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RICHMOND, Va. — Richmond's Commonwealth's Attorney is warning residents about a scam text message circulating that includes a fake court letter demanding payment for a parking or toll violation.

The letter, signed "John Smith, Clerk of the Court," claims the recipient has made a "Parking Violation / Failure to Pay Electronic Toll" and must either appear in court by 9 a.m. Tuesday or pay a fine before the hearing date. A QR code at the bottom of the letter reads "scan your QR code to settle your unpaid balance."

McEachin said the letter is a scam and not how the court conducts business.

She pointed to several signs that the traffic violation notice is fake, including that both the judge and the clerk are listed as "John Smith," case numbers are not set up correctly, and the hearing date is set for the following day in order to pressure people into paying immediately. McEachin also noted that the General District Court clerk's office does not send texts regarding court dates.

McEachin said the clerk's office received over 200 calls within four hours Monday from concerned citizens.

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RICHMOND, Va. — Although widespread wind damage and power outages were reported Monday night, the atmospheric conditions needed to produce tornadoes failed to come together despite forecasters placing the region under a high-risk alert.

CBS 6 Chief Meteorologist Zach Daniel said forecasters had expected two rounds of severe weather — one earlier in the day and a second with a line of storms moving in at night. The evening line did arrive as predicted, but the tornadoes many feared never developed.

"All of the data pointed towards a day where we would have tornadoes," Daniel said. "We'd have two episodes, one during the earlier part of the day and then a line moving in tonight."

Daniel explained that two key ingredients are required for tornado formation: rising motion driven by heat and humidity, and wind shear. While wind shear conditions were exceptionally strong, the heat and humidity needed to fuel storm development fell far short.

"The wind shear was a 10 out of 10 around here, but the rising motion part, the heat and humidity, it was only like a four, so it was very, very marginal," Daniel said.

Morning showers further complicated the setup. Daniel said the atmosphere partially recovered after those early showers, but not enough to generate the storms that would have tapped into the powerful wind shear already in place.

"The wind shear just didn't have anything to work with. It was there, but just no storms developed until tonight when the front came through, that gave us the lift," Daniel said.

The Storm Prediction Center, a top severe weather authority, had placed the region at a level 4 risk — a designation that reflects a significant threat of violent weather.

Despite the tornadoes not materializing, the evening was not without impact. A tornado warning was issued, and reports of damage emerged — though officials had not yet confirmed whether a tornado actually touched down. Daniel said the damage appeared consistent with straight-line winds rather than a tornado.

Daniel, who previously tracked tornadoes and storms in Oklahoma, said outcomes like this, while unusual for high-end severe weather setups, are not unheard of.

"There were some days, even there in Oklahoma City, that we ended up with full sunshine on days that we're supposed to have big tornadoes," Daniel said. "It happens."

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Richmond was spared the potential worst on Monday, as an initial forecast that called for a 30-44% chance of tornadoes turned into a day with small bursts of rain.

In parts of Western Henrico, a tornado warning was issued at 8:20 p.m., though it was not immediately clear if one touched down in the area. Dominion reported about 28,000 customers without power in the metro area, with crews dispatched across the area.

The evening burst came after a relatively quiet day.

Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Jason Kamras said he wished the district hadn't canceled school, but will always prioritize safety.

"When I make weather-related decisions, my top priority is always the safety of our students and staff," he wrote in an email to parents. "When there is clear evidence pointing to severe conditions—especially during arrival or dismissal times—I err on the side of caution.

"Much to my surprise, today turned out to be quite mild. In short, I made a bad call and apologize for the inconvenience it caused our families."

Neighboring school districts also made the decision to cancel school.

City and county offices and courthouses closed early, with Richmond city workers given the opportunity to work remotely beginning at 1 p.m.

Richmond's City Council canceled a meeting of the Finance and Economic Development Standing Committee.

Local meteorologist Matt DiNardo, with 8News, said that it's tough for nothing to happen but it remains important to take severe weather threats seriously.

"We really saw a lot of severe elements that were going to come together," he said in a Facebook video. "They didn't."

He referred to the situation as "a bust," as Richmond's severe weather watches were all lifted in the early evening hours.

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Andy Gneiting values his recycling job at the University of Virginia, but he wants his work — associated with waste and physical demands — to matter more by gaining a seat at the table to negotiate his labor rights.

“My job at UVA is not undignified because of digging through used tissues, pouring out half-full cans of Bush Light, and scraping maggots out of TV dinner boxes,” said Gneiting. “My job is undignified because we are providing a clean learning and working environment on poverty wages.”

Gneiting’s message, demanding that representatives “invest in an adequate, equitable, and just Virginia,” is in response to state lawmakers’ current efforts to repeal a law banning collective bargaining for most public employees.

Those efforts are driven by House Bill 1263 and Senate Bill 378, which have advanced steadily but hit roadblocks when legislators attempted to combine the measures. Two significant differences between them: The House version excludes university employees and home health care workers from the Senate bill.

On Wednesday evening, students, staff and faculty from Virginia’s public colleges and universities gathered alongside home health care workers to hold a “Unions for All” vigil, calling on the General Assembly to pass legislation that includes all state employees, including workers like the rally goers, near the state Capitol in Richmond.

Supporters of the bills say removing the ban would help protect workers, raise wages and strengthen the middle class, while opponents — who were not present at Wednesday’s rally — say repealing the ban could lead to higher employer costs, reduced managerial flexibility and a shift in political power.

Some leaders, including Prince William County Supervisor Victor Angry, who are advocating to try to preserve local-decision making, are concerned the measure would “undermine” their authority by creating a mandatory, statewide collective bargaining system overseen by a new state board, and put smaller localities at risk financially.

“Virginia is strongest when it respects the diversity of its communities and allows solutions to grow from the ground up, not be imposed from the top down,” Angry wrote in an Op/Ed published in Cardinal News.

But between songs and chants Wednesday evening, speakers like medical student Jake Mikesell emphasized that collective bargaining also affects students at Virginia’s schools and patients in hospitals and in-home care.

“When we advocate for the right to unionize, we aren’t just bargaining for ourselves. We are bargaining for the better safety and patient outcomes that come with it,” Mikesell said, highlighting the broader impact.

Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, and House Majority Caucus Chair Kathy Tran, D-Fairfax, both of whom introduced the proposals, were working to finalize the details of the legislation on Wednesday morning.

“They were telling us something, that our nation is invisible, but we are not invisible,” said Jeanne Robinson, a member of SEIU Virginia 512, at the rally.

Tim Gibson, president of the Virginia Conference of the American Association of University Professors, shared stories of how unions have impacted institutions’ decisions and why collective bargaining is necessary to give faculty and workers a voice.

“A university is researchers, it’s graduate assistants, it’s students, and that is the beating heart of a university,” Gibson said. “No one cares more about the university than we do. This is why faculty and graduate assistants need collective bargaining rights. We care. We are here for the mission.”

Legislation

Prior to the vigil, Tran said she, Surovell, and members of the Virginia Public Sector Labor Coalition are focused on reaching a resolution in coordination with the governor’s administration. The proposals have also gained support from some members of the legislature and at least one member of the executive branch.

“We have an opportunity to make history and lift up our hard-working civil servants across Virginia at a time when (President Donald) Trump is disrespecting our federal employees,” Tran told the Mercury on Wednesday. “We’re working really hard to address the differences in the House and Senate bills and make sure as many public sector employees as possible have collective bargaining rights.”

Del. Charlie Schmidt, D-Richmond, and Sen. Kannan Srinivasan, D-Loudoun, spoke in favor of including all workers in collective bargaining at Wednesday’s vigil.

Schmidt said the measure “is a seat at the table,” and Srinivasan added “we need to include everyone… this is about fairness. This is about equity.”

Workers also have support from Lt. Gov. Ghazala Hashmi, a former educator, who described them in an earlier statement as the “backbone of local economies.”

“The people who teach our students, maintain the health, safety, and sanitation of dormitories and classrooms, prepare meals and feed the campus community, all deserve a seat at the table,” Hashmi wrote.

Lawmakers have until Saturday to wrap up any legislation before it heads to Gov. Abigail Spanberger for consideration.

RICHMOND, Va. — CoStar Group has conducted another round of layoffs at its downtown Richmond headquarters, impacting workers on the company's Homes.com platform, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the company's actions. The exact number of affected employees is not yet known.

A CoStar Group spokesperson said the company was deploying advanced AI technologies designed to make the company more money, streamline processes, and improve the customer experience.

"To align our organization with these strategic objectives and position the company for continued success, we have made the difficult decision to eliminate certain roles within the organization," the spokesperson told CBS 6 when asked to comment on the layoffs. "This was not a decision taken lightly, and we are deeply appreciative of the contributions that each affected team member has made during this transformative period."

This marks the second major round of layoffs for the real estate technology company in less than a year. In February 2025, CoStar laid off more than 100 people from its downtown Richmond offices, citing the use of artificial intelligence as one reason for the cuts.

On Tuesday, one day before the most recent layoffs, CoStar announced "the launch of a transformative home search experience on Homes.com AI, powered by Microsoft Foundry."

"This innovation signals a shift as significant as the emergence of online search itself," Andy Florance, founder and chief executive officer of CoStar Group, said. "Home shopping is no longer constrained by rigid filters and disjointed online experiences. Instead, it has become dynamic, consultative, and deeply personalized – mirroring the way people naturally research and evaluate a home. We've spent years building the industry's richest property data and Homes AI harnesses that foundation to transform the consumer experience in a way that feels intuitive, human and incredibly powerful."

At the time of the 2025 layoffs, the company reported more than 2,500 employees in the Richmond area and said it planned to hire around 500 new salespeople for Homes.com and 100 new market analysts.

Watch: CoStar leans into AI, lays off 100+ workers from Richmond office (Feb. 2025)

"The company will complete its major one million-square-foot campus development along the James River in May 2026," CoStar said in its 2025 statement. "Upon completion, the campus will be nearly full and house 3,500 employees."

CoStar has faced pressure from investors due to declining stock prices. The company, which was trading at $94 per share on Aug. 1, 2025, is priced at around $48 at the time of publication.

CoStar said it was "committed to supporting our employees through this transition and will provide resources and assistance."

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This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. To learn more about how we use AI in our newsroom, .

Copyright 2026 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.