Today’s Patreon-fueled shout-out:
"Early voting is underway for all registered voters. Vote in-person or request a ballot by mail. Register to vote by October 13. Visit elections.virginia.gov/registration/voter-forms"
There will be more money available for rent and mortgage relief in our area. The regional organization that provides support to local governments in our area has received a third round of $450,000 from the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) to go to people in need. Christine Jacobs is the housing coordinator for the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission.
“The way that it works is as they front us the first tranche of money, and then we report to them with a remittance report, “Jacobs said. “Based on our usage, we continue to qualify for funds based on that demand.”
Jacobs said as of September 24, the Rental and Mortgage Relief program has written $535,000 in checks to individual households in the district.
“We’ve served 308 and households to date,” Jacobs said. “But a couple of those are folks that are returning for a second or third month of support.”
Jacobs said the DHCD has increased the amount of rent relief they will pay to 100 percent of arrears.
In all, about a $1 million in funding will be distributed in the first two rounds of the program, which includes surrounding counties. The program was announced in July. Jesse Rutherford is on the Nelson County Board of Supervisors.
“It’s amazing how quickly $1 million just went poof!” Rutherford said.
The TJPDC is working with Nelson County on a grant to revitalize the unincorporated town of Lovingston as well as a plan to bring more broadband internet to the county through fiber.
“In today’s times, it’s kind of nice to have some good or exciting news,” Rutherford said. “You don’t really get it too often. So Lovingston is one thing to look forward to, and fiber.”
The TJPDC’s Board of Directors met last night. The representative from the Greene Board of Supervisors gave an update on the water supply plan battle between that county and the governmental entity it shares with Madison and Orange counties.
“We are currently in litigation with the Rapidan Service Authority, our water authority,” said Dale Herring. “Basically we have asked them to allow us to withdraw and they have said no. And they have barred the Greene County representatives from voting or speaking on topics and they are making decisions related to the water rates and water projects in Greene county.”
Herring said Greene plans to move forward with impoundment of White Run to create a new reservoir for an urban water supply. Terry Beigie of the Greene County Record has a story yesterday about a second lawsuit the county is filing against the Rapidan Service Authority.
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There are another 966 new cases of COVID-19 in Virginia as reported this morning, and another 49 cases in the Thomas Jefferson Health District. That’s another 16 cases in Albemarle and another 24 cases from Charlottesville. The statewide seven-day average for positive tests is at 4.5 percent for the third straight day. Calculations for the Thomas Jefferson Health District were not available at production time.
There are now 250 active cases at the University of Virginia according to the official COVID-19 tracker, with 235 of those students. In all, 33 cases were reported yesterday with 28 of them students. The number of quarantine rooms in use increased to 30 percent and the number of isolation rooms in use remained steady at five percent.
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The University of Virginia’s Center for Politics took another gaze into Sabato’s Crystal Ball yesterday, before news broke that the president of the United States and the First Lady tested positive for COVID-19. Prior to that the biggest election news of the week had to do with Tuesday’s debate.
“It was the worst, most awful presidential television debate in American history and you’re talking to an old guy here and watched everyone live and in real time including the four Kennedy-Nixon debates in 1960,” said Larry Sabato. “I remember it well because I had to beg my parents to stay up.”
Sabato also called the debate the worst advertisement for American democracy. To watch the rest of the event, visit the Center for Politics’ YouTube channel.
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This October is the first-ever Pedestrian Safety Month recognized by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. According to the agency’s website, the reduction of available light at dusk is a major reason to raise awareness.
“From September to February, over 30% of pedestrian fatalities occur between 6 p.m. and 8:59 p.m.,” reads the website which offers tips for both motorists and pedestrians.
The Virginia Department of Transportation has a Pedestrian Safety Action Plan which aims to decrease the amount of people struck by vehicles each year. In 2018, pedestrians 12 percent of all traffic deaths in Virginia. One of the goals of the action plan is to identify road improvements as part of the Highway Safety Improvement Program.
This week, the city of Charlottesville began a pilot project on Belmont Bridge to increase the amount of space for pedestrians and cyclists.
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Live Arts will have another studio visit on Facebook Live as part of their Forging Ahead season. Darryl Smith will speak with painter Sarah Boyts Yoder about her work. According to the materials, her work reflects “a visual lexicon of symbols that she has generated over time, her colorful, abstracted works articulate how space extends and collapses all around us in liminal celebrations of cacophonous graffiti.”
October 2, 2020: $450,000 more for regional rent relief program