Jan. 26 Newsletter: Richmond avoids the worst of winter storm
Weather: Dry and sunny. Temperatures will approach 32 degrees for perhaps the only time this week.
On this date in 1981, homeowners on Franklin Street find $300,000 cash in a home that used to belong to businessman Emmett J. Morgan. The homeowners ultimately settle with Morgan's estate.
🚨 Schools and government offices are closed today across the region.
Worst of winter storm misses Richmond; power outages minimal, icy conditions persist
The winter storm took another northern turn yesterday, sparing the city much of the freezing rain that could have wreaked havoc on power lines.
GRTC bus service will resume at 9 a.m. this morning, operating snow routes only.
Richmond's airport will be open, though many flights have already been canceled. Just four of 144 scheduled flights took off yesterday, on what was nationally the worst day for flight cancellations since March 2020. Read more here.
Road closures:
The city announced nine indefinite road closures due to the icy conditions. See the complete list here.
Additional snow reflections:
- Snow Law, Beer Runs, and a Market That Never Closed (Anthony Harris, RVAMag)
- When the First Flake Falls…or Before It Even Thinks About It... (David Botkins, Substack)
In the 1930s, this Ashland gardener turned daffodils into a national craze
Mary McDermott Beirne sparked a daffodil revolution beginning around the 1930s. From her home Rhodeen, she introduced rare and unusual varieties virtually unknown in the United States.
“If King Alfred, Cleopatra, Mrs. Krelage, Lord Roberts, White Emperor, etc., had produced in the past some of the finest garden flowers we now enjoy, why should there not be a chance for me to produce something of interest in passing?” she wrote.
For about a decade, she released her daffodil catalogs proudly proclaiming that “only the finest grades of bulbs are sent out.” Bulbs cost anywhere from $0.25 to $5. Read more here.
Four red light cameras get turned on this week
The city has installed four red-light cameras and will begin operating them on Friday, Jan. 30.
The cameras will ticket drivers who run red lights at the four intersections. For the first 30 days, drivers will be sent a warning instead of a ticket.
After the warning period ends, red-light violations captured by these cameras will receive a $50 citation. The citation will be issued to the registered owner of the vehicle for each violation. Read more here.
In other news
- State-owned Monroe Building – the region’s tallest – officially hits the market (BizSense)
- Huguenot High students walk out to protest immigration enforcement (VPM)
- Defense rules the day as St. Gertrude defeats Mills Godwin in girls basketball
The editor's desk
Kudos to Councilmember Sarah Abubaker and her team for an ingenious concept: isthenickelbridgeopen.com. I'm guessing I know the answer this morning.
Michael Phillips, founding editor
mphillips@richmonder.org
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