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Virginia's cannabis tip line draws dozens of early complaints

Most of the first 46 reports allege illegal cannabis sales at vape shops across Virginia.

News

Virginia&#x27;s new &quot;illegal cannabis&quot; tip line received more than four dozen complaints in its first few weeks of operation, according to the state <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Cannabis Control Authority" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/richmond/2025/09/22/virginia-cannabis-patients-marijuana-sales-2025" data-vars-content-id="66622bee-da61-4761-9b80-c5da747efe0e" data-vars-headline="Virginia&#x27;s cannabis tip line draws dozens of early complaints" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/richmond/2025/09/22/virginia-cannabis-patients-marijuana-sales-2025" target="_self">Cannabis Control Authority</a>.Why it matters: The state is collecting complaints nearly a year ahead of licensed recreational cannabis sales — and as it creates its enforcement system.

New Chesterfield ice rink eyes return of pro hockey

The year-round Richmond Ice Box also has public skating, youth hockey leagues, figure skating and a bar.

Culture

A new, year-round ice rink in Chesterfield wants to help bring professional ice hockey back to Richmond.Why it matters: The region hasn&#x27;t had a pro team since the Richmond Renegades, which folded in 2009 and once played at the now-abandoned Coliseum.

Richmond may change stop-sign parking rule after ticket surge

The city saw a 280% jump in stop-sign parking tickets — most of them issued in one part of Richmond.

A 280% jump in Richmond stop-sign parking tickets — most of them issued in one part of the city — is prompting a City Council push to rewrite the rule behind them. Why it matters: Backers of the proposal say the current standard is confusing and unusually restrictive. Transportation officials say changing it could make intersections less safe.

Adult summer camps are taking off in Richmond

Childhood camp is getting a grown-up makeover, complete with happy hours, DIY workshops and 5K group runs.

Things to Do

Adult summer camps are having a moment in Richmond.Why it matters: They&#x27;re not just for kids anymore, especially as a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="loneliness epidemic" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/05/03/surgeon-general-vivek-murthy-fights-loneliness" data-vars-content-id="9692c9ea-92a0-4f98-b7cd-fb1b04dfa110" data-vars-headline="Adult summer camps are taking off in Richmond" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/05/03/surgeon-general-vivek-murthy-fights-loneliness" target="_self">loneliness epidemic</a> has Richmonders craving something increasingly hard to find: real-world connection.

Richmond unveils design for $18M Lumpkin's Slave Jail Pavilion

The project will preserve one of the nation's most significant slave-trading sites.

Richmond unveiled the design for the Lumpkin&#x27;s Slave Jail Pavilion, the next major piece of the city&#x27;s long-planned <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Shockoe Project" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/richmond/2024/02/29/richnmond-bfd-shockoe-project-slavery-museum" data-vars-content-id="a24220b6-96b5-43cc-b260-0850a860d086" data-vars-headline="Richmond unveils design for $18M Lumpkin&#x27;s Slave Jail Pavilion" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/richmond/2024/02/29/richnmond-bfd-shockoe-project-slavery-museum" target="_self">Shockoe Project</a>.The big picture: The $18 million pavilion will preserve and tell the story of one of the nation&#x27;s most significant surviving slave-trading sites, where thousands of enslaved people were imprisoned before being sold.

Richmond's time capsule picks: Drunk raccoon, Gun Hole, Marlboros

We asked what should represent Virginia 250 years from now. Here's what Richmonders said.

This week, after being underwhelmed that Virginia&#x27;s entry in &quot;America&#x27;s Time Capsule&quot; was <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="a coin" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/richmond/2026/07/02/virginia-americas-time-capsule-2276" data-vars-content-id="9954ddc9-63a6-45ae-b220-8fddc17e8a5a" data-vars-headline="Richmond&#x27;s time capsule picks: Drunk raccoon, Gun Hole, Marlboros" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/richmond/2026/07/02/virginia-americas-time-capsule-2276" target="_self">a coin</a>, we asked readers what they would&#x27;ve picked instead.Why it matters: The responses were very Richmond — arguably the best city to represent our state for Americans 250 years from now.

Shockoe Institute opens, confronting Richmond's role in slavery

How its exhibit begins: "American racial slavery began in Virginia. Richmond played a central role in its expansion."

One of the first messages visitors will see inside the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Shockoe Institute" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/richmond/2025/04/07/shockoe-slave-trade-history-center" data-vars-content-id="4587d483-1ff5-4928-8783-4e756df83cfb" data-vars-headline="Shockoe Institute opens, confronting Richmond&#x27;s role in slavery" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/richmond/2025/04/07/shockoe-slave-trade-history-center" target="_self">Shockoe Institute</a> is a blunt, unflinching introduction to a history the city has long struggled to confront:<ul><li>&quot;American racial slavery began in Virginia. Richmond played a central role in its expansion.&quot;</li></ul><figure><img alt="Exhibition gallery with tall white panels bearing bold maroon text about hierarchy and racial slavery; maroon wall on left with white text; track lighting, curved white line on dark floor." height="4284" id="6af4fbc5-5c2f-48a8-8762-6e085e1fc64b" src="https://images.axios.com/uXrH_YlAZ1Omlb-O1IhyDH3fTg4=/2026/04/09/1775762471390.jpeg" width="5712" srcset="https://images.axios.com/LwIdbm5oY7DHIsojoPJSJeSjtmI=/0x0:5712x4284/1920x1440/2026/04/09/1775762471390.jpeg?w=1920 1920w, https://images.axios.com/-Nm35MiE3_PmeavW19uL5QSsREI=/0x0:5712x4284/1600x1200/2026/04/09/1775762471390.jpeg?w=1600 1600w, https://images.axios.com/ZvlLWvLRDiF5LoHKkRi3VVOGzdY=/0x0:5712x4284/1366x1024/2026/04/09/1775762471390.jpeg?w=1366 1366w, https://images.axios.com/3qWT8-A8ZUjZ1ERUyXw-3gkWB98=/0x0:5712x4284/1024x768/2026/04/09/1775762471390.jpeg?w=1024 1024w, https://images.axios.com/uB4iplTZCTL_46sihpgkatfdQbU=/0x0:5712x4284/768x576/2026/04/09/1775762471390.jpeg?w=768 768w, https://images.axios.com/EKfTzWev4QfJ1eKCIME8FqUkElw=/0x0:5712x4284/640x480/2026/04/09/1775762471390.jpeg?w=640 640w, https://images.axios.com/WJ3UEx59v6PKnCydK8N8ENRYtl0=/0x0:5712x4284/320x240/2026/04/09/1775762471390.jpeg?w=320 320w"/><figcaption>Some of the first words you see upon entering the exhibit. Photo: Sabrina Moreno/Axios</figcaption></figure>State of play: The 12,000-square-foot <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="institute" data-vars-click-url="https://www.shockoeinstitute.org/" data-vars-content-id="4587d483-1ff5-4928-8783-4e756df83cfb" data-vars-headline="Shockoe Institute opens, confronting Richmond&#x27;s role in slavery" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.shockoeinstitute.org/" target="_blank">institute</a>, housed within Main Street Station, is the first major piece of Richmond&#x27;s $265 million <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Shockoe Project" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/richmond/2024/02/29/richnmond-bfd-shockoe-project-slavery-museum" data-vars-content-id="4587d483-1ff5-4928-8783-4e756df83cfb" data-vars-headline="Shockoe Institute opens, confronting Richmond&#x27;s role in slavery" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/richmond/2024/02/29/richnmond-bfd-shockoe-project-slavery-museum" target="_self">Shockoe Project</a> — a sweeping, decades-in-the-making plan to memorialize the city&#x27;s part in the slave trade.

In photos: "Walk for Peace" monks arrive in Richmond

Their arrival drew thousands to City Hall on Monday.

The Buddhist monks&#x27; arrival in Richmond on Day 100 of their &quot;Walk for Peace&quot; drew thousands to City Hall on Monday.Why it matters: They said it was the biggest crowd they&#x27;d seen yet in Virginia.

Richmond's $265M Shockoe Project begins to take shape

The Planning Commission pushed through two new approvals for key parts of the project this week.

Richmond just made two big moves in its push to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="memorialize the city&#x27;s role" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/richmond/2024/02/29/richnmond-bfd-shockoe-project-slavery-museum" data-vars-content-id="fce3d68c-9233-4543-8a21-ff58e280d612" data-vars-headline="Richmond&#x27;s $265M Shockoe Project begins to take shape" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/richmond/2024/02/29/richnmond-bfd-shockoe-project-slavery-museum" target="_self">memorialize the city&#x27;s role</a> in the transatlantic slave trade.Why it matters: Once complete, the 10-acre <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Shockoe Project" data-vars-click-url="https://theshockoeproject.com/" data-vars-content-id="fce3d68c-9233-4543-8a21-ff58e280d612" data-vars-headline="Richmond&#x27;s $265M Shockoe Project begins to take shape" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://theshockoeproject.com/" target="_blank">Shockoe Project</a> will bring long-promised recognition to sites once ignored or erased — and transform Shockoe Valley.

How one Shockoe Slip spot tells Richmond's restaurant story

This Cary Street space has seen Richmond's restaurant trends rise, fall and reinvent themselves.

Food and Drink

Karri here, ready to take you on a brief history of Papi&#x27;s space in Shockoe Slip.Why it matters: The building in the 1400 block of East Cary Street has a history of housing some fantastic Richmond restaurants.

Richmond group pushes for Virginia's place in hip-hop history

From Missy Elliott to Clipse, the Virginia Hip-Hop Foundation wants the world to know how the state shaped the genre.

A group of Richmonders is trying to cement Virginia&#x27;s influence on hip-hop.Why it matters: &quot;Virginia isn&#x27;t looked at as a hip-hop capital, but we are,&quot; says Linwood Johnson, who co-founded the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Virginia Hip-Hop Foundation" data-vars-click-url="https://www.virginiahiphopfoundation.org/" data-vars-content-id="60d7fe0f-bbfe-4a28-b13b-319100ab40ed" data-vars-headline="Richmond group pushes for Virginia&#x27;s place in hip-hop history" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.virginiahiphopfoundation.org/" target="_blank">Virginia Hip-Hop Foundation</a> to elevate that narrative for the next generation.

From New Orleans to Richmond: How "Mr. Jazz" found a home after Katrina

At 85, Gourrier has earned a reputation as the city's jazz historian — a title long set in New Orleans.

When Michael Gourrier describes what <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Hurricane Katrina" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/new-orleans/2025/08/25/6-hurricane-katrina-memorials-louisiana" data-vars-content-id="628bbbe2-4761-4f03-b2db-83ea2c54be5a" data-vars-headline="From New Orleans to Richmond: How &quot;Mr. Jazz&quot; found a home after Katrina" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/new-orleans/2025/08/25/6-hurricane-katrina-memorials-louisiana" target="_self">Hurricane Katrina</a> took from him, he simply says: &quot;What the water didn&#x27;t get, the mold and mildew got.&quot;Inside The Answer Brewpub on Broad Street, he tells me he fled the city he was born in with &quot;this,&quot; forming a minuscule space between his thumb and index finger.

Henrico plans first trail honoring Black Civil War soldiers

The 3.2-mile trail will run from the Four Mile Creek Trailhead off the Virginia Capital Trail to Deep Bottom Park.

Henrico is planning a 3.2-mile trail that will double as a recreational path and a tribute to the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Black soldiers" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/richmond/2025/04/04/richmond-black-history-museum-projection" data-vars-content-id="2c3bfd0d-dcba-4cdd-9d19-cac7af6a1973" data-vars-headline="Henrico plans first trail honoring Black Civil War soldiers" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/richmond/2025/04/04/richmond-black-history-museum-projection" target="_self">Black soldiers</a> who fought in one of the Civil War&#x27;s most pivotal battles.Why it matters: It&#x27;ll be the first in the county to commemorate Black Union troops and their role in American history.

Kevin Bacon's Richmond show sold out, but you can still stream him

Amazon Prime recently added an older series starring Bacon that almost entirely takes place in Richmond.

Hollywood star Kevin Bacon&#x27;s decade-old drama set in Richmond is once again streaming. Why it matters: Missing his <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="sold-out show" data-vars-click-url="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-bacon-brothers-tickets-1312234632109" data-vars-content-id="bf3591f7-8248-4815-9ccf-9f3bc66a940f" data-vars-headline="Kevin Bacon&#x27;s Richmond show sold out, but you can still stream him" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-bacon-brothers-tickets-1312234632109" target="_blank">sold-out show</a> at The Tin Pan next week doesn&#x27;t have to mean missing your Bacon fix.

History

Richmond unveils design for $18M Lumpkin's Slave Jail Pavilion

Richmond's time capsule picks: Drunk raccoon, Gun Hole, Marlboros

Shockoe Institute opens, confronting Richmond's role in slavery

In photos: "Walk for Peace" monks arrive in Richmond

Richmond's $265M Shockoe Project begins to take shape