Good morning, RVA! It's 28 °F, and as per all of 2022’s weather, the weekend snow was a disappointing let down. Today, though, you can expect highs in the 30s, so bundle up! Warmer weather returns on Wednesday.
Water cooler
I’m sure you’ve already seen it, but, on Friday night a three-alarm fire hit Fox Elementary in the Fan, destroying the roof and the second floor of the building. This drone footage will show you the extent of the damage. Fox students have today and tomorrow off and will move to virtual learning on Wednesday. I have a bunch of uncouth urbanist and political questions about what happens next that I’ll save for later, but, for now, you can donate money to help Fox students and staff through the RPS Education Foundation website (making sure to select “Fox Elementary Fire Response” from the dropdown).
Tangentially related, City Council will meet tonight to potentially discuss ORD. 2021-308, which, if passed, would give Richmond Public Schools the money to start the process of redesigning a replacement for George Wythe High School. There’s still an open and unresolved question of how big to build that replacement—for 1,600 or 2,000 students—and thus far City Council has been unwilling to appropriate any money at all until the School Board can get in alignment. Richmond Together has put together the best argument for why the City should move forward with the original, 2,000-student plans, and, if you’ve been wondering what all the hubbub was was about, this is the PDF you need to read this morning. Personally, I’m pretty convinced by the arguments that a 1,600-seat Wythe replacement could open on day one already at capacity—especially the arguments about planning for a future with a lower dropout rate among Richmond’s Latino students. From the paper: “It should be a given that RPS will build schools on the expectation that all racial and ethnic groups will attend and graduate at a rate comparable to the statewide average (just above 90%). Any analysis of Wythe’s capacity should note that at least 200 students are in effect ‘missing’ because of the high Latino dropout rate.” Anyway, I think there’s a good chance that Council will continue this paper again, but if after reading this PDF you want to contact your Councilmember in support of a 2,000-student George Wythe, you should do so this morning just in case they get down to business!
Tonight, Council might also consider a handful of other papers I’ve had my eyes on, including the W. Broad Street rezoning (ORD. 2022-017) and the laundry list of Richmond 300 amendments (RES. 2021-R026). The two collective bargaining ordinances (ORD. 2021-345 and ORD. 2021-346) have been pushed to a future meeting.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch’s Mark Robinson reports on an update to Richmond’s inclement weather shelter, which has bounced around the city for the past few years. Unfortunately, the permanent home for the shelter—one that’s accessible 24/7—won’t open until later this year at the earliest.
Jonathan Spiers at Richmond BizSense reports that Councilmember Addison will introduce a proposal to increase the threshold businesses have to cross before they pay the City’s Business, Professional and Occupational License tax. Currently, in the City, if your business makes less than $100,000, you pay a nominal $30 fee to get your business license. However, if your business makes more than that, you start paying a tax on each dollar made over $100,000. Seems fine, but that threshold is way, way higher in the adjacent counties—$500,000 in Henrico and $400,000 in Chesterfield. Addison’s plan is to bring the City closer in alignment with the Counties and, hopefully, prevent the BPOL tax from discouraging folks from opening up their businesses in Richmond. I’m generally into it, but, of course, would like to see the anticipated loss of revenue first!
I kind of hate everything about the quotes in this piece by Sarah Vogelsong at the Virginia Mercury about Richmond’s Combined Sewer System (except the quotes from Sen. McClellan, naturally). None of these legislators should be shocked by the amount of money or time it will take to revamp a centuries old sewer system! Especially one that’s been underfunded—by the state!—for decades. Get outta here with your snide comments, legislators.
This morning's longread
Abolish the Department of Agriculture
I started reading this longread with an eye roll, but ended it with a head nod in agreement! I mean, I don’t think this level of change is possible given the current state of things, but it’s still nice to lay out the scope of the problems.
The USDA was designed for a United States in which a majority of people made their livelihoods, directly or indirectly, from agriculture. That country is long gone. It is replaced by one where very few people—and very few, very large corporations—control food production and distribution to the detriment of American consumers, taxpayers, and workers. If we are to have any hope of fixing what ails the American food system, we need a drastic approach: We need to abolish the USDA. In its place, we need an institution that will prioritize the public interest, including the interests of laborers and eaters, as well as public health and the environment. We need a Department of Food.
If you’d like your longread to show up here, go chip in a couple bucks on the ol’ Patreon.
