Good Morning, RVA: Political intrigue

The case of the former CAO Byron Marshall continues today–along with the fantastic weather.

September 16, 2014; 7:04 AM • by Ross Catrow

Good morning, RVA! It’s 66 °F, and we’re close, so close to jacket weather–but don’t jump the gun and spend the entire day with a flannel tied around your waist (unless it’s for Fashion). Highs today will break 80 °F, and with nary a rain cloud in sight you must enjoy it! This is one of those seasons they don’t have in other parts of the country.

Water cooler

NBC12 is reporting a double homicide on Richmond’s Southside last night. I haven’t seen a release from the Richmond Police Department yet, but if these fatal shootings are classified as murders, they would be Richmond’s 28th and 29th in 2014. At this time in 2013 there had been 23 murders.

A small update on the sudden resignation of former city CAO Byron Marshall: City Council members were asked to sign a “confidentiality agreement” before discussing his departure. Intriguing! We’re in the dark for now, but something tells me we will soon know a little bit more about what’s going on. P.S. If you can’t get enough of this story, read this morning’s Michael Paul Williams editorial on the situ.

The Amazing Raise begins tomorrow. Starting early tomorrow morning, local nonprofits will compete in a fundraising sprint TO THE DEATH. No, not to the death, the goal is to raise over $2 million for area nonprofits, which is pretty breathtaking. If you plan on supporting a nonprofit financially, now (well, tomorrow) is the time to do so.

Richmond.com’s Karri Peifer has the news that Buddy’s on Robinson will close in January. The namesake of a dog belonging to a girl I dated in high school (and later married–the girl not the dog) and mainstay on Robinson Street for almost 40 years, Buddy’s will be missed? At least the idea of Buddy’s will be missed.

I’ve said it before in this space, but I survived high school on a diet of nachos and Surge. Now, older and wiser, I survive on nachos and beer…until now! Amazon is selling flats of Surge in a new, larger 16-ounce can–because if we learned one thing from the 90s it’s that 12 ounces is clearly insufficient. Of course they sold out within minutes, but you can sign up to receive email alerts as to the realt-time availability of Surge. The world we live in can be a magical place.

Sports!

• Nats continue their winning ways, bashing the Braves, 4-2. The series continues tonight at 7:10 PM.

This morning’s longread

I’m leaving Mojang

The creator of the insanely popular Minecraft sells to Microsoft (for a couple billion bucks) and then quits. His sign-off letter is a good and honest one.

I’ve become a symbol. I don’t want to be a symbol, responsible for something huge that I don’t understand, that I don’t want to work on, that keeps coming back to me. I’m not an entrepreneur. I’m not a CEO. I’m a nerdy computer programmer who likes to have opinions on Twitter.

Photo by: p.Gordon

This morning’s Instagram

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September 16, 2014 7:04 AM 0