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☀️ Today's weather: Sunny. High of 74, low of 55.

🎧 Sounds like: "Hits from the Bong" by Cypress Hill.

🎂 Happy birthday to our members Meg Pienkowski and Raleigh Wheeler! And happy belated birthday to member Larry Tarr!

Today’s newsletter is 1,077 words — a 4-minute read.

Henrico is laying out rules for where recreational marijuana businesses can operate ahead of next year's launch of Virginia's retail market.

Why it matters: It's the first RVA locality to publicly release plans for how it could regulate the coming market within its borders.

State of play: The Henrico Planning Commission next week will consider zoning changes covering marijuana retail, cultivation, processing, testing and distribution businesses. Among them:

• Marijuana retail stores and microbusinesses would be prohibited in most zoning districts, including all residential zones.
• Where they are allowed, most would require a provisional-use permit, which involves a public Board of Supervisors review.
• Retail stores and microbusinesses couldn't operate within 1,000 feet of schools, religious institutions, daycares, playgrounds or public parks.
• Cultivation, testing, processing and transportation facilities would have to stay 1,000 feet from residential zones.

Plus: Every marijuana-related business in Henrico would need a county-approved crime-prevention and security plan, similar to what the county requires for gun stores and gambling parlors.

Yes, but: Existing medical cannabis dispensaries authorized for recreational sales would be grandfathered in and exempt from Henrico's new 1,000-foot siting restrictions.

• Henrico has two medical dispensaries: one in Short Pump and one on South Laburnum Avenue.

Meanwhile, Hanover has drafted its own cannabis zoning change and its Board of Supervisors will decide next week whether to authorize a Planning Commission public hearing, county spokesperson Kristin Smith Dunlop tells Axios.

• Chesterfield is a step behind: Officials will ask the Planning Commission later this month to begin the code-update process, county spokesperson Stephen Bays tells Axios.
• And Richmond's planning staff is "actively working" on regulations there, city spokesperson Michael Hinkle tells Axios.

What's next: Henrico's Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on the zoning amendments on Oct. 15 where it will recommend approval, denial or changes before the amendments head to the Board of Supervisors.

• Residents can submit comments in advance.

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Henrico is cutting ties with Flock and its 122 license plate readers, reversing course less than three months after agreeing to another year with the controversial surveillance company.

Why it matters: It's the region's largest locality yet to abandon Flock, days after a Chesterfield Police employee was charged with illegally using the system and other police databases.

Driving the news: Henrico police announced yesterday it plans to end its contract within seven days, citing data privacy concerns.

• The county agreed in July to renew Flock through Nov. 14, 2027, with a 3% price increase.
• But Henrico doesn't expect to pay anything to end the contract early, county spokesperson Ben Sheppard told Axios.

What they're saying: Board chair Roscoe Cooper said officials are confident county police used the system appropriately, but "cannot ignore the potential for misuse of system data by others."

Zoom in: Henrico revoked access for 10 fire marshals in August after discovering state law didn't authorize them to use the system, while Richmond and Alexandria have documented improper or policy-violating searches.

What we're watching: Whether Henrico's reversal puts new pressure on Richmond and Chesterfield.

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🚌 The YWCA Sprout School at Second Presbyterian closed indefinitely yesterday after teachers went on strike over chronic understaffing they said made it difficult to provide safe care. (Times-Dispatch)

• The YWCA said it's working to find temporary replacements for families.

Seven people were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries after a driver rear-ended a GRTC bus stopped along Midlothian Turnpike. (WTVR)

👩🏻‍⚖️ A national free speech group is threatening legal action against Richmond City Council over its public comment rules after two people were ejected for clapping at recent meetings. (Times-Dispatch)

🎭 Broadway hit "Oh, Mary!" — the Tony-winning comedy that reimagines Mary Todd Lincoln as a boozy wannabe cabaret star — is coming to the Altria as part of Broadway in Richmond's 2027–28 season. (Instagram)

• Dates and ticket sales haven't been announced yet.

After years of backyard pizzas and occasional pop-ups, Nick Walthall's Danger Pie is opening Friday inside of Blanchard's on Morris Street.

Why it matters: The open-ended residency is the biggest step yet for the brewer-turned-pizza maker's pizza obsession.

The big picture: Danger Pie, born from pizza parties Walthall hosted for friends and neighbors, will start Fridays only from 5-9pm.

• Service will be limited-capacity while Walthall gets used to a new oven and a bigger operation, the longtime local brewer tells Axios.

How it works: It'll be takeout and primarily preorder. Online ordering opens day-of, with pickup at the garage-door window.

On the menu: Vegan marinara, the signature Cheese Hog and a rotating seasonal pie, depending on "how we're feeling and the response," Walthall says.

• First up could be a white pie with Virginia muscadine grapes, potatoes, rosemary and red onion.
• The 14-inch pizzas will run $15-$23.

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Moving in Richmond just got a little sturdier thanks to a new Hanover-based business from two college students.

The big picture: RVATotes, a moving-box rental company that uses reusable plastic totes instead of cardboard, launched this spring.

• The service was founded by childhood friends and now undergrads Hudson Williams, a JMU junior, and Evan Scearce, a CNU freshman.
• The idea came after the bottom fell out of a cardboard box Williams was carrying down a flight of stairs — and he went down with it.

How it works: Customers rent stackable plastic totes that RVATotes delivers before a move and picks up afterward.

• Two-week packages start at $115 for 15 totes, while a two-bedroom package costs $149 for 40 totes.

Fun fact: Richmond-area college students are handling local deliveries and pickups now that Williams and Scearce are back at school — and helping keep the college kid vibe alive.

Tell someone who's moving

Thanks so much to everyone who came out to Axios Social Club last night!

We truly have the best readers and can't wait for the next one.

🤓 Karri is kind of excited to see how all the Richmond-area localities prepare for this entirely new weed market.

• She was in Baltimore over the weekend and felt like she got a taste of it.

🤞🏼 Sabrina hopes the dispensaries have better signage than the ugly neon vape shop signs.

Thanks to Alexa Mencia Orozco for editing today's edition.