Good morning, RVA! It's 44 °F, and as the rain moves out of the region this morning the sunshine moves in. Expect highs just under 60 °F as we gear up for a pretty pleasant Halloween.
Water cooler
Ned Oliver has a kind of wild article about the responsibilities of Richmond's treasurers, of which there are...none? The office has no job description and exists only because the state mandates it. What!? I'm with candidate Michelle Mosby on this one, we're getting a state-funded employee—a free extra set of hands—and we should take advantage of that person in a way that supports the existing Finance Department's efforts. It's definitely weird to vote for a candidate without knowing what it is they'll do all day, but maybe the Mayor, the Director of Finance, and the next Treasurer can figure it out and get it written down.
The Richmond Free Press has a rundown of the four candidates running to be Richmond's next sheriff. Unlike the treasurer, the sheriff actually has a job description: managing the jail and providing security at courthouses.
Big bike-lane news, y'all! DPW sent out a press release the other day announcing that construction on the Semmes Avenue Bike Lane will begin on November 8th. The bike lane will stretch from Forest Hill Avenue to Cowardin Avenue, and if you want, you may look at a PDF of the final plans.
Mary Lee Clark at the RTD writes about Boss Babes, a community of entrepreneurial businesswomen. This reminds me to tell y'all about RebelleCon, a "lifestyle design conference for the entrepreneurial woman" which is put on by a couple of folks in the Boss Babes orbit. The three-day conference begins on November 9th and will focus on wellness, money, community, and creativity. Get your tickets online.
I enjoy that this piece by Michael Schwartz in Richmond BizSense references the Flood Zone, a Shockoe Bottom club that has been closed for...almost 20 years? Did the Flood Zone close in 1999? Someone let me know!
Also in BizSense, Mike Platania says a new brewery will open up behind the McDonalds on Chamberlayne. This is a fascinating location and part of the slow change that's coming to parts of Chamberlayne. Pair this with what's happening on Brookland Park Boulevard, and you've got some strong Northside potential.
The Richmond Zombie Walk braaaaainsed their way through Carytown this past Saturday. Check out the #richmondzombiewalk2017 hashtag on Instragram for some great photos of the event. Hats/ears off to the zombie Van Gogh costume!
Here's this Vox article about the first charges coming out of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Trump's ties to Russia. You can read it for background, but chances are it could be woefully out of date whenever you get around to it!
Sports!
The Astros dealt the Dodgers a 13-12 loss in an improbable 10-inning game.
- Spiders succumbed to Stony Brook, 24-27.
- #13 Hokies decked Duke, 24-3.
- Wahoos petered out against Pitt, 14-31.
- Washington keeled over, 19-33, versus the Cowboys.
This morning's longread
How Chicago Gets Its Guns
Here's a pretty interesting look at how life as a part-time, small-time gun dealer works.
Most of the guns police seize come from Indiana and other states where firearms laws are more lax, police and researchers have found. After they were purchased legally, most were sold or loaned or stolen. Typically, individuals or small groups are involved in the dealing, not organized trafficking rings, experts say. Unlike the drug trade — often dominated by powerful cartels or gangs — illegal gun markets operate more like the way teenagers get beer, “where every adult is potentially a source...”