Dec. 24 Newsletter: Calendar queen calls it quits
Weather: No white Christmas this year, but we'll have pleasant temperatures in the lower 60s today and tomorrow.
On this date in 1999, the Jefferson Hotel reports that it still has rooms available for New Year’s Eve, as fears of a Y2K crisis keep people in their homes.
Today's newsletter sponsored by Virginia Commonwealth University: As a top 20% global university, Virginia Commonwealth University is an unparalleled powerhouse of innovation and creative problem solving. VCU attacks challenges as opportunities. It's truly a university unlike any you’ve ever seen.
Famed Richmond illustrator Eliza B. Askin says this is her final calendar
In 1980, Eliza B. Askin walked into Thalhimer's department store with 500 hand-drawn calendars, paid for with a loan.
“I had no idea what I was doing. I didn't know what I was going to sell them for. I didn't know what they would go for,” she said, adding that her husband Mark told her just to try and break even. “I asked to see the buyer. I didn't know what I was doing was stupid.”
46 years later she's a Richmond institution who has sold hundreds of thousands of calendars celebrating the city and its places.
Read more about how she got her start in drawing, and her favorite Richmond place to sketch.
Community fridge operation continues to grow, as does need
RVA Community Fridges offers free food to anyone, no questions asked. The volunteer network of stocked refrigerators outside businesses around Richmond began in 2020 when founder Taylor Scott searched for a local community fridge to deposit her extra food, something she had done regularly when she lived in New Orleans. She was surprised to find that nothing like that existed in Richmond.
She decided to start one, and it has grown into a network of 14 fridges in different parts of town. Read more here.
Richmond’s immigrant populations remain uneasy entering 2026
Reporter Benton Graham checks in with members of Richmond's Hispanic community, who have adjusted their routines and which jobs they take in light of recent immigration raids.
Local immigration attorneys say they have seen workloads soar under the Trump administration. One lawyer's firm went from one attorney focused on deportation proceedings in 2020 to three currently. Read more here.
Catching up: Francine's finders reflect on their moment in the spotlight
Our "Catching up..." series will check in with 12 of the year's biggest newsmakers between now and Jan. 5.
We were unable to secure an interview with Francine the cat, but we caught up with the Richmond duo who put together "Francine Fest" after helping bring her home safely.
Read more about what's next, including a children's book about Francine's journey.
Today's sponsor:
Reisweber is putting addiction therapy in the hands, and headsets, of patients
Jarrod Reisweber’s self-directed virtual reality program extends the impact of professional care.
“Your therapist can’t always be there,” he said. “So we asked, what if the treatment could always be there?”
Reisweber has created a new world to address a harsh reality of addiction, it strikes at the most inconvenient times. Patients put on a VR headset and are transported to a lakeside cabin, and amid the calm surroundings, dozens of sessions help them quiet cravings, develop coping strategies and connect with others in recovery. Read more.
In other news
- Former high-ranking Richmond official Traci Deshazor chosen as next Virginia Secretary of Administration
- High school basketball: Thomas Dale girls win their bracket at 804 Coaches for Change event
- Richmond area sees increase in flu cases ahead of holidays (12 On Your Side)
- VCU buys more property near Broad-Belvidere intersection (Richmond BizSense)
The editor's desk
One of the very first things I hung on the wall of my apartment in Shockoe Slip more than a decade ago was a drawing by Eliza B. Askin of the neighborhood. Congrats on a phenomenal run!
Michael Phillips, founding editor
mphillips@richmonder.org
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