House newsletter that purports to allow anyone, irrespective of their political views, to receive updates without relying on Facebook and Twitter.   The White House also decided not to sign on to a multinational campaign created by Christchurch, New Zealand to stamp out online hate speech. The White House says the effort would dilute the freedom of speech. 18 other countries, including many of America’s allies, disagreed.   Johns Hopkins releases free online course on gun violence prevention   Johns Hopkins has released a free online course where users can learn how to prevent and protect against gun violence. The course contains six modules taught by experts, including mental health professionals. It’s entitled Reducing Gun Violence in America: Evidence for Change and its intended to equip students to use research to combat gun violence in America.   Carriers claim to stop collecting geolocation data but evidence suggests otherwise   Major wireless carriers including AT&T and Verizon have claimed that they have stopped sharing geolocation data with third party bounty hunters. But the the facts suggest otherwise. Congressman Mike Doyle notes that the number of complaints about police departments and others unauthorized (and unconstitutional, for that matter) surveillance of individuals has been on the rise. AT&T has acknowledged that it took advantage of a loophole in a Communications Act privacy provision that doesn’t cover a type of geolocation data known as A-GPS which AT&T’s Joan Marsh says is less precise than location data covered by the National Emergency Address Database.   Amazon releases HQ2 plan for Arlington Amazon released its plan for 2 LEED-certified 22 story office buildings in Arlington. There will be 50,000 square feet of street level space for retail and restaurants.   San Francisco becomes first city to ban facial recognition technology   San Francisco became the first city to ban the use of facial recognition technology. The ordinance passed by a vote of 8-1 and is headed to Mayor London Breed for her signature.   Events   Tues., 5/21 New America 2019 Ranking Digital Rights Corporate Accountability Index 740 15th Street NW 9:30AM-11AM   House Judiciary Committee Full Committee Hearing: Understanding the Digital Advertising Ecosystem Dirksen 226 10AM   House Homeland Security Committee Growing and Diversifying Our Cyber Talent Pipeline 310 Cannon 2PM City Year Idealist Gala Reagan Building, 1300 Pennsylvania 6PM Reception/7PM Program and Dinner   MIT Enterprise Forum Celebrating Entrepreneurship in Our Nation’s Capital 600 Mass. Ave. 5:30PM   Wed., 5/22 Partnership for Progress on the Digital Divide Conferences Goes through 5/24 Vint Cerf Keynotes Georgetown University Law Institute for Technology Law & Policy 37th/O NW   House Oversight Committee Facial Recognition Technology (Part 1): Its Impact on our Civil Rights and Liberties 2154 Rayburn 10AM   House Energy & Commerce Committee Full Committee Hearing on “LIFT America: Modernizing Our Infrastructure for the Future” 2123 Rayburn House Office Building 10 AM   Tues., 5/28 New York University Center for Critical Race & Digital Studies 2019 Critical Race and Digital Studies Conference NYU Washington D.C., 1307 L St., NW 9:00AM-7:30PM   Sat, 6/1 DC Stem Network DC STEM Fair UDC 7AM-4PM

Welcome to Episode 27 of the podcast! Our show sponsor this week is Canada's BBQ School. They have pitmaster classes scheduled in 5 Alberta cities for 2019, taught by National Champ Rob Reinhardt of Prairie Smoke & Spice BBQ. If you're in the market for a new smoker, they will have 5 styles on site. Come get unbiased advice and taste the food for yourself. You will be shown the techniques that impress judges, and techniques that impress your family - they're not always the same! Participants will tackle 5 different meats, talk about ingredients, technology, cooking fuels, and different strategies to allow YOU to be the king or queen of the smoker. URL: http://bbqclass.ca/products-page/rob-reinhardt/ CURLING UPDATE: Team Chalifour is on a four game winning streak and has improved to a 5-8-1 record. Check out the great Alberta farms that I visited this past weekend: Bear & The Flower Farm, www.bearandtheflower.com Your Local Ranch, www.yourlocalranch.com This week's episode features Barbecue Country in Edmonton, AB. You can find their store in Edmonton at 5682 75 Street NW. Visit them online at www.barbecuecountry.com. You can follow their social media as well: Facebook & LindkedIn: Barbecue Country Instagram: barbecuecountry Twitter: @BarbecueCountry YouTube: Barbecue Country Check out the Alberta BBQ Trail at www.albertabbqtrail.ca and follow on Twitter @bbq_trail or Instagram at albertabbqtrail. Keep your eyes on the website and our social media for news on the 2019 edition of the trail, and use the hashtag #albertabbqtrail on your social media posts. All music on The Eat More Barbecue podcast has been graciously provided by Alan Horabin. Eat More Barbecue can be found at www.eatmorebarbecue.ca, on Facebook & Instagram at eat_more_barbecue and on Twitter @eatmorebarbecue. Thanks for listening. Please subscribe, rate and review. This podcast is an EatMoreBarbecue production.

On this episode of The Critical Hour, Dr. Wilmer Leon is joined by Colin Campbell, a senior Washington, DC, correspondent since 2008 who has been a reporter-at-large covering two presidencies, Congress and the State Department.We have a number of national emergencies on the books. Today's protest in Washington, DC, which began at noon in front of the AFL-CIO building on 16th Street NW, down the street from the White House, was meant to highlight the struggles of furloughed federal employees and out-of-work contractors. The partial shutdown that has left nine federal departments and several agencies closed since December 22 remains at a standstill today after a meeting between President Donald Trump and Democratic leaders in Congress unraveled yesterday. Trump delivered the first Oval Office address of his presidency Tuesday night — and it came in the midst of a protracted partial government shutdown. The president made no mention of the national emergency during his Oval Office speech. Why not?The United States today refused to recognize Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's legitimacy as he starts a new term and urged rank-and-file government employees to empower the opposition. For a country which is complaining about outside interference, this sure sounds hypocritical and dangerous to me. "The US will not recognize the Maduro dictatorship's illegitimate inauguration," National Security Advisor John Bolton tweeted. "We will continue to increase pressure on the corrupt regime, support the Democratic National Assembly and call for democracy and freedom in Venezuela," he wrote. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called on Venezuelans to work not with Maduro but with the National Assembly, which is controlled by the opposition but has been sidelined by a new Constituent Assembly created by Maduro's government. If you listen to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the Middle East has been plunged into chaos and violence because of two entities: Iran and former President Barack Obama. Now, under President Donald Trump, that's changing. In spite of the fact that Iran, by every measurable and verifiable agency available was adhering to the Iran Nuclear deal, Trump withdrew the US from the pact in May 2018. Pompeo delivered a scathing rebuke of Obama's Middle East policy in Cairo on Thursday in an address that centered on exerting maximum pressure on Iran and doubling down on the United States' alliances with Sunni autocrats and Israel. In establishing his own vision for the Middle East, Pompeo set up the Obama administration as a foil showing what not to do, whether it was striking the landmark nuclear deal with Iran in 2015 or leaving Egypt's autocratic president, Hosni Mubarak, in a lurch during that country's protests in 2011. GUESTS: Colin Campbell — Ph.D. student in the Department of Communication, Culture and Media Studies at Howard University's School of Communication. He has been a TV news reporter for more than 20 years. As a senior Washington, DC, correspondent since 2008, he has been a reporter-at-large, covering two presidencies, Congress and the State Department.Caleb Maupin — Journalist and political analyst who focuses his coverage on US foreign policy and the global system of monopoly capitalism and imperialism.Dr. Ajamu Baraka — American political activist and former Green Party nominee for vice president of the United States in the 2016 election.

Wonder Women came out in May, and along with it came a wake of good feelings, well wishes, and empowerment among women superhero lovers. Now of course, with anything involving geeky fandoms and women, the trolls came out. First it was whining about the all female screening of Wonder Woman in Texas, and then the just souring of the movie as some sort of “propaganda tool.” Not only that we see it not just with women characters, but also any characters that don’t fit the white male archetype. I’m thinking of Squirrel Girl, Captain Marvel, Ms Marvel, and Black Panther. Why do men, specifically white men, get so riled up with the diversity this industry needs? Well I brought in a lived experience expert, Brandon Schatz, co-owner of Varient Edition comics here in Edmonton. He’s got expert knowledge as to why males behave this way, and it has a lot to do with the history of the matter, he’s also indirectly lived the sexism when opening his store with his wife Danica. Besides that we’re also going to talk about his own life as a business owner, his life as an introvert who helps other introverts, and why he puts his money where his mouth is. Question of the Episode: What was the coolest, most selfless thing another man has done for you? Send me your anwsers at @modernmanpod You can find Brandon’s store Varient Edition at 10132 - 151 Street NW, Edmonton, AB or online at varientedition.com You can find brandon on twitter @soupytoasterson please send all geeky questions to him! He knows a lot! You can check out more Alberta Podcast Network, powered by ATB at albertapodcastnetwork.com

Once around the block with temporary DC implant Gray, hailing form North Carolina. In town attending a course at GeorgetownSCS and pursuing a certificate course in Social Media, Gray talks about the Weather, compares DC to London and Paris, and gives us his impressions on the presidential motorcades.

Enterprise Readiness: How to Defend Against Cyber Attacks Holistically with Admiral Patrick Walsh Senior Vice President, iSIGHT Partners John Felker Director, National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center, US Department of Homeland Security Don DeBolt Senior Technical Director, FireEye Inc. Thursday, October 13 11:30 AM-1:30 PM The Institute of World Politics 1521 16th Street NW, Washington, D.C. This event was sponsored by IWP's Cyber Intelligence Initiative as part of a series of guest lectures titled "New Initiatives in Cyber." -------------- A popular refrain in today's cybersecurity discourse is the call for more collaboration, coordination, and information sharing between the public and private sectors to address the growing number state and non-state actors in the cyber domain. This panel takes the current national dialogue to the next level of analysis and posits that there are national security lessons learned, insights, approaches, and experiences in this changing threat landscape that could inform the preparedness or "readiness" of technical teams, business units, staff functions, and enterprise leadership in the private sector. This session suggests "The Enterprise Readiness Model" as a way to develop solutions for our frontline cyber teams who are in a daily fight for survival and need answers that reflect "the best the country has to offer."

The Shah Peerally Law Group PC Washington DC office located at 1020 16th Street NW – is stationed in the heart of Washington DC two blocks away from the White House and in the vicinity of the Unite20161006_141453d States’ most important institutions including the headquarters of the United States Customs and Immigration Service (USCIS). The office houses Attorney Sharif S. Silmi and will include support staff and other important legal positions. Washington DC office -1020 16th Street NW. Phone: 202-656-5553 sharif@peerallylaw.com

Pastor Russ Whitfield's song and sermon from the Grace DC network's 2012 Good Friday service. If you are in the Washington, DC, area, please join us Friday at noon in downtown DC for a 40-minute lunch-hour Good Friday reflection. The service will be hosted at Calvary Baptist Church (755 8th Street NW).

Doreen Fentress is the Business Development Director of HAWORTH in the Washington, DC -Metro Area. She is responsible for business development, sales goal, management of sales team and sales distribution for Haworth Inc in Washington DC region which includes VA, MD, WVA and DC. Haworth, Inc., a world-class designer and manufacturer of office workspaces, is based in Holland, Michigan, operates in more than 120 countries, and employs 8,000 people. Mrs. Fentress experience is extensive as V.P. & Technical Director of Quality Technical Services for 19 yrs and Assistant Sales Manager for Chasens Business Interiors for 15 yrs. She has a Master's Degree from the University of Virginia - Darden Graduate School of Business Administration, a BFA degree in Design from Old Dominion University and an Interior design degree from the School of Arts from Virginia Commonwealth University. Doreen Fentress contact info: T: 202.478.7330 | Fax: 202.628.5235 | email: doreen.fentress@haworth.com 575 7th Street NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20004 USA | haworth.com  

Josephine Reed talks with a collection of local experts about the history and revitalization of U Street, NW in Washington, DC. Once known as the "Black Broadway," U Street is again a vibrant cultural place in the city, as evidenced by Arena Stage's smash production of Sophisticated Ladies at the historic Lincoln Theatre. [25:57]

Josephine Reed talks with a collection of local experts about the history and revitalization of U Street, NW in Washington, DC. Once known as the "Black Broadway," U Street is again a vibrant cultural place in the city, as evidenced by Arena Stage's smash production of Sophisticated Ladies at the historic Lincoln Theatre. [25:57]

Josephine Reed talks with a collection of local experts about the history and revitalization of U Street, NW in Washington, DC. Once known as the "Black Broadway," U Street is again a vibrant cultural place in the city, as evidenced by Arena Stage's smash production of Sophisticated Ladies at the historic Lincoln Theatre. [25:57]

Josephine Reed talks with a collection of local experts about the history and revitalization of U Street, NW in Washington, DC. Once known as the "Black Broadway," U Street is again a vibrant cultural place in the city, as evidenced by Arena Stage's smash production of Sophisticated Ladies at the historic Lincoln Theatre. [25:57]

Diciembre 18, 2009 Segmento 1  Al aire: José López Zamorano. En estudio Marcelo Raimon de la agencia de noticias ANSA y Sonia Schott, periodista independiente. El congresista demócrata de Illinois, Luis Gutiérrez, presentó la “Reforma Migratoria Integral de 2009 para la Seguridad y Prosperidad de Estados Unidos” (CIR ASAP). Reacciones, efectos y perspectivas. 09:00 Break (2:00) Segmento 2  Al aire: José López Zamorano. En estudio, En estudio Marcelo Raimon de la agencia de noticias ANSA y Sonia Schott, periodista independiente. Entrevista exclusiva con el embajador de México en Washington, Arturo Zarukhan.  19:00 Break (2:00) Segmento 3 Al aire: José López Zamorano. En estudio, Marcelo Raimon de la agencia de noticias ANSA y Sonia Schott, periodista independiente. La reforma de salud, perspectiva. End 29:00 For more information:  Senior Producer: Luisa Fernanda Montero: luisa.fernanda@hcnmedia.com  202-558-0010 Engineer: Julio Gonzalez: julio.gonzalez@hcnmedia.com, 202-340-9131 A new immigration reform.  Luisa Fernanda Montero Producer  Hispanic Communications Network 1126 16th Street NW, Suite 350 Tel: 202 5580010