Green happenings: Charlottesville environmental news and events

Each week, C-VILLE’s Green Scene page takes a look at local environmental news. The section’s bulletin board has information on local green events and keeps you up to date on statewide happenings. Got an event or a tip you’d like to see here and in the paper? Write us at news@c-ville.com. Funds for farms: In the wake […]

Ivy Creek Foundation hosts last plant walk of the year

“Plants are a lot like people—they have their redeeming qualities even when they’re hard to tolerate,” Tony Russell said as he gestured at an invasive vine winding its way up a willow oak tree. Russell is a member of the Virginia Master Naturalists, and has been an active volunteer with the Ivy Creek Foundation and […]

Archaeologists dig up James Madison’s threshing machine, find human story

Archaeologists at James Madison’s Montpelier have spent the last three years excavating bits and pieces of the president’s world, searching for clues about his life on the plantation. A team led by archaeologist Dr. Matt Reeves—working with a grant from the National Endowment for Humanities for a study of slave communities—spent years digging up layers […]

Marriott project delayed, Random Row tenants breathe sigh of relief

In May, business owners at the corner of McIntire Road and West Main Street thought they would have to vacate their buildings this fall to make way for a seven-story, 133-room Marriott hotel with an interior courtyard, indoor swimming pool, and underground parking garage. Five months later, owners and employees of the businesses that remain […]

Local outdoor enthusiast rides unicycle 2,000 miles for charity

Charlottesville resident Gen Shimizu spent three months of his life braving the elements and wildlife of the Rocky Mountains—on a unicycle. After hiking the Appalachian Trail and Pacific Crest Trail on his own, he decided to tackle more than 2,000 miles this summer on one wheel. In the name of doing something unheard of for […]

Childcare crunch: Finding the balance between kids and careers

Laketa Kelley couldn’t afford to send her daughter to the daycare center where she worked as a teacher for six years. Kelley loved her teaching job at Westminster Child Care Center, but when she found out she was pregnant in 2010, she knew her salary wouldn’t cover the center’s $800 per month infant care. She […]

Is another fight over agricultural land use brewing in Keswick?

The Albemarle County Planning Commission voted 5-1 last night to approve an annual cider festival and new regulations at Castle Hill Cider, a 600-acre property in Keswick—a place where businesses and residents have clashed over agricultural land use in the past. Like other “farm wineries,” Castle Hill can host an unlimited number of events throughout the […]

At local career conference, job struggle still evident

“I’ve never had a hard time looking for a job,” Susan Anthony said. “At first I think I didn’t realize what was hitting me, but it’s frightening.” Anthony, who attended a recruiting event at the John Paul Jones Arena last Wednesday, lost her job more than a year ago. She worked as an administrative assistant […]

Break on through: Ultra runners push the limits of human endurance

“Runners to the starting line!” Excitement ripples through the Wintergreen parking lot as dozens of Spandex-clad men and women, all of them solid muscle, take final swigs of Gatorade, kiss loved ones, and make their way toward a giant inflatable archway. “On your mark; get set—” A few runners stoop as if about to sprint, […]

UPDATE: New UVA football practice building damaged by fire

UPDATE, 5pm — An errant torch flame was the likely cause of the fire that burned approximately 15 percent of an under-construction UVA football practice facility roof, according to Charlottesville Fire Chief Charles Werner. Werner said the fire is still under investigation, but preliminary reports indicate a construction worker’s torch probably ignited the rubber membrane […]