Good morning, RVA! It's 33 °F, and it. is. snowing. Expect the snow to continue throughout the day and into the afternoon while temperatures drop into the teens. Sounds like we're looking at 1-3 inches.
As of this moment: Chesterfield, Henrico, and Richmond public schools are all closed. VCU and VUU are closed, and for UR it's business as usual (sorry Spiders).
Water cooler
With this quick update from Justin Mattingly at the RTD, the Mayor's Education Compact team is fully formed now that the Richmond School Board has appointed their six members. Keep an eye out for their first meeting sometime soon. Mattingly also has the very first word (I think) on budget season proper and covers the School Board's first crack at a budget. Read the aforelinked story for a terrifying look at the future if state legislators do not find a way to fix state funding for public schools.
Graham Moomaw at the Richmond Times-Dispatch says that Delegate Mark Levine has submitted a bill to remove the Robert E. Lee statue from the National Statuary Hall Collection. That's HB1099 should you wish to follow its progress—note that it has been referred to the suddenly notorious and Republican-controlled Committee on Rules. I like this quote from Levine, "Is he the second-best Virginian in all of Virginia history that we need to honor? Is he? Really?" I imagine his voice rising with each question.
Style Weekly has, of all things, a poem from Ron Smith about the monuments on Monument Avenue. I enjoy that this man, poet laureate of Virginia from 2014–2016, describes the Arthur Ashe statue like this: "Rising from the ground below his feet, four children, trapped at the waist, each reaching with one hand for help, we used to say—or to fend off a blow from the racket, from the book." P.S. Make sure you read the editor's note at the bottom, and then tweet me (@rosscatrow what you think about the poem.
Style Weekly also reports that the ICA has named an interim director after Lisa Freiman stepped down last week.
Check out this old, 1950s-era menu from Joe Inn via the folks at RVA Hub. Spaghetti with meat sauce is just $0.95!
FYI, the public meeting to talk about the 29th Street Bike Walk Boulevard has been cancelled due to snow.
And, because why not, here's one of my favorite local metal bands, Inter Arma, playing at the Pump House. An old, abandoned stone building down by the river is pretty close to my definition of Southern metal.🤘
Sports!
- Rams host the Spiders tonight at 7:00 PM.
This morning's Patron longread
Advocates for Independent Living Reform
From Patron Caitlyn comes this terrifying story about her grandmother who spent four days trapped in a bed at an independent living facility and the legislation that the General Assembly will now consider as a result (HJ118)
Diane Franklin was our beloved mother, who cherished her independence. She wanted to live in a place where someone would check her well-being daily, but still allow her to manage her own life. An independent living facility seemed to be the perfect solution for us, and we chose Commonwealth Senior Living as the place for her to call home. On December 13, 2015, Diane's daughter, Jacqueline Carney, discovered that Commonwealth Senior Living's Daily Check-in Program had failed when she found her mom covered in feces and urine after being trapped in bed for 4 days without any food or water.
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