Tiny Porch Concerts, a Safer Intersection, and a New Seat Belt Law
Cheers RVA!
Today will be mostly sunny with a high of 60 and a low of 38 in the evening. The pleasant afternoon weather is expected to continue throughout the week with highs in the 60’s.
the pulp:
Chief Edwards attended driving school and paid $87 in court costs to resolve the speeding ticket he received in January for going 61 in a 35-mph zone on Lee Bridge, according to Graham Moomaw at the Richmonder.
Changes are coming to the intersection of Laburnum and Hermitage in an effort to slow traffic and minimize pedestrian crossing distances as part of the city’s ‘Lighter, Quicker, Cheaper’ program, via RVAHub.
A series of neighborhood front porch musical performances in Woodland Heights known as the ‘tiny porch concerts’ is seeking performers for the 2025 season, via RVAMag. The local music showcase takes place on Sunday evenings beginning in June, with six musical acts performing at three different host porches at each event.
the dive:
With the conclusion of the General Assembly’s 46-day session Dave Ress from the RTD dives into some of the key issues of the more than 380 bills passed and headed to Governor Youngkin’s desk.
A number of bills are expected to be vetoed by the Governor as similar or identical bills were vetoed last year:
These include bills that would establish a retail market for cannabis sales, bar sales of assault-style weapons, let voters in Virginia localities decide whether to impose an extra tax on themselves to pay for school construction, and set up a state body charged with reining in the soaring cost of medications.
While a few efforts regarding data centers failed to advance, a measure to allow electric cooperatives to sell power to large users at prices not regulated by the State Corporation Commission did pass.
A law requiring passengers riding in the back seat of a vehicle to wear seat belts is also heading to the Governor’s desk.
Efforts to end the ban on “skill games” — essentially slot machines — were not successful.
Youngkin has until March 24 to approve, amend or veto the passed bills, and any new legislation will go into effect July 1.
A two-thirds majority is needed to override any bills vetoed, and with a slim majority (21-19 in the Senate, 51-49 in the House), Democrats are unlikely to push through any vetoed bills during the April 2 veto session.
Read the full article here.
the vibe:
It’s nice to be back in your inboxes after a week without home internet. I never considered that Wordle used up so much cellular data.
Here’s a photo of the Byrd Park Reservoir from 1971. Built in 1874, the open-air reservoir was enclosed with prestressed concrete roofs (which are currently being replaced with aluminum roofs) in the early 1970’s.
Have a splendid day RVA!
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