Nov. 10 Newsletter: 100 years of the 'nickel' bridge
Weather: Ready or not, here comes winter. Daytime high of 51 with a potential freeze overnight.
On this date in 2006, the University of Richmond names Ed Ayers its next president.
'Nickel Bridge' marks 100th birthday, but the original toll was actually 10 cents
When it opened, the bridge's toll was 10 cents, or $10 for unlimited crossings for a full year. Westover Hills residents were allowed to use it for free.
As Richmond’s $265 million Shockoe Project continues to take shape, see renderings of a future memorial
Richmond’s multi-year journey towards a comprehensive campus in Shockoe Bottom memorializing the city’s role in the slave trade continues to take steps forward.
The city's Planning Commission signed off last week on a design concept for the Shockoe Bottom African Burial Ground Memorial, a space for reflection adjacent to what is believed to be the site of Richmond’s first cemetery for the enslaved. Read more here.
RPS unions divided on collective bargaining changes ahead of Tuesday vote
After a whirlwind week of meetings aiming to build consensus on collective bargaining policy, the unions representing Richmond Public Schools employees are divided on whether that goal was achieved.
“The membership, including myself, have not been happy with how this policymaking process has gone,” said the president of the REA, which represents teachers.
Superintendent Jason Kamras perceived the meetings differently. In a Friday email, he said that while all groups did not achieve all of their goals at a Wednesday meeting, there was a collective agreement that ended in handshakes and a celebration of the moment. Read more here.
Government shutdown update: Flight cancellations rise, Richmond ends utility disconnections
The City of Richmond will not disconnect utility customers or collect late fees as long as the federal government remains shut down, Mayor Danny Avula announced on Friday. In other shutdown developments:
- On Sunday, eight round-trip flights out of Richmond were proactively canceled. Four were to Atlanta, and four to the New York City area. The airport also saw about 38% of its flights delayed, in line with national averages.
- Feed More said that food pantry visits last week were up 10.7% over previous weeks, and the group estimates that about 30,000 government workers live inside its service footprint.
- Avula said the city has a $4 million grant currently on hold in the housing space.
Read more on how the city is monitoring impacts here.
In other news
- How Richmond Is Rewriting the Story of Gun Violence — One Student at a Time (RVA Mag)
- Wesley Hedgepeth commentary: Richmond Public Schools needs more funding, but not from the city (Times-Dispatch)
- In remembrance of Bill Lupoletti, WRIR co-founder and “Global A Go-Go” host (Style Weekly)
The editor's desk
In addition to the Nickel Bridge, it is also WRVA radio's 100th birthday. A very happy birthday to the news station that gave Millard the Mallard his big break.
Michael Phillips, founding editor
mphillips@richmonder.org
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