Gov. Youngkin's move to ban TikTok from state-owned computers and phones looks like it's about to become permanent.

What's happening: The General Assembly is embracing tough-on-China legislation that, in addition to the TikTok ban, also bars the Chinese government from buying farmland in Virginia.

Why it matters: The policies, all backed by Youngkin, caught lawmakers from both parties off guard when he first floated them in his State of the Commonwealth address last month.

• Perhaps helped along by the well-timed appearance of an alleged spy balloon, the issue has become another unlikely area of bipartisan agreement in the otherwise deadlocked General Assembly.

Details: Youngkin issued an executive order banning TikTok from state-owned devices in December over data-security concerns. The legislation, versions of which have now passed both the House and the Senate, would make that permanent.

• The ban on the Chinese government owning farmland would allow the state to invalidate property transfers to anyone acting as an agent of China or any other federally designated foreign adversaries, a list that also includes Iran, Cuba and Russia.

What they're saying: Lawmakers alternated between treating the issues as grave matters of national security and cracking jokes.

• Sen. Richard Stuart (R-King George), who proposed the farmland bill, cited concern about China owning land near sensitive military installations and the possibility of U.S. enemies tainting food.
• Meanwhile, one of his colleagues, Sen. Bill Stanley (R-Floyd), speculated China was using balloons in lieu of a real estate agent to identify potential land deals.
• "Take some pictures. Make an offer — that's what the balloon was for," he told his colleagues on the Senate floor.

Keep reading: TikTok ban's impact on state agencies

ASM Global, one of the largest venue management companies in the world, will operate the 17,000-seat GreenCity Arena when it opens in Henrico County, county and development officials announced yesterday.

Why it matters: The location, just off of I-95 and midway between D.C. and Raleigh, will make the arena an attractive stop for touring shows along the East Coast, Liam Thornton with ASM said Monday.

• ASM noted GreenCity would be part of an I-95 concert corridor from Boston to Miami with venues including the Capital One Arena in D.C., the Wells Fargo Center in Philly, TD Garden in Boston and the Barclays Center in New York.

Yes, but: None of those venues booked the two biggest concerts announced this year: Beyonce and Taylor Swift. Madonna is playing just two.

State of play: The arena, which is expected to open in 2026, is the centerpiece of the $2.3 billion GreenCity development in the works in Henrico.

• The mixed-use project is designed around environmental sustainability and will include hotels, retail space, 2,400 housing units, trails and parks.

Go deeper: How the stadium will attract top acts

🍎 Education officials hope a slight increase in test scores among kindergartners last fall is a signal the state is recovering from pandemic learning loss. (Times-Dispatch)

🏭 The $3.5 billion Ford EV battery plant Youngkin called a front for the Chinese Communist Party will open in Michigan, the company announced. (CNBC)

🍰 The owners behind Shyndigz are planning to build a 19-room boutique hotel across from their dessert shop. (BizSense)

🎣 An Amelia man fishing in the James River reeled in a golden largemouth bass, coloring that state game officials said make it a "one-in-a-million catch." (Virginian-Pilot)

Virginia ABC's annual lottery for bottles of Pappy Van Winkle is back in two installments this year, with the first starting tomorrow.

What's happening: Each year, Kentucky's celebrated Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery releases its annual stock to wholesalers across the country, who then determine how they're going to sell it — and for how much.

Since 2016, Virginia ABC has sold theirs through an online lottery, open to all Virginians 21 and older with a valid state driver's license. (No cheating: You have to prove it when you show up to purchase.)

Why it matters: Since the state controls liquor sales, Virginia has to sell booze at the manufacturer's retail price, one of the rare financial advantages of living in a controlled liquor state.

Feb. 15-19 enter for a chance to purchase:

• Old Rip Van Winkle Bourbon 10 Year ($79.99).
• Van Winkle Special Reserve Bourbon 12 Year ($89.99).
• Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye 13 Year ($129.99).

2023 Pappy lottery details.

Keep reading for Round 2, which starts in March

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Suck it, Columbus. Richmond is going on to the Sweet 16 in the Axios Local pizza bracket.

What's happening: We're pitting Axios Local cities against one another to find out which of the 26 cities we're in now has the best pizza.

• We have an Axios Chicago and an Axios Detroit, and internally we all know where this contest is going. We can make it to the Final Four.

In fact, Richmond, you did us proud in first-round voting, wiping out Columbus, a city that's allegedly four times bigger than Richmond, so now let's do it again in Round 2.

Round 2: It's Richmond vs. Philadelphia — a city that should be prepared to get its second pounding of the week.

• (Sorry, 🦅 fans! But we're in it to win a pizza party for all of Richmond.)

You know Philly, the city we only remember when we're on our way to New York.

• The city that's regularly in the news for its bizarre celebratory relationship to poles — so much so that city workers literally lube the poles.

C'mon, Richmond. We got this. VOTE. Voting closes at 3pm today.