Richmond's year in news: 2023
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Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
You know, maybe 2023 wasn't so bad.
Why it matters: It's easy to fixate on the negative. Honestly, it's kind of our job as journalists — it's not exactly news when the zoo doesn't burn down or the city sends out tax bills without mucking a bunch of them up.
- We're always so fixated on whatever's happening right now that it can be hard to find the time and space to reflect on the bigger picture.
What's happening: This end-of-year edition forced us to find some time and space to reflect on the bigger picture.
- And on the whole, we found more good than bad.
Mayor Stoney crammed a decade's worth of milestones into one year: marriage, pregnancy and announcing a gubernatorial run.
- He also unveiled his first themed couple's Halloween costume. Welcome to middle age, millennial mayor.
Sen. Joe Morrissey exited stage left after losing two Democratic primaries in a row amid a high-profile divorce and allegations of abuse.
- And we sent Jenn McClellan, quite possibly Richmond's least objectionable politician, to Congress. (Here's some dirt: Did you know she's a Disney adult? Heartwarming.)
We re-lived the casino debate. Which, yes, was tedious and, at times, ugly.
- But whichever side you're on, we can appreciate that the losing campaign pumped $10 million into the local economy.
We ended the ballpark debate.
- The city announced plans for the Diamond District this summer. Things have been suspiciously quiet since then, but city officials swear things are still on track.
We learned about VPNs after Gov. Youngkin signed a law cracking down on online porn. Which, listen, we don't care why you're using one — it's an excellent security practice on unfamiliar WiFi networks anyways.
It took tragedy, but the city and VCU started to get serious about pedestrian safety, installing speed humps and making plans for bigger changes.
We bid farewell to Youngkinology, a tedious creation of national political reporters fixated on whether our political-neophyte governor would run for president.
- The schtick was getting old.
And let us never forget Patches, the 40-pound cat that stole our hearts while sticking to his rigorous weight-loss plan (he's now a svelte 28.58 pounds).
- By all accounts he's thriving, and maybe, so are we.