Happy Halloween from The Lookout HQ! As is holiday tradition around here, today’s edition is a little different. For example, in lieu of a lead column, I have a very simple announcement: we’re actually closing East Broad Street for Halloween!
As you’ve hopefully heard by now, BooFest on Broad—a new Church Hill tradition inspired by The Lookout’s coverage advocating better safety for the East End’s trick-or-treaters—is a go.
The basics:
Who: You, your kid, your neighbors, and anybody else who loves Halloween.
What: A temporary street closure on East Broad Street.
When: October 31st from 4-9pm.
Where: E. Broad St. between N. 29th-32nd Sts., as well as the 300 blocks of N. 30th and N. 31st Sts. Map here.
Why: To keep our trick-or-treaters safe on the most dangerous night of the year for child pedestrians.
You’ll find more information in the FAQ section of the event’s GoFundMe page. If you’d like to volunteer as a crossing guard, or to help with set-up and tear-down, sign up here. Huge thanks to all the East Enders and Lookout readers who have donated their money and time to make these columns into a reality.
Regular programming resumes next week. Hope to see you on E. Broad Street this evening for Church Hill’s first-ever BooFest on Broad!—Dave.
🛍️ The Lookout Shop is now open!
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🧐 Keeping an eye on City Hall’s work (or lack thereof) in Church Hill
The Lookout published two special reports earlier this week spotlighting how city departments have neglected basic infrastructure maintenance in the neighborhood:
Both these items began as tips from readers. If you have a tip about how City Hall’s delays are affecting the East End, please get in touch.
🤝 Help fund The Lookout!
The Lookout’s special reports above are free to read, but reporting that holds power to account in the East End is not. Please support this work:
Only a small fraction of people who read The Lookout actually pay to sustain its coverage. If you believe in the importance of local, independent journalism, consider upgrading today.—Dave.
🐶 Hound Town’s Howl-O-Ween vs. DPW’s unexplained blockade at Chimbo Park
Ever since Richmond’s Department of Public Works abruptly fenced off the access road and sidewalk to lower Chimborazo Park, patrons of the dog runs down below have been demanding to know why. A month later, the city has yet to provide a meaningful answer.
A city spokesperson, Jensen Gavulic, declined multiple requests to outline DPW’s actual rationale for the closure, stating by email Thursday only that the city “understand[s] the importance of maintaining access to the park and surrounding areas, particularly while Government Road remains closed for necessary repairs.” She noted that the city had mowed the overgrown grass on the sloped paths—necessary maintenance that had been neglected for weeks before residents raised a ruckus with city officials by email earlier this month.
If you’re headed to Hound Town’s annual Howl-O-Ween meet-up this morning, your best bet will be either that path, or the staircase to heaven at the terminus of N. 32nd St. Co-founder Anna Wittel recently posted step-by-step instructions to the group’s Instagram account.
👀 A look at The Lookout’s growth
Welcome to all the new readers who have signed up over the past three months! And a big thanks to The Richmonder, which sent some of you here by linking to our recent report on how the Department of Public Works’ project lead on Government Road blew off City Council President and longtime 7th District member Cynthia Newbille for a community meeting in early October.
The Lookout has no marketing budget, and depends entirely on word-of-mouth recommendations to reach new East End readers, so if you appreciate this coverage, please tell a friend!
Some other topline stats, for those interested:
Pieces published (all-time): 163
Open rate (last 4 weeks): 73.52%, +1.7% from the prior frame
Click-through rate (L4): 12.01%, +2.7%
Here’s one more number for you. As The Lookout has published more videos on social media, I’ve been keeping a close watch on whether that extra effort actually translates to list growth. So far, it appears to be: over the past three months, ~31% of new sign-ups have come from The Lookout’s Instagram.
📲 Follow The Lookout on social media!
Get neighborhood news and views from Richmond’s East End on the platforms you already use! Tune in:
Rest assured, The Lookout is not making a pivot to #influencer any time soon. Expect the same journalistic rigor and ethics on social media that you’ve come to expect from the newsletter and website. Support that mission today.
✂️ And now, to the clips!
Here are the top five most-read editions of The Lookout since Labor Day. In reverse chronological order:
