More people are moving to the Richmond area, according to new estimates from the Census Bureau. Why it matters: It's driving population growth and possibly your road rage. By the numbers: Richmond's metro area grew 2.5% between July 2020 and July 2023, with more than 33,000 new people calling the River City region home. • That's a greater change than major metro areas like Denver (1.2%) Miami (0.81%) and San Francisco (-3.7%) and the 1% population increase nationwide. • And most importantly, Arlington (0.99%) and D.C. (0.71%). The big picture:...

Some Richmonders are experiencing sticker shock when opening their annual car tax bills, which started hitting local mail and inboxes last week. Why it matters: The tax break locals have been getting on their personal property bills since 2022 dropped significantly this year. The big picture: Each year, every Virginia locality get state funds to offer residents personal property tax relief on the first $20,000 of their car's assessed value. Due to COVID-era surges in car values, Richmond City Council approved in 2022 a stair-step approach to how much car...

Monumental Sports & Entertainment to expand operations in partnership with District of Columbia By D. Kevin McNeir Special to the AFRO A collective sigh of relief could be heard throughout the DMV (District, Maryland and Virginia) after the news broke on March 27, announcing that a deal had been made with Ted Leonis, owner of the Wizards and Capitals, and Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser that will keep the teams in downtown D.C. until 2050. The agreement becomes official once approved by the District Council. However, that appears to be...

Donald W. “Don” Kalkman Jr., a former Baltimore County budget analyst and avid rail fan, died of cancer March 28 at Stella Maris, a hospice facility in Timonium, Baltimore County. The longtime Towson resident was 83. “Don was a great guy and we’ve been very close all of our lives,” said his brother, William “Bill” Kalkman, who lives in Timonium. “He was a very meticulous and detail-oriented person.” Donald Wilmer Kalkman Jr., son of William W. Kalkman Sr., who worked for Martin Marietta Corp.’s Gemini Space Program, and Marie Bittrick...

Brisbane will need a win at the AFL tribunal to have star small forward Charlie Cameron available for their key AFL home game against Geelong. Cameron faces a one-game suspension for his dump tackle on Melbourne defender Jake Lever in the first term of Thursday night's upset win over the Demons at the MCG. Lever appeared stunned briefly after Cameron slung him to the ground and the Lions goalsneak gave up a free kick. Cameron was also charged with rough conduct on Friday, with the incident graded as careless conduct,...

Prosecutors filed murder charges against a Richmond man suspected of taking part in an apparent drive-by shooting in San Francisco's Mission District last week, officials said Thursday. Alexander Martinez, 30, faces several charges, including one count of murder, District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said in a news release. If convicted, Martinez faces life in prison with the possibility of parole. His arraignment is scheduled for April 17. Martinez was accused of fatally shooting a man on the 2300 block of Mission Street just before 1:37 p.m. on Friday, the San Francisco...

A Richmond man suspected in a drive-by shooting that killed a man in San Francisco's Mission District last week is facing a murder charge, prosecutors said. Alexander Martinez, 30, was charged with murder, shooting from a vehicle and being in possession of a loaded, concealed gun, among other things, according to the San Francisco District Attorney's Office. A little before 1:40 p.m. last Friday, Martiez shot the man -- identified by the San Francisco Medical Examiner's Office as 23-year-old Alberto Rafael Vargas Quero -- in the 2300 block of Mission...