Richmond’s New Dolly Parton Mural Draws Visitors to Oregon Hill

Local artist Jerro painted the mural on South Pine Street at homeowner Stephanie Harrington's request. Parton's decades of charitable work, including the Imagination Library, inspired the tribute and Harrington's own community involvement. The mural unveiled on Halloween adds a new attraction to Oregon Hill's historic neighborhood and annual celebrations. A...

Fact checking political ads: 1st District candidates Rob Wittman and Shannon Taylor

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - With less than a week until Election Day, more political ads are emerging over Shannon Taylor’s handling of the Henrico Doctors NICU baby abuse investigation. A new ad is from the man she’s challenging, Rob Wittman. The ad makes you think this woman named...

Richmond Pedestrian Study Finds Nighttime Crashes Drive Most Severe Injuries

Nighttime walking in Richmond carries far greater risk than daytime strolls, according to a city-commissioned analysis that examined nearly 1,200 pedestrian crashes between 2017 and 2025. Crashes after dark made up only 39% of all pedestrian collisions citywide, but accounted for 57% of those resulting in death or serious injury. The findings are feeding into Richmond's first Pedestrian Safety Master Plan, and the city is accepting public comment through Nov. 19.

Election results - Nov. 3, 2026

Avula calls Flying Squirrels, Diamond District developer settlement ‘good news’

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Richmond Mayor Danny Avula said it’s “good news” that the Richmond Flying Squirrels and Diamond District developers are settling a contentious defamation lawsuit. “The fact that a settlement has been achieved is only good news for us,” he told 8News. On...

New Dolly Parton mural brings color, charm to Richmond neighborhood

A new mural celebrating country music icon Dolly Parton is drawing attention in Richmond's Oregon Hill neighborhood and giving residents a colorful new landmark to admire.

Petersburg apartment residents wait to return after complex closes over unsafe conditions

Residents at the Plaza at Bank Street in Old Towne Petersburg are wondering when they will be allowed back into their building.

105-Year-Old Buffalo Soldier honored by motorcycle club

At 105 years old, Matthew E. Otey Sr. is still living on his own, still cooking his own meals, and still climbing. "I'm on the rough side today, you know, uh, I'm still climbing," Otey said.

Henrico breaks ground on two infrastructure projects

HENRICO, Va. (WWBT) - Henrico County officials will break ground at 10 a.m. Wednesday on two infrastructure projects: the widening of Richmond-Henrico Turnpike and construction of the Eastern Henrico Transmission Line. Turnpike widening. Crews will begin work to widen Richmond-Henrico Turnpike between East Laburnum Avenue and Hummingbird Road. The road...

Henrico Business Watch: Business license filings Oct. 22–28, 2026

Henrico County reported the following business license filings with start dates during the week. The filings are listed alphabetically by business or trade name, followed by a registered address and business industry classification. Autonomy Salon and Wellness , 5714 Brook Road, Henrico – Hairdressing services. CK Workshop LLC , 5613 Burberry Court,

Chesterfield residents push for accountability as data center development grows

Dozens of families gathered at Brightpoint Community College Tuesday to hear from representatives from companies including Google and Dominion Energy about data center projects in Chesterfield County.

Records reveal maintenance gaps before chiller failure caused mold, closure

CBS 6 found no records that Richmond schools did required chiller upkeep before mold shut Barack Obama Elementary and delayed the year by 9 days.

2026 on track for record year for Virginia's Black voter turnout

Much has been said about Black voter turnout in the South, with marches to polls in Georgia and GOP-led redistricting designed to water down majority Black districts. But Black Virginians may break voting records this year. Hickory Hill Community Center in Richmond’s Southside hosted a get out the vote event...

Richmond pedestrian safety report flags new nighttime risks

Richmond could make its streets safer for pedestrians by looking beyond crash sites and rethinking everything from street lighting to the vehicles the city buys, according to a new analysis. Why it matters: The city-commissioned report suggests expanding Richmond's approach by targeting risky streets before serious crashes happen. Driving the news: Consultants at Toole Design Group analyzed nearly 1,200 pedestrian crashes from 2017 to 2025 in an 80-page report presented to a city commission last week. Researchers mapped nighttime risks using road speeds, a lack of sidewalks and crosswalks, and proximity to places people walk to, like nightlife districts, stores and bus stops. They also considered neighborhood factors like residential density, poverty and households without cars. By the numbers: Nighttime crashes account for 39% of total pedestrian crashes but 57% of those resulting in death or serious injury, per the analysis. Zoom in: The analysis identified areas of heightened risk in Northside, Union Hill, Old Town Manchester, Blackwell and Woodland Heights. Other areas of concern include pockets of Stony Point, Southampton and Stratford Hills, as well as near the Diamond and Scott's Addition . One blind spot: Richmond's existing street-lighting plan counts streetlights per mile but doesn't measure how well

6 Virginia-inspired Barbies are on display at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture

Barbie: A Cultural Icon, a new exhibit at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture, is bringing more than six decades of fashion, culture and nostalgia to Richmond — with a special spotlight on six specific Barbies connected to the commonwealth. The traveling exhibit traces Barbie’s evolution from her...

Chesterfield’s future of Flock in question

On Oct. 10, the City of Richmond announced they will not renew their contract with Flock Safety, an automated license plate reader system (ALPR), just four days after Henrico County announced they will not renew their own contract. Roscoe D. Cooper III, chair of the Henrico County Board of Supervisors,...

Federal election monitors coming to Virginia, but not metro-Richmond area

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - Expect to see federal election monitors at some polls on Tuesday. The Department of Justice is announcing Virginia is on the list. “They request to monitor in certain localities to and they provide generally speaking like the authority or the law that is the purpose of them monitoring is to monitor compliance with certain statues,” said Steven Koski, Virginia Commissioner of Elections.

Richmond is apparently one of America's brainiest cities

Richmond is one of the most intellectual cities in the nation, per a study from New York-based social club Maxwell Social. Why it matters: We smart. State of play: Maxwell Social ranked RVA at No. 9 among America's 50 most "intellectual" metro areas. That puts us ahead of D.C. (No. 10) and Raleigh (No. 29) and one place behind NYC — but just by a measly 0.1 point. Boston took the top spot, followed by Hartford and San Francisco. How it works: Researchers were looking for "intellectual life outside the classroom" by measuring the number of museums, libraries, bookstores, universities, graduate degrees and more. They also took into account Google searches for things like book clubs, chess and trivia. Yes, but: The ranking measures opportunities for intellectual engagement — not how smart residents actually are (or so they say). The intrigue: Richmond scored highest for the number of museums and bookstores per 100,00o residents, plus the share of residents with graduate degrees. Our lowest score? Googling intellectual things to do. Apparently, we already know where to go. Like we said, we smart.

Two sewer main breaks send 1.4 million gallons of sewage into Henrico’s Gillies Creek

Two sewer main breaks sent 1.4 million gallons of sewage into Henrico County's Gillies Creek, prompting officials to warn residents to stay out of the water as remediation efforts continued.

Closed Capital Region Airport Commission meeting focuses on ICE flights from RIC • Court limits where striking union workers can picket at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden

Closed Capital Region Airport Commission meeting focuses on ICE flights from RIC In an unusually long, closed-door session Oct. 27, the Capital Region Airport Commission discussed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement flights departing from Richmond International Airport. For an hour, RIC General Counsel Warren David Harless addressed the