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House Republicans are advancing a ban on transgender girls and women competing in K-12 women’s sports.

Why it matters: The legislation is part of a nationwide push in the GOP to roll back transgender rights.

What’s happening: The Virginia bill cleared its first subcommittee on a party-line vote earlier this week.

The bill’s sponsor, Del. Karen Greenhalgh, called it a matter of fairness.

“Today, even the strongest, fastest girls in Virginia must step up to the starting line and know, ‘I can’t win,'” she said, per WRIC.

The other side: Opponents called the measure mean-spirited and a nonissue in Virginia.

“We have had transgender youth living in the commonwealth, and there has been no takeover of women’s sports,” said Del. Eileen Filler-Corn, a Fairfax County Democrat, per the Virginian-Pilot. “I just don’t understand why this conversation continues.”

The big picture: The Virginia High School League already has regulations in place addressing the issue, making decisions on a case-by-case basis.

Since the rules were implemented in 2014, 28 students applied to play on teams aligning with their gender identity and 25 were approved, WRIC reports.

What’s next: The measure is expected to clear the House but unlikely to make it past Democrats in the Senate.

🌿 House Republicans look like they’re going to block any effort to legalize retail recreational marijuana sales. (Virginia Mercury)

🤑 A House panel voted down a bill that would have prohibited lawmakers from spending campaign money on personal expenses. (AP)

“I would suggest that donors need to not donate to the people they don’t trust,” said GOP Del. Wren Williams.

⚖️ Lawmakers in the Senate rejected a proposal by Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration to relieve pressure on the state’s unemployment insurance program by cutting the time applicants have to appeal claims. (AP)

This week at the Virginia Capitol: GOP’s trans sports ban

The legislation is part of a nationwide push in the GOP to roll back transgender rights.

Illustration of the Virginia State Capitol with lines radiating from it.

Virginia

House Republicans are advancing <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="a ban" data-vars-click-url="https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?231+sum+HB1387" data-vars-content-id="24c367ea-b2fe-4c15-afa7-5d651b43ce99" data-vars-headline="This week at the Virginia Capitol: GOP’s trans sports ban" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?231+sum+HB1387" target="_blank">a ban</a> on transgender girls and women competing in K-12 women’s sports.Why it matters: The legislation is part of a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="nationwide push in the GOP" data-vars-click-url="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/25/us/politics/transgender-laws-republicans.html" data-vars-content-id="24c367ea-b2fe-4c15-afa7-5d651b43ce99" data-vars-headline="This week at the Virginia Capitol: GOP’s trans sports ban" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/25/us/politics/transgender-laws-republicans.html" target="_blank">nationwide push in the GOP</a> to roll back transgender rights.

News

Data: Axios research; Map: Alice Feng/Axios

The new year is only a month old, but more than 450 new apartment units across five developments have already been announced for Richmond. 

And none of them are in development hotspots Scott's Addition or Manchester. 

Why it matters: Scott's Addition and Manchester have seemingly sucked up all of the apartment development in the city for nearly a decade. 

It's not necessarily that Scott's Addition and Manchester are done, but they are getting more expensive, which means developers could be looking to other parts of the city for new projects. 

Both neighborhoods set new per-acre sale price records for the city last year, per BizSense. 

Richmond-based developer Capital Square paid $4 million per acre for a total of $10.8 million to snap up the former N. Chasen & Son’s warehouse and property around it. It's planning a 350-unit apartment complex there. 

Brooklyn-based Avery Hall Investments set a city and Manchester record in the fall when it paid $17.25 million, or $5.9 million per acre, for vacant riverfront land where it wants to build 550 apartments across two buildings. 

The apartment plans announced this year include: 

218 income-based apartments across two four-story buildings at 7000 Carnation St. in South Richmond, near Chippenham Hospital.

91 apartments in a five-story building at 1515 Chamberlayne Ave., near J.R. Crickets restaurant. 

66 apartments in a four-story building at 1224 E. Brookland Park Blvd., across the street from the previously announced 43-unit building in the works. 

40 apartments in a three-story building at 4701 Forest Hill Ave. at the site of the former Bank of America building, across from Little Nickel. 

39 apartments in the former Saint Gertrude High School at  3215 Stuart Ave. The plans had been announced, but the property wasn't purchased until this month. 

Meanwhile, a Northern Virginia developer announced at the start of the year it's scrapping plans for its 203-unit Scott's Addition apartment building and listing the vacant site, Richmond BizSense reported. 

The group cited internal refocusing on existing buildings as opposed to new builds for the decision.

Of note: Large-scale development projects can take years to come to fruition, so apartments announced in 2023 likely won't be leasing until next year at the earliest. 

Reality check: Development is still going strong in Scott's Addition and Manchester. Right now, there are 619 units under construction in Manchester and 549 in Scott's Addition, Michael Cobb, director of market analytics for CoStar Group, tells Axios.

The bottom line: It's going to be a while before Scott's Addition and Manchester see the end of constant construction and a clear next hotspot emerges. 

Hundreds of new apartments were announced for Richmond in January

None of them are in development hotspots Scott's Addition or Manchester.

The new year is only a month old, but more than 450 new apartment units across five developments have already been announced for Richmond. <ul><li>And none of them are in development hotspots Scott&#x27;s Addition or Manchester. </li></ul>Why it matters: Scott&#x27;s Addition and Manchester have seemingly sucked up all of the apartment development in the city for nearly a decade.

Real Estate

Pizza and cocktails at Hardywood, tacos with a bottle of bubbles at The Veil, charcuterie and cider at Ardent and a mimosa with biscuits and gravy at Three Notch'd.

Richmond breweries are all grown up and starting to look a lot like — what's the word I'm looking for? Ah, restaurants. 

Why it matters: Brewery taprooms are still a relatively young business in Virginia, but the evolution of their business model shows they're here for the long haul.

State of play: Last year marked the 10th anniversary of the landmark legislation that allowed Virginia breweries to start selling beer for on-site consumption, which led to the explosion of craft breweries across the state. 

At the start of 2012, there were 44 breweries in Virginia. Today, there are nearly 300.

What's happening: In recent years, more than half of Richmond breweries — once bare-bone operations with a few taps and a food truck in the parking lot —  have added in-house restaurants and wine or cider to meet consumer demand and keep up with an increasingly competitive scene. 

"When we started, there was only one other brewery in the city. Now there are 40. We needed something more than just tanks to draw people in," Hardywood co-founder Eric McKay tells Axios. 

In 2021, Hardywood partnered with Richmond chef and restaurant owner Joe Sparatta to develop Hardywood Pizza Kitchen — a six-option artisanal pizza menu made in their Ownby Lane taproom.  

Sparatta helped develop the menu and hire and train the staff before handing over operations to Hardywood. And Hardywood is working with him again on a brat-focused restaurant concept for their West Creek location. 

"It's less money making and more guest experience," Hardywood co-founder Patrick Murtaugh tells Axios. 

The 2012 law allowed breweries to sell their own beer on site, but once breweries added food they could apply for a separate ABC license as a restaurant.  

Virginia ABC only requires a $2,000-per-month minimum in food sales for a wine and beer license for any restaurant, including one inside a brewery. If spirits are served, it goes up to $4,000 and requires a minimum of 45% of sales to come from food.

Hardywood partnered with Barboursville to make a house red and white wine and started making its own cider, options gluten-free patrons had been eager for. 

Six months ago they brought on Richmond bartender Beth Dixon to consult on a cocktail menu, now available at the Ownby taproom. 

For Ardent Craft Ales, the unreliability of food trucks — once ubiquitous at Richmond breweries — drove them to add an in-house food menu.

"There was a food truck wave, and it was fun and exciting. And then by 2019, the best had opened brick-and-mortar restaurants. The good ones were in high demand, and the rest were just unreliable," said Ardent co-owner Tom Sullivan.

They too brought on a consultant to create their sandwich, flatbread and charcuterie menu and gave taproom manager Lincoln Smith, formerly of Secco Wine Bar, free reign to curate a small, seasonal wine list. 

But, by Sullivan's measure, it's not a restaurant. It's "a humble sandwich counter." 

"Our main focus will always be making the best beer we can," Sullivan said. 

Richmond breweries are adding in-house restaurants, wine and more

The evolution of breweries' business model shows they're here for the long haul.

Illustration of an open beer can with the bubbles forming the letters RVA.

Pizza and cocktails at <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Hardywood" data-vars-click-url="https://hardywood.com/" data-vars-content-id="9dcb3a68-8bdf-4ed5-9f32-e33a9ac6029a" data-vars-headline="Richmond breweries are adding in-house restaurants, wine and more" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://hardywood.com/" target="_blank">Hardywood</a>, tacos with a bottle of bubbles at <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="The Veil" data-vars-click-url="https://www.theveilbrewing.com/rva-fh" data-vars-content-id="9dcb3a68-8bdf-4ed5-9f32-e33a9ac6029a" data-vars-headline="Richmond breweries are adding in-house restaurants, wine and more" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.theveilbrewing.com/rva-fh" target="_blank">The Veil</a>, charcuterie and cider at <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Ardent" data-vars-click-url="https://ardentcraftales.com/" data-vars-content-id="9dcb3a68-8bdf-4ed5-9f32-e33a9ac6029a" data-vars-headline="Richmond breweries are adding in-house restaurants, wine and more" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://ardentcraftales.com/" target="_blank">Ardent</a> and a mimosa with biscuits and gravy at <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Three Notch&#x27;d" data-vars-click-url="https://threenotchdbrewing.com/pages/locations" data-vars-content-id="9dcb3a68-8bdf-4ed5-9f32-e33a9ac6029a" data-vars-headline="Richmond breweries are adding in-house restaurants, wine and more" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://threenotchdbrewing.com/pages/locations" target="_blank">Three Notch&#x27;d</a>.Richmond breweries are all grown up and starting to look a lot like — what&#x27;s the word I&#x27;m looking for? Ah, restaurants.

Tomorrow is National Ice Cream for Breakfast Day, perhaps the most important holiday you didn't know existed. 

Here's how Richmond shops are celebrating: 

Gelati Celesti is handing out free Country Style Donuts with all ice cream purchases to customers who show up wearing their pajamas from 9am-noon. 

The ice cream shop is also scooping a new, limited-edition flavor: Cereal Milk, a Fruity Pebbles-infused ice cream.

Ruby Scoops Ice Cream & Sweets will have eight breakfast-inspired flavors Saturday, plus breakfast sundaes and cereal shakes at its Northside shop. 

They're opening up at 8am, and the first 15 customers wearing PJs will get a free gift. 

And Richmond's own Nightingale Ice Cream Sandwiches has a brand-new,  limited-edition flavor out: Cinnamon Roll. 

It'll only be available through March, so you best get on it. 

How Richmond is celebrating National Ice Cream for Breakfast Day

Gelati Celesti is handing out free Country Style Donuts with all ice cream purchases to customers who show up wearing their PJs from 9am-noon.

Best breakfast ever. Image: Courtesy of Gelati Celesti 

Tomorrow is National Ice Cream for Breakfast Day, perhaps the most important holiday you didn&#x27;t know existed. <ul><li>Here&#x27;s how Richmond shops are celebrating: </li></ul>

Food and Drink

People have been drawing on sneakers forever, but VCU junior and student-athlete Jaden Mitchell has made a business of his art — and his custom kicks are now worn by NBA and Olympic athletes. 

Why it matters: Sneaker culture is a multibillion-dollar industry, and this business and accounting double major is just getting started. 

Growing up in Hampton Roads, Mitchell couldn't always afford to buy the shoes he coveted — a single pair can cost hundreds of dollars.

"Well, I was young. I didn't have a job," he tells Axios.  

He uses airbrush equipment and hand paints some images. Images: Courtesy of Jaden Mitchell 

So at 15, he finally tried his hand at making his own, attempting to mimic techniques he saw on YouTube. 

For his first pair, the self-taught artist painted a flame — yellow, red and orange gradient on one side — on an old pair of Vans. 

But Mitchell stuck with it, even after following his older brothers to VCU, where he joined the track team as a sprinter. 

He balances academics, track and his emerging small business, JaysCustomKickz, born from posting pictures of his sneaker art to Instagram. 

Most of his clients find him through his Instagram account. 

Along the way, Olympic sprinter Michael Cherry, whom Mitchell knew as both men came out of high school track programs in Hampton Roads, reached out for a pair. (He wanted Air Force 1 cleats.) 

Former VCU Basketball star Bones Hyland, who now plays for the Denver Nuggets, also ordered two pairs while he was still in college. 

And over the summer Mitchell signed as an artist with Jkicks915, a Texas-based custom cleat business that counts NFL and college football players as its clients. 

A single pair of cleats there starts at $300. 

In the six years he's been at it, he's painted more than 200 pair of shoes. Image: Courtesy of Jaden Mitchell 

Mitchell gets the biggest thrill from seeing college athletes wear his shoes, he says, but seeing a pair on LeBron James or Jalen Hurts (he's an Eagles fan) would be a dream come true. 

A VCU student's custom sneaker art is being worn by pro athletes

Growing up in Hampton Roads, Jaden Mitchell couldn't always afford to buy the shoes he coveted.

Mitchell is a self-taugh artist. Image: Courtesy of Jaden Mitchell 

People have been drawing on sneakers forever, but VCU junior and student-athlete Jaden Mitchell has made a business of his art — and his custom kicks are now worn by NBA and Olympic athletes. Why it matters: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Sneaker culture" data-vars-click-url="https://theconversation.com/the-history-of-sneakers-from-commodity-to-cultural-icon-127268" data-vars-content-id="cd0e5f4d-1a76-44d3-8e71-25a41ee9bc30" data-vars-headline="A VCU student&#x27;s custom sneaker art is being worn by pro athletes" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://theconversation.com/the-history-of-sneakers-from-commodity-to-cultural-icon-127268" target="_blank">Sneaker culture</a> is a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="multibillion-dollar industry" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2021/03/02/nba-basketball-sneaker-culture-baseball" data-vars-content-id="cd0e5f4d-1a76-44d3-8e71-25a41ee9bc30" data-vars-headline="A VCU student&#x27;s custom sneaker art is being worn by pro athletes" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2021/03/02/nba-basketball-sneaker-culture-baseball" target="_self">multibillion-dollar industry</a>, and this business and accounting double major is just getting started.

Karri Peifer

Featured stories

This week at the Virginia Capitol: GOP’s trans sports ban

Richmond breweries are adding in-house restaurants, wine and more

How Richmond is celebrating National Ice Cream for Breakfast Day

A VCU student's custom sneaker art is being worn by pro athletes

Hundreds of new apartments were announced for Richmond in January