Donald Confirmed, Independent Cities, and the James River Watch Map
Cheers RVA!
Today will be partly cloudy with potential scattered showers and thunderstorms, with a high of 85 and a low of 65.
the juice:
City council voted 7-0 to approve the hiring of the new CAO Odie Donald II.
Samuel Parker from the RTD reports that while the council understood the urgency to fill the position, they would have liked more time to review the nine-page contract, which was not given to council until 4:00 pm, two hours prior to the 6:00 pm council meeting.
Mayor Avula noted that Donald was chosen from a pool of over 200 candidates.
the pulp:
There are only 41 independent cities in the United States, and 38 of them are in Virginia. Clare Gehlich from WRIC explains the history behind Virginia’s unique system of classification.
Virginia’s Art and Architectural board approved plans for a new state courthouse in downtown, via Jack Jacobs at Bizsense. The 309k square-foot building will house the Virginia Supreme Court and Court of Appeals. The board also approved plans for VCU’s new School of Dentistry.
the dive:
The James River Association has launched a new “James River Watch” map to help river uses assess conditions during the summer, via Tom Lappas at the Henrico Citizen.
Nearly 100 volunteers will help collect water samples at 38 stations along the watershed to record bacteria levels, turbidity, water and air temperature, and conductivity.
Data from last year showed the river was safe for recreation 85% of the time, up from 82% in 2023 and 80% in 2022.
Lappas writes:
Although the data shows overall promising trends, river conditions can change rapidly, especially after intense rainfall or Combined Sewer Overflow events, which can occur in the Richmond and Lynchburg regions. JRA officials encourage the public to check the map each Friday evening when results are posted to help stay informed of current events.
Read the full article here.
the vibe:
Have a fruitful day RVA!
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