Good morning, RVA! It's 49 °F, and it's raining. You can expect it to keep raining for awhile. Maybe until tomorrow? According to NBC12's Andrew Freiden our risk for severe weather has dropped, but we'll still see some storms this afternoon. Stay safe, and keep any eye on your weather app of choice.
Water cooler
The Richmond Police Department is reporting that Marquez Warden, a man in his 20s, was fatally shot on March 16th near the 5700 block of Hull Street. Warden is the 11th person murdered in 2021 in the City of Richmond.
As of this morning, the Virginia Department of Health reports 1,327 new positive cases of the coronavirus in the Commonwealth and 50 new deaths as a result of the virus. VDH reports 142 new cases in and around Richmond (Chesterfield: 75, Henrico: 48, and Richmond: 19). Since this pandemic began, 1,181 people have died in the Richmond region. I think we've hit a plateau in our new reported case numbers—a plateau that sits at a too-high altitude that we should all feel anxiety about. The current seven-day average of new cases is 1,299, while the seven-day average from seven days ago is 1,324. Not a ton of change there. I know that 1,300 feels a ton better than 5,000, and I think it's easy to act like we're over and done and through with all of our pandemic safety measures. But just keep in mind that for most of last summer the Commonwealth saw new daily case counts below 800. We've still got a ways to go.
Meanwhile, the Governor has announced his tentative plans for how K–12 schools and institutes of higher learning can host in-person graduation ceremonies (PDF). The gist: Indoor events cannot exceed the lesser of 500 people or 30 percent of the allowed occupancy, and outdoor events cannot exceed the lesser of 5,000 people or 30 percent of the allowed occupancy. Also the following requirement made me chuckle and think about folks with extremely long arms: "Require ten feet of physical distancing between parties. This includes handshakes, hugs, and other physical interactions." You can read the full press release from the Governor's office here. He expects the plans to be adopted into an updated Executive Order on April 1st.
Two vaccine updates from the Richmond Times-Dispatch's Sabrina Moreno! First, Richmond and Henrico seniors can now just call their health district's call center (804.205.3501) and have a vaccination appointment scheduled right over the phone. Second, Moreno reports that the federal pharmacy partnership will expand their vaccination eligibility to include everyone in Phase 1b—including folks aged 16–64 with underlying conditions and disabilities that increase the severity of illness from COVID-19. That means more places to register for a vaccination appointment!
The folks at Richmond Together continue to impress me with their clever thoughts on the 2021 budget season. Today, they'll give a presentation (PDF) at City Council's Finance and Economic Development Committee (1:00 PM if you want to tune in), and will talk through how the City can use the estimated $159 million headed our way as a part of the American Rescue Plan. I really, really suggest flipping through this presentation as it'll give you a high-level understanding of how and when the ARP money can be used locally. I love this very practical suggestion: "Richmond Together believes the city should immediately designate or hire one or more capable individuals to be the 'point person' for everything related to ARP funds and related [funding] from other sources (such as the state)." Additionally, and also super practical, Richmond Together asks the City to put together "a detailed analysis of how various funding sources can be braided together to maximally fund stated and emergency policy goals...in advance of May 12 and also for public discussion over use of these funds to begin now." We know this money's coming, and we should have some clear goals and discussions around how to use it. Honestly, it's a little like last year's pandemic budget in reverse. We knew revenue would be tight, and we passed a budget accordingly. Now we know we're getting a stack of new money, and we should plan for that influx in a smart, holistic, and equitable way. As Richmond Together says, "cities that wisely use this money to advance recovery and policy goals will have a strategic advantage coming out of the pandemic."
I'm still trying to wrap my head around this article in Richmond Magazine by Eileen Mellon about the Ever Better spot on Lombardy Street. Mellon reports that Ever Better sells food and drinks that contain supplements from the Herbalife multi-level marketing company—originally without disclosing it.
Today at 6:00 PM, the City will host a public meeting about the rezoning of Greater Scott's Addition (aka the Diamond District). In the Department of Planning and Development Review's words, "The current zoning in this area—mostly M-1 Light Industrial and M-2 Heavy Industrial—isn't aligned with the envisioned Future Land Use categories in this area...Rezoning these areas will allow for dwelling uses by right and reflect the vision for both the Industrial Mixed-Use and Destination Mixed-Use Future Land Use categories envisioned by Richmond 300." Basically, those M-1 and M-2 zonings, which cover almost the entire area at the moment, prohibit apartments. This means that every apartment you see popping up around the Diamond required a time-intensive Special Use Permit. The proposed rezoning would allow apartments (and other interesting mixed-use projects) by-right, making them easier and quicker to build. A whole lot of rezonings in motion lately, and it's great to see.
Roll right from one virtual event to the next! STAY RVA will host another one of their STAY Chats tonight at 8:00 PM, and this one features Dr. Ram Bhagat. Currently, Ram serves as the Manager of School Culture and Climate Strategy at Richmond Public Schools, but he's got a long history of working with students and youth in Richmond. This event is free, but you'll want to register over on the Eventbrite ahead of time.
This morning's longread
Cone Snails Are Liars and Murderers
OK! Sure!
Other snails, such as the geographer cone snail, hunt schools of fish that are snoozing out in the open. These creepers douse their prey in a concentrated cloud of benumbing chemicals that Olivera delightfully calls the “nirvana cabal.” Among the ingredients is insulin, the same hormone humans, fish, and many other animals make to keep their blood-sugar levels in check. The chemical seeps in through the fish’s gills and floods their bloodstream, triggering hypoglycemia and leaving them disoriented and defenseless. The fish “have no energy to swim away,” Olivera said. “It’s like they’re in an opium den.” The victorious snail then deploys its enormous mouth like a net to engulf the comatose fish one by one.
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