Good morning. It's Monday.

🌇 Today's weather: Sunny, with a high near 65.

Today's newsletter is 943 words — a 3.5-minute read.

Depending on which headlines you read in the past 30 days, you might think Gov. Youngkin has given up on his presidential ambitions.

• Or, you could have just as easily walked away with the impression that his secret-squirrel, long-shot campaign is still in play.

Why it matters: We like to keep tabs on whether our governor is planning to stick around.

State of play: Here's an abbreviated timeline of recent headlines to help clear things up a little.

In late March, Youngkin's top strategist Jeff Roe bailed for Ron DeSantis' camp, which the Washington Post reported raised "further doubts about Youngkin’s interest in a 2024 campaign."

Not so fast, reported Puck News’ Tara Palmeri a week later. Her unnamed sources say it was Youngkin who told Roe to move on after Youngkin was unwilling to commit to Roe's timeline for a campaign.

• "[Youngkin] believes his best strategy is a late entry into the race, after either: 1) DeSantis fizzles, or 2) Trump and DeSantis effectively mutilate one another so thoroughly that they create a lane for a third option," Palmeri wrote.

Then, last week: More cold water — from the New York Times, which reported Youngkin is "putting the presidential hoopla on ice."

• The article leaned on recent comments from Youngkin vowing a singular focus on this year’s General Assembly elections.
• "Listen, I didn't write a book, and I'm not in Iowa or New Hampshire or South Carolina," Youngkin said.

👀 The latest: An ex-DeSantis donor, billionaire Thomas Peterffy, cut a $1 million check to Youngkin on Thursday, per Politico.

• Peterffy had told the Financial Times earlier this month that he was rethinking his support for DeSantis over controversial policies he’s backed in Florida.

Between the lines: Both Puck and NYT suggest Youngkin is waiting until after the November elections to make a call, at least in part because he hopes that Republican victories will give him a win he can tout on the campaign trail.

Reality check: The first GOP debate is in August, and he'd be way behind most candidates in attention and fundraising.

• On the other hand, a late start could be a blessing this cycle, per UVA's Larry Sabato, who told the Times it could end up sparing Youngkin from "getting banged up by" Trump.

It's Richmond Restaurant Week — that one week that happens twice a year (in the spring and fall).

What's happening: Spring restaurant week starts today and runs through Sunday.

• This year's 34 participating restaurants have put together three-course menus for $35.23 per person, and $5.23 of every meal will go to Feed More, the local food bank.
• Simply visit any of the participating restaurants and eat.

Why it matters: Restaurant weeks help promote and drive business to Richmond's independently owned restaurants while fundraising for the food pantry.

• And last year, the fundraising hit a major milestone: more than $1 million raised for Feed More since 2001.

Why it's special: Three courses are a leisurely, fantastic way to try a lot of a restaurant's food at once. They also let local chefs get creative with multiple courses.

Richmond Restaurant Week has been sharing the menus on its Instagram, and you can find them there or on a participating restaurant's social media or website.

Keep reading for our pro dining tips

🏭 Dominion Energy started work on a $2.8 billion cleanup of coal ash ponds outside its Chesterfield power station. (Times-Dispatch)

🎓 The New York Times did a deep dive into a push by Youngkin’s appointees to the UVA board to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. (New York Times)

🧑‍⚕️ Youngkin named Karen Shelton, a longtime OB-GYN from Southwest Virginia, to lead the state health department. (Washington Post)

• The appointment comes two months after Democrats blocked the confirmation of Youngkin’s previous pick.

🌎 VCU students marked Earth Day with a protest demanding the school take more dramatic steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. (Times-Dispatch)

📺 WTVR, which bills itself as “the South’s First Television Station,” turned 75. (WTVR)

Becoming a VCU Giving Day Champion is easy — just choose the cause you support most and sign up to champion it.

Plus, plus, plus: Invite your network to donate through a customized link and score tartan VCU socks designed just for Champions when at least two gifts are made.

Get your personal link.

Question: "I’d love to know what’s going on with the fence and barriers around the Dominion demolition site downtown. They have had one lane blocked for several years now and it causes a big traffic issue at 5pm," says reader Christopher C.

• Also, "why is the city letting them keep these streets blocked?" he adds.

Answer: Dominion is planning a "clean energy park" for the space at 700 E. Canal St., which will include EV charging stations, walking paths and an open park.

Construction is slated to begin later this year and wrap up by the end of next year. And those barriers will stay in place until it's done, Craig Carper, a Dominion spokesperson, tells Axios.

• The city did not respond to a request for comment.

Catch up quick: Dominion imploded its former downtown headquarters at One James River Plaza in May 2020 to prepare for a pair of twin office towers. That’s when barricades went up.

It scrapped those plans a year later because of the shift to remote work before announcing plans for the clean energy park.

• The announcement was met with criticism from some local groups, including Partnership for Smarter Growth, which argued the park is little more than a surface parking lot and is in conflict with the city's master plan for greater density, WRIC reported.

💼 See who’s hiring around the city.

1. Director of Critical Care Nursing at HCA Healthcare.
2. VP, Retirement Plan Services at USI Insurance Services.
3. Marketing Director, Joyner Fine Properties at Virginia Credit Union.

Want more opportunities? Check out our Job Board.

Hiring? Post a Job.

Spring has sprung, and the azaleas were looking fantastic this weekend.

What’s happening: In honor of the blooms, we’re introducing "Bush of the Week," another recurring feature there is a 99% chance we will never revisit.

Of note: April is prime azalea bush-blooming time, per Lewis Ginter.

💭 Karri’s thought bubble: I love an ornamental bush.

Earn exclusive VCU merch on Giving Day when you support:

• Student scholarships.
• Lifesaving research.
• State-of-the-art facilities.
• And more!

Even better: Maximize your impact when you give on May 3, thanks to game-changing matches and challenges.

Start here.

🎬 Ned is really enjoying the TikTok trend where people pretend they’re in Wes Anderson films.

😍 Karri is still thinking about that awesome bush. For real. Can't stop, won't stop.

Thanks to Fadel Allassan for editing and Carlin Becker for copy editing this newsletter.