Richmond is becoming a hotbed of pop-up yard and porch concerts.

What's happening: On Sunday, the Woodland Heights neighborhood association is hosting the third installment of its Tiny Porch Concerts series.

• The event was inspired by Porchella, the front porch concert series Northside's Bellevue neighborhood started during COVID and now hosts every spring and fall, Tiny Porch co-organizer Emily McMillen tells Axios.

Why it matters: The community-driven, hyper-local and free concerts celebrate three things Richmond does incredibly well: neighborhoods, front porches and live music.

Woodland Heights residents started talking about doing something south of the river to bring folks together during the pandemic, but ultimately, the first Tiny Porch concert didn't happen until this summer in June.

• The response was fantastic, McMillen says, and what was meant to be a one-time event is now planned monthly through October and definitely again for 2024.

How it works: This Sunday from 5-8pm, three houses in Woodland Heights will host two bands each for six sets, played live from their front porches (and one backyard because of busy and loud Semmes Avenue).

• All the bands are local. All the shows are free and within a few blocks of each other, and kids and dogs are welcome.
• Plus, Southside-owned food truck River City Wood Fire will be slinging and selling pizza at the entrance to Fonticello Park, within the event footprint.

What they're saying: "Neighborhoods are better when people know each other and look out for each other," McMillen says, adding that events like these are great for extroverts who may not otherwise reach out to neighbors.

And the series has truly become a broader community affair, she says.

• The Porchella organizers gave them tips for organizing Tiny Porches.
• Dozens of residents volunteered their porches for future shows or to lend equipment to host houses or to perform.
• Plus, they worked with the neighboring Forest Hill neighborhood to ensure their dates don't conflict with Forest Hill's free park concert series, Music in the Park.

State of play: Richmond has long been home for all kinds of musicians due to its central location along the I-95 corridor for touring groups, VCU's music program and its (comparatively and perhaps formerly) affordable living status.

• If you don't know someone in a band, you haven't lived in Richmond long enough — or you don't know enough people.

Worth noting: The musicians are all volunteering their time and talent, but cash or Venmo tips are encouraged.

• You can see the list of bands, house addresses and schedule on Woodland Heights' Instagram.

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Virginia has booted 140,000 residents from Medicaid this year.

What's happening: States around the country are returning to normal enrollment practices after the end of the COVID-19 state of emergency.

• That means resuming checks to make sure patients still meet monthly income limits and other requirements.

Yes, but: Many who qualify are still losing coverage, the Virginia Mercury's Meghan McIntyre reports.

• 43% of enrollees were booted for procedural problems, not because they weren't eligible, per health care nonprofit KFF.

What they're saying: Patient advocates told the Mercury they've heard reports that patients aren't receiving renewal paperwork until a few days before it's due.

• "We are in the process of asking the state how widespread these mailing delays may be, as they affect Virginians' access to care," the Virginia Poverty Law Center's Eleanor Sullivan told the publication.

What's next: The state is only 40% through the reconciliation process and has previously said it expects at least 300,000 people to lose coverage.

🍺 Following its purchase by Sapporo last year, Stone Brewing is doubling its staff in Richmond and spending $40 million on facility upgrades to its East End brewery. (BizSense)

🛌 Around 80 VCU freshmen will live in the nearby Graduate Hotel because the incoming class is so large and the school has been down one dorm since 2021 due to mold. (Times-Dispatch)

🎭 Virginia Repertory Theatre, one of the city's largest theater groups, this week abruptly removed its co-founder and longtime managing director Phil Whiteway from the staff. (Style Weekly)

🏢 VCU bought two West Grace Street buildings, one of which is home to longtime vegetarian restaurant Ipanema Café, for $4.4 million. (BizSense)

🚔 The owner of No Limit Towing, wanted by police on 17 felonies connected to allegations that her company illegally towed cars, turned herself into authorities yesterday. (WTVR)

The Metro Richmond Zoo has a new baby giraffe, born Aug. 2 to proud giraffe parents, Iris and Wakati.

The baby is currently unnamed, but he's on view in a small habitat at the Chesterfield zoo, along with mom Iris, who (like all giraffes) had a 15-month pregnancy.

• Baby G-money, as we're calling him, joins other recent zoo babies, baby hippo Petunia and baby orangutan Taavi.

The Metro Richmond Zoo is open Monday-Saturday, 9:30am-5pm. Admission is $17.95 for kids and $23.95 for adults.

Yes, that's right, only one of these has a hot dog inside.

What's happening: The other thing on a stick is a piece of mozzarella cheese.

Zoom in: Both are from Oh Mochi, a purveyor of Korean corn dogs and doughnuts on Franklin Street on VCU's Monroe Park campus.

• The one on the left is a ramen-encrusted corn dog.
• The one on the right is the mozzarella version, rolled in hot Cheetos.

Of note: Ned thoroughly enjoyed eating both, but recommends the hot dog option over the cheese.

Be smart: Eye-catching toppings aside, the key difference between a Korean corn dog and the American standard is the batter used to coat the dog.

• The Korean version typically uses a yeasted rice batter in place of the corn-based, baking powder-fueled mixture common in the U.S.