While running for Mayor in 2024, candidate Avula’s top priority in the “Thriving neighborhoods and affordable housing” section of his platform stated: As Mayor, he will: Fight displacement of long-term residents and expand the supply of deeply affordable housing for...
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...
Democrats and Republicans in the Virginia General Assembly were divided along party lines this session, but came together over some key issues. Out of nearly 2,400 bills introduced, 376 bills passed unanimously, according to the Virginia Public Access Project. Most bills that passed unanimously or saw high levels of bipartisan...
Senator Mark Warner went to the pages of The New York Times this week to warn that the biggest threat to American elections may no longer be foreign interference, but the federal government itself. That sounds dramatic until you realize we’ve been heading in this direction for a while now. Warner lays out a scenario in which a president...
Tim Cywinski and I got coffee and a bagel at Abi’s Books and Brews a couple weeks ago. The Iran War had just started, and the weariness was behind both of our eyes. He impressed on me that he had some fresh ideas, a great legacy of accomplishments, and is in need for some publicity for his campaign for United States Congress. Which seat?...
A new Instagram video circulating among Richmond residents is raising questions about ethylene oxide, a cancer-causing gas used to sterilize medical equipment, and whether local facilities and warehouses could be contributing to an underrecognized public health risk. Ethylene oxide is a known carcinogen, and long-term exposure has been...
Two separate “No Kings” demonstrations took place across downtown Richmond on Saturday, March 28, drawing crowds to both Kanawha Plaza and Monroe Park as part of a coordinated nationwide day of action. The first gathering began earlier in the day at Kanawha Plaza, where organizers with the 50501 Virginia movement coalition held a rally from...
As Sunshine Week wrapped up, Richmond picked up a distinction that’s less celebration and more indictment. The city was named a 2026 recipient of the “City of Darkness” Award, part of The Foilies, an annual project from the Electronic Frontier Foundation and MuckRock that calls out the worst offenders when it comes to government transparency....
With a major cannabis bill now awaiting Governor Abigail Spanberger’s decision, Virginia hemp retailers, farmers, and small business advocates are urging her to step in before it becomes law. The Cannabis Small Business Association (CSBA) and a coalition of hemp businesses are calling on the governor to use her amendatory authority to revise...
Walking into this exhibit, it’s hard not to think about the moment it’s opening into. Immigration isn’t some abstract issue right now. It’s at the center of national conversation again, shaping policy, headlines, and how people talk about who belongs and who doesn’t. It’s one of those topics that gets reduced quickly, turned into something...
