Axios Richmond

January 15, 2025
Is 2025 over yet?
π§£ Today's weather: Sunny, with a high near 35.
π§ Sounds like: "You Shook Me All Night Long" by AC/DC.
π Happy birthday to our Axios Richmond member DeWitt Whittington!
π¨ Situational awareness: An earthquake with a magnitude of 2.8 was registered in Short Pump just before 5:30pm last night, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
- Its center was near the end of a cul-de-sac on Greenwick Drive in Wyndham, just north of The Dominion Club, per the Henrico Citizen.
π§More water woes: One of Richmond's main water pumps failed overnight Monday into Tuesday and auxiliary pumps were brought in, the city announced Tuesday night. The failure will not affect the city's water production and pressure, officials said.
- We're bracing for locusts next.
Today's newsletter is 850 words β a 3-minute read.
1 big thing: πͺ Everyone wants to live here

The Richmond area continues to be the fastest-growing part of Virginia, per an Axios analysis of the latest census data.
Why it matters: This zoomed-in view offers a close look at population change within the commonwealth.
By the numbers: New Kent County topped Virginia's growth (adding 14.4% people in 2019-2023 compared to 2014-2018), according to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2019-2023 five-year American Community Survey.
- Goochland took the No. 2 spot for the fastest-growing county in the state (+13.9%).
- That translates into just over 3,000 people who moved into New Kent in that period and just over 3,100 into Goochland.
Zoom in: In the metro area, Chesterfield came in highest on the statewide list, ranking at No. 10 for population growth, adding about 32,000 new residents to the county in that four-year period, or +9.5%.
- Hanover ranked at No. 17, with 6.9% growth.
- Henrico, No. 52 (+2.7%)
- Richmond city, No. 62 (+1.7%)
Of note: Around 50 localities in Virginia, nearly all in Southwest Virginia, lost population between 2019 and 2023.
Zoom out: Three Texas counties β Kaufman County (+35.2% more people in 2019-2023 compared to 2014-2018), Comal County (+29.2%) and Hays County (+25.6%) βΒ are the country's fastest-growing counties with more than 100,000 residents.
Between the lines: Although Americans sometimes relocate domestically in search of better jobs, lower costs and so on, international migration is the main driver behind population growth at the national level.
What's next: Population trends could be notably affected by President-elect Trump's plan to deport millions of people.
Go deeper: See interactive state and national maps.
2. π¨ Chesterfield's first school speed camera is live
The first of Chesterfield's planned speed enforcement cameras around 13 county schools went live this week.
Why it matters: After a 30-day grace period, which began Monday, the cameras around Moseley Elementary will begin automatically issuing tickets to speeders.
The big picture: Chesterfield announced the speed enforcement cameras late last year, noting that drivers going 10 miles per hour or more over the speed limit in active school zones had become a "significant issue" in the county.
- The county's speed enforcement cameras are similar to the ones Richmond launched last year: Violations are electronically recorded and citations are mailed to the offender.
- Offenders in Chesterfield will be fined $100 per offense for anyone going 10 miles per hour or more over the posted limit once the grace period ends.
- Chesterfield's cameras are active for an hour before school starts and an hour after it ends β and only when school is in session.
What's next: While the Moseley Elementary camera went live in early January, cameras around 12 other Chesterfield schools should be installed "within the next 6 months," Chesterfield police spokesperson Liz Caroon tells Axios.
See the full list of schools getting the cameras
3. π The Current: RIP Dani the horse
π₯Ί Maymont euthanized Dani, a horse in its care who sometimes led carriage rides, yesterday due to age-related health issues. (News release)
- Dani was a 30-year-old Clydesdale/Hackney crossbreed who'd been at Maymont since 2004.
π The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau filed a lawsuit against Capital One alleging the bank and its holding company cheated millions of customers out of more than $2 billion in interest payments. (Virginia Business)
π« State Sen. Louise Lucas said Gov. Youngkin's private school voucher proposal, which he referenced at his State of the Commonwealth address Monday, is "not going to happen." (Times-Dispatch)
π€― A Boston-based investment firm bought the Tobacco Row apartments in Shockoe Bottom for $123 million in December. It was Richmond's largest commercial real estate deal last year. (Times-Dispatch)
4. π When "Elf" and $100 leads to a fake son
A Virginia man is going viral for pranking his wife with a fake long-lost son.
It started when the husband, who asked Axios to remain anonymous for the hate he's been getting, and his wife were watching "Elf."
- He believed his wife would be mad if, like in the movie, a surprise adult kid showed up on their doorstep saying they were his. His wife of 10 years disagreed.
- So he took to Harrisonburg Reddit to ask for a kid in their early 20s to show up at his door and convincingly take on the role for $100.
- The Reddit thread title: "Need a fake kid to piss off my wife."
The same day someone posted the thread on X and got four million views on it, the Harrisonburg man posted an update saying he succeeded in finding a fake son.
Yes, but: He did not succeed in being right.
- His wife was "full-on amazed, excited and entertained," he wrote.
- And when he finally confessed the prank, she laughed and said, "Next time, you can save $100 and just assume you're wrong."
Don't miss out
ποΈ Check out what's happening around Richmond.
Virginia Wine Expo presented by Publix Feb 28-Mar 9: Savor 30 distinct experiences at beautiful venues highlighting premier Virginia and international wine, sparkling wine and Champagne, whiskey, tequila, cocktails and impeccable local cuisine.
Interested in featuring an event? Email [email protected].
5. π πΌ Guess who's back, back again
Fox Elementary has a cupola again.
Before the building nearly burned down almost three years ago, the dome-like structure was a more than century-long staple in The Fan.
- The fire destroyed the old one.
- Workers installed the new 43-foot-one last Friday, per The Richmonder, marking the beginning of the end of renovations to a school at the heart of Hanover Avenue.
What's next: Fox, which hasn't been open a full school year for in-person learning since before the pandemic, is slated to reopen this fall.
π©π»βπ» Karri is adding "cupola" to her list of architectural terms she's had to Google, filing it next to "flying buttresses."
βΈοΈ Sabrina is getting ice skates to avoid breaking her hip on the icy sidewalks outside her apartment. She's too young for hip replacement surgery.
Thanks to Fadel Allassan for editing today's edition.
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