April 11 Newsletter: The vintage edition
Weather: Cool with scattered showers all day. High of 57.
On this date in 2003, Virginia’s first military fatality from the war in Iraq, Chesterfield’s Donald C. May Jr., is buried at Dale Memorial Park.
'A rebellion against digital music': Richmond's vinyl scene is thriving ahead of Record Store Day
Saturday marks Record Store Day, a major event on the local music scene calendar.
Richmond also has its own record label that releases on vinyl, Egghunt Records, which released the debut album of now-star Lucy Dacus.
Read more, and see which stores are participating in Saturday's event, here.
Vintage items thrive at Past Chapters in Chesterfield
Where do movie set designers go when they need vintage decorations? To a strip mall in suburban Chesterfield, where a couple maintains the Past Chapters vintage store.
"We don't want it to ever be predictable or boring," co-owner Stephanie Evans said.
On a recent day, finds included a Farrah Fawcett hair styling toy, an abundance of VHS tapes and vintage skateboards.
Read more about the store here.
City Council plans push to require more top City Hall officials to live in Richmond
At the moment, 12 top officials are required to live in the city to hold their positions.
Mayor Danny Avula proposed lowering the number to 10 in his new budget, citing the need to find the best talent available, even if it's the counties.
City Council representative Sarah Abubaker is going the other way, proposing that 43 positions have a residency requirement, while grandfathering in previous hires.
- She said it's important for officials to live in the community to understand its issues, and noted that the positions have a median salary of about $188,000 a year, so there shouldn't be financial issues.
Read more, and see the impacted positions, here.
Despite recent headlines, GRTC plans to continue zero-fare policy through 2026 budget
While GRTC is waiting for formal board approval of its 2026 budget, the transportation agency said yesterday it plans to support the zero-fare initiative.
Federal grant funding has dried up for the program, as well as a match VCU contributed during the pandemic years. GRTC said ridership increased with the initiative, and a recent study showed that 60% of local bus line riders make less than $30,000 a year.
Read more on the situation here.
Also today in The Richmonder:
Kayley Crabb
Victoria A. Ifatusin
In other news
- The campus at Virginia Randolph is getting a big makeover – and a do-over (Henrico Citizen)
- Chesterfield supervisors approve 'austere' $2.4B fiscal year 2026 budget (VPM)
- Virginia health department to lose $200 million, 500 staffers to federal cuts (Times-Dispatch)
The editor's desk
A ceremonial groundbreaking was held yesterday for the Diamond District, the mixed-use area that will surround Richmond's new baseball stadium. One of the representatives for the developers said he is often asked when it will be finished, but replied that it's the wrong question, as neighborhoods are never truly "finished." Amid the current zoning debate, it's a reminder that this is just the latest iteration of what we are crafting Richmond to be.
Michael Phillips, founding editor
mphillips@richmonder.org
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