OPINION




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Opinion | It’s Time to Rethink Primaries

Editor's Note: The views expressed are those of the author. Lisa Vedernikova Khanna ran for Congress in Virginia's 1st Congressional District and previously served as Chief of Staff at the Democratic National Committee. This essay reflects her perspective and personal...

Richmond Kept Flock Cameras in the 2027 Budget

Around 8 pm on Tuesday, May 11th, the Richmond City Council voted unanimously to approve the 2026-2027 budget, which included at least $1.2 million to be invested into maintaining RPD contracts. One such contract is for the ninety-nine Flock cameras installed...

Richmond Had a General Strike and a First Friday on the Same Night

It was 72 and breezy. Unseasonably pleasant, almost chilly. VCU students were splayed out on picnic blankets in Monroe Park enjoying soft serve and the sunshine. Citronella and the smell of hot dogs wafted through the air from some folks having a cookout. “High...

Everything I Built for My Family Is Being Taken Away

Editor’s Note: RVA Magazine has been covering Virginia’s evolving hemp and cannabis regulations, including proposed changes to THC limits and retail licensing. The following is a guest opinion from a Virginia hemp business owner directly affected by SB 542. By Barbara...

The Era of Straight-Up Greed (Or, Can I Live?)

I stopped for gas the other day, it’s $4.19 a gallon. You swipe your card, you move on. That’s just the baseline price of existing now in Richmond. Inside, I grabbed a couple things without thinking. A two-pack of Reese’s and an iced tea. The kind of purchase made a...

Ring, Richmond, and the Feeling of Being Watched

Walk through just about any neighborhood in Richmond and you’ll see them. The small blue-lit doorbells tucked into brick row houses in Church Hill. The newer setups in Manchester townhomes and Scott’s Addition apartments. For a lot of us, buying a Ring camera was...

Opinion | My Family Deserves to Exist

by Alexis Jackson I am a Black queer woman, a wife, a mother, a licensed therapist, and a doula in Virginia. And before anything else, let me be clear: my family is not outside of the norm. Love, intention, and care are not radical ideas. They are the foundation of...

Opinion | Virginia’s Liquor Laws Were Always Weird. Change Is Coming

Editor’s Note: This column is informed by recent reporting from Brad Kutner at Radio IQ and WVTF on proposed changes to Virginia’s food-to-alcohol sales ratio, as well as conversations with people connected to the restaurant and hospitality industry. Virginia’s liquor...

Opinion | It’s Time to Rethink Primaries

Editor's Note: The views expressed are those of the author. Lisa Vedernikova Khanna ran for Congress in Virginia's 1st Congressional District and previously served as Chief of Staff at the Democratic National Committee. This essay reflects her perspective and personal experiences. By Lisa Vedernikova Khanna Last summer, Dan Kleban was days away...

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Democratic-primaries-by-Lisa-Vedernikova-Khanna_photo-Elliott-Stallion_RVA-Magazine-2026

Richmond Kept Flock Cameras in the 2027 Budget

Around 8 pm on Tuesday, May 11th, the Richmond City Council voted unanimously to approve the 2026-2027 budget, which included at least $1.2 million to be invested into maintaining RPD contracts. One such contract is for the ninety-nine Flock cameras installed throughout the city. During the bulk of the meeting up to that point, the council...

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Flock_Safety_Camera_phphoto-by-Julian-Focareta_RVA-MAgazine-2026

Richmond Had a General Strike and a First Friday on the Same Night

It was 72 and breezy. Unseasonably pleasant, almost chilly. VCU students were splayed out on picnic blankets in Monroe Park enjoying soft serve and the sunshine. Citronella and the smell of hot dogs wafted through the air from some folks having a cookout. “High energy, high discipline” was the chant from activists from the Richmond chapter of the...

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May Day 2026 by Quentin Rice_RVA Magazine 2026

Everything I Built for My Family Is Being Taken Away

Editor’s Note: RVA Magazine has been covering Virginia’s evolving hemp and cannabis regulations, including proposed changes to THC limits and retail licensing. The following is a guest opinion from a Virginia hemp business owner directly affected by SB 542. By Barbara Biddle Eight years ago, I made a leap of faith. I had no investors, no family...

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Barbara Biddle_RVA Magazine 2026

The Era of Straight-Up Greed (Or, Can I Live?)

I stopped for gas the other day, it’s $4.19 a gallon. You swipe your card, you move on. That’s just the baseline price of existing now in Richmond. Inside, I grabbed a couple things without thinking. A two-pack of Reese’s and an iced tea. The kind of purchase made a thousand times from muscle memory. $3.45 for the candy. Four bucks for the tea. I...

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The Era of Straight-Up Greed (Or, Can I Live?) by R. Anthony Harris_RVA Magazine 2026

Ring, Richmond, and the Feeling of Being Watched

Walk through just about any neighborhood in Richmond and you’ll see them. The small blue-lit doorbells tucked into brick row houses in Church Hill. The newer setups in Manchester townhomes and Scott’s Addition apartments. For a lot of us, buying a Ring camera was practical. Packages were disappearing, car break-ins felt closer to home. It wasn’t...

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Ring Camera Richmond_photo by Turquo Cabbit-by R Anthony Harris_RVA Magazine 2026

Opinion | My Family Deserves to Exist

by Alexis Jackson I am a Black queer woman, a wife, a mother, a licensed therapist, and a doula in Virginia. And before anything else, let me be clear: my family is not outside of the norm. Love, intention, and care are not radical ideas. They are the foundation of families. That is what my family is built on. It is what I wake up to every...

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My-Family-Deserves-to-Exist by Alexis Jackson _RVA-MAgazine-2026