Virginia lawmakers are demanding the release of environmental test results at the bankrupt Shoosmith Landfill as work to stabilize the site moves forward, saying they want proof that it poses no public health risks.

Why it matters: The Chesterfield landfill has become one of Virginia's biggest environmental cleanup challenges, with an estimated $173 million cleanup cost that may ultimately fall to taxpayers.

Catch up quick: County officials and a bankruptcy trustee say years of mismanagement left the landfill generating about 50,000 gallons of toxic wastewater, called leachate, each day.

• The landfill stopped operating in 2024, its owners filed for bankruptcy last summer and state lawmakers approved $10.6 million in the new budget for leachate disposal and monitoring as part of an emergency response.

The latest: At a closed-door meeting last week with federal and state regulators and local officials, Sen. Glen Sturtevant told Axios they learned that a berm separating the landfill from Swift Creek — a drinking water source — was built with coal ash.

• Shannon Orcutt, the James River Association's government affairs manager, told Axios the use of coal ash "significantly increas[es] the risk of long-term environmental damage if comprehensive action is not taken."
• The trustee disclosed that recent testing on the berm had been done but not made public.

Zoom in: Both Sturtevant and Sen. Mike Jones said the assurances that there aren't safety concerns — including no impact on drinking water — aren't enough.

• "When you're saying, 'Hey, we're on the brink of a catastrophe' — how close?" Jones, who represents Chesterfield, told Axios.
• "I want to see numbers. I want to see reports," he said. "Everyone has a right to know."

Meanwhile, a DEQ spokesperson said the agency is cooperating with the Office of the Attorney General in ongoing investigations into the owners' actions.

• The OAG declined to comment. The trustee didn't respond to Axios.

What's next: A portal for residents' questions launches July 16 ahead of a landfill update at the Chesterfield Board of Supervisors meeting July 22.

• DEQ must submit long-term funding recommendations by Oct. 5.

Full story

Some Richmonders are still having issues with city utility bills nearly a month after officials said problems tied to the new billing system had been resolved.

Why it matters: Locals are complaining about missed and duplicate bills, past-due notices and payments not reflected in accounts, per an Axios review of dozens of social media posts.

Catch up quick: DPU in late May launched a new billing system, touting the rollout a success.

• But residents started reporting issues with payments not posting to their accounts almost immediately.

The latest: Problems appear to persist, per issues locals are lamenting on social media, including payments not posting to accounts.

• It's unclear how many customers continue to be affected.
• The city didn't respond to Axios' questions, but pointed to updates it made yesterday afternoon to the FAQ it posted last month.

Zoom in: The FAQ suggests issues persist with payments posting for customers who use MyHQ AutoPay or bill pay through their bank.

• Payments due in late May, June, or early July were delayed in posting but were received and will be processed.
• Bank bill pay is now back to normal and MyHQ AutoPay will be on Friday.

What's next: The city's new utility rates just went into effect, so Richmonders should expect their July bills to be around $14 higher.

Keep reading for the wonky account lookup feature

🗳️ Richmond City Council is moving to place a November referendum on the ballot asking voters to approve a 1% local sales tax for school construction. (The Richmonder)

• The final vote to move the referendum forward could happen later this month.

💰 RPS is facing a nearly $9 million budget shortfall after Virginia's state budget provided less funding than expected, prompting Superintendent Jason Kamras to freeze hiring and propose cutting 88 annual substitute positions. (WWBT)

A fire destroyed the pool house at SwimRVA-North in Henrico yesterday, the same place 9-year-old King Overton drowned while attending a summer camp. (WTVR)

• Investigators are seeing whether lightning might have started the fire.

A Venezuelan cafe in Scott's Addition is Richmond's newest electronic dance music venue.

Why it matters: After hosting coffee raves in the front for months, Pandora Café has converted its backroom into a clubbier nighttime spot called "Pandora House Music."

State of play: Co-founder Emmanuel Florez, who has been a house music DJ since 2007, told Axios he wants it to become a place where "local DJs can grow" and "producers can feel supported."

The latest: The backroom venue held its soft opening June 20 and is now hosting regular event-based nights, while Pandora Café continues operating as a mostly daytime coffee shop.

Yes, but: Pandora plans to use both spaces on weekends, including for their all-female DJ event on July 25.

What's next: The EDM venue's grand opening is Aug. 1, Florez said.

How they built the space

📅 Upcoming events around the city.

The LUA Project: Los Appalachianos at Virginia Museum of History & Culture July 16: Experience an unforgettable evening with The Lua Project, where live music and storytelling come together to explore the inspirations behind their acclaimed album Los Appalachianos. Before the performance, enjoy after-hours access to We the People: The World in Our Commonwealth, then stay for an audience Q&A with the artists.

Richmond's baked potato-inspired office building is finally getting the love it deserves, thanks to a roving architecture-loving content creator.

Why it matters: Once maligned as one of the "10 ugliest buildings in the world," The Markel Building is a local treasure.

Driving the news: A D.C. realtor who travels the country highlighting architectural gems recently made a stop in Richmond to share the story behind it.

• The story, as Richmonders know, is that local architect Haigh Jamgochian took inspiration from a foil-wrapped baked potato when designing Markel's new HQ in 1962.
• To create it, he used a single piece of 555-foot aluminum for each floor — making it the longest piece of unbroken aluminum ever used for siding.
• He also sledgehammered the dents in.

Another fun fact: Richmonders don't just call it the potato building. It's also been dubbed "The Foil Building," "The Spaceship," "The Flying Saucer," and "The Jiffy Pop Building."

• And it's 100% ours.

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