I sat down with Salaam Bhatti to talk about redistricting, campaign finance, and a government operating outside the interests of its donor class. What stood out to me most was his sincerity and the kindness in his politics. He presented a connection between empathy...
Renee Nicole Good, a graduate of Old Dominion University, was fatally shot by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer during a federal enforcement operation in Minneapolis on Wednesday. The shooting has drawn national attention as questions continue to emerge about the circumstances surrounding the use of lethal force by federal...
Two separate protests unfolded in downtown Richmond Saturday afternoon, as local activist groups responded to reports of U.S. military action in Caracas and the detention of Venezuela president Nicolás Maduro and his wife. One gathering took place at Maggie Walker Memorial Plaza, where members of the Party for Socialism and Liberation Virginia...
As we close out the year, here’s a look at some of the most impactful stories we published in 2025. Over the past year, we covered Richmond as a living system under pressure, focusing on the people, culture, and policies that shape daily life and determine who gets held up or left behind. Thank you to everyone who read, shared, challenged us,...
Amid a national immigration crackdown, the fallout from the recent shooting of two National Guardsmen by an Afghan national in Washington, D.C., has thrust the precarious status of Afghan nationals in the U.S. into the spotlight. In Richmond, Axios reported earlier this week that local Afghan families have seen citizenship oath ceremonies and...
A December 31, 2025 deadline could shutter hundreds of vape shops, raising questions about consolidation, equity, and who benefits from regulation. On December 31, most vape products currently sold in Virginia will become illegal to sell. Under a law passed by the Virginia General Assembly and signed by Governor Glenn Youngkin, only nicotine...
LA based street artist Lauren YS says their new mural on the side of Unkindness Art and Nevermore in Northside is an independent, self-funded project meant to communicate a human message rather than a political slogan. “There’s no sponsors, no corporations involved, no client to get upset. It’s all me,” Lauren said. “Street art is still a...
Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security asked a simple question yesterday during a congressional hearing: which domestic organizations does the FBI consider the top threats to the country right now? Michael Glasheen, who oversees national security for the FBI, didn’t name the groups or networks with...
“Virginia voters will be able to respond to what’s happening in America. It’s important that they understand their role and capacity to impact the direction the country is going and that’s true power, true democracy.” – Lt. Governor-elect, Ghazala Hashmi A British colleague visiting Richmond told me not too long ago that...
“No one should have to live this way.” – Delegate Mike Jones The fact that masked agents of the state are operating outside the rule of law, without accountability, shouldn’t be a conversation we’re having in America, let alone Virginia in 2025. Yet here we are, almost one year into an experiment which has seen masked ICE...
