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The Richmond Times-Dispatch has lost 35% of its paid print subscribers since last year.

Why it matters: Once considered the paper of record for the region, the paper has been hemorrhaging subscribers and staff since the digital disruption changed how the public consumes news.

By the numbers: The paper is down to just over 24,000 print subscribers, from about 37,000 last year, per an annual notice published last week.

Meanwhile, the number of paid digital subscriptions hit 24,294, an increase of about 2,000 since last year.

Worth noting: An annual print subscription now costs $1,430, per the paper's report.

But the paper is currently advertising a special rate for $35.07 a month, roughly $1,000 less.

Richmond Times-Dispatch print subscriptions plummet

The paper has been hemorrhaging subscribers and staff since the digital disruption changed how the public consumes news.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch has lost 35% of its paid print subscribers <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="since last year" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/richmond/2022/10/12/richmond-times-dispatch-circulation-decline" data-vars-content-id="23e0f244-78a9-4287-83d4-044f9f5f713f" data-vars-headline="Richmond Times-Dispatch print subscriptions plummet" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/richmond/2022/10/12/richmond-times-dispatch-circulation-decline" target="_self">since last year</a>.Why it matters: Once considered the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="paper of record" data-vars-click-url="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newspaper_of_record" data-vars-content-id="23e0f244-78a9-4287-83d4-044f9f5f713f" data-vars-headline="Richmond Times-Dispatch print subscriptions plummet" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newspaper_of_record" target="_blank">paper of record</a> for the region, the paper has been hemorrhaging subscribers and <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="staff" data-vars-click-url="https://m.styleweekly.com/richmond/the-incredible-shrinking-richmond-times-dispatch/Content?oid=18846538" data-vars-content-id="23e0f244-78a9-4287-83d4-044f9f5f713f" data-vars-headline="Richmond Times-Dispatch print subscriptions plummet" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://m.styleweekly.com/richmond/the-incredible-shrinking-richmond-times-dispatch/Content?oid=18846538" target="_blank">staff</a> since the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="digital disruption" data-vars-click-url="https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/fact-sheet/newspapers/" data-vars-content-id="23e0f244-78a9-4287-83d4-044f9f5f713f" data-vars-headline="Richmond Times-Dispatch print subscriptions plummet" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/fact-sheet/newspapers/" target="_blank">digital disruption</a> changed how the public consumes news.

News

Markets

Axios Markets

Nearly 90,000 children in Virginia are at risk of losing day care as hundreds of programs in the state could shutter in the coming months.

Driving the news: The pandemic-era funding that helped stabilize the child care industry ran out Saturday.

The federal funding amounted to a $24 billion Band-Aid that helped providers raise worker pay while lowering customer costs in the wake of massive industry disruption due to COVID-19.

Virginia received $488.6 million in American Rescue Plan funding to help stabilize child care programs.

Why it matters: The "child care cliff" is hitting just as women, particularly mothers, are finding their stride in the U.S. labor market — with workforce participation at new highs and the employment gap between men and women at record lows.

If the dire forecasts prove true, millions of parents — particularly mothers — are going to be left with some hard choices.

Their child care provider could shut down or raise prices past affordable levels, which is widely expected — and many parents could exit the job market entirely.

Zoom in: In Virginia, as many as 1,383 child care programs that serve 88,265 children may close without additional funding, according to one widely cited estimate from the Century Foundation.

The big picture: This cliff is new, but the reality is the industry in the U.S. has been living on the edge for a long time.

Providers are limited in their pricing power because most parents can't pay all that much for care. To keep costs down, workers make very little — $14.22 per hour on average, per U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics numbers from 2022 — and providers operate on razor-thin margins.

Be smart: The average annual cost for center-based toddler care in Virginia last year was $11,579 ($965 a month) — nearly as much as a year of in-state college tuition, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Nearly 68% of Virginia children under the age of 6 are in households where both parents work.

Some good news: The state still has another year on its two-year child care subsidy pilot program, which increased providers' reimbursement to help them stay afloat.

What's next: Child care centers aren't going to suddenly close this week. Experts predict the impact of the fall off the cliff will take time to develop.

The looming child care crisis

Pandemic-era funding expired over the weekend, which could lead some child care providers to shut down or raise their prices.

Illustration of a child guiding a green toy train with dollar sign wheels off the edge of a table

Child care

Nearly 90,000 children in Virginia are at risk of losing day care as hundreds of programs in the state could shutter in the coming months.Driving the news: The pandemic-era funding that helped stabilize the child care industry ran out Saturday.<ul><li>The federal <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="funding" data-vars-click-url="https://link.axios.com/click/32857071.128/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYXhpb3MuY29tLzIwMjEvMDQvMTUvd2hpdGUtaG91c2Uta2FtYWxhLWhhcnJpcy1jaGlsZGNhcmUtY292aWQ_dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1uZXdzbGV0dGVyJnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWwmdXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPXNlbmR0b19sb2NhbG5ld3NsZXR0ZXJ0ZXN0JnN0cmVhbT10b3A/621cf7632d0d7c1ea2551892Ba55e9e52" data-vars-content-id="823fd174-52c2-4171-a494-80495ea77c0c" data-vars-headline="The looming child care crisis" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://link.axios.com/click/32857071.128/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYXhpb3MuY29tLzIwMjEvMDQvMTUvd2hpdGUtaG91c2Uta2FtYWxhLWhhcnJpcy1jaGlsZGNhcmUtY292aWQ_dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1uZXdzbGV0dGVyJnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWwmdXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPXNlbmR0b19sb2NhbG5ld3NsZXR0ZXJ0ZXN0JnN0cmVhbT10b3A/621cf7632d0d7c1ea2551892Ba55e9e52" target="_blank">funding</a> amounted to a $24 billion Band-Aid that helped providers raise worker pay while lowering customer costs in the wake of massive industry disruption due to COVID-19.</li><li>Virginia received <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="$488.6 million in American Rescue Plan" data-vars-click-url="https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/occ/Virginia_ARP_Child_Care_Stabilization_FactSheet.pdf" data-vars-content-id="823fd174-52c2-4171-a494-80495ea77c0c" data-vars-headline="The looming child care crisis" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/occ/Virginia_ARP_Child_Care_Stabilization_FactSheet.pdf" target="_blank">$488.6 million in American Rescue Plan</a> funding to help stabilize child care programs.</li></ul>Now that money is gone.

For the first time in nearly 35 years, Ellwood Thompson's Local Market is under new ownership.

Driving the news: Healthier Choices Management Corp —  a Florida-based, self-described "healthier alternatives" company — purchased the Carytown natural food market for an undisclosed amount.

Why it matters: The locally owned natural food grocer survived decades of Richmond grocery changes — including the sale of Ukrop's to Martin's and then to Publix, the addition of a Fresh Market a stone's throw away, and the opening of the city's first Whole Foods.

In fact, Ellwood expanded – twice – growing from 5,000 square feet when it opened in 1993 in its current home at the intersection of Ellwood and Thompson streets, to 20,000 square feet today.

Absolutely nothing will change, including the staff, culture and selection, Healthier Choices' COO Christopher Santi tells Axios.

"We hope to be a good steward of what [Ellwood Thompson owner Rick Hood] built and continue for years to come," Santi says.

Hood is ready to retire, he told Axios in a statement, and plans to spend more time in North Carolina with his grandkids.

"The store is my life's work. So, considering who would take over was a critical decision," he says. Healthier Choices sold him on their commitment to the wellness mission.

Healthier Choices owns more than a dozen natural markets operating under three brands throughout Florida, New York, New Jersey; an online vitamin store; and wellness centers, some of which operate inside its natural markets.

Adding one at Ellwood could be something on the table for the future, Santi says.

Ellwood Thompson's sold to Florida-based company

Ellwood Thompson's. Photo: Karri Peifer/Axios 

For the first time in nearly 35 years, Ellwood Thompson&#x27;s Local Market is under new ownership.Driving the news: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Healthier Choices Management Corp" data-vars-click-url="https://www.healthiercmc.com/" data-vars-content-id="9582b6ce-9fca-4a23-801e-7c540ef78311" data-vars-headline="Ellwood Thompson&#x27;s sold to Florida-based company" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.healthiercmc.com/" target="_blank">Healthier Choices Management Corp</a> — a Florida-based, self-described &quot;healthier alternatives&quot; company — purchased the Carytown natural food market for an undisclosed amount.

Business

Ned here, back from a (mostly) pleasant afternoon at the State Fair of Virginia.

What's happening: The fair closes out its 2023 run Sunday, leaving you three more days to experience a slice of the state's wonderful (and sometimes bizarre) agricultural heritage.

Why it matters: Record-setting produce! Award-winning animals! Sketchy midway rides!

Here's my guide to this year's sights, smells and flavors …

🎃 Heavyweight gourds: This is clearly the big draw this year.

People were lining up in the Horticulture Pavilion to photograph a world-record-breaking butternut squash, which was grown in Rappahannock County and weighed in at 131.4 pounds.

There's also an array of enormous pumpkins and watermelons, plus a handful of extremely long gourds, which have been affixed to two-by-fours to maintain structural integrity.

The pavilion also features regular-sized produce, including some very satisfying displays of prize-winning corn, which is judged on its uniform rows and consistent color.

Deep-fried broccoli and a pork chop on a stick. Photos: Ned Oliver/Axios

🧈 Deep-fried everything: Vendors seemed to have mostly dropped the ridiculous menu items of past years (no deep-fried bacon Kool-Aid pizza here). But you can still get a little weird.

I was trying to be healthy, so I stuck with a meal of deep-fried broccoli ($10) and pork chop on a stick ($12).

First of all, had the pork chop been served on a plate in a restaurant rather than a stick, I would have thought I was eating a fine pork schnitzel. It was great.

I only ordered the broccoli because I thought it was funny, but honestly, it worked and I ended up eating it all.

Everyone is having fun here. Photo: Ned Oliver/Axios

🎢 Midway shakedown: Wristbands for unlimited rides are $30 bucks and individual tickets will end up running you between $3 and $8 per ride.

Be forewarned that various $2 fees will be added to your purchases, and the individual ticket system seems designed to make sure you leave with leftover tickets you can't spend.

I don't love getting dizzy on creaky traveling rides, so I bought just enough tickets for a ride on the Ferris wheel and a few trips down the super slide. (I'm a simple man.)

I was disappointed to learn the Ferris wheel has a strict policy against single riders, which meant I could only get on if I convinced one of the pre-teens in line behind me to let me join their group. And that didn't seem like a good time for anyone.

Hopefully you're not a lonely person and this won't apply to you.

A very good bird. Photo: Ned Oliver/Axios

🕊 The best pigeons in the state: Does this pigeon know it's better than its peers? What makes it so great, anyway?

No answers are forthcoming in the Pigeon and Dove Association's tent on the Livestock Loop. (According to one online source you're looking for a tidy bird with good plumage.) But the display is chock full of hundreds of handsome, cooing birds that are definitely worth a look.

🐣 Baby animals galore: Pet a baby cow. Or some goats. Gaze at tiny rabbits. And see some just-hatched chicks.

They're cute and plentiful. Check out Young McDonald Farm on the Livestock Loop, and the petting zoo at the end of the kid's midway.

Of note: The fair is at Meadow Event Park (just across the street from Kings Dominion) open 10am-9pm through Sunday.

Admission is $15 in advance or $16 at the gate. Parking is free.

How to spend a day at the State Fair of Virginia

The fair closes out its 2023 run on Sunday.

Big gourds equals big draw. Photo: Ned Oliver/Axios

Ned here, back from a (mostly) pleasant afternoon at the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="State Fair of Virginia" data-vars-click-url="https://www.statefairva.org/" data-vars-content-id="9b19ce8f-082d-4dfa-bfb7-3f9fc29a8e49" data-vars-headline="How to spend a day at the State Fair of Virginia" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.statefairva.org/" target="_blank">State Fair of Virginia</a>.What&#x27;s happening: The fair closes out its 2023 run Sunday, leaving you three more days to experience a slice of the state&#x27;s wonderful (and sometimes bizarre) agricultural heritage.

It's that time of year when Richmond-area farms and fields stop their plowing and hand over the scythe so someone can scare the 🤬 out of locals.

Driving the news: Some local haunted forests, hayrides and houses are opening this weekend.

🧛Red Vein at Hanover Vegetable Farm in Ashland opens tonight and runs every Friday and Saturday starting at 7:30pm through Halloween, with a few Thursday nights later in the month.

This relative newcomer to the terror-filled scene has near-perfect online review ratings. This year's theme: 1999 and the aftermath of a massacre that year.

Admission starts at $21.99 and includes access to all four attractions (an asylum, a house, a cornfield and woods). You can upgrade to a fast pass to skip the lines.

There's a kid-friendly, less scary night on Thursday, Oct. 19 ($14.99).

🧟‍♂️Terror on the Farm at Ashland Berry Farm is popping up with terror tours on Saturday before its regular Thursday-Sunday season starts next weekend.

This long-running Ashland fear fest is no slouch when it comes to scaring the bejesus out of locals, and they say this year's is the scariest yet.

Every year it hosts four themed haunted tours, $15-$25 each, or you can buy an unlimited pass and get access to all four ($27-$45), plus skip-the-line passes.

Prices vary by night of the week and proximity to Halloween, but be sure to check the schedule for their discount and local beer and wine nights.

🎃 If you're looking for something tamer, for the kids, or because you're a big scared baby (like Karri), Chesterfield Berry Farm's family-friendly Fall Festival is running every weekend through Oct. 31.

Highlights include hay rides, hay mazes, rubber duck and living pig races, and new this year: an alien-invasion-themed corn maze and giant jump pad. Admission starts at $15.

Of note: ⚰️ Creepy Hollow Scream Park in Hanover and Total Terror in Powhatan open next weekend.

Kick-start the Halloween season in Richmond with these haunted activities

Animated illustration of a haunted house with three ghosts coming out of it.

It&#x27;s that time of year when Richmond-area farms and fields stop their plowing and hand over the scythe so someone can scare the 🤬 out of locals.Driving the news: Some local haunted forests, hayrides and houses are opening this weekend.

Karri Peifer

Featured stories

Ellwood Thompson's sold to Florida-based company

Richmond Times-Dispatch print subscriptions plummet

The looming child care crisis

Kick-start the Halloween season in Richmond with these haunted activities

How to spend a day at the State Fair of Virginia