Good morning, RVA! It's 51 °F, and, apart from a chance of rain early this morning, today looks sunny and warm. Expect highs in the 70s.
Water cooler
Richmond Police are reporting that Angela M. Rector, 30, was shot to death this past Saturday evening on the 3200 block of P Street.
As of this morning, the Virginia Department of Health reports 2,637 positive cases of the coronavirus in the Commonwealth, and 51 people in Virginia have died as a result of the virus. VDH reports 401 cases in and around Richmond (Chesterfield: 108, Henrico: 194, and Richmond: 99). Of note, the total number of deaths in Virginia dropped from 52 to 51 over the weekend, and I haven't yet read anything that indicates why. Related: Kate Masters at the Virginia Mercury has a piece about VDH creating a definition for "suspect" COVID-19 cases. I don't know how this will impact the daily reported numbers, but it's something to keep an eye on as the Commonwealth still lacks an adequate number of tests.
The City has launched RVAStrong.org, a website that looks to connect folks to 1) organizations that are doing good work, and 2) efforts that you can support during This Most Unusual Time. It's early goings for this website, so I think helping build their dataset would probably be a useful way to spend your time. If you know about folks doing good work addressing local needs, fill out this form so the City can get them added to the website.
This would have been helpful to tell you on Friday, but the City has decided to "close the main parking lots that provide access to the James on weekends for the duration of the stay at home order." This is a most excellent idea, but I'm not sure which lots are impacted. /r/rva says cars got towed from Pony Pasture, and on my solo bike ride yesterday, the Great Shiplock Park lot was open (and packed), while the lot next to the Sugar Pad was closed. I saw more than 30 boats in the river which blew my mind—reminded me of that scene in Jaws when all the locals head out into the ocean and start ramming into each other and throwing dynamite everywhere.
Ali Rockett at the Richmond Times-Dispatch has a bleak look at jails around the region as they wait for the coronavirus. I agree with Kim Rolla from the Legal Aid Justice Center, "...choosing to maintain a high jail population in the midst of a pandemic like this is endangering everyone." However, Rockett says Richmond's Commonwealth Attorney Colette McEachin disagrees and says folks are safer in jails where there are no known cases of the virus and continual access to medical care. I guess that's true...until a virus outbreak. Maybe the local jails, Richmond's specifically which houses over 700 inmates, can implement policies to keep the virus out? I don't know, but the whole situation makes me nervous.
Robins Foundation has partnered with the City to launch a $1 million family crisis fund. From the press release: "Robins Foundation, in partnership with the City of Richmond has launched a Family Crisis Fund. Seeded with matching $500,000 contributions by Robins Foundation and the City of Richmond, funds from this initiative can be disbursed to families as soon as April 7-8th, allowing for immediate financial relief for families and immediate impact on the local economy. This will meet critical needs while families and local communities prepare for the federal stimulus to be activated within the next 60 days." This new fund is just one way the local philanthropy community has started to respond to the coronavirus crisis. A while back—who knows how long ago in virustime—the Community Foundation announced the Central Virginia COVID-19 Response Fund to help "support community organizations and public agencies that are meeting the needs of individuals and families most affected by the coronavirus pandemic." You can donate directly to that fund, volunteer your time, or if you're out there in the coronatrenches, apply for funding.
Hey, quick reminder: The EDA will start accepting applications for those no-interest loans today and will consider them in the order in which they were received. Keep your eye on the EDA website this morning if you're planning to apply.
The Virginia Mercury's Graham Moomaw says that the General Assembly might reconvene later this month, which is great. He also says they may do so outside to protect legislators and staff, which is fascinating. Richmond in the springtime, aside from the choking pollen, is pretty amazing, so I get it, but, with only a couple hundred folks, I'm not sure why they wouldn't use Main Street Station or the Siegel Center. My best guesses for where this out-of-doors session could take place: Brown's Island, UR's football stadium, or Maymont.
Here's a picture of a Bolt scooter on a rock in the middle of the river. Yes, this does, theoretically, make our transportation system less useful, but look at it. Doesn't it look so peaceful out there? Also, here is someone using a Bolt scooter to hold up a skateboard ramp? Again, transportation blah blah blah, but maybe kind of high five?
Sam and I recorded episode 75 of the Sam and Ross Like Things podcast, but really y'all did most of the work. This time around, we asked for folks to send us voice memos of things that they like, and, I have to say, it was really nice to hear people's voices. Thanks to everyone who sent something in!
This morning's patron longread
The Coronavirus’s Unique Threat to the South
Submitted by Patron Casey. Decades of bad, racist policies have put us in a place where younger Southerners are more likely to have pre-existing health conditions that make the coronavirus even more dangerous.
The numbers emerging seem to indicate that more young people in the South are dying from COVID-19. Although the majority of coronavirus-related deaths in Louisiana are still among victims over 70 years old, 43 percent of all reported deaths have been people under 70. In Georgia, people under 70 make up 49 percent of reported deaths. By comparison, people under 70 account for only 20 percent of deaths in Colorado. “Under 70” is a broad category, not really useful for understanding what’s going on. But digging deeper reveals more concerning numbers. In Louisiana, people ages 40 to 59 account for 22 percent of all deaths. The same age range in Georgia accounts for 17 percent of all deaths. By comparison, the same age group accounts for only about 10 percent of all deaths in Colorado, and 6 percent of all deaths in Washington State. These statistics suggest that middle-aged and working-age adults in the two southern states are at much greater risk than their counterparts elsewhere; for some reason, they are more likely to die from COVID-19.
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