Tuesday, Apr 14, 2026

News

Students grapple with pollen as Richmond among worst cities for allergies 

April 8, 2026

Sal Orlando, Assistant News Editor Across VCU campus and Richmond, pollen is coating cars, windows, walkways and the nostrils of students — as Richmond was recently ranked in the top 20 most challenging places in America to live in with a pollen allergy. The city’s tree coverage and global climate change contribute to its allergenic status. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America released a report this year classifying Richmond as the 14th harshest place for people with pollen allergies. The report claims climate change may be a reason for pollen spikes across the nation. “Richmond is at a climatic intersection between north and south, and for that reason we have a number of different tree species that are contributing to the pollen count,” said VCU ecology professor Chris Gough. “The pollen count is particularly high at this time of the year because we have a number of different flowering plants.” Last year, the AAFA ranked the city as the eighth most challenging city in the country to live in with a pollen allergy. Gough said the only solution that can alleviate the pollen in the Richmond area is eliminating tree canopy, which he does not think is a good

Spanberger to decide on bill preventing partisanship on boards of visitors

April 8, 2026

Skye Hathaway, Contributing Writer The Virginia General Assembly passed a bill that would reform how university boards of visitors operate with the goal of making them less partisan. It is awaiting a signature from Gov. Abigail Spanberger, who called for the changes upon entering office. Under the legislation, board members’ terms would increase from four to six years. Members would be required to wait two years after their six-year term before being reappointed. The measure would prevent any one governor from fully packing the boards with their appointees. Boards of visitors consist of 16 members. After the governor appoints members, they are confirmed by the General Assembly. The boards hold the power to budget, hire and fire presidents, shape university policy and approve course curricula. The governor currently gets to appoint four board members each year, meaning the boards consist entirely of the governor’s appointees by the end of their term. The bill would also require the General Assembly to confirm or reject the governor’s appointees as soon as “practicable.” Currently, the General Assembly confirms or rejects appointees within the first 30 days of the following session — meaning there are often months-long gaps between appointments and confirmation. Proposal would

What’s the deal with the redistricting campaigns in Virginia? 

April 8, 2026

Bryer Haywood, Staff Writer  The campaign for mid-decade redistricting in Richmond has resulted in a tumultuous election cycle, featuring misleading mailers — with millions of dollars from outside Virginia being poured into promoting, or decrying, the Democratic proposal. If passed on April 21, the referendum would amend the state’s constitution and give the General Assembly the authority to redraw Virginia’s congressional districts to favor Democrats by up to a 10-1 margin ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The current law that allows the Virginia Redistricting Commission to redraw the districts once every decade would remain in effect, regardless if the referendum passes. The special election has presented some challenges for the Richmond registrar’s office. David Levine, director of Elections and General Registrar for the City of Richmond, explained that the proposed amendment included a total sum of $5 million to be split between all localities in the state for election management. The Richmond Office of Elections requested additional funding but has not received it. The June primary elections in Virginia had to be moved to August to accommodate for the special election. Levine defended the pace of preparations in the city amid these challenges. “It’s a marathon, not a sprint,”

Avula pushes for affordable housing in city budget as costs rise 

April 8, 2026

Heciel Nieves Bonilla, News Editor Richmond is putting a policy and planning focus on housing expansion and affordability through budget items and its ongoing Code Refresh project, as people continue to face high costs and a nationally high eviction rate. The changes come as Richmond becomes an attractive city nationally for college students and graduates seeking housing, according to realtor.com. Mayor’s proposal includes grant programs, funding changes The points listed in the mayor’s housing plan promise to establish predictable funding for affordable housing construction, redevelop public housing, fight displacement and continue with updating the zoning code. The predictable funding will largely come in the form of real estate tax revenue put towards the Affordable Housing Trust Fund. That funding stream was already approved by the city council in February and is expected to bring in over $10 million this year with more millions as the city grows. The fund was previously funded irregularly, but has already led to affordable units built. An additional $1.8 million will go towards Affordable Housing Performance grants, which will be offered to developers that ensure the inclusion of affordable homes at various price levels in their builds. A budget plan press release from March 3

William Thomas researches solutions to health inequities, including his own disease

April 8, 2026

Sapphira Mohammed, Copy Editor Fourth-year biology student William Thomas has been conducting research at VCU on curing sickle cell disease, the very same disease he has lived with his entire life. Thomas has had his eyes set on becoming a doctor since he was a kid. Fascinated by his own doctors, Thomas wanted to learn more about how his body worked when going to appointments for his sickle cell. Now, Thomas is in the business of figuring out how all bodies handle sickle cells in order to cure himself and other minorities who are disproportionately affected by the chronic illness. Sickle cell disease is a condition that causes red blood cells to become rigid and deform into a crescent, or sickle shape, according to the CDC. Sickled cells die early and often become lodged in small blood vessels, restricting blood flow, which can lead to serious health problems such as pneumonia, heart disease and strokes. Thomas was diagnosed with the illness at birth, but only reckoned with what that meant when his high school science teacher taught his class about the disease. At that point Thomas began falling in love with the subject. However, his interest in research came during

How, and why to vote in Virginia’s redistricting referendum

April 7, 2026

Andrew Kerley, Executive Editor The people of Virginia will decide if the commonwealth should enact mid-decade redistricting on April 21. The ballot reads: “Question: Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended to allow the General Assembly to temporarily adopt new congressional districts to restore fairness in the upcoming elections, while ensuring Virginia’s standard redistricting process resumes for all future redistricting after the 2030 census?” But what does that mean? In the United States, Congress decides how many representatives each state gets by their populations. Virginia has 11 of them, and therefore 11 corresponding districts. But it is up to states to decide how the lines for those districts are drawn. In Virginia, district lines are re-drawn once per decade. The maps are created to reflect different regions of the state and their communities. For example, Richmond and Petersburg share Virginia’s 4th Congressional District, currently held by Democratic Rep. Jennifer McClellan. Virginia has put an independent, bipartisan commission in charge of that since 2020. To keep things fair, it has an equal number of Democrats and Republicans as members. The ballot question asks if Virginia should temporarily disregard the commission so the General Assembly, currently controlled by Democrats, can redraw district

In Richmond, competing ‘No Kings’ protests reveal divided leadership, complicated movement

April 2, 2026

Andrew Kerley, Executive Editor Richmond had not one, but two anti-Trump protests on Saturday, as ideological and strategic disagreements between organizers led them to hold separate demonstrations. In downtown Kanawha Plaza, 50501 Virginia held a diverse rally alongside a coalition of progressive community organizers that turned into a march through some of the city’s busiest streets.  A mile away in Monroe Park, RVA Indivisible held a “No Kings Freedom Fest” with music, canvassing by local Democratic parties and high-profile speakers such as Lt. Gov. Ghazala Hashmi.  The different approaches by the two Richmond organizations, which previously worked together, revealed a rift that has been festering for months — reflecting national disagreements on how to best dissent against the unprecedented second Trump administration.  Third ‘No Kings’ smaller than last Richmond protest A number of demonstrators said they were confused about which protest they were supposed to attend. The crowds at both Kanawha Plaza and Monroe Park — even if combined — were smaller than the first two major “No Kings” protests in Richmond.  A June 2025 march attracted an estimated 10,000 people, and an October 2025 march reached 20,000. On Saturday, only 3,000 people showed up to Kanawha Plaza, and 5,500

Students grapple with pollen as Richmond among worst cities for allergies 

April 8, 2026

Sal Orlando, Assistant News Editor Across VCU campus and Richmond, pollen is coating cars, windows, walkways and the nostrils of students — as Richmond was recently ranked in the top 20 most challenging places in America to live in with a pollen allergy. The city’s tree coverage and global climate change contribute to its allergenic status. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America released a report this year classifying Richmond as the 14th harshest place for people with pollen allergies. The report claims climate change may be a reason for pollen spikes across the nation. “Richmond is at a climatic intersection between north and south, and for that reason we have a number of different tree species that are contributing to the pollen count,” said VCU ecology professor Chris Gough. “The pollen count is particularly high at this time of the year because we have a number of different flowering plants.” Last year, the AAFA ranked the city as the eighth most challenging city in the country to live in with a pollen allergy. Gough said the only solution that can alleviate the pollen in the Richmond area is eliminating tree canopy, which he does not think is a good idea. “Eliminating tree canopy has its downsides, because it would increase the temperatures in the city, particularly during the warmer months,” Gough said. “It would reduce cooling associated with the evaporation of water from plants in the city.” Richmond lost 2% of tree coverage over the past five years, bringing the city to 43.8% tree coverage, according to the Washington Post. That is still larger than the DMV metropolitan area’s 39.7% coverage or the Virginia Beach/Norfolk area’s 31.5% coverage. New York City’s metropolitan area has 27.5% coverage. Richmond has higher urban heat problems in areas that were redlined in the 1950s, per a previous report by The CT. “Climate change results in the pollen coming sooner,” Gough said. “We know that warm temperatures enhance the rate at which plants flower and when they produce flowers, they’re generating pollen, so that’s one effect of climate change. The second is that warmer temperatures can stimulate growth and, part of that growth results in an increase in pollen count.” Gough said the rising temperatures only affects the flowering of plants to a point, but if it gets too warm too quickly, it will be detrimental to plant growth. The City of Richmond introduced

Spanberger to decide on bill preventing partisanship on boards of visitors

April 8, 2026

Skye Hathaway, Contributing Writer The Virginia General Assembly passed a bill that would reform how university boards of visitors operate with the goal of making them less partisan. It is awaiting a signature from Gov. Abigail Spanberger, who called for the changes upon entering office. Under the legislation, board members’ terms would increase from four to six years. Members would be required to wait two years after their six-year term before being reappointed. The measure would prevent any one governor from fully packing the boards with their appointees. Boards of visitors consist of 16 members. After the governor appoints members, they are confirmed by the General Assembly. The boards hold the power to budget, hire and fire presidents, shape university policy and approve course curricula. The governor currently gets to appoint four board members each year, meaning the boards consist entirely of the governor’s appointees by the end of their term. The bill would also require the General Assembly to confirm or reject the governor’s appointees as soon as “practicable.” Currently, the General Assembly confirms or rejects appointees within the first 30 days of the following session — meaning there are often months-long gaps between appointments and confirmation. Proposal would

What’s the deal with the redistricting campaigns in Virginia? 

April 8, 2026

Bryer Haywood, Staff Writer  The campaign for mid-decade redistricting in Richmond has resulted in a tumultuous election cycle, featuring misleading mailers — with millions of dollars from outside Virginia being poured into promoting, or decrying, the Democratic proposal. If passed on April 21, the referendum would amend the state’s constitution and give the General Assembly the authority to redraw Virginia’s congressional districts to favor Democrats by up to a 10-1 margin ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The current law that allows the Virginia Redistricting Commission to redraw the districts once every decade would remain in effect, regardless if the referendum passes. The special election has presented some challenges for the Richmond registrar’s office. David Levine, director of Elections and General Registrar for the City of Richmond, explained that the proposed amendment included a total sum of $5 million to be split between all localities in the state for election management. The Richmond Office of Elections requested additional funding but has not received it. The June primary elections in Virginia had to be moved to August to accommodate for the special election. Levine defended the pace of preparations in the city amid these challenges. “It’s a marathon, not a sprint,”

Avula pushes for affordable housing in city budget as costs rise 

April 8, 2026

Heciel Nieves Bonilla, News Editor Richmond is putting a policy and planning focus on housing expansion and affordability through budget items and its ongoing Code Refresh project, as people continue to face high costs and a nationally high eviction rate. The changes come as Richmond becomes an attractive city nationally for college students and graduates seeking housing, according to realtor.com. Mayor’s proposal includes grant programs, funding changes The points listed in the mayor’s housing plan promise to establish predictable funding for affordable housing construction, redevelop public housing, fight displacement and continue with updating the zoning code. The predictable funding will largely come in the form of real estate tax revenue put towards the Affordable Housing Trust Fund. That funding stream was already approved by the city council in February and is expected to bring in over $10 million this year with more millions as the city grows. The fund was previously funded irregularly, but has already led to affordable units built. An additional $1.8 million will go towards Affordable Housing Performance grants, which will be offered to developers that ensure the inclusion of affordable homes at various price levels in their builds. A budget plan press release from March 3

William Thomas researches solutions to health inequities, including his own disease

April 8, 2026

Sapphira Mohammed, Copy Editor Fourth-year biology student William Thomas has been conducting research at VCU on curing sickle cell disease, the very same disease he has lived with his entire life. Thomas has had his eyes set on becoming a doctor since he was a kid. Fascinated by his own doctors, Thomas wanted to learn more about how his body worked when going to appointments for his sickle cell. Now, Thomas is in the business of figuring out how all bodies handle sickle cells in order to cure himself and other minorities who are disproportionately affected by the chronic illness. Sickle cell disease is a condition that causes red blood cells to become rigid and deform into a crescent, or sickle shape, according to the CDC. Sickled cells die early and often become lodged in small blood vessels, restricting blood flow, which can lead to serious health problems such as pneumonia, heart disease and strokes. Thomas was diagnosed with the illness at birth, but only reckoned with what that meant when his high school science teacher taught his class about the disease. At that point Thomas began falling in love with the subject. However, his interest in research came during

How, and why to vote in Virginia’s redistricting referendum

April 7, 2026

Andrew Kerley, Executive Editor The people of Virginia will decide if the commonwealth should enact mid-decade redistricting on April 21. The ballot reads: “Question: Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended to allow the General Assembly to temporarily adopt new congressional districts to restore fairness in the upcoming elections, while ensuring Virginia’s standard redistricting process resumes for all future redistricting after the 2030 census?” But what does that mean? In the United States, Congress decides how many representatives each state gets by their populations. Virginia has 11 of them, and therefore 11 corresponding districts. But it is up to states to decide how the lines for those districts are drawn. In Virginia, district lines are re-drawn once per decade. The maps are created to reflect different regions of the state and their communities. For example, Richmond and Petersburg share Virginia’s 4th Congressional District, currently held by Democratic Rep. Jennifer McClellan. Virginia has put an independent, bipartisan commission in charge of that since 2020. To keep things fair, it has an equal number of Democrats and Republicans as members. The ballot question asks if Virginia should temporarily disregard the commission so the General Assembly, currently controlled by Democrats, can redraw district