Good morning, RVA! It's 74 °F, and today we're back on the Heat Advisory train. The National Weather Services says to watch out for dangerous heat from 12:00–8:00 PM—with a heat index between 103 and 107 °F. That's hot, and you should be real careful with what you decide to do outside this afternoon. Stay safe, stay cool, and stay hydrated.
Water cooler
Here's a really an critical update: The City and Venture Richmond have put together a Twitter bracket to name the adorable, tiny bike-lane street sweeper the Department of Public Works bought just last week. The first round of the RVA Sweep 16 (so charming!) runs through today, with the Elite Eight announced tomorrow. My current favorites: The Grim Sweeper, Kate Brush, and Dirt Reynolds. Go vote now, before the next round starts!
The New York Times reports on the "surprise deal by Senate Democrats on Wednesday [that] would be the most ambitious action ever taken by the United States to try and stop the planet from catastrophically overheating." Senators Schumer and Manchin announced the deal together, so, theoretically, this thing would have enough votes to get across the finish line. I remain skeptical since Senator Manchin is a chaotic, unpredictable man who has tanked progressive legislation many times in the past couple of years. That said, should this bill pass, it really does seem like a medium-sized step in the right direction. It's not perfect, as many folks on transit twitter have pointed out, but it's something! And something sure feels like a lot these days.
WRIC's Jackie DeFusco has a really interesting look at the Governor’s attempt to thread the Confederate needle, as he looks to run for higher office: "Governor Glenn Youngkin said he will not try to restore Confederate monuments taken down under Democratic leadership, and he is not taking a stance on statues that remain in Capitol Square." Similarly, the Governor "disagrees" with the comments from the Lost Causer he appointed Virginia's Board of Historic Resources, but is unwilling to remove her from that board. This "trying to have it both ways" is the fine line Youngkin has chosen to walk and hopes that it will separate him from the other Republican governors eyeing the White House. To be clear though, when it comes to policy and legislation, Virginia's governor is just as extremely to-the-right as those other dudes (something we're about to fully experience this coming General Assembly session).
RVA Rapid Transit will host one of their virtual Transit Talks today from 12:00–1:00 PM. They'll welcome Sam Sink and Raquel Aguirre from GRTC to talk about the bus company's infrastructure plans—specifically their goal of making sure at least 50% of bus stops have shelters. This seems like a low bar, but, dang, that would be such a huge improvement over the current state of affairs. Waiting for the bus yesterday was way hotter and sweatier than it needed to be! You can sign up, for free!, over on their Eventbrite.
Want to meet Del. Danica Roem and hear her talk about her book Burn the Page? Luck for you: She'll be at the Ashland Theatre this Saturday, July 30th, for a conversation and book signing. Tickets are $15 (or $33 with a signed copy of Burn the Page) and you can buy them online right here.
This morning's longread
The Quiet Glory of Aging into Athleticism
Y'all know how much I love Anne Helen Petersen! Here she writes about getting older, getting stronger, and learning more about your body. As an old myself, I loved this piece!
For one, I’m certainly not getting faster, or winning anything, or even interested in knowing my pace save to keep to slow. I also know there’s some sort of time limit on how long I’ll be able to do any or all of this, and it makes every run precious — and helps foster an appreciation for my body, a care for it, that I’ve never had before. Maybe this genre of awe is akin to what some people feel after giving birth. For the first time, I’m treating it as the remarkable assemblage of systems that it is: deserving of rest, and respect, and nourishment. The wildest thing is that when I do that, I can actually, ultimately, run longer — and feel so much better post-run than I ever have before. It’s an ongoing revelation, really, and it’s not an accident that this switch has happened at the same time that I’m actively working to unlearn the fatphobia and workism that defined so much of my adolescent and adult life.
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