October 27, 2023

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Today’s Forecast

49º | Sunny | 5% chance of rain
Sunrise 7:24 a.m. | Sunset 5:07 p.m.

🌊 A report card for the James

The James has made improvements in several areas in the past two years. | Photo by RICtoday

The James River Association released its 2023 State of the James, a report card for bringing the river back to full health. This year’s overall grade improved to a B with a score of 66%.

JRA publishes the study every two years. In 2021, the James made a B- at 61%. Since then, improvements in the areas of river health and river restoration have raised the score.

Use the interactive report to explore what numbers have gone up and where the James can still improve. The report includes scores for 18 indicators related to river health and restoration. Here’s a quick breakdown.

Top marks

The bald eagle indicator held steady at 100% and wastewater pollution controls rose nine points to also reach 100%.

Juvenile striped bass (86%) and nitrogen (80%) are the other two highest scores, although the bass number actually fell six points since the previous report. JRA says rising temperatures and an increase in recreational fishing may be contributing to the population decline.

RICtoday_SmallMouthBass_JamesRiverFishing — An illustration of a group of smallmouth bass.
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Photo via U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Middle ground

Many indicators are hovering at the B level, reaching 60-79%. This includes land protection, riparian forests, smallmouth bass, brook trout, and oysters, which all came in at over 70%.

Smallmouth bass had a score of 76%, down 13 points from the previous report, likely due to warmer water temperatures and loss of habitat.

The biggest improvement was underwater grasses, which rose 14 points to 60%.

RICtoday_JamesRiver_RiparianBuffers — JRA recruits volunteers to help build up buffers across the watershed.
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Photo by Kyle LaFerriere

Areas for improvement

The American shad number remains at 0%, where it has stayed since 2020. Restoration efforts are ongoing across the tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay.

JRA also notes that improving scores in certain areas will impact other indicators. For example, building up riparian forests (currently at 78%) improves habitat conditions for fish like smallmouth bass (76%) and helps reduce sediment pollution (45%).

Want to get involved? Check out the James Changer program to see how you can support the health of the James from home.

Events

Friday, Oct. 27

“The Thing” | Friday, Oct. 27 | 7 p.m. | The Byrd Theatre, 2908 W. Cary St., Richmond | $8 | John Carpenter’s sci-fi horror film developed a cult following for its creature effects.
Storytime with Parney & Bamm | Friday, Oct. 27 | 7:30 p.m. | Richmond Music Hall, 623 E. Main St., Richmond | $25 | Come out for an evening of laughs with these two Richmond personalities.
Icona Pop | Friday, Oct. 27 | 8 p.m. | Ember Music Hall, 309 E. Broad St., Richmond | $23+ | The Swedish electro-pop duo will play a Halloween show.

Saturday, Oct. 28

Prince George Farmers’ Market Fall Festival | Saturday, Oct. 28 | 9 a.m.-1 p.m. | Prince George County Farmers’ Market, Scott Park Pavilion, 6680 Courthouse Rd. (adjacent to the Prince George Library), Prince George | Free | Support local growers, producers, and artisans featuring locally grown produce, honey, eggs, plants, herbs, mushrooms, baked goods, flowers, and homemade crafts.*
En Su Boca 10 Year Anniversary | Saturday, Oct. 28 | 1 p.m.-12 a.m. | En Su Boca, 1001 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd., Richmond | Cost of purchase | The all-day party will include live music, food and drink deals, a costume contest, and pumpkins.
Filipino American History Month Celebration | Saturday, Oct. 28 | 12-5 p.m. | Main Line Brewery, 1603 Ownby Ln., Richmond | Free entry | Enjoy food, drinks, performers, and karaoke at this cultural celebration with the Filipino American Association of Central VA and Kasama Collective.
VCU Men’s Basketball vs. Mars Hill | Saturday, Oct. 28 | 7-9 p.m. | Siegel Center, 1200 W. Broad St., Richmond | $15-$20 | Get an early look at the Rams’ season at this exhibition game.

Sunday, Oct. 29

The Diamond Flea Market | Sunday, Oct. 29 | 12-6 p.m. | The Diamond, 3001 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd., Richmond | Free entry | Live music, shopping, and food trucks await you at the last market of the season.
Tiny Porch Concerts | Sunday, Oct. 29 | 4-7 p.m. | Woodland Heights, 611 W. 32nd St., Richmond | Free | Enjoy six musical acts across three porches in Woodland Heights — it’ll be the final event of the season.
Steve Martin & Martin Short | Sunday, Oct. 29 | 8 p.m. | Altria Theater, 6 N. Laurel St., Richmond | $70+ | Join the two legendary comedians for a night of laughs featuring Jeff Babko and The Steep Canyon Rangers.

More events this way

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News Notes

Coming Soon

Davvero Gelato is opening a brick and mortar store in Lakeside this spring. The vegan treat shop will be located inside a renovated barbershop in The Hub shopping center.

Community

Saguaro Hill — aka the Cactus House — is set to be razed. The Glen Allen home of J.T. “Buz” and Chloe Pemberton has been a recognizable abode on Staples Mill for 40+ years. The contents of the home will be auctioned off online with an open house on Saturday, Nov. 4 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Traffic

Look out for a detour this weekend heading west on Broad near Scott’s Addition. All three westbound lanes will be closed from Arthur Ashe Boulevard to Sheppard Street so that a tower crane can be removed. The Pulse bus lane will remain open.

Civic

The Dept. of Public Works is hosting a Speed Management Symposium on Wednesday, Nov. 8 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at Main Street Station. The event will feature educational material and presentations from city leaders about future projects to make Richmond streets safer. Register to attend the free symposium.

Arts

After taking a multi-city tour of the country, the statue “Secretariat Racing Into History” will find a permanent home in Ashland. The Ashland Museum is continuing its fundraising campaign to cover installation, landscaping, and signage.

Development

Construction is underway on Feed More’s new headquarters. The nonprofit is building a $40 million warehouse on nine acres in Henrico near Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. It plans to sell its current facilities on Rhoadmiller Street and move into the new digs next fall. (Richmond BizSense)

Festival

Celebrate all things fall tomorrow at Lewis Ginter’s HarvestFest. This year’s festival will feature Dia de los Muertos activities and performances. Head to the Cochrane Rose Garden to see the Latin Ballet of Virginia, Kadencia, and DJ Ray. The event is included with admission.

Civic

Vote in Henrico? RTD has a rundown of the 10 candidates running to fill the five seats on the Board of Supervisors. Two incumbents are not seeking re-election, two are facing challengers, and one is running unopposed. Get more election info. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

Asked

We’re continuing our series of local food maps with a guide to the best mac and cheese being served up around the city. Let us know what restaurant has the best mac on the menu — feel free to give multiple recommendations if it’s im-pasta-ble to pick just one.

Community

Looking to support local? Start right here: with the RICtoday news team. We live, work, and play all things Richmond so we can bring you the kind of news you actually care about. Directly support us by becoming a RICtoday member — you’ll keep this free newsletter hitting inboxes.

Eat

🍽️ Two new Hatch eateries

Get lunch and dessert from two new spots at Hatch Local in November. | Photos via Hatch Local Food Hall

Vegan eats and sweet treats are on the menu for Hatch Local Food Hall in November. The Manchester food hall will welcome two new concepts next month — 1115 Mobile Kitchen and the Dessert Emporium.

A popular local food truck, 1115 is moving into the space formerly occupied by Buttermilk and Honey. 1115 serves both traditional and plant-based meats, specializing in chicken sandwiches. It’ll start at Hatch on Wednesday, Nov. 15.

The Dessert Emporium comes from the owners of Fat Kid Sandwiches, which has been at the food hall since the beginning. Starting Friday, Nov. 3 and for a limited time only, it’ll be selling homemade soft serve and other creative desserts.

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The Wrap

Robin Schwartzkopf in a red button down shirt

Today’s edition by:
Robin

From the editor

We’ve been adding even more events to our Halloween map — including concerts, pup-friendly trick-or-treating, and a hauntingly fun dance party.

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