Catie Ratliff

Don Polonis has opinions. Some may consider them divisive. So on June 2, Polonis did what anyone with a controversial opinion might do: He posted his thoughts on the internet. “Imagine that!” Polonis wrote in a public Facebook group. “Satan fuc*ed up when he stole Noah’s covenant to create LGBTQ+ pride flag.” Alongside his thoughts, […]

After months of financial turmoil, Siren restaurant has closed its doors. Since taking sole ownership of the business in December of 2022, restaurateur Laura Fonner has been fighting to keep Siren solvent. “I had a big investor meeting with new people [recently], and there was potential to get money to save us,” says Fonner. “But […]

On July 19 and 20, the University of Virginia hosted the Virginia Cybersecurity Education Conference, which brought cybersecurity educators together from across the state.   “It’s just good to connect these educators together to share resources and lots of interesting talks,” says David Raymond, director of U.S. Cyber Range, the event’s creator and organizer. “They […]

New Charlottesville City Manager Sam Sanders was sworn in at the July 17 City Council meeting. Sanders, whose first day on the job is August 1, has served as the deputy city manager of operations since July 2021, and succeeds interim city manager Michael Rogers.  “When we launched the search for our next city manager, […]

After being closed for several years, the lane near the Brooks Family YMCA is scheduled to reopen late this fall.  While many Charlottesville residents link the lane closure with the YMCA, the project is actually associated with the Virginia Department of Transportation and the Charlottesville Department of Parks & Recreation, due to its ties to […]

On July 18, former Charlottesville reporter Nora Neus will release her first solo book, 24 Hours in Charlottesville: An Oral History of the Stand Against White Supremacy. While countless accounts of the Unite the Right rally have been published since 2017, Neus’ book stands out for its assemblage of survivor and witness-led accounts of the […]

In the year since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, access to abortion has changed dramatically across the United States. And while access to reproductive health care is still protected in Virginia, the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision has impacted Charlottesville abortion providers.  As the last state in the South without […]