An AI-powered local news network shut down after Axios Richmond's questions about copied content on its Henrico site grew into a broader plagiarism scandal.

Why it matters: The collapse of Nota News shows the growing risks of using AI to scale local journalism without clear editorial standards and oversight.

Catch up quick: Last week, Axios first reported that AI-powered sites had launched in Henrico and Chesterfield as part of Nota, which was testing a national automated push to fill news deserts and cover county governments.

• Henrico Citizen founder and publisher Tom Lappas told Axios that multiple stories on Nota's Henrico site were "stolen" versions of the Citizen's reporting with staff photos used without permission.
• Axios reached out to Nota about those issues on Friday, March 27.
• Nota CEO Josh Brandau responded that same day saying the company "immediately pulled the work down" after learning of the concerns.

The latest: Nota took down additional stories that weekend, according to Poynter.

• Axios published its initial story last Monday, and that afternoon, Nota fired Jorge Rodríguez, the Guatemala-based reporter overseeing the Henrico and Chesterfield sites, according to Poynter.
• By Tuesday, the company had shut down all 11 sites in the network.
• Brandau told Poynter that the takedown was to conduct an internal review into the issues raised by Axios Richmond and said the sites were likely closing for good.

What they're saying: "No one from Nota has reached out to apologize or explain how this happened," Lappas told Axios on Friday.

• "Supporting news organizations that do things the right way is as necessary now as it's ever been," he added. "Because we are seeing what the alternative might look like."

By the numbers: Poynter found over 70 examples dating back to October that included content lifted from at least 29 outlets and 53 journalists.

Brandau didn't respond to Axios' requests for comment Tuesday, after an Axios review found all of Nota's news sites had been taken down, or Friday after Poynter's story was published.

Full story

Speaking of news sites, the number of "news deserts" in Virginia more than doubled between 2023 and 2025, per Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism's ongoing State of Local News project.

By the numbers: Since July 2024, Virginia has lost six independent newspapers to closure or merger, including the Independent-Messenger in Emporia and the News Progress in South Hill.

• As of last year, 16 Virginia counties didn't have a local news source. Another eight were at high risk of losing theirs.
• In 2023, just seven Virginia counties were in news deserts.

State of play: Virginia's media landscape continues to be dominated by newspapers.

• Of the state's 156 news outlets, 101 are newspapers.
• Comparatively, there are just 45 digital or network sites (Like Axios) covering local news across Virginia.

And newspapers, including the Lee Enterprise-owned Richmond Times-Dispatch, are increasingly scaling back on coverage while shedding staff.

• In September, the Times-Dispatch laid off five reporters, including the ones who covered Henrico, Chesterfield and Hanover, The Richmonder reported.

Go deeper

🏗️ VCU Health will close its 12th Street visitor's parking deck on May 4 to prepare the site for a new inpatient tower. (Times-Dispatch)

• Patients and visitors will be directed to park in the D-Deck on North 13th Street after that.

😷 More than 33,000 Virginians have dropped health insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplace since the subsidies expired. (Virginia Mercury)

🚨 The city will start ticketing drivers who park in bike lanes beginning May 1 after a warning period, which starts now. (The Richmonder)

• Officials will also continue ticketing drivers who park too close to intersections and crosswalks.

Packaging Corp. of America is closing its Richmond Highway packaging facility, laying off 110. (BizSense)

Virginians are paying some of the highest weed prices in the nation through the state's medical marijuana dispensaries.

Why it matters: High prices have been cited as a pain point for Virginia medicinal weed patients, one that can push them out of state or to the black market.

By the numbers: Virginia patients pay just over $10 per gram on average for medical flower, per the latest stats from the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority's public dashboard.

• It was at $10.16 per gram for February and is set to tick up to $10.19 for March when the dashboard updates this week, CCA spokesperson Jessica Fullerton tells Axios.
• Meanwhile, through retail markets, Californians and Coloradans have some of the lowest average gram prices in the nation — last year they were $2.36 and $3.29, respectively, per Cannabis Business Times.
• Nationwide, medicinal marijuana generally costs anywhere from $5 to $20 per gram, per LeafWell.

What we're watching: If Gov. Spanberger signs the bill that would create Virginia's retail weed marketplace, which could bring the price down, research suggests.

Keep reading for what's driving Virginia's high prices

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Early last month, Richmond officials announced a pothole repair blitz by having the Chief Administrative Officer fill a few off Forest Hill Avenue (pictured above).

By the numbers: Department of Public Works crews have filled over 1,600 potholes since and nearly 3,000 since the year started, per the city's Instagram.

Yes, but: How it's going:

Reality check: The pothole blitz wrapped up last month, before this beauty (above) formed in a parking lane on West Main Street in The Fan.

• But, but, but: The city wants people to keep filing 311 tickets when they see one.

Fun fact: More than 30 pothole repair requests have come in on 311 since April 1, per an Axios review.