Hey, y’all. It’s Amie.

Still snowed in? I remember last winter—when we didn’t have power for a prolonged period because of an ice storm—we went to a nearby church with an indoor playground and spent a few hours there. It was warm. It was fun. It literally felt like a lifeline in the midst of the storm.

If you’re finding yourself in a similar situation, there are warming centers available throughout the commonwealth. Some are in churches. Others are in community centers. A few switch locations every now and then to best accommodate the area’s needs.

Local businesses are also a good option—just call ahead to make sure they’re open, and remember to support them with a purchase or two while you’re there enjoying the heat. Stay warm, Virginia, and remember, I’m so glad you’re here.

Enjoy a relaxing atmosphere while sipping a yummy drink. (Press 626 Wine Bar)

By Tejal Thakkar

Here’s what you need to know: There’s little better than curling up in a cozy booth with an exquisite cocktail, looking out at the snow. There are several spectacular bars across Virginia that feel welcoming and homey, while also serving up delicious drinks.

Our top picks:

• Press 626 Wine Bar is a Norfolk bar and restaurant with an extensive wine and craft cocktail list, delicious food, and a welcoming ambiance. The business hosts regular special events and wine tastings that are culinary experiences in their own right.

• The Tobacco Company Restaurant is situated in a historic Richmond building and is beautifully decorated across three floors, with velvet sofas and leather accents, greenery and trees that bring the outside in, and a stunning skylight that gives it a greenhouse vibe. Along with amazing cocktails and food, jazz music performances regularly take place at the venue.

• Trummer’s Coffee and Wine Bar in Gainesville is a nod to the coffeehouses you might find across Europe, where you may come in for a coffee and a pastry in the morning and stay for a drink by evening. At Trummer’s, every cocktail is hand-made using homemade syrups as well as fresh fruit and juice.

Ready to enjoy? We’ve rounded up some of our favorite local spots across Virginia.

A man installs solar panels on a roof. (Bill Mead/Unsplash)

By Jessica F. Simmons

For many Virginians, the cost-of-living squeeze shows up most clearly in everyday expenses, from groceries to rent to the monthly power bill. Electricity costs are already set to climb again this year, after state regulators approved Dominion Energy rate increases that will add about $13 a month to the typical residential bill over the next two years.

Those hikes are not just another line item. They’re household concerns, and they’re prompting fresh questions about what actually keeps energy affordable over time.

Clean energy is increasingly part of that conversation. Rather than a futuristic experiment, advocates frame renewables as a practical way to stabilize costs because they draw on abundant local resources and long-established technology, rather than on fuel markets that can swing sharply from year to year.

Amie, Colton, and Kody Knowles enjoy a Southside snow day. (Amie Knowles/Dogwood)

This is just a gentle reminder for the ones with kiddos in their lives: They’re only little once; (most) everything else can wait.

If there’s still snow where you are, I hope you’re able to sneak outside with your children, grandkids, etc., for a few minutes today. What I’ve learned over the past couple of years—and wish I realized before—is that five minutes of play is better than no minutes at all.

Yeah, it’s cold. Sure, it’s a bit of a hassle to get the big coat zipped up (and to find a pair of matching winter gloves). But, man, it feels good to make memories—even short ones.

Get outside. Play. And have a great day.

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