The Water Crisis Fund, a New Type of Bus Stop, and Pancake Ice
Cheers RVA!
Today will be partly cloudy with a high of 55 and a low of 35 in the evening. The week ahead looks quite pleasant with plenty of sunshine and highs approaching the low 60’s.
the juice:
Richmond officials have announced a new tool to support those affected by the recent water crisis.
The City is partnering with United Way of Greater Richmond and Petersburg to create a Water Crisis Fund for individuals to contribute and support those impacted by the recent water outage.
Applications will be accepted beginning January 31.
The fund is open to all Richmond residents with demonstrated financial need related to the water crisis:
Eligible expenses, which must be paid directly to the biller, may include rent, mortgage payments, health-related expenses, childcare, utilities, and missed car loan payments.
Mayor Avula has donated $25k from his Richmond Forward Together PAC towards the fund.
the pulp:
Richmond’s first Black mayor Henry L. Marsh III passed away last Thursday at the age of 91. Marsh was first elected to City Council in 1966, and served as Mayor from 1977-1982 before being elected to the State Senate in 1991 where he served until 2014.
A new type of bus stop with a raised platform that extends to a traffic lane is being considered by the local planning commission, according to Graham Moomaw at the Richmonder. The commission intends to install a temporary platform at the 1400 block of Mechanicsville Turnpike near MLK Jr. Middle School in an effort to gain real-time feedback on how it works, with the potential to build a permanent version later.
the dive:
Kevin Ambrose from the Washington Post explains how ‘Pancake Ice’ formed on the Potomac River as a result of the recent prolonged cold weather.
The circular ice slabs are formed when slush on the river gradually freezes, and as the slabs collide repeatedly due to the river’s current, a round ‘pancake’ resembling a lily pad is created.
Ambrose writes:
Pancake ice can also form in oceans, bays and lakes because of wave action. Ocean pancake ice can become stacked by waves, which is called rafting. If frigid weather persists long enough, pancake ice can freeze into a sheet of solid ice.
Check out some neat photos and read the full article here.
the vibe:
Have a revitalizing day RVA!
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