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A daily look at the most significant and interesting stories affecting Richmond.

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Virginia sightings detailed in UFO hearings

The pilots reported the sighting but said there was no further investigation by the military.

News

Hot new restaurant openings in Richmond

Treat yourself to something new and freshen up your Insta feed.

Food and Drink

Year-round school experiment kicks off in Richmond

Students at Fairfield and Cardinal elementary schools returned to class Monday, 20 instructional days before their peers.

Education

The Valentine museum is hiring a city historian

It's the first official historian job for the Richmond history museum in its 125 years.

Virginia lawmakers finally return to Richmond to pass a budget

Tax breaks and teacher raises are front and center in the compromise lawmakers reached.

They&#x27;re only six months late.What&#x27;s happening: State lawmakers are back in Richmond Wednesday to vote on <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="long-delayed amendments" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/richmond/2023/08/24/virginia-budget-deal-youngkin-tax-rebates" data-vars-content-id="17e5a2c3-e2ca-4b94-95da-53007555f2f5" data-vars-headline="Virginia lawmakers finally return to Richmond to pass a budget" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/richmond/2023/08/24/virginia-budget-deal-youngkin-tax-rebates" target="_self">long-delayed amendments</a> to the state budget.

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The highlights of the 2023 Virginia budget deal

We read the 700-page document so you don't have to.

Politics

The budget is a more than <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="700-page document" data-vars-click-url="https://budget.lis.virginia.gov/get/budget/4776/HB6001/" data-vars-content-id="c8e32e4c-7ceb-431c-8500-0a58fbd69391" data-vars-headline="The highlights of the 2023 Virginia budget deal" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://budget.lis.virginia.gov/get/budget/4776/HB6001/" target="_blank">700-page document</a>, and lawmakers tend to slip all kinds of things in there.What&#x27;s happening: Here are some of the other odds and ends that caught our eye.

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Virginia budget deal hinges on tax rebates

The stalled budget has has tied up new spending initiatives, including big teacher raises, mental health reforms and even funding to help Richmond's poop-spewing sewer system.

Virginia taxpayers might be getting another check from the state in the mail.What&#x27;s happening: Lawmakers say they think they&#x27;ve reached a deal on the long-overdue state budget.

Illustration of a personal check in the shape of a checkmark in a box

The 2023 General Assembly election ad wars begin

House Democrats announced a "six-figure" campaign focused on abortion Wednesday.

Swing district voters are about to start hearing a lot about inflation and abortion.What&#x27;s happening: Republicans and Democrats fighting for control of the General Assembly are ramping up their ad buys as the beginning of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="early voting nears" data-vars-click-url="https://www.elections.virginia.gov/casting-a-ballot/candidate-list/upcoming-elections.html" data-vars-content-id="3f9e1502-de8a-4b89-8923-e1db3990f4f6" data-vars-headline="The 2023 General Assembly election ad wars begin" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.elections.virginia.gov/casting-a-ballot/candidate-list/upcoming-elections.html" target="_blank">early voting nears</a>.

Illustration of two opposing megaphones in red and blue with US flags ascending from the sound pieces 

Farmville singer's blue-collar anthem "Rich Men North of Richmond" goes viral

The song racked up more than 9 million views on YouTube in five days.

Culture

A Farmville man&#x27;s angry anti-tax ballad is the right&#x27;s favorite new song, rocketing to No. 2 on Apple Music over the weekend.Why it matters: Well, zeroing in on the geography for a moment, it is called <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="&quot;Rich Men North of Richmond.&quot;" data-vars-click-url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqSA-SY5Hro&amp;ab_channel=radiowv" data-vars-content-id="47a85429-8bc8-42fe-8244-a56da1dee4f8" data-vars-headline="Farmville singer&#x27;s blue-collar anthem &quot;Rich Men North of Richmond&quot; goes viral" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqSA-SY5Hro&amp;ab_channel=radiowv" target="_blank">&quot;Rich Men North of Richmond.&quot;</a>

Cross-border casino rivalry brewing between Virginia and North Carolina

Officials are annoyed that Virginia is making so much money off of North Carolinians.

Development

North Carolina lawmakers are coming for Virginia&#x27;s newly opened casinos.What&#x27;s happening: Officials in the state are annoyed that Virginia is making so much money off of North Carolinians, who are the primary source of revenue for Caesars Virginia, which opened in May just across the border in Danville.

Illustration of a dice with money signs on it instead of dots.

Review panel makes recommendations to reimagine Richmond's government

The commission hopes the changes would make the mayor, City Council and administration function more like a partnership.

A city commission has released a four-part plan to exorcize acrimony from city government.What&#x27;s happening: The <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="City Council&#x27;s Charter Review Commission" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/richmond/2023/06/05/city-council-charter-review" data-vars-content-id="ac4e78c4-e5b1-4436-931c-cd865a5aa1f8" data-vars-headline="Review panel makes recommendations to reimagine Richmond&#x27;s government" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/richmond/2023/06/05/city-council-charter-review" target="_self">City Council&#x27;s Charter Review Commission</a> ended its work last week, unveiling a mix of short-term and longer-term recommendations they hope will make the mayor, council and administration function more like a partnership.

Illustration of Richmond City Hall with lines radiating from it.

Electoral board closes downtown and South Richmond early voting locations

This is the first election being administered by the electoral board's new GOP majority.

There won&#x27;t be any early voting locations downtown or in South Richmond this year.What&#x27;s happening: The city electoral board&#x27;s new Republican majority voted against opening the satellite locations earlier this week, citing budgetary concerns, per general registrar Keith Balmer.

Animated illustration of a sign reading, COME IN, WE'RE OPEN flipping over to read SORRY, WE'RE CLOSED.

Virginia's new transgender student policies

The Department of Education spent 10 months reviewing more than 70,000 public comments it received and came up with pretty much the same policy.

Virginia has new model policies for how its K-12 schools should treat transgender students.Driving the news: Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced the policy Tuesday — 10 months after he released a draft policy that drew criticism from LGBTQ+ advocates and sparked student protests around the state, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="per the Washington Post" data-vars-click-url="https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/07/18/virginia-transgender-student-model-policies-youngkin/" data-vars-content-id="b7dc288f-7f15-49d5-aa6d-1d5216249397" data-vars-headline="Virginia&#x27;s new transgender student policies" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/07/18/virginia-transgender-student-model-policies-youngkin/" target="_blank">per the Washington Post</a>.<ul><li>The Department of Education spent the 10 months reviewing more than 70,000 public comments it received.</li></ul>

Illustration of a gavel with a trans flag on it

Youngkin is hauling in record money for Virginia Republicans

His PAC, Spirit of Virginia, raised a record $5.75 million last quarter.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin&#x27;s national profile is bringing in big bucks for Virginia Republicans.What&#x27;s happening: His PAC, Spirit of Virginia, raised a record $5.75 million last quarter amid national interest in Youngkin as a rising star within the party.

Illustration of a weather forecast, stylized as rain made of money. 

Politics 🇺🇸