More than a store: Uplift Thrift benefits mental health, addiction services

With the newly expanded Goodwill on 29 North, SPCA Rummage in Seminole Square, and boutique favorites like Darling, Charlottesville has no shortage of spots to score second-hand goods. But the newest arrival, Uplift Thrift, comes with a unique mission: all of its proceeds support the work of On Our Own. Since 1990, On Our Own […]

Rivanna Trails Foundation seeks a new path

Snowy roads didn’t stop about a dozen people from making their way to the Carver Recreation Center last Tuesday for a brainstorming session on something that’s been in the works for nearly 10 years: the Three Notched Trail.  The Rivanna Trails Foundation is spearheading the effort to build a 25-mile-long paved pedestrian and bicycle path […]

Price check: UVA raises housing costs, again

My first semester at the University of Virginia was full of surprises. I was surprised to learn just how difficult college classes are, how frustrating roommates can be, and how competitive everything at UVA is—just to name a few things. What I found the most surprising though was that in October—a little over a month […]

(Don’t) take a seat: Downtown Mall still lacks public benches

Last year, the Seattle Department of Transportation installed 18 new bike racks on a stretch of pavement underneath Highway 99. However, the racks were not meant to provide more resources for cyclists—but to prevent the homeless people who had been camping there from coming back. Seattle is just one of many cities known to use […]

Being the change: Local mother starts cafe to employ adults with disabilities

2014 was a life-changing year for Katie Kishore. That April, she and her husband Kris welcomed their second daughter, Kiran, who was diagnosed with Down syndrome. And just two weeks later, Kris passed away from cancer. For the next few years, Kishore, a former teacher at Jackson-Via Elementary, focused on caring for Kiran and her […]

Facing the past: Wedding sites to stop promoting plantation weddings

Back in 2018, the wedding site Zola published an article titled “8 Unique Charlottesville Wedding Venues,” including The Jefferson Theater, Meriwether Springs Vineyard, and James Monroe’s Highland—one of Virginia’s most famous plantations. But now Zola is one of several wedding planning websites that will no longer promote former slave plantations as wedding sites. While Zola […]

Pushing forward: Albemarle writer’s lawsuit goes to trial

After paying nearly $11,000 in taxes to Albemarle County, freelance writer John Hart will have a chance to get a refund.  On December 4, Judge Claude Worrell of Albemarle Circuit Court ruled that Hart’s lawsuit against the county will proceed, rejecting the county’s request that it be dismissed. Hart, who filed the lawsuit in July, […]

Changing the game: Esports come to middle school

Amy Brudin has always been a gamer. She grew up playing games like Myst and Doom, back when computers were “way less cool than they are now.” And today, she loves playing games on her phone.  So when Brudin, director of educational technology at the Peabody School, first learned about esports—the world of team-based competitive […]