Darden explores poverty’s dilemmas

Veronica Brooks left the Darden School of Business (www.darden.edu) on January 31 more than a little miffed. After listening to back-and-forth discussion at the school’s first-ever Symposium on Poverty—featuring experts in fields such as public policy, education and outreach—Brooks shook her head in dismay. “I’m just really surprised there isn’t more awareness about these things,” […]

When Trucks hit bridges

What is it about bridges lately that has people wanting so much to slam into them? That’s the question City and County officials may be pondering, with a seeming increase in the number of bridge-related accidents throughout the area—and a special shout out goes to the 14th Street railroad bridge on the Corner, which wins […]

City outsmarts scofflaws

Apparently word travels fast—at least among habitual parking violators, anyway. As of January 1, a loophole closed that previously allowed offenders of unpaid parking tickets to go unpunished, and while it’s a little too early see any concrete trends, City officials say for now

Area nonviolent crime surged in 2006

Despite a recent trend in a violent crime upswing nationwide, it appears that at least for now Albemarle County has dodged the bullet—perhaps even a few of them. Newly released crime statistics show that the county saw a decrease in reported aggravated assaults and rapes (and no homicides) in 2006, while in Charlottesville violent crimes […]

County planners to glimpse Places29 draft

After a postponed deadline, officials behind Charlottesville and Albemarle County’s massive transit/land-use master plan dubbed “Places29” (www.albemarle.org) say that the process turned out to be just as complex—if not more—than they anticipated. It’s called Places29, after all, not Place29.  Places29 covers a 10-mile stretch of Route 29 between Route 250 and Greene County, encompassing the […]

School superintendents have busy year

With new studies, updated lesson plans and endless hours of homework, it was a busy year in Albemarle County and Charlottesville schools—and we’re not just talking about the students. Following their appointments in 2006, Albemarle County Public Schools

Does dual enrollment work?

Educators may lament the hurdles that the No Child Left Behind Act creates for public schools, but one part of the act is almost universally beloved: emphasis on dual enrollment (DE) programs. In such programs, high school students receive both high school and college credit, a tactic that arguably helps equip the economically disadvantaged and […]

County happier than city, say surveys

While few of us can draw the imaginary lines separating Charlottesville from Albemarle, recent surveys underscore the differences. When all is said and done, county living ranks just a cut above city living, according to two surveys from the UVA Center for Survey Research. Overall, they indicate that both city and county residents are extremely […]

Certificates without circumstance

Timing is everything. Students on track for a May graduation date from UVA are treated to a ceremonial smorgasbord of festive “Final Exercises,” while those slated for a January graduation get what could be called the collegiate shaft. Simply put, they don’t get a commencement ceremony at all. And because of tradition, the University would […]