According to the Virginia Department of Health, there were 1,548 drug overdose deaths among Virginia residents in 2024, a 37% decrease from 2023. Emergency department visits for overdoses also declined, with 18,292 reported, down 16% year over year. While those...
We’ve all read the headlines about tariffs and trade rules, but those stories can feel abstract until you see how they land on a business close to home. To bring it into focus locally, we spoke with Ledbury, a Richmond-based shirtmaker, about how these changes are reshaping the way they operate. Their experience offers a clear window into what...
Sat beneath a shifting sun and a canopy teeming with chittering cicadas, Madison Turner and I ran the gamut. I first heard of her while I was covering the local music scene for a VCU student publication, and her angsty, self-critical, maniacally upbeat tunes spoke to my brittle emo heart. I’ve gotten to know her a bit through sporadic...
A Sunday series from RVA Magazine featuring writers from Richmond and Virginia Writer’s Block is RVA Magazine’s Sunday series highlighting contemporary writers working in Richmond and across the Commonwealth. Each week, we feature original poems, short stories, or essays. Just real voices writing right now. This week, we’re featuring “Come In...
"The joy of finding a perfectly reusable gem on a sidewalk, in an alley, or on a porch stoop is one of the perks of living in such close proximity in the city of Richmond. The FOMO of not making it on your bike in time for a taxidermy dolphin or a surprisingly decent bass guitar is something else entirely. Welcome to Stooping RVA. In 2020, an...
Richmond lost more than a business owner this week. On September 2, 2025, Vicky Hester, the longtime owner of Babe’s of Carytown, passed away at age 71. For many, her death marks the end of an era. For nearly five decades, Hester kept the doors of one of the nation’s oldest lesbian bars open and in doing so, she helped hold a community together....
A GoFundMe has been launched to support Baby Saphire and the family of Johnnita Russell, who was killed the night before what would have been her 34th birthday. Just nine days earlier, she had given birth to her daughter, who has spent her first weeks in the NICU. According to Richmond Police, Johnnita was shot inside her home on...
For 35 years, Richmond hairdresser Rick Bridgforth has been quietly transforming a forgotten alley in The Fan into something remarkable. What began as a way to clean up trash and keep crime at bay grew into a lush oasis that's alive with color, buzzing with pollinators, and offering neighbors a place to pause and breathe. The catch is, Rick...
Most Richmonders haven’t heard about it, but the City of Richmond is rewriting the rules that will determine what can be built, and where, for decades to come. It’s called the Zoning Code Refresh, and right now, it’s quietly moving through the public comment stage. If that sounds boring, it isn’t. Zoning controls whether your neighborhood sees...
Hundreds gathered in Monroe Park this afternoon for a Labor Day rally organized by 50501 Movement and 50501 Virginia, demanding “Workers Over Billionaires.” The event, which kicked off at 4:30 PM, brought together community members, activists, and labor advocates to highlight the fight for fair wages, healthcare, and protections for working...
