Good morning, RVA! It's 25 °F, and and today looks cold and bright. Expect highs in the mid 40s, but colder temperatures after the sun sets—which, at 4:54 PM, is remarkably soon today.
Water cooler
I always learn something when reading Councilmember Jordan’s email newsletter and recommend you subscribe even if you don’t live in the City’s 2nd District. This week, the Councilmember has a short update on the status of MDP Circle: “...the hope was to have irrigation work and landscaping done by the end of the year. Because of the lack of planting inventory late in the planting season, and other logistical difficulties, DPW has not yet begun that work. As we go into the new year, we expect to see DPW out in the circle working on fixing the irrigation system, followed by planting and landscaping in the early Spring. Once that work is completed, the fencing and jersey barriers will be removed.“ Disappointing but predictable after all the time the landscaping plan spent caught up in the Urban Design Committee / Planning Commission process earlier this fall. Now, unfortunately, we wait for another season to pass before the horrible fencing around the circle can come down.
It’s still very early, but Ned Oliver at Axios Richmond has a good reminder of how things will mostly likely play out as the General Assembly grapples with abortion law in the post-Roe v. Wade era. Democrats currently hold a one-seat majority in the Senate, which potentially dooms any Republican plans to further restrict the rights of women in Virginia. However, two things stress me out: 1) That majority includes loose-cannon and sometimes-abortion-opponent Joe Morrissey, and 2) The special election to fill Rep. McEachin’s congressional seat will take place on February 21st, three days before the end of the General Assembly session. I don’t know enough about GA procedural rules, but I am a little nervous about Republicans doing some shenanigans to quickly pass an anti-abortion law in a (theoretical) narrow window of time between elections when Democrats do not hold a majority in the Senate. Some hobbyist parliamentarian let me know if this is something to worry about or not!
Meghan McIntyre at the Virginia Mercury reports that the Virginia ABC will revamp all of its remaining plexiglass ensconced counter-service stores—three total, two of which are in Richmond. Great news, because those bulletproof, walk-up stores feel at least a little offensive and definitely a lot customer-hostile. McIntyre says there’s no specific timeline for the revamp, but you probably shouldn’t expect anything in the next couple of years.
This past Friday afternoon, the Governor issued Executive Order #24, banning TikTok and WeChat from state-owned devices and wireless networks. He cites “safeguarding data and ensuring cybersecurity” as the reasoning, and I don’t think he’s wrong there. However, TikTok’s ascent among young people seems near universal, so I do wonder what banning the entire network means for government agencies who need to connect with their constituents.
The results from RVAMAG and GayRVA’s 2022 reader poll are in, and I feel like, at least when it comes to places to grab lunch or coffee or beer, I still maintain a tenuous—but measurable!—grasp on Cool. If you’re looking to make plans over the holidays, check out these categories for winners that I most strongly agree with: Local Cafe, Date Night, Pizza, and Dive Bar.
I really agree with this post on /r/rva: “I’m going to miss the vibrancy of the orange leaves of fall. RVA is beautiful in the winter as well though.” I don’t know what it is about this year, but I’m really enjoying just how stunning Richmond looks as we fully transition into winter.
Reminder: Make a plan to vote in tomorrow’s Firehouse Primary for Virginia’s 4th Congressional District! There are four locations in and around Richmond, and polls will be open from 6:00 AM–7:00 PM.
This morning's longread
Mark Meadows Exchanged Texts With 34 Members Of Congress About Plans To Overturn The 2020 Election
I think the most shocking thing about these text messages sent by Republican Congressmembers as Trump was actively trying to destroy our democracy, is that these Republicans actually believe all of the eye-rolly, conspiratorial garbage they spout in public. I’d mostly assumed that they put on this horrible act to grab and hold power, not that they’d actually fallen for it themselves.
White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows exchanged text messages with at least 34 Republican members of Congress as they plotted to overturn President Trump’s loss in the 2020 election...Meadows’ exchanges shed new light on the extent of congressional involvement in Trump’s efforts to spread baseless conspiracy theories about his defeat and his attempts to reverse it. The messages document the role members played in the campaign to subvert the election as it was conceived, built, and reached its violent climax on Jan. 6, 2021. The texts are rife with links to far-right websites, questionable legal theories, violent rhetoric, and advocacy for authoritarian power grabs.
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Picture of the Day
The first taste of this year’s egg nog.
