It’s now been about a month since I had this conversation with Tim Cywinski. It has remained relevant despite the century of news that has transpired since then. Donald Trump just announced he was going to wipe the 5000+ years-old Iranian civilization off the map....
One of the most interesting cultural developments of the 2020s is the way the word “unprecedented” has seemingly lost its meaning. From its very first months, this decade has been defined by events that most folks thought modern democracy would protect us from; a global pandemic responsible for millions of deaths, a hot war over territorial...
The Parham Papers, is the work of private investigator-turned-journalist Christa Motley. Since 2022, she’s been documenting how the Virginia Association of Recovery Residences (VARR), the state’s accrediting body for sober living programs, operated in the shadows, controlling huge sums of taxpayer money with little oversight and plenty of...
This Saturday, the Working Families Party (WFP) is making its Virginia debut with the launch of the Virginia Wolf Pack, a new grassroots arm dedicated to electing working-class champions and building political power across the Commonwealth. Their first in-person Welcome Gathering happens August 23, 2–4 PM at the Crescent Collective (1800...
Inspectors General are (and should be) vital cogs in any governmental or organizational machine. Many federal agencies have them, state governments use them, and local governments depend on them. They bring to light the waste, fraud, and abuse that can permeate and be hidden so well at the local level they aren’t caught for years, and deprive...
Scott Burger, longtime Richmond community advocate and publisher of OregonHill.net, has raised the stakes for local students interested in experimenting with ranked choice voting (RCV). This week, Burger announced his award for any Richmond-area student government association. The prize, which began at $1,000, is meant to encourage...
Nearly a decade after refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, former Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis is back in the headlines and this time, she’s asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Obergefell v. Hodges, the 2015 ruling that made marriage equality the law of the land. In 2015, Davis defied the court’s decision and...
The City of Richmond has awarded more than $9 million through its Affordable Housing Trust Fund (AHTF) to support eight development projects expected to deliver nearly 600 new or preserved affordable housing units across the city. The funding also includes $2.2 million for the Healthy Homes Rehabilitation Program, which helps low-income...
A friend and colleague reminded me yesterday that joy is an act of resistance right now. That people need something beyond the doom and gloom of our current authoritarian march. And she’s not wrong. But as we go about our daily lives in Richmond, we can’t lose sight of the fact that our cousins in Washington DC, are now living under federal...
Richmond’s creative economy has always been powered by risk-takers like musicians, painters, actors, writers, photographers, makers, and the small business owners who keep the city’s galleries, venues, and shops alive. Many piece together a living from passion projects, gig work, and side hustles, often without the safety net of...
