On the rise: Police chief calls on community to take action against gun violence

Charlottesville Police Chief RaShall Brackney held a press conference Thursday afternoon to address what the department is calling an “unprecedented” rise in gun violence in the city. There have been eight incidents since November 5, a period that caps off a year in which police responded to 122 reports of shots being fired. There were […]

On a roll: Health department begins vaccinating non-hospital health care workers

The local vaccine rollout process continues. About a month after the first coronavirus vaccines were shipped to hospitals across the country, Charlottesville’s frontline health care employees who work outside of hospitals are now getting vaccinated. On Monday, the Blue Ridge Health District (formerly known as the Thomas Jefferson Health District) began offering the first dose […]

A shot in the arm: Vaccine distribution begins for local hospital workers

Last Tuesday, UVA hospital’s ICU director Taison Bell became one of the first people in Charlottesville to receive the newly approved coronavirus vaccine. It was a moment of “mixed emotions,” says Bell, who has worked with COVID patients throughout the crisis. “It was definitely a good feeling to finally have something that can potentially protect […]

Not over: Activists reflect on Black Lives Matter protests, next steps in 2021

While the coronavirus pandemic has disproportionately impacted communities of color this year, Black people have been dealing with “a pandemic of racism” in the United States for centuries, as Black mental health advocate Myra Anderson told C-VILLE over the summer. When Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on George Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes […]

False alarm?: CPD refutes racial profiling claims, calls on church leaders to “apologize or be terminated”

In October, leaders at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Charlottesville penned a blog post accusing the Charlottesville Police Department of racial profiling. According to the clergy, CPD unnecessarily detained and intimidated a Black congregant as he was walking to church. On December 10, Charlottesville Police Chief RaShall Brackney held a press conference during which she […]

Seasonal strain: Dealing with the winter blues

There’s no question that the pandemic has spiked everyone’s stress level. Millions of people have lost jobs. Parents are struggling to balance work lives with kids’ remote learning. Many have been stuck inside their homes for months, away from loved ones. And on top of all of that, coronavirus cases and deaths continue to increase […]

At risk: Evictions could increase, as moratorium nears expiration

While Congress continues to debate a much-needed coronavirus relief package—almost nine months after the first one was passed—nearly 40 million renters nationwide might soon be forced out of their homes, as the Centers for Disease Control’s ban on evictions approaches its expiration date. On December 31, the CDC’s eviction moratorium will end, and the supplemental […]

Stepping up: PHAR welcomes a new executive director

For Shelby Marie Edwards, serving her community comes naturally. Edwards grew up watching her mother, Holly Edwards, advocate for low-income residents as a parish nurse for the Jefferson Area Board for Aging and as program coordinator for the Public Housing Association of Residents. Now the younger Edwards is following in those footsteps as PHAR’s new […]

Moving forward: School board votes to continue in-person reopening plans

After nearly six months of remote learning, Charlottesville City Schools is moving forward with its plans to begin in-person classes at the start of the new year. During its virtual meeting last Thursday, the Charlottesville School Board unanimously voted to allow the district’s COVID-19 advisory committee to continue working on its reopening proposal, which received […]