Richmond Lee statue goes down
Workers removed Richmond’s gigantic statue of Robert E. Lee last week, following years of advocacy from activists, politicians, and lawyers. The 21-foot-tall, five-ton casting, the largest Confederate statue in the U.S., was cut in two and sent to an undisclosed location. Its stone plinth still stands, covered in graffiti from last summer’s protests following the death of George Floyd.
Following the monument’s removal, a team started excavating an outlying corner of the stone pedestal, expecting to find a 133-year-old time capsule that historical records suggest was hidden inside. After a day of searching, however, the capsule never materialized, and the team abandoned the search. (Who knows if the capsule would have been useful: When Albemarle County removed its Confederate soldier statue last fall, the county found that the time capsule buried beneath that statue had sprung a leak, and the artifacts inside were essentially ruined.)
On Saturday, state officials placed a new time capsule in the Richmond monument’s pedestal. It includes a Teen Vogue article written by Zyahna Bryant; a 2020 photo of two Black ballerinas standing in front of the graffiti-covered plinth; an expired vial of the Pfizer COVID vaccine; a collection of essays from Pulitzer-Prize winning Richmond Times-Dispatch columnist Michael Paul Williams; and other artifacts chosen as a “representation of the Virginia of today, one rooted in our values of inclusion, equity, and diversity,” Governor Ralph Northam’s office says.
Hospitalizations from COVID on the rise
The UVA health system saw 15 new COVID patients hospitalized on September 8. That’s the most new COVID hospitalizations in a single day for the health system since January of this year. As of September 9, the health system had 70 COVID patients in the hospital. The Blue Ridge Health District has seen a serious spike in cases this fall. The weekly average of new cases last week was as high as it’s been since February.
“We left a lot of things on the table. We just need more touchdowns.”
UVA quarterback Brennan Armstrong, after scoring five touchdowns in a win over Illinois. That’s the spirit, Brennan.
In brief
Pot arrests down
The Times-Dispatch reports that Virginia’s new marijuana law is having exactly its intended effect. In the seven weeks following the July 1 change decriminalizing simple possession of small amounts of weed, only 25 marijuana-related arrests were made in the Richmond area. The same stretch in 2020 saw 257 arrests.
Athletes take shots
Charlottesville High is requiring all students who participate in Virginia High School League sports to get vaccinated, the school announced last week. Students must have their first dose by September 15. “Vaccines and masks are critical in stopping the spread and protecting students & staff. Go Black Knights!” tweeted CHS principal Eric Irizarry in conjunction with the announcement.
Judge sides with JMU in school paper suit
Earlier this summer, the editor-in-chief of JMU’s student newspaper, The Breeze, sued the school, saying that JMU had failed to provide requested data about COVID spread within the student body. This week, a judge ruled in favor of the university, saying that JMU wasn’t required to share the requested information because it would have violated patient confidentiality.
Lt. gov. candidate cans staff
Republican candidate for lieutenant governor Winsome Sears fired six staff members, including her campaign manager, last week. Fired staffers say they were given no explanation. The election is just seven weeks away, and the Sears team “is focused on running a lean campaign,” one of Sears’ remaining advisers told The Washington Post.