String of Police Shootings, Birds in Decline, and more
String of Police Shootings, Birds in Decline, and more
Historic Triangle News Roundup January 14 - 20
Howdy howdy! It’s Sunday, Jan. 21, and in case you missed it, I published a podcast on Friday! It’s a conversation with history professor Jennifer Oast about James Blair, the co-founder of the College of William & Mary, and his role in systematizing slavery in colonial Virginia. If you listened to the podcast and liked it, please share!
And now for this past week’s top stories:
Six police shootings over past month in Hampton Roads
Of the six cases, four are being investigated by the police department involved and two, including one from James City County, by Virginia State Police. Less than 2% of fatal officer-involved shootings on average result in a criminal charge.
The JCC incident happened earlier this month after officers answered a domestic dispute call. An 83-year-old man allegedly drew a gun after they arrived at the scene, and one officer fired their weapon. No one was harmed.
Also this week, the trial was postponed for JCC officer Michael Rusk, who is accused of shooting JCC Sgt. Christopher Gibson outside a Williamsburg bar last year. Rusk claims it was in self-defense following unwanted sexual advances.
Estimated net loss of 3 billion birds in North America in last 50 years
The staggering blow to bird populations, deduced from data collected on the website eBird, is another sign of human-made climate change’s impact on the environment. Loss of habitats, pesticides, and cats were listed as other factors.
Waterfowl were the exception, with revenue from hunting licenses going towards conservation of wetlands each year. Birders are pushing Congress to pass the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act which would protect other species as well.
There are still plenty of birds in the Historic Triangle area, as seen in the Colonial Nature Photography Club’s Best of 2023 collection. If you’d like to contribute to the eBird database, I’d recommend the Merlin bird identification app.
Other Headlines
Preserve Yorktown, the group fighting the scheduled Princess Cruise Lines stop this June, held its second public input meeting last Sunday. The campaign has gained momentum, with over 7,000 signatures on its online petition.
Tomorrow, Poquoson City Council will be holding a public hearing to pinpoint what, up until now, has been an unclear stretch of its boundary with York County. Parts of some parcels may end up in a new county depending on the outcome.
A state bill seeking to stop politicians from pulling a George Santos and using campaign donations on personal expenses advanced from a House subcommittee this week. VA has some of the most lax campaign spending laws.
Upcoming Events
When: TODAY, Jan. 21, 8 PM
Where: Williamsburg Lodge, 310 S England St
The Pre-Coders Program at Yorktown Library:
When: Monday, Jan. 22, 10:30 - 11:15 am
Where: 8500 George Washington Memorial Highway, Yorktown
The Last Word Comedy Festival:
When: Thursday to Sunday, Jan. 25-28
Where: Multiple Venues
Alright, that’s it for this week. Reminder that if you’d like to get involved in changing the name of James Blair Middle School to move beyond the legacy of slavery, email me!
What’s the downside of eating a clock?
Cover photo of Carolina chickadee from Wikipedia.