Energy costs this winter are expected to be the highest in 15 years, Axios' Herb Scribner reports.

What's happening: Higher wholesale fuel prices combined with an increase in demand due to a likely colder winter will hit residential bills hard this year, the U.S. Energy Information Administration predicts in its winter fuel forecast.

Zoom in: Just over half of all homes in Virginia and Richmond use electricity for home heating, as opposed to natural gas, per census data.

• Heating bills for those who use electricity in the South are expected to jump 12% ($208 a month), according to the EIA.
• Natural gas in the South is expected to jump 24% ($127 a month).
• Heating oil costs will rise by about 27% ($392).
• Any homes using propane will see a 4% increase ($252).

Of note: The Energy Information Administration forecast is an estimate based on likely fuel increases and weather conditions, but could change.

• And the South will see less of an increase than most of the rest of the country, per the EIA.

Be smart: Since July, Richmond Gas Works, which facilitates natural gas for the whole metro area, has been able to set the Purchased Gas Cost monthly as opposed to quarterly, Rhonda Johnson, spokesperson for the city's Department of Public Utility, tells Axios.

• And this month, that cost actually went down by 33%, from $1.13 per 100 cubic feet in October to 76 cents, Johnson said.
• Since Gas Works is required to pass the cost to consumers, Richmonders should see the lower rate in their bills this month.

Yes, but: The rate is still higher than last year, and higher heating bills will hit low-income families the hardest.

Gas Works and Dominion Energy offer tips for saving and, in some cases, financial assistance or payment plans. Visit their websites for more information.

Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, a GOP firebrand who campaigned for Donald Trump, became the second elected Virginia Republican to publicly break with the former president.

• “A true leader understands when they have become a liability,” she said during an appearance on Fox Business late last week. “A true leader understands that it’s time to step off the stage. And the voters have given us that very clear message.”

What’s happening: Her remarks appeared to prompt Trump to take aim at Gov. Glenn Youngkin in a social media post Friday, in which he credited himself for the Virginia governor’s victory last year.

• “Young Kin (now that’s an interesting take. Sounds Chinese, doesn’t it?) in Virginia couldn’t have won without me,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

The intrigue: Some in Trump’s orbit speculated Youngkin had privately condoned Earle-Sears’ disavowal of Trump.

• In an interview with the Washington Post, Earle-Sears would not say whether Youngkin knew ahead of time about her remarks.

What they’re saying: Youngkin didn’t take Trump’s bait, telling reporters, “That’s not the way I roll.”

• “You all know me. I do not call people names. I really work hard to bring people together,” Youngkin said, per the Virginia Mercury.

Zoom out: The conversation echoes a national post-midterms reckoning over Trump within the Republican Party.

✏️ Gov. Youngkin’s administration released proposed revisions to state history and social studies teaching standards, which education officials wrote would “restore excellence, curiosity and excitement around teaching and learning history.” (Washington Post)

• The head of the state teachers association called it “full of overt political bias.”

🏥 A neighborhood coalition is urging Bon Secours to reopen critical care services at Richmond Community Hospital in the wake of a blistering New York Times investigation into the Catholic health care company’s business practices. (Free Press)

🦦 Maymont is embarking on a $10 million infrastructure improvement project, which includes upgrading the park’s wildlife habitats and repairing the mansion at the center of the estate. (Virginia Business)

👋 Karri here, reviving due to reader requests a dining list I feel like I started doing when Berkeley was hosting the first Thanksgiving (OK, maybe it was a little later).

Anyway, Axios Richmond readers asked, and here I am with your list of Richmond restaurants that will be open and serving a turkey dinner on Thanksgiving Day — smart brevity-style.

The buffets and family styles

All you can eat for one price. Menus vary (click "adults" for menus and children's pricing). Locations and reservation info are linked in the names.

• The Boathouse: All four locations. Adults, $48.
• Hanover Tavern: Adults, $50.
• The Lobby Bar at Quirk Hotel: Family style at the table. Adults, $59.
• Max's on Broad: Adults, $35.95.
• Tanglewood Ordinary: Family style at the table. Adults, $56.99.

Keep reading for a la carte and prix fixe options

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👋 Karri again, scratching a fresh mosquito bite while browsing Thanksgiving menus.

Fall is here, and winter is coming, but the pests of summer simply will not die — at least the mosquitos here in Richmond haven't yet, and that's all because of the temperature.

What's happening: Climate change has extended mosquito season in most of the country, including Richmond, Thomas Dobrinska, entomologist with Ehrlich Pest Control, tells Axios.

But some good news: This could be the week the little 🤬s finally die, Times-Dispatch meteorologist Sean Sublette tells Axios.

• "I think Friday night or Saturday night have a legit shot to get below 30°F for four to five hours," Sublette said, and below freezing for several hours is exactly what's needed to kill them for good.

Be smart: Mosquitoes survive best when the temperature is between 50-95°F, and some species never die — they just burrow into trees and come out as the weather gets warm to find a "blood meal," Dobrinska said.