Y'all!

Once upon a time I ran a news site, now I just have opinions on the news. 

Good morning, RVA: 2,878 • 54; data, data, data; and annexation

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Good morning, RVA! It's 52 °F, and temperatures today are way up in the 70s. Keep an eye out for some rain later this afternoon. These warmer vibes will continue for the next couple of days.

Water cooler

As of this morning, the Virginia Department of Health reports 2,878 positive cases of the coronavirus in the Commonwealth, and 54 people in Virginia have died as a result of the virus. VDH reports 420 cases in and around Richmond (Chesterfield: 108, Henrico: 207, and Richmond: 105). We'll see how those numbers update today, as Michael Martz at the Richmond Times-Dispatch says that 28 people have died of COVID-19 at the Canterbury Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center in Henrico and 116 residents of the same facility have tested positive for the disease. That's over half of Henrico's total reported number of cases. For those of us coping with the enormity and brutality of this situation by tracking data and keeping spreadsheets, here's an odd sentence several paragraphs down: "The number of deaths from COVID-19 in the Richmond region is not clear because there is no reporting requirement, said Dr. Danny Avula, director of the Richmond and Henrico Health Districts." Further, a whole team of RTD folks covered the Governor's press conference and compared the amount of coronavirus testing done in Virginia (24,521) to smaller, neighbor states like North Carolina (40,045). The number of test still has such a huge impact on not only our ability to make spreadsheets but to track and stop the spread of the coronavirus. I don't know what to make of the apparent low number of tests-per-capita in the Commonwealth.

One more bit about data: The Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association has launched their own data dashboard focusing on the number of folks hospitalized for actual COVID-19 or suspected COVID-19. They've also got some stats on ICU beds, ventilators, and hospitals that are having difficulty obtaining supplies.

I didn't know where to fit it in the above two paragraphs, but the Governor also said that Virginians should wear masks when they go outside. Time to put those mask-making resource to good use!

Yesterday, Richmond Public Schools launched daily, grade-specific, learning-at-home resources for all students. This is a massive resource that required, I imagine, a massive amount of work to put together. If you've got a tiny human at home, consider taking advantage of it. Or, honestly, don't! I'm extremely empathetic for the very specific overwhelmed feeling that comes from tapping on a link and seeing an array of resources that you totally don't know how, exactly, to put to use. If that sounds familiar, maybe just bookmark the link so you have it for later? Anyway, clearly students need a computer and internet access to take advantage of all of these resources, and Superintendent Kamras says, "we're working around the clock to get laptops and wifi hotspots ready for distribution...I'm happy to report that they'll begin going out later this week."

I know I keep reminding you about this, but the application for Richmond's no-interest loans for small businesses dropped yesterday. You can find more information and the application itself here. Remember, the Economic Development Authority will consider applications in the the order in which they were received. If you're planning on applying, do it ASAP!

If you've ever seen me do my day job, or, really, spent any time with me at all, you'll know that I think annexation (or, more accurately, the State's prohibition on any future annexation) is one of the most important and defining characteristics of our region. Lucky for us big-time annexation foamers, VCU and UR have made John Moeser's book, The Politics of Annexation, free to download! Moeser is the literal expert on annexation in our region, and I'm stoked to move this book to the top of my queue (right after _Pride_, which I'm really enjoying). You can download The Politics of Annexation in a variety of formats here.

Via /r/rva, extremely bad news on the cheap beer front. But, on the other hand, you can now get liquor shipped to your door from Virginia distilleries. During a pandemic you win some, you lose some.

This morning's longread

Real estate for the apocalypse: my journey into a survival bunker

The things rich people do to prepare for a crisis makes me sad for how they view humanity.

Vivos was offering more than just the provision of ready-made bunkers and turnkey apocalypse solutions. It was offering a vision of a post-state future. When you bought into such a scheme, you tapped into a fever dream from the depths of the libertarian lizard-brain: a group of well-off and ideologically like-minded individuals sharing an autonomous space, heavily fortified against outsiders – the poor, the hungry, the desperate, the unprepared – and awaiting its moment to rebuild civilisation from the ground up. What was being offered, as such, was a state stripped down to its bare rightwing essentials: a militarised security apparatus, engaged through contractual arrangement, for the protection of private wealth.

If you’d like your longread to show up here, go chip in a couple bucks on the ol’ Patreon.

Good morning, RVA: 3,333 • 63; sad budget news; and bus stuff

Good morning, RVA: 2,627 • 51; RVA Strong; alternative uses for scooters