Editor’s note: Sorry for the delay on today’s edition. Had some personal matters to attend to. Thanks for your patience!—Dave.

On November 15th, 2024, The Church Hill Lookout sent its very first newsletter. Two years later, it’s still going, growing like a weed at Chimborazo Park, and publishing more news and views about Richmond’s East End than ever before. Please join me in wishing a very happy second birthday to Church Hill’s best (only?) independent media outlet!

It’s been a huge sophomore year for The Lookout. We—by which I mean me, founding editor Dave Infante, plus my incredibly supportive wife/events editor, our crack social-media contractor, litter critter-at-large Penelope Poubelle, and Ernie, our chief canine correspondent—have broken big scoops, launched new franchises, and added video reporting to our repertoire, all while maintaining a weekly publishing cadence on a shoestring budget.

Thousands of people across the East End enjoy The Lookout’s refreshing mix of aggressive accountability reporting and offbeat lifestyle coverage each week. Our newsletter audience grew over 55% in 2026, with open rates averaging over 70% on each edition. Our Instagram account, launched midway through the year, quickly surpassed 1,500 followers, and continues to grow thanks to the popularity of video adaptations of our original journalism about the East End.

These figures emphasize that people want local journalism. But even so, it’s getting scarce. In the two years since The Lookout’s founding, the already-emaciated media industry has lost thousands more jobs and hundreds more publications across the country. Richmond’s journalism landscape has not been exempt from this national trend. There are a bunch of factors driving this decline—the hyper-consolidation of the advertising market, the nationalization and rightward lurch of American politics, the ludicrously legal business model of private-equity firms, et cetera—but the upshot is that there’s never been much money in local journalism, and there’s even less now.

As I’ve occasionally joked, The Lookout is not my “real job.” (For the past decade and a half I’ve made a living reporting on the booze business, among other beats.) But I got laid off from my most recent editing gig in August. It’s only my second media layoff—a better record than many of my colleagues! And frankly, I really enjoy reporting on the neighborhood, anyway, so I’m planning to invest a little more time and effort into growing The Lookout in its third year.

If you’d like to help me publish more independent, AI-free news and views from Richmond’s East End in 2027 (and beyond), there are three ways to do so:

Thanks for reading, forwarding, and commenting on The Lookout’s coverage for the past two years. Thanks for all your juicy tips, Very CHill Photos, and trash pics for Penelope. Thanks for sharing our video reports on social media to help us reach new audiences on those platforms. Keep the East End Animal Friends coming, and keep your eyes peeled for new entries for The Cynthia Newbille “No Comment” Corner. We can’t do what we do here at Lookout HQ without you, and we appreciate the hell out of you for your support.

Here’s to two years of independent news and views from Richmond’s East End, and many more. I’ll see you around, neighbors.—Dave.

Possum Poetry is original verse written exclusively for The Lookout by Penelope Poubelle, the Lookout’s litter critter-at-large. If you spot roadside trash you’d like her to immortalize in doggerel, email a photo to [email protected].

On Tuesday evening, more than two dozen people gathered in Chimborazo Elementary School’s gymnasium to voice concerns over the Richmond Department of Public Works’ ongoing project on Government Road. Unlike the previous confab convened by City Council President and longtime 7th District member Cynthia Newbille regarding the heavily delayed construction, the Department of Public Works’ lead engineer on the work actually showed up to this one.

So did DPW director Bobby Vincent, who acceded to some traffic-calming requests while swatting down others. “I want y'all to understand what my role of it is,” he told attendees. “My role is to get that street back open.”

Read The Lookout’s special report from the meeting:

The Cynthia Newbille “No Comment” Corner is a recurring feature highlighting the press availability—or lack thereof—of the 7th District’s longtime councilmember. Here’s the latest installation:

If you come across a “did not respond” or a “no comment” from Newbille or her office in a media report, please submit it for consideration to The Lookout. All submissions anonymous!

Happenings on The Hill is a digital bulletin board for events, causes, and other items of interest to East Enders that don’t necessarily merit full editorial treatment. Got something for a future edition? Email the relevant details, links, etc. to [email protected] for consideration!

Want to share your Very CHill Photo from the neighborhood? Submit it via this form with your name as you’d like it to appear for publication, and the camera you shot it on.

By submitting, you agree that your photo may be entered into the Creative Commons under a CC-BY license, which assists archivists in creating free, open-source visual records of the neighborhood over time. You will always retain credit as the photographer. Learn more about Creative Commons.