Good morning, RVA! It's 66 °F, and today you can expect slightly cooler—but still lovely—highs in the 70s. Things get a bit chilly overnight, but the weekend ahead of us looks incredible.
Water cooler
As of this morning, the Virginia Department of Health reports 1,187 new positive cases of the coronavirus in the Commonwealth and 16 new deaths as a result of the virus. VDH reports 121 new cases in and around Richmond (Chesterfield: 58, Henrico: 34, and Richmond: 29). Since this pandemic began, 1,279 people have died in the Richmond region. The seven-day average of new reported cases across the state sits at 1,051. Here’s this week’s stacked chart of new reported cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. Cases: way down; Hospitalizations: flat, but still way above this past summer’s level; Deaths: I still don’t know what’s even happening with this chart but it doesn’t look too, too terrifying. Related, maybe, the Governor announced he’d update the Commonwealth’s outdoor mask guidance to match the CDC’s new guidance. He also, effective immediately, upped the spectator capacity for outdoor recreational sports to 1,000 people. That change was announced a while back for implementation on May 15th, but taking it live now “will allow additional spectators to participate in final games of the current high school sports season and the summer sports season.”
The Richmond Times-Dispatch’s Sabrina Moreno reports on how the Richmond and Henrico Health Districts will adapt their vaccination strategies now that demand has started to cool down. A big shift is the dedication of a vaccination event on Wednesdays at George Wythe High School to walk-ups—no appointment required! Just walk on up! If walking up for a vaccination is a bit too spontaneous for you, you can, of course, go schedule a vaccination appointment yourself at vax.rchd.com or by calling 804.205.3501. Also, because she never sleeps, Moreno has a nice story about the Health District’s vaccination partnership with the Islamic Center of Henrico. Not related but still important: Sabrina Moreno, whose name you’ve seen a ton in this newsletter over the last year and twice already in today’s edition, was named the Virginia Press Association’s 2020 Outstanding Young Journalist. From protests to COVID-19, I can’t imagine trying to figure out what the heck is happening in our town without her hard work.
Ned Oliver at the Virginia Mercury reports that the first of three planned increases to Virginia’s minimum wage goes into effect this Saturday. Folks making minimum wage will now earn $9.50 per hour, which, while still not a liveable wage, is better than $7.25 per hour. This stat kind of blew my mind, though: “the number of employees who are paid at the federal minimum [in Virginia] is relatively small—federal statistics put the number at about 15,000.” Looking forward, the state’s current plan is to scooch the minimum wage up to $12 per hour by 2023, which is basically 100 years from now. To me, this seems slow and unacceptable, and it’ll be interested to see if the current crop of democratic gubernatorial candidates want to accelerate that timeline (or if the federal government wakes up and overcomes its filibuster-induced paralysis).
I learned two things from this next link: 1) Today is Arbor Day, and 2) the Science Museum has built a pedestrian- and bike-only path called the ProtoPath that connects the museum’s campus to the existing bike lane on Leigh Street. You had me at “pedestrian- and bike-only”, ProtoPath, but, also!, the path is lined with all kinds of native tress and shrubs. Plus seating! I mean dang, this seems like a legit neighborhood amenity. How do I request one for my neighborhood?
I put Council’s third budget amendment work session up on The Boring Show yesterday, for your listening pleasure. I’m still working my own way through the second session, which, yet again, had plenty of spicy moments related to police and fire pay. I don’t know about you, but I’m looking forward to spending some quality time this weekend listening to my favorite Council pals.
I hadn’t seen this made official anywhere yet, but Chris Suarez reports that Councilmember Mike Jones will suspend his campaign for the 69th District House of Delegates seat. Jones failed to get on the primary ballot after he submitted some paperwork to the state after the due date. Rough for Jones, but, selfishly, I was nervous about finding an equally as urbanist-minded replacement for him on Council.
Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Virginia has uploaded all of their Fair Housing Month town halls to their YouTube channel. I know readers of this newsletter crave housing news almost as much as they do zoning and rezoning news, so this should help slake some of those cravings—at least for a while. Take some time this weekend (when you’re not listening to City Council debate the budget) and learn about the basics of fair housing, the history behind redlining, and some of your housing rights. Good stuff!
This morning's longread
The Unlikely Story of the World’s First Tactical Chair
I had no idea how much these chairs, which seem familiar and ubiquitous, cost today!
As similar losses mounted, the U.S. Navy embarked on a campaign to rid its combat ships of almost everything that would ignite. A new ban prohibited cork insulation, linoleum flooring, rugs, and curtains, along with items from sailors’ personal belongings, like excess books, dress uniforms, and hair oils. When elimination proved impossible for some necessary items, such as wooden mess benches, the Navy sought non-flammable alternatives. A proposal seeking submissions for a new shipborne chair caught the attention of a young Baltimore engineer named Wilton Dinges. The chairs had to be waterproof, fire- and corrosion-resistant, and light yet tough enough to endure constant abuse and withstand a torpedo blast. With help from aluminum producer Alcoa, Dinges created the seven-pound Model 1006 (“ten oh six”).
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