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Enjoy The Day
Here are a few photos from riverfront yesterday. Enjoy today, because rain returns tomorrow.
Even the fish seemed to be enjoying the late afternoon sun…
Radio IQ WVTF: “At This Elementary School, Every Kid Learns the Violin”
Virginia Public Radio station WVTF aired a nice story about the Advanced Music Ensemble/violin program at St. Andrew’s School this morning. You can hear it again on 92.5 FM at 8:44am, 5:44pm, or read/listen by clicking here.
Here’s an excerpt:
The St. Andrews program was founded in 2013 by Amanda Ellerbe. Ellerbe says the violin packs a punch in terms of a musical education.
“Movement, notation, connecting music to other other art forms,” she lists.
Ellerbe based the program off El Sistema, a now global movement that began in Venezuela in the 1970’s – when one man used music education to connect with at-risk youth.
Students at St. Andrew’s also come from disadvantaged backgrounds. Ellerbe says music is a clear way for them to realize that despite systemic inequality, if they work hard they can change their lives.
Library Book Sale This Weekend
WRIC: Repair work, modified contracts and misclassified money prompts calls for park audit
Thankfully, WRIC’s Kerri O’Brien is following up on the Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association’s request for a full audit of the Monroe Park Conservancy’s budget and work.
“I think the City needs to get their financial house in order. That money was supposed to be in the school construction budget somehow it ended up getting spent on Monroe Park,” said Woodson.
It’s unclear if that money was on top of the $3 million the City gave.
“We need to make sure every single dollar down to the penny was accounted for. A lot of stuff is being done by paper and pencil. That’s a major issue,” Councilwoman Gray told 8News.
8News has also been looking over the original contract or the park. 8News found the agreement with the design firm 3north was modified three times, tacking on an additional $260,000 in taxpayer money.
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“We feel with that revelation it is imperative that a full and comprehensive audit be placed on the renovation of this park find to where all the money went,” Woodson told 8News.
10th Annual Civil War & Emancipation Day This Saturday
It’s that time of year when things start moving much faster and there about a million events on the weekend here in the R of the VA…
Here’s one just down the hill…
Tredegar hosts the 10th Annual Civil War & Emancipation Day this Saturday.
This free event allows participants to uncover the many stories of how the Civil War, Emancipation, and how their legacies shaped and continue to impact our community. In particular, this event commemorates the 150th anniversary of public education for all Virginians.
Here is the schedule of events:
-11 am: Cannon firing demonstration
-11:30 am: Storyteller, Jamar Jones (Quill Theater)
Historic Tredegar walking tour (American Civil War Museum)
-12 pm: Viriginia Union University choir
-12:30 pm: City Dance Theater
-1 pm: “Then and Now: Teaching the Civil War Era” panel discussion ( $ tickets required)
Panelists:
Lauranett Lee, Ph.D., University of Richmond
Donovan Livingston, educator and poet
Atif Qarni, Virginia Secretary of Education
Kathryn Shively, Ph.D., Virginia Commonwealth University
-1:30 pm: Shenandoah Valley Civil War Era Dancers
Brown’s Island walking tour with Ranger Mike Gorman
-2 pm: Dylan Prichett, storyteller
-3 pm: Canon firing demonstration
Food trucks and refreshments for purchase will be available onsite.
Spring Brings Invasives- Rare Snake Like Amphibian Discovered Off North Bank Trail
A small team of visiting biologists, working along the wetter portions of North Bank Trail have made a surprising find during a warmer part of this past weekend – a rare, snake-like amphibian known as the Brazilian penis snake or Atretochoana eiselti.
Matthew Hooper, from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, found the creature and had this to say:
It seemed to have been stirring while still coming out of hibernation. I was very shocked by its appearance. It is not clear how this sample came to be along the James River. Perhaps it was an exotic pet that was discarded. While it is doubtful that this salamander has mated, it is considered invasive, and the James River Park’s Invasive Plant Task Force has been tasked with following up on the matter. They have been quite busy ever since those perennial Thai pitcher plants were found on Belle Island.
City Expanding ‘Ride-Share’ Transportation Options
Although most local pundits have been focusing on the announcement of new electric-assist bicycles being mixed in with the City’s bike share program, officials say that there will be even more variety of vehicles coming in order to accommodate all ages and skill levels.
Although details are still forthcoming, City transportation officials have confirmed that the main vendor for their RVA Bike Share program, Bewegen, has tentative deals with the Louis Marx-designed Big Wheel and Huffy, the maker of the Green Machine. More testing is expected before completing the roll-out:
This effort is an interesting contrast with Virginia cities’ long wrangling with California dockless scooter company Bird Rides Inc. This also raises the stakes for the upcoming launch of the Dodo vending machine electric pogo stick company.
ONE VCU Master Plan Includes New ‘Capsule Dorm’ On West Cary
Further examination of the new ONE VCU Master Plan reveals an ambitious experiment for the Monroe campus- a new ‘capsule dorm’ for West Cary Street.
The document details, recently approved by the VCU Board Of Visitors, include the design, construction, and operation of a new type of temporary dormitory for a small subset of the university’s students. The building will be part of a new complex built on the current location of the Thalhimer Tennis Center on the north side of the 900 block of West Cary Street.
This concept is modeled on a known phenomenon in downtown Tokyo, Japan- ‘kapuseru hoteru‘ or ‘pod hotels’. These structures typically feature a large number of small bed-sized rooms known as capsules that are available for short term rental. The VCU capsule dorm, informally called “The W.Cary Street Pods”, will provide basic overnight accommodation for VCU undergraduate students who voluntarily aspire to minimalist lifestyles. Special VCU student backpacks and digital access rights will be part of the program.
A VCU dean who did not wish to be identified by name had this to say:
This idea comes to fruition at a time when the university is innovating new ways to make campus residential life more affordable. It is also noteworthy that the City of Richmond is now codifying STR’s (short term rentals) and that our own Sustainability Department is tackling traditional dorm outputs.
There will be a full briefing on ‘pod life’ at VCU for the public at a later date at the VCU ICA.
Family Pays Increasing Taxes With Settlement $ From Robo Callers
Although many Richmonders are outraged and dreading the Mayor’s increased property tax rate proposal, at least one Oregon Hill family is not sweating it because of another income source. Will, who lives with his wife Katie and son Ben in a modest 2-story row house on Pine Street, says he is pleasantly surprised by the checks he is receiving from the government these days.
They come from a public fund set up by the Consumer Protection Act, a law that addresses robocalling, Do Not Call Registry, email spam, and solicitation violations. With last year’s addendum that includes fines for unsolicited direct marketing mailings, the fund as well as its payments have grown considerably.
“Sometimes they are only a few dollars, but they really add up when we need the extra money. Sometimes we just wait to deposit them all at the end of the month and use them to knock down our mortgage and tax debt.”
Will added that while he opposes any increases in property taxes, he expects all the reparations for the “we-want-to-buy-your-home” text and postcard violators to more than make up for tax burdens. He says the beginning of this year has been especially heavy with these solicitations.
“Every time I look at my phone or go to the mailbox, I am hearing from more and more entities who say they want to buy our house. I think they will be very surprised when the government fines start catching up with them.”
He was surprised to learn that more Richmond residents are not taking advantage of the program.
“I just had to call my local government representative’s office to make sure my household was properly signed up with the program, and then the checks started rolling in.”