News

Conflicting accounts

Administrators, faculty, students, and the broader Charlottesville community continue to grapple with the forceful removal of a pro-Palestine encampment from the University of Virginia by police on Saturday, May 4. No one can agree on exactly what happened. University leadership, including President Jim Ryan and University Police Chief Tim Longo, outlined the timeline of events […]

Catie Ratliff | May 15, 2024

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Breaking camp

Tensions between organizers and university leadership reached a boiling point underneath the gray skies on Saturday, May 4, when police forcefully broke up a pro-Palestine encampment at the University of Virginia.  By all accounts, the UVA Encampment for Gaza organized peacefully on Grounds, with demonstrators intermittently chanting, decorating signs, and working on their finals throughout […]

Catie Ratliff | May 8, 2024

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Educational opportunities

Nestled at the edge of the 10th and Page neighborhood, Lugo-McGinness Academy looks like a miniature version of a typical American high school. The alternative school is sandwiched between houses, standing out with its parking lot, two-building campus, solar panel-covered tin roof, and cyan columns that frame the main entrance.  Compared to Charlottesville High School, LMA is tiny—which […]

Catie Ratliff | May 1, 2024

News

‘Permanent damage’

After almost three months, Charlottesville police have dropped charges against Patrick McNamara for the January 12 assault of a woman on the Rivanna Trail. The case against McNamara has been dismissed, but the arrest continues to affect his life. On January 18, McNamara was taking a break outside while working from his apartment when he […]

Catie Ratliff | April 24, 2024

News

Price of prevention

Controversy arose last week when local violence interruption group the B.U.C.K. Squad announced that City Council reduced its funding for 2025. While councilors argue the $200,000 allocation from the Vibrant Community Fund shows strong support for the group, the B.U.C.K. Squad’s leadership is disappointed and confused by the decrease from the proposed $456,000. “The BUCK […]

Catie Ratliff | April 17, 2024

News

Questioning

Dozens of Charlottesville residents braved the rain on March 31 to attend the first-ever trans Q&A at The Beautiful Idea. While the weather outside was gloomy, the atmosphere inside the trans-owned, anti-fascist bookstore was cozy, with chairs set up under string lights, and pride flags draped across the ceiling. The event was the brainchild of […]

Catie Ratliff | April 3, 2024

News

Budgeting for time

Charlottesville City Manager Sam Sanders presented the proposed budget to City Council on March 6, prompting discussion and debate on funding allocations and potential tax hikes. Coming in at 350 pages and $251,526,900 in total revenues and expenditures, Charlottesville’s budget for FY25 is hefty in several ways. However, nothing is final yet. Councilors have until […]

Catie Ratliff | March 13, 2024

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Wading in

Juandiego Wade never expected to settle down in Charlottesville, let alone be elected mayor. When Wade met with C-VILLE—in a tiny meeting room in an under-construction City Hall building—on a snowy late January morning, the mayor arrived in a heavy winter coat and hat. He had just finished shoveling snow with a neighbor. Despite the […]

Catie Ratliff | February 28, 2024

News

Ribbit-roaring

Members of central Virginia’s FrogWatch are putting their ears to the ground and leaping into action. The FrogWatch program—started by the Akron Zoo—monitors trends in frog and toad populations by training volunteers on the calls of local species. The central Virginia chapter of FrogWatch is run collaboratively by the Thomas Jefferson Soil and Water Conservation […]

Catie Ratliff | February 21, 2024

News

Driving it home

Sure, it’s the most wonderful time of the year. But along with holiday festivities comes the traffic. Lots of traffic. And while roads will be bumper to bumper in the coming weeks, the Virginia Department of Transportation has a few tips for minimizing your travel stress. According to VDOT, the periods of heaviest traffic will […]

Catie Ratliff | December 20, 2023