Mark

I just saw someone taking a Christmas tree to the dump

GREAT book. The tarot chapters could’ve easily been a strained metaphor, but they all work.

Who’s behind an anti-redistricting flyer invoking Jim Crow? A former Hampton GOP delegate.

Who’s behind an anti-redistricting flyer invoking Jim Crow? A former Hampton GOP delegate.:

Close enough, this is the Community movie

Countdown to Nintendo direct showing 6-7

Damn. I’m also on…. uhhh LinkedIn?

Growing up, Connelly Early rooted for Justin Verlander. On Friday, the Red Sox lefthander opposed him and the Tigers. - The Boston Globe Between innings, Early watched Verlander work — in his first game wearing a Tigers uniform since 2017. He returned to his original club last month on a one-year deal.

A pair of central Virginia natives — separated by two decades and just a couple of towns — faced off in Lakeland today.

Story on Connelly Early and Justin Verlander (plus a ton of other Red Sox notes): www.bostonglobe.com/2026/03/06/s...

XTC’s Apple Box, with Apple Venus playing on CD. Also featuring a download code for a STUPIDLY HAPPY ringtone.

Spring’s here. #cdfriday

efficiency, efficiency

This is where I grew up (Botetourt County) and to see the local government sell off the lifeblood of the place is just awful and not surprising.

This is the ICE camp built by the Henrico company Acquisition Logistics.

love to design amazing creations

Reddit AMA: Thediscocat • 4h ago Why do you and others in city hallutilize Al tools like ChatGpt in all of your communications and how is it informing your policy decisions? 个 14 danny4mayorRVA OP • 55m ago First, I freaking love ChatGPT (obviously). If you think you're not using Al, but you use Google, then you likely are using it. Al is the present and future of how work gets done, so people need to get on board! Now there are certainly a host of ethical issues around how it should be used, and a lot of thoughtfulness that needs to be applied from a data protection standpoint. But I am actively working to incorporate more Al usage into City Hall to help our workers be more efficient, so they can spend their time doing the important human things that only humans can do (like a social worker providing support to a client). Any serious organization or leader that is not actively figuring out how to use Al is going to be left behind, and I don't want that to be us. Last year, I approved a city Al policy (AR 2.13 Artificial Intelligence (Al). Policy_FINAL_2025_06_03.pdf). that lays out

… that lays out how city hall will prioritize fairness, transparency, accountability, privacy, and security as we use Al to improve services, public safety, resident engagement, and productivity. The policy also regulates how our Department of Information Technology will ensure all city employees comply with ethical and safe use Al to keep city hall and residents safe. Check out the latest RTD reporting (Here's what Mayor Avula asked ChatGPT in 2025) on how I and others in my administration have used ChatGPT. As you can see, I use ChatGPT the way that most people do-- to help frame communications, to do research, to inform policy decisions. I should clearly say this though-- we have talented and experienced staff who spend a lot of time thinking through policy issues, writing beautiful newsletters, and designing amazing creations. I am fully supportive of that! Al is a useful tool, but it's not a substitute for knowledgeable people working and thinking together about how to move forward on the tough challenges we face as a city.

Avula on using ChatGPT but employing staff to craft statements and speeches for him: “I am fully supportive of that!”

I managed to get into some detail about tearing down the Coliseum in this story (though I wrote it quite a while ago…). There’s momentum (a bit more than Avula alludes to) but it been kind of a slow process to set it all up.

From the rva community on Reddit Explore this post and more from the rva community

Mayor Avula is doing a Reddit AMA now. Most of the questions, unsurprisingly, are about pedestrian safety, Flock, and ICE. #rva

Now you’ve reminded me about city council’s blogspot.

Just a few days left to comment on the city parks plan draft. Read my story to learn more!

1. very grim
2. Why are you assigning and writing stories you aren’t passionate about?
3. oooooh I got called raaaare 🤩

Eli lilly’s $5 billion pharmaceutical plant to boost gooachland and central virginia Eli Lilly is investing $5 billion in a Goochland pharmaceutical plant to create 650 jobs and produce advanced therapies, strengthening Virginia’s pharma sector.

No. 2 is about the Eli Lilly plant coming to Goochland: How did the Richmond area develop a sprawling pharmaceutical hub attracting big names in just a few years, and what’s next?

Data centers, manufacturing drive growth in Central Virginia - Virginia Business Central Virginia's 2025 growth driven by major data center projects and manufacturing investments, including Google, AstraZeneca, and Eli Lilly expansions.

I’ve got two big stories now up with Virginia Business! The first is a look at economic development in Central Virginia in 2025. A big theme: delivering on announcements from years past.

Cuyahoga by @remhq.bsky.social / @jasonnarducy.bsky.social #rva

Here’s Bobcat Goldthwait singing YMCA at the REM cover show in #rva just now

There are in fact two walls you can break.

I just won tickets to Monday’s show!!

*sighs in journalism*

Paper Television by The Blow

#cdfriday I apologize for putting at least one song from this on every mix CD I made in the Obama era.

There’s one week left to weigh in on the so-called 90% Draft of the new city parks master plan. I talked with Ryan Rinn of the parks department in my latest for the Richmonder:

Wow TWO eps about Chauncy!

There’s one week left to weigh in on the so-called 90% Draft of the new city parks master plan. I talked with Ryan Rinn of the parks department in my latest for the Richmonder:

Concerts since 2018:
- EXTC