Richmond Public Schools' student body is overwhelmingly Black, but the students it sends to Maggie Walker Governor's School are overwhelmingly white.

What's happening: School administrators are looking at ways to change that.

• RPS is hosting town halls with parents on an array of potential changes to the application process for five of the specialty and governor's schools open to RPS students.

What they're saying: The district's goal is "to ensure that our specialty schools both maintain their unique character, their high level of rigor and are more reflective of the student body of RPS," superintendent Jason Kamras said during a recent school board meeting.

By the numbers: RPS has 205 seats at Maggie Walker, and 78% are filled by white students, who make up just 11% of the district's total enrollment, per 2023 enrollment data.

• 7% of the seats are held by Black students, who otherwise make up 60% of the district's student body.
• Hispanic and Latino students represent 6% of students admitted but make up 25%.
• There are also disparities, albeit not as dramatic, at two of the district's three specialty schools, Richmond Community High and Open High.

Of note: Only enrollment at the district's Franklin Military Academy matches the district's overall demographics.

Details: RPS is asking families to weigh three potential changes to the application process.

• One option would enter all qualified students into a lottery, which would be weighted in favor of economically disadvantaged students.
• A second would guarantee a minimum of three seats to each of the district's eight middle schools — a change similar to one implemented in Henrico for the coming school year.
• And a third would dedicate a set percentage of seats to economically disadvantaged students.

Keep reading to find out how the district is hearing feedback

After an eight-month run in Shockoe Slip, Sprezza — the Southern Italian pop-up turned brick-and-mortar — has closed up shop and looks to be moving into the former Balliceaux space in the Fan.

What's happening: Sprezza's owner recently filed an ABC application and certificate of occupancy for 203 N. Lombardy St., BizSense reports.

• It's the latest update since the restaurant announced last week on Instagram that it was closing its Shockoe location immediately in favor of a TBD Fan spot.

Why it matters: Sprezza was extremely popular as a pop-up but failed to gain traction in its off-the-beaten-path Shockoe spot in the former Morton's.

• Meanwhile, four restaurants have churned through the Lombardy space since Balliceaux closed in 2017 (Brun, Poor Boys, Flora event space and Flora).

The stringent parking restrictions around the restaurant have been an issue for some of the previous restaurant operators.

• On every street in the immediate blocks around the restaurant, parking is limited to one hour from 7am-9pm, Monday-Thursday, and until 6pm on Fridays without a Fan District parking permit.
• Most other parts of town with parking restrictions are for two hours since the average full-service meal for two takes around 90 minutes.

Yes, but: There are only around four restaurants within the limited parking zones, and some have made it work, including Kuba Kuba, which celebrated its 25th anniversary this year.

• "It definitely hurts and affects business, but I guess we're used to it now," Manny Mendez, Kuba co-owner, tells Axios.

📽 The ongoing actors and writers' strikes have halted most film and TV productions in Virginia, a $1.2 billion industry for the state that employs about 5,500 people. (Virginia Mercury)

• "A lot of the crew that worked on these larger-scale productions are really suffering," said state film office director Andy Edmunds.

⚖️ The ACLU of Virginia sued ICE, alleging the agency was illegally detaining three immigrants even after a judge ruled they not be deported. (Times-Dispatch)

🦅 A bald eagle rescued from the James River after being trapped in fishing line died days later from an unrelated issue: mercury poisoning, which wildlife experts say remains common. (WRIC)

August is shaping up to be one of the hottest months in live music in Richmond.

What's happening: Willie Nelson plays After Hours at Meadow Event Park tonight. George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic are at Altria Saturday, and Friday brings the mega show RVA Rapper's Delight: Celebrating 50 Years of Richmond Hip-Hop to the Hippodrome.

• The week kicked off with Jason Isbell and Lyle Lovett, who were both live in concert last night.

Why it matters: Richmond might never be a big enough town (or far enough away from D.C.) to land Pink, Taylor Swift or Beyonce, but we seem to be holding our own when it comes to (basically) everyone else.

What they're saying: "We'll take scorching hot days over quarantine any day! This summer has been busy and gives us hope for the future of … concerts at Brown's Island [and all of Richmond]," Lucas Fritz of the Broadberry Entertainment Group, which organized several of this month's shows, tells Axios.

Meanwhile, the Richmond Jazz Festival is back for the first time since 2019, Saturday and Sunday at Maymont with headliner Chaka Khan, and Richmond Music Week, with dozens of shows, is still running through Friday.

• If you're into cover bands (and who isn't?), this week you can catch Queen Flash: The Ultimate Queen Tribute at The Tin Pan Thursday or A Tribute to ABBA at After Hours, followed by Gathering Gloom: The Cure Tribute, Friday at the Canal Club.

Keep reading for what's coming up