In brief: Medicaid expanded, Building Bridges crashed and more

Medicaid expansion clears House For Terry McAuliffe’s entire term as governor, Medicaid expansion for 400,000 uninsured Virginians remained out of grasp. Last week, after Republican Delegate Terry Kilgore broke rank in favor of expansion, the House voted 68 to 32 in favor, with local delegates Rob Bell, Steve Landes and Matt Fariss in the no […]

Charlottesville Playwrights Collective finds its feet

By Leslie Scott-Jones Charlottesville has always looked at itself as a place where art can flourish, and the theater scene is no different. From Four County Players to the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center to Live Arts, our area has enough live theater to go around. On any given night there is an opportunity […]

Students light up over JUULing

By Sam Padgett living@c-ville.com There’s a new verb hanging in the Charlottesville air: JUULing. If you have heard it, most likely from a high school- or college-aged kid, rest assured it isn’t some odd youth mining craze. A JUUL, pronounced “jewel,” is a small vaping device that can be found in nearly any local convenience […]

ARTS Pick: WinterSongs brings together women in song

The fourth annual WinterSongs brings together hundreds of local female vocalists using their voices as a weapon to fight violence against women in our community. After a day of “joyful empowerment” where they “mix, share, support, cheer and sing for each other,” student ensembles from Charlottesville, Albemarle and the University of Virginia will perform a […]

ARTS Pick: Spit it out at Hip-Hop Karaoke

Can’t get Drake’s “God’s Plan” out of your head? Think you’ve got the pipes to take on Rhianna or ya feel some old school Jay-Z comin’ through? Spit it out at Hip-Hop Karaoke where SGtheDJ calls the role as the line for the stage fills with local MCs and wannabes, cued to drop rhymes from […]

ARTS Pick: Luke Bryan puts a new spin on country

Country superstar Luke Bryan’s hit songs put a contemporary spin on broken hearts and driving trucks, allowing him to shift from mainstream to the hip-hop, rock world of bro-country—a term he rejects, but it seems appropriate for a guy who’s been named Entertainer of the Year by the Academy of Country Music and Country Music […]

ARTS Pick: Ruckzuck hurtles through space rock

Psychedelic, space-rock band Ruckzuck finds its unique sound through pulsing synths, fuzzy riffs and, at times, dark but entrancing lyrics that drive the three-piece’s soundscapes. Hailing from the mountains of Pennsylvania, the group’s name has numerous meanings, all of them having to do with moving forward and moving fast—a perfect title for this progressive, futuristic […]

In brief: Some kids lobby, some get married and some listen to Drake

Mental health focus Lucas Johnson isn’t old enough to vote yet, but the 17-year-old Monticello High senior and his peers from two other county high schools—Choetsow Tenzin at Albemarle and Alex Moreno at Western Albemarle—didn’t let that stop them from demanding the General Assembly support more school instruction on mental health. “I had a best […]