Jan. 9 Newsletter: Waking up to water
Weather: Yep. Still cold.
On this date in 1977, the Lee-Jackson Memorial Foundation sells Confederate money for $3 as a fundraiser to sponsor a scholarship. "We'd like to have more young people take an interest in Lee and Jackson," the spokesperson told the Times-Dispatch. "But somehow it is hard to steam up young people about antiquities."
Water crisis updates:
The news is positive this morning, as overnight Richmond's Byrd Park reservoir reached the 10-foot target level that allows water pressure to return for most of the city.
However, that pressure must hold for a full day for the city to complete the testing needed to lift the boil water advisory.
"Yes, get cleaned up, but don’t take excessively long showers," Mayor Danny Avula said, urging Richmonders to conserve so that schools and businesses can reopen as quickly as possible.
Our latest reporting on the issue...
- Water returns, but Avula urges conservation to help lift boil advisory
Three of the eight pumps at Richmond's water plant are working, but an additional two have been brought in to assist. - ‘People, pipes and pumps’: How Richmond is getting its water system back online
Sarah Vogelsong takes a look into the efforts that have taken place since Monday's outage. - Henrico issues boil water advisory for all residents
Because the systems are interconnected, Henrico, Hanover and Eastern Goochland residents are now also under the boil water advisory. - Avula inauguration events postponed due to water crisis
- Youngkin says anger over Richmond water crisis is ‘justified’
- Richmond Public Schools will remain closed for the rest of the week
City Council, School Board meet
Richmond's City Council confirmed Avula’s appointment of interim Chief Administrative Officer Sabrina Joy-Hogg, but only after two new members reiterated their desire for change and accountability in city government.
“I’m still in full support of a national search for a permanent CAO,” Sarah Abubaker said. “That is what we all ran on and I’m hoping that’s what we continue to do and this won’t be a long-term thing.”
Read more on the City Council meeting here.
The School Board swore in its new members after a two-day delay due to the weather.
The new board unanimously chose 9th District member Shavonda Fernandez as chair and 1st District member Matthew Percival as vice chair, both of whom emphasized their desire to work collaboratively.
Another snow starts the weekend, but probably less this time
Unlike the last storm, no significant ice or rain is expected as this one moves through Richmond late Friday night, according to meteorologist Sean Sublette.
FINAL CALL: 'The (Real) State of the City' Tickets
There's still time to join The Richmonder next Thursday morning, Jan. 16, to explore the opportunities and challenges faced by the new administration.
- Eric Scarsone, executive director of the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Policy, will speak about the city's pension system, which took out a $120 million bond last year.
In addition to other presenters, the event will feature a Q&A with new Mayor Danny Avula.
Today is the final day for ticket sales.
Learn more, and purchase your tickets, here.
The editor's desk
A video made the rounds on Tuesday, ultimately appearing on social media, alleging to show the damage inside Richmond's water plant.
The video puts a visual to what we are coming to understand — this was no minor incident, this was a catastrophic failure of an important piece of infrastructure.
At the time, most media outlets didn't share it because a city spokesperson said it was fake. They retracted that stance yesterday amid increasing evidence of its authenticity.
The investigation into what happened at the water plant may come to uncomfortable or embarrassing conclusions, but it's imperative that as a city we have reporters and advocates working to uncover that information, which will hopefully lead to better outcomes in the future.
Michael Phillips, founding editor
mphillips@richmonder.org
Sent this by a friend? Sign up for our free thrice-weekly newsletter here.
Want to support The Richmonder? Become a donor for $9.99 a month and keep quality local journalism in the community.
And remember to get your tickets for our first live event, a breakfast on Jan. 16 diving into The (Real) State of the City.
