Good Morning, RVA: Oh it’s sprung
Not wearing socks today, I’ll tell you that much.
Photo by: nutmeg66
Good morning, RVA! It’s 54 °F, and the next couple of days…whoa! Today we’ll see sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-70s. Tomorrow, highs could top out over 80 °F. Spring is here, y’all!
Water cooler
Ned Oliver reports from yesterday’s School Board meeting where they discussed how to meet an $18 million funding gap between their requests and the mayor’s proposed budget. The proposals are intense and sound like incredibly tough and unpopular decisions to make–and still leave about $6 million dollars to make up. A school facilities plan does in fact exists, and it takes into account where population in the city is rising, where it is falling, what schools need to be closed, and what schools need to be built. Unfortunately, now faced with an extreme lack of funding, RPS will have to scrap that plan and do whatever it takes to keep the lights on and the roofs from literally collapsing.
If you drive in the Fan at all you’ve probably been ’round and through the new traffic improvements at the Robert E. Lee Circle. Now (nearly) complete, the improvements make the circle way safer for pedestrians and cars alike. Here’s a picture of the new pedestrian-friendly traffic improvements encircling a Civil War general taken by a flying drone. What a time to be alive!
Ha, state legislators are staying in an Airbnb–while debating Airbnb legislation in the General Assembly–despite the fact that it’s not super legal.
Richmond street fashion! And a picture of a cat!
Michael Bloomberg will not run for president as an independent. In his words, “As the race stands now, with Republicans in charge of both Houses, there is a good chance that my candidacy could lead to the election of Donald Trump or Senator Ted Cruz. That is not a risk I can take in good conscience.” He assumes that a three-way race between the eventual Democratic nominee, Trump/Cruz, and himself would end with no candidate winning the majority of the Electoral College. That would send the election to Congress and, most likely, strict party-line votes.
Both political parties loooove to filibuster judicial nominees–don’t let either of them try to convince you otherwise.
Sports!
Everyone take a deep breath and relax as March Madness begins in earnest tomorrow.
This morning’s longread
Why cars and cities are a bad match.
Transportation rockstar Jarrett Walker is the guy who’s headed to Richmond (along with his company) to rejigger our bus routes. This piece in the Washington Post gives you a good idea where he’s coming from.
Most commentary about urban transportation is a distraction from this simple math. Some commentators decry a “war on cars,” as though war could change the facts of geometry. Tech entrepreneurs promiseus safer cars, sexy cars, greener cars and, eventually, driverless cars. Many of these improvements will be wonderful, but none will change the simple problem: Cities have relatively little space per person. Cars are big. Big things don’t fit in little spaces.
This morning’s Instagram
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Ross Catrow
Founder and publisher of RVANews.
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