The General Assembly Convenes and A Police vs. Firefighter Charity Boxing Match
Cheers RVA!
Today will be cooler and mostly cloudy with a high of 54 and a low of 47, with a chance of scattered showers.
the juice:
The General Assembly has returned to Richmond in a special session to start a process that could redistrict the State’s Congressional maps.
The House of Delegates voted to put redistricting on the agenda, the beginning of a process to amend the state constitution, a process that normally takes years.
According to Cameron Thomas at WTVR:
Those steps are approving language in one session of the General Assembly (which is this current one), have an election that includes elections for the House of Delegates (which is the election currently in early voting and wraps up on Nov. 4), approve the language in another General Assembly session (which would be the regular session in January 2026), and then send it to voters for a referendum (which could be a special election sometime in the spring).
Virginia is among a number of states attempting to gerrymander election maps ahead of the 2026 midterms.
the pulp:
Amtrak service between Richmond and Newport News has been suspended until Saturday, November 1, due to the derailment of a freight train in New Kent that occurred on Saturday, October 25, via WWBT.
A friendly boxing match between Richmond firefighters and police officers will take place on Wednesday, November 7 at River City Roll, from the Richmonder. The charity event is organized by River City Promotions and will benefit its nonprofit Guardians of the Gloves, as well as the American Kidney Fund and the Children’s Hospital Foundation.
the dive:
The Land Use, Housing, and Transportation standing committee received an update on the Fall Line Trail (FLT) at its meeting last Tuesday.
The 43-mile regional paved multi-use path includes a 13-mile section that will run through the heart of the city.
The Richmond section of the FLT is divided into 14 segments, five of which are fully funded with designs either pending or complete, two of which are partially funded, and seven of which are seeking funding.
The presentation included a Tree Preservation Guide prepared by the Department of Public Works with the goal of minimizing the impact of the FLT on the city’s urban tree canopy.
An economic impact presentation referenced research by the Virginia Capital Trail that found parcels near the trail increased 3.7% in value after the Capital Trail was constructed.
An analysis by the Timmons group found there were nearly 11k parcels located within half a mile of the FLT in Richmond, with about 1k of those being tax-exempt, estimating an increase of over $200 million (across non-exempt parcels) in property value increases generating $2.24 million in property tax annually.
View a map and learn more about the progress update of the FLT here.
the vibe:
Have an inspiring day RVA!
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