News

Plainclothes agents detain two men at Albemarle County Courthouse

Local judicial and law enforcement systems were turned upside down on April 22, when two men were detained by plainclothes immigration officers at the Albemarle County General District Court. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is standing by its actions despite numerous concerns and questions raised by immigration activists and civil rights organizations, including the American Civil […]

Catie Ratliff | April 30, 2025

News

Early season

Early voting in the June 17 Democratic Primary for Charlottesville City Council begins May 2, officially kicking off the city’s experiment with ranked-choice voting. Mayor Juandiego Wade and Vice-Mayor Brian Pinkston are both seeking reelection, but face a challenge from Jen Fleisher for the two available seats. Rather than filling in two bubbles as usual, […]

Catie Ratliff | April 30, 2025

News

IMPACT places focus on housing and transportation

More than 1,100 organizers with Interfaith Movement Promoting Action by Congregations Together turned out to its annual Nehemiah Action on April 8. This year’s gathering focused on housing and transportation in Charlottesville and Albemarle County. Affordable housing is a longtime priority for IMPACT, with efforts dating back to 2016, according to the organization’s website. The […]

Catie Ratliff | April 16, 2025

News

New executive order allowing logging could affect area forests

An April 3 memo from United States Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins designates 112,646,000 acres of national forest lands as an Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act “emergency situation.” The directive, which comprises 59 percent of all National Forest Service lands and includes most of the George Washington & Jefferson National Forests, allows for expanded […]

Catie Ratliff | April 16, 2025

News

Charlottesville City Council approves $265+ million budget for FY26

In a special, single-item meeting on April 14, Charlottesville City Council unanimously adopted a $265,248,446 budget for FY26. While councilors voted on the budget less than 30 minutes into the session, the final budget is the culmination of months of work and conversations between city leadership and local organizers. The sky-high total comes in at […]

Catie Ratliff | April 15, 2025

News

UVA issues new alerts to international community

The University of Virginia has issued updated guidelines and recommendations to international students, following the revocation of at least one student’s visa by the Trump administration. In an April 4 email with the subject line “A Message to UVA’s International Community,” UVA’s Global Affairs Office shared that “one current student’s visa has been canceled,” and […]

Catie Ratliff | April 9, 2025

News

2025 Dogwood Festival dropped

The 2025 Charlottesville Dogwood Festival has been cancelled. Organizers hope to bring the celebration back in 2026, but the future of the 76-year-long tradition is murky. Founded as the Apple Harvest Festival in 1950, the Charlottesville Dogwood Festival got its current moniker in 1958. Beyond the name change, the festival has seen a multitude of […]

Catie Ratliff | April 9, 2025