Style Weekly

05/09/2026

Alexsis Rodgers, chair of the 4th Congressional District Democratic Committee of Virginia, addressed a group of protestors outside the Virginia Supreme Court on Friday afternoon. Rodgers, flanked by Virginia Lt. Gov. Ghazala Hashmi, told the crowd it was time for Democrats to “stand up and fight back,” despite the Virginia Supreme Court striking down a voter-approved Democratic congressional redistricting plan on May 8.

05/09/2026

05/08/2026

Exciting arts news! Three of Richmond's most prominent local artists, Ed Trask, Heide Trepanier and Matt Lively, are joining forces to launch the Universal Arts Teaching Gallery in Shockoe Bottom.

“I think it’ll be shows that are more challenging than what you would normally see at a retail gallery,” Lively (pictured right) says. “We’re not a retail gallery. The motivating factor is to help young artists that don’t get to have shows and also to provide opportunities for skilled people to teach other people how to do stuff.” Congrats!

The gallery's inaugural exhibition is slated for May 23, with a group show of up-and-coming artists alongside familiar names such as Sally Bowring, Joan Gaustad, Sharon Shapiro and Bonnie Collura. Link in comments. Photos by Scott Elmquist

05/08/2026

"The Virginia Supreme Court on Friday struck down a voter-approved Democratic congressional redistricting plan, delivering another major setback to the party in a nationwide battle against Republicans for an edge in this year’s midterm elections.

The court ruled 4-3 that the state’s Democratic-led legislature violated procedural requirements when it placed the constitutional amendment on the ballot to authorize mid-decade redistricting. Voters narrowly approved the amendment on April 21, but the court’s ruling renders the vote’s result meaningless." [AP]

The Virginia Supreme Court has struck down a Democratic congressional redistricting plan that had won voter approval.

05/08/2026

This week's movie reviews: Scenes from a marriage or two: “Affection” and “Midwinter Break” on the challenges of long-term relationships. Link in comments.

Pictured in photos: (top) Jessica Rothe stars as Ellie in the sci-fi/horror film "Affection," written and directed by BT Meza and Gerry (Ciarán Hinds) and Stella (Lesley Manville) star in “Midwinter Break” now available on Peacock streaming.

05/08/2026

Preview: The Bard’s wife and a slew of hits propel a jaunty voyage of self-discovery in Broadway musical smash hit, “& Juliet,” which runs at the Altria Theater from May 12-17.

Pictured: Crystal Kellogg (center, foreground) plays Anne Hathaway, Shakespeare’s wife, who unleashes a musical adventure by challenging the need for Juliet’s death. Photos by Evan Zimmerman

05/08/2026

Some photos from the opening for "Imagining Best Products" yesterday at the The Branch Museum of Design, which runs through June 21, 2026.

Edwin Slipek, a former Style Weekly senior contributing editor, and longtime architecture critic who died at the end of last year, was on the advisory committee for the exhibition. It was curated by Don O'Keefe, an architect and lecturer from Harvard University School of Design, who is also one of the co-founders of the online publication, ArchitectureRichmond, along with Slipek. Best Products was at one time one of the nation's largest retailers, and Slipek was the former director of communications there from 1974-1984. Photos by Scott Elmquist.

05/07/2026

Congrats to both! "Justin Shing-Jo Lo, dining critic for The Richmond Times Dispatch and Deb Freeman (pictured), former food editor at Style Weekly and host and executive producer of “Finding Edna Lewis,” were nominated for James Beard awards this year: the Jonathan Gold Local Voice Award and Documentary Visual Media categories, respectively." Link in comments.

05/07/2026

From the press release desk:

(From Richmond Police) Driver Charged in Fatal Collision Involving Pedestrian on East Broad Street in December

"Following indictments by a grand jury, the driver in the fatal pedestrian collision on East Broad Street in December surrendered at the Richmond Justice Center today.

Harry McCray, 38, of Moseley, Virginia, has been charged with failure to stop for a pedestrian in a crosswalk, careless driving and infliction of death on a vulnerable road user and driving while license is suspended or revoked. All three charges are misdemeanors. His booking photo is attached (right).

On December 27, 2025, at approximately 12:03 p.m., officers were called to the intersection of East Broad and North 10th streets for the report of a vehicle colliding with a pedestrian.

Officers arrived and found an adult male, William Martin, 71, of Richmond (pictured left) down and injured in the eastbound lanes of East Broad Street. The driver of the vehicle, McCray, remained at the scene. Martin was transported to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries the following day.

The RPD Crash Team responded to the scene to investigate. They determined McCray made a left turn from North 10th Street onto the eastbound lanes of East Broad Street and struck Martin while Martin was in the crosswalk.

05/07/2026

Trey Burnart Hall, head of Vocal Rest Records, just released “Songs I Can Sing,” an unvarnished document of his singing following multiple surgeries to repair torn vocal cords. Hall, a graduate student of writing at VCU, has been focusing on poetry lately, a form that has lent a new set of tools to his songwriting. Story by Davy Jones in comments. Photo by Em White

05/07/2026

This week's Stuff to Do (raindance version): “India’s Great Mughals” at Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Courtney Barnett at The National, Music in the Park Concert Series - Forest Hill Park RVA returns with Los Hermanos Alacranes, Mother’s Day events, Richmond Volunteer Market at Gallery5, Sun of Goldfinger at Révéler Experiences, Goth Prom, "& Juliet," the hit Broadway musical at Altria Theater, Willow Lawn’s Art and Makers Market, Church Hill Spring Fest and Market, Richmond Hot Air Balloon Fest, Rest Fest and more. Link in comments.