“As early as the middle of the seventeenth century, the government of Virginia was a government of the tobacco planters, by the tobacco planters, and for the tobacco planters. Restrictions on the suffrage and distribution of representative seats secured their political dominance,” writes historian Brent Tarter in his 2019 book Gerrymanders. Four hundred years later, […]
“What’s been the hardest part of this job?” is, to outgoing Charlottesville City Manager Dr. Tarron Richardson, “a loaded question.” The city’s top executive tendered his resignation on September 11, and will finish his time at City Hall on September 30, after 16 months at the helm. (For reference, the three city managers before Richardson […]
Against the advice of pretty much any person, group, or institution that’s decided to weigh in on the topic, UVA is sticking to its plan to hold in-person classes, the school confirmed on Friday. Though many upperclassmen have already settled in to their off-campus apartments, the decision means that hordes of first-years will move […]
Around the gentle, grassy slope, under the shade of old trees, stone markers are scattered here and there. Some are arranged in neat rows, some stand alone. A few are shining, new, and sturdy. Many are little more than half-buried shards of stone poking out of the soil. All told, there are around 140 […]
“Morale is at the lowest level it’s ever been,” says one Orange County public school teacher. “You walk down the hallway and everybody is banging their heads against the wall because we’re just so frustrated.” “The most appalling part of this,” says another teacher, “is that there’s so many things that they haven’t thought about.” […]
Jennifer Carroll Foy announced her 2021 gubernatorial campaign in late May—the first candidate to do so in this cycle. Carroll Foy grew up in Petersburg, attended the Virginia Military Institute, and in 2017 became the first public defender ever elected to the Virginia general assembly. This session, she led the charge for Virginia’s passage of […]
Last Thursday, six days before the third anniversary of the Unite the Right rally, the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors voted 6-0 to remove the statue of a Confederate soldier, known as “Johnny Reb,” which stands outside the county courthouse. The Board of Supervisors vote comes after the newly Democratic Virginia legislature narrowly passed laws […]
A chorus of “We gon’ be alright” bounced out of DJ Flatline and DJ Double U’s speakers, signaling the beginning of Saturday’s Black Joy Fest. The festival was the first event hosted by the newly formed Charlottesville Black Youth Action Committee. Young people tossed beanbags back and forth at a set of Dallas Cowboys cornhole boards. […]
In June, State Senator Jennifer McClellan announced her candidacy for governor of Virginia. McClellan is a 14-year veteran of the Virginia legislature who grew up in Petersburg. In this year’s session, she was a sponsor of significant clean energy and abortion access bills, as well as Virginia’s ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment. If elected […]
Last month, I was lucky to be able to head for the hills with two old friends—we spent a long weekend hiking and camping on the Appalachian Trail in southwest Virginia. We’re all amateur campers. From the top of a mountain, we marveled at a far-off hailstorm, only for it to sweep over us and […]