Leaf Blowers, a Diploma Withheld, and a Shared Use Path
Cheers RVA!
Today will be mostly sunny with a high of 90 and a low of 72.
the juice:
Councilmember Andrew “Gumby” Breton of the 1st district is exploring legislation that would effectively ban gas-powered leaf blowers through a noise ordinance.
Breton has stated he is continuing to collect feedback and no legislation will be proposed without further conversation with the community.
Take a two-question survey here.
Alexandra is the first Virginia locality to have banned gas powered leaf blowers, implementing an 18-month transition period to phase out the devices.
the pulp:
VCU Student Sereen Haddad has been told by school officials they will be withholding her diploma at graduation, because of “her participation in a peaceful memorial commemorating violent police arrests at a student encampment for Palestine in 2024”, according to Democracy Now! Her father Tariq Haddad was born in Gaza and her extended family has lost more than 200 members in the conflict. Read the full interview with the father and daughter here.
Henrico County is planning to build a 3.2-mile shared use path in Varina, connecting Four Mile Creek Park to New Market Road, via the Citizen, The trail is expected to cost 15.4 million with first of four phases of construction set to begin in 2027.
the dive:
An ongoing review by City Council staffers, dubbed a ‘report on reports’, indicates more than one-third of departmental reports are not being submitted to the council, via Graham Moomaw at the Richmonder.
Moomaw writes:
The 10 missing reports include documents meant to keep the Council informed about the size of the city’s annual budget surplus, open data initiatives, real estate purchases by the city and progress updates showing whether economic development projects are or aren’t creating as much tax revenue as promised.
Read the full article here.
the vibe:
Have a copacetic day RVA!
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