The sale of yet another piece of a South Richmond industrial complex has clocked in as the largest real estate deal in the city so far this year; A downtown tattoo shop is heading to the Brookland Park Boulevard corridor after closing one of the highest priced deals in the Northside neighborhood in recent years; The Fan is set to get a pair of new taquerias right across the street from each other; and a multibuilding project in Scott’s Addition approaches the finish line with particulars about o...
Oct 28, 2023•5 min
The death toll in Gaza is over 7,000 people since Israel began retaliating for a Hamas attack on October 7th; A federal appeals court has denied a request from six Southwest Virginia property owners to halt the Mountain Valley Pipeline's construction; Richmond Public Schools will host its second annual “fall for all festival” at River City Middle School this weekend; and other local news stories.
Oct 27, 2023•7 min
The issue, which was first reported by VPM News in late September, appeared to surface after ELECT announced in December that it had removed 10,558 people from voter rolls who’d had their rights restored but gone on to face new felony convictions. The department said its software hadn’t previously been tracking new convictions for that group.
Oct 26, 2023•8 min
Virginia’s the only southern state to not pass new abortion restrictions since Roe vs Wade was overturned last year. VPM News’ Jahd Khalil reports on how it presents Republicans with difficulties in the upcoming elections. Also: Virginia joins Meta suit claiming social platform harms children's mental health; local Central Virginia news and the latest entry in Curious Commonwealth. It's about Virginia's Freedom of Information Act!
Oct 25, 2023•13 min
Richmond’s twice-a-year Restaurant week has begun and runs through Sunday; Environmental advocacy group Oceana has issued a report on ship speeds in the Chesapeake Bay; A local developer is asking state regulators to allow Dominion Energy to run a new 5-mile overhead transmission line to a planned Henrico County data center.
Oct 24, 2023•5 min
Many of Richmond’s historically Black neighborhoods have seen large increases in home values — and tax assessments — in recent years. As part of the VPM News Healthy City series, Connor Scribner looks at how that’s affecting long-time residents.
Oct 23, 2023•9 min
Scrutiny over the failed downtown development that cost VCU Health $73 million to back out of is prompting a closer look by the Virginia General Assembly’s investigative arm; In the days after Art Kellermann relented and agreed to sign off on the costly downtown development deal he’d adamantly opposed, the then-VCU Health CEO’s colleagues who’d urged him to OK the project shared, over email, a collective sigh of relief; With another Richmond Folk Festival in the books, work is about to get rolli...
Oct 21, 2023•5 min
Hanover residents recently attended a public hearing to discuss county road improvements in the Chickahominy District; The 303-mile Mountain Valley Pipeline’s budget and timeline have inflated again; n the 1970s, drivers got the Ok to make right turns at red lights to save fuel, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Oct 20, 2023•5 min
Former Virginia House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn to forgo run for governor next year and run for Congress; A consultant who helped organize the January 6, 2021 rally that preceded the attack on the US Capitol has also done extensive work for Gov. Glenn Youngkin; Fall Line Trail breaks ground; and other stories
Oct 19, 2023•5 min
Virginia NAACP sues the Youngkin administration over withholding records; What promises have been made about potential casino jobs?; The Bennu (BEH-new) asteroid is about a third of a mile wide and NASA says it’s on a – possible -- trajectory to earth within the next 200 years; and other stories.
Oct 18, 2023•14 min
With all 140 General Assembly seats on the ballot in November, many Virginia voters find themselves in a new house or senate district, all thanks to redistricting; Virginia’s Supreme Court has reinstated a statewide ban on electronic skill games; Richmond City Council took a step toward restoring Azalea Pond in Joseph Bryan Park last week.
Oct 17, 2023•7 min
Civil engineer Veronica O. Davis recently released a book called Inclusive Transportation: A Manifesto for Repairing Divided Communities.” Those divisions are largely through Black and brown communities, which were carved up when the federal government built the interstate highway system in the 1950s; the same way I-95 carved up Richmond’s Jackson Ward. Davis recently spoke with VPM News transportation reporter Ian Stewart about her connection to transportation as part of VPM News Healthy City.
Oct 16, 2023•6 min
Richmond area businesses are among the companies that have been fined for noncompliance with hemp and CBD product regulations in the first three months after they took effect in Virginia; A new-to-Richmond plant store has branched out into vinyl records as part of its relocation from North Carolina to the Fan; With new owners at the helm, a Lakeside barbecue joint has been renamed for its namesake neighborhood; and a stretch of the city’s Northside is continuing to attract developer interest, as...
Oct 14, 2023•5 min
The Virginia crime lab’s director says she’s looking into allegations of misconduct there beginning in the 1970s. The lab’s actions follow the release of the VPM podcast Admissible: Shreds of Evidence.
Oct 13, 2023•10 min
Since the most recent conflict between Hamas and Israel began, Virginia Senator Mark Warner has said the U.S. must support the Jewish state; Hanover County School Board discussed its policies on school libraries and student restrooms during their recent meeting; Where does my recycling actually go? Curious Commonwealth investigates; and other stories.
Oct 12, 2023•9 min
A spokesperson for Mayor Levar Stoney wouldn’t say if Stoney would ask voters to decide on a prospective casino again if it isn’t approved for the second time in a row. Voters are deciding whether the risks of problem gambling and concerns over the process outweigh new jobs and tax revenue.
Oct 11, 2023•5 min
As Hamas militants engage with the Israeli military, the U.S. government has voiced its support for its regional allies; Richmond shops are being fined for violating new limits on hemp products that went into effect July 1st; There are a bunch of ways to vote in Virginia this year.
Oct 10, 2023•7 min
Research shows that out of any racial or ethnic group, Latinos are less likely to seek dental care, creating an oral health crisis in those communities. Inside the University of Richmond's Robins Center, a makeshift dental clinic is underway serving people through a Mission of Mercy project.
Oct 09, 2023•6 min
Carytown fixture Ellwood Thompson’s is under new ownership; A local video game shop and arcade is leveling up in Scott’s Addition, just as a related record shop is likewise planning an expansion of its own; Stony Point Fashion Park recently got the OK from the state to allow visitors to drink alcoholic beverages while they walk around the South Richmond mall; and the namesakes of a defunct Richmond-area home remodeling company are seeking legal shelter in the Mountain West seven months after abr...
Oct 07, 2023•5 min
The Chickahominy District representative on the Hanover County Board of Supervisors is resigning; Billionaire Jeff Yass has donated two million dollars to Governor Glenn Youngkin’s political action committee; A flood of racist and antisemitic remarks disrupted a Charlottesville City Council meeting that discussed rezoning and unhoused people.
Oct 06, 2023•6 min
The Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority selected a New Orleans-based firm Tuesday night to help redevelop Gilpin Court; Two Richmond voting locations for the November 7th general election are being moved; Equitrans Midstream, the company behind a 303-mile natural gas pipeline in Virginia and West Virginia, has entered into a consent agreement with federal regulators.
Oct 05, 2023•6 min
Virginia's Department of Elections working to resolve an issue where eligible voters were removed from the state's rolls; Nationwide Emergency Alert Test to take place today; VCU announces new pedestrian safety recommendations; and other stories
Oct 04, 2023•6 min
Urban One, a backer of the proposed Richmond Grand Resort and Casino, has not filed past-due financial reports, triggering Nasdaq’s process to remove it from the stock exchange.
Oct 03, 2023•6 min
10/2/23 - Rumbling trains, car brakes screeching, and heavy construction are just some of the sounds that surround Richmond residents daily
Oct 02, 2023•6 min
Last week’s letter from Gov. Glenn Youngkin calling for changes to the governance of VCU Health is renewing scrutiny of the aborted downtown development that has cost the health system $80 million and counting in exit payments; Days after Chesterfield County issued an RFP for bids to reopen Southside Speedway, a big name in racing has gone public with his interest in bringing the shuttered racetrack back to life; and a local real-estate developer and his grandson join the competition on Fox's Le...
Sep 30, 2023•6 min
Hanover County’s comprehensive plan approved by the Board of Supervisors; RVAGreen 2050 climate action plan update; Richmond bike trips sped up between 2019-2022; and other stories.
Sep 29, 2023•6 min
Dozens of community groups have struggled to regain their footing after the nonprofit Enrichmond Foundation, which managed their funds, collapsed; Forty-nine acres of land in eastern Henrico County are now protected by a historical preservation easement; The invasive spotted lanternfly continues to spread across Virginia after arriving from China. The pest threatens grapevines and other crops.
Sep 28, 2023•6 min
Civically engaged Virginians focus on education, health, housing; Passenger steam locomotives are returning to Virginia's rails; Richmond’s city councilors unanimously voted to ease regulations on accessory dwelling units in the city; and other stories.
Sep 27, 2023•6 min
Galen Baughman was elated when then-Gov. Ralph Northam reinstated his rights in 2021. Baughman had spent nine years in jail and prison after pleading guilty to nonviolent sexual misconduct involving offenses that occurred in 1997 and 2003, when he was 14 and 19. But when Baughman went to vote in the June 2023 primaries, he was told he’d been removed from the voter rolls — despite voting in several elections since his rights were restored.
Sep 26, 2023•6 min
Can urban design and planning take a toll on the mental well-being of city-dwellers? One University of Virginia researcher thinks so. Jenny Roe is the co-author of Restorative Cities: urban design for mental health and wellbeing. It looks at how cities should put mental health and wellness at the forefront of design. Also: Starting today, every household in the U.S. can request home delivery on four more COVID-19 rapid tests. They will be delivered via the U.S. Postal Service starting the week o...
Sep 25, 2023•6 min
