The Capital Region Land Conservancy (CRLC) just secured the last privately owned piece of Mayo Island.

Why it matters: The 0.25-acre parcel is a key piece of land that will help the city complete its longtime goal of turning the concrete parking lot into a public park.

• CRLC's acquisition could also give the city more options for the design of the new Mayo Bridge, per a news release.

State of play: Until last week, the property at 510 S. 14th St. was owned by local Louis A. Heindl, who bought it in 1973 for $13,000, per city property records.

• It was most recently used as a food truck hub, and its historic uses include a 1933-built service station, which still stands today.
• CRLC closed on the parcel for $675,000.

By the numbers: That's far more than the parcel's $55,000 assessed value, per property records.

• But it's less than the $1.65 million Heindl listed it for in 2024 after CRLC and the city secured the bulk of Mayo, BizSense reported then.

Zoom in: With the latest Mayo acquisition, the nonprofit will work with the city to transfer the land to its ownership for inclusion in its broader Mayo Island park plan.

• Since its founding in 2005, CRLC has helped protect thousands of acres from private development.
• Much of it has been preserved as public green spaces including: the Richmond Slave Trail, Dock Street Park, a Scott's Addition park and 15 acres of Mayo Island.

What's next: The city plans to begin demolishing structures on the portion of Mayo it already owns next month, BizSense reports.

• That's later than the city's original timeline, which called for demolition to begin last fall.
• It's unclear what caused the delay. The city did not respond by press time.

Tell a park lover

Chesterfield just followed Richmond and Henrico in launching a public animal cruelty registry.

Why it matters: Metro Richmond has the only Virginia localities with registries, putting the region at the forefront of the state's efforts to keep animals out of unsafe homes.

State of play: Chesterfield's registry went live on June 6, county animal services manager Lt. Carrie Jones tells Axios.

• Like Richmond's and Henrico's, the registry was created under a state law that went into effect last year.

How it works: The registry includes people convicted of felony animal cruelty offenses, including animal fighting and killing, poisoning or permanently injuring animals.

• It also includes the offender's name, address, offense and conviction date eventually going back to Jan. 1, 2009.

Zoom in: Two offenders are on Chesterfield's registry as of this week: one person convicted of animal cruelty causing death in 2018 and another for dog fighting in 2020.

• But additions could be coming, including "a few pending court disposition," Jones tells Axios.

Tell a dog owner

🫩 Gov. Spanberger plans to propose amendments to the budget approved by lawmakers this week, including "technical" changes legislators requested. (Virginia Scope)

• The legislature will likely reconvene Monday to consider the changes.
• State funding runs out Tuesday at 11:59pm.

📋 Richmond City Council — backed by Mayor Avula and union organizers — unanimously approved changes to the city's collective bargaining rules, expanding what unions can negotiate to include promotions, scheduling and work assignments. (The Richmonder)

📚 Meanwhile, the union representing RPS teachers has declared an impasse in contract negotiations with the school system, sending disputes over raises and other issues to mediation next month. (The Richmonder)

🏗️ State lawmakers approved nearly $700 million for two major VCU projects: the purchase and renovation of Altria's downtown research building and construction of a new dental school. (Times-Dispatch)

• The funding still requires Spanberger's signature.

Rest in peace to Vagabond.

Why it matters: The downtown event space that turned into a major nightlife spot for Black Richmonders is closing its doors on June 30 after nearly a decade in business.

State of play: Vagabond didn't offer a reason in its announcement yesterday, and co-owners Lester Johnson — who runs Mama J's — and RVA Fashion Week's Jimmy Budd didn't respond to Axios' request for comment.

• But the spot next to The National saw its fair share of turnover before becoming Vagabond in 2015.
• Johnson and his partners took over in 2017.

Zoom in: The downstairs "Rabbit Hole" transformed into a club-like lounge that was later home to local DJ Markus Gold's popular Redlight Reggae series.

• Redlight's final Vagabond event was earlier this month.

What they're saying: "It's honestly been the only consistent spot that we've had for that decade that it's been open," Gold tells Axios.

• "To lose a space like that, it's like a stab in the heart," he says.

More on Vagabond's history

Hundreds of travel content creators from across the globe converge on Richmond this week for the largest trade conference of travel influencers.

Why it matters: Locals can expect to see a lot #RVA #travel #content popping up in their feeds.

State of play: TBEX North America 2026 (or #TBEX if you prefer) will be at the Richmond Convention Center through Friday.

• And some #influencers have already found lots to love in Richmond restaurants, historic sites, fitness studios and boat rides.

💗 Heartwarming moment: Richmond Region Tourism has been working for years to land the coveted group here, and Bill Martin — the late Valentine museum director — accidentally helped secure the conference.

• TBEX organizers were doing a site visit at Quirk Hotel in September 2023 when Martin happened to walk into the lobby, per Richmond tourism.
• Martin being Martin jumped into the conversation and shared why Richmond would be the "ideal host destination."
• And his surprise pitch turned out to be key to closing the deal.

Keep reading for what else helped them land TBEX