On July 12, the 125th anniversary of a white lynch mob murdering John Henry James, a packed courtroom in Albemarle Circuit Court applauded when a judge dismissed an indictment for rape that was handed down in 1898, even after the prosecutor and grand jury knew that James was dead. “A mockery of the justice system,” […]
Jeannette Walls had an embarrassing childhood. For a storyteller, that’s gold. She parlayed growing up with colorful, irresponsible parents—creative optimists who didn’t always provide for their children’s basic needs, like food or shelter—into The Glass Castle, her 2005 memoir that has been a New York Times bestseller for nine years. “I had a happy childhood,” […]
When Virginia ended gerrymandering, one of the benefits touted was more competitive elections without the lopsided districts drawn to favor an incumbent. Perhaps not so widely anticipated is that the race for the new 11th District in the state Senate June 20 primary would pit two well-regarded incumbent Democrats vying to represent Charlottesville and Albemarle. […]
As a youth, George Floyd dreamed of being a Supreme Court justice, a professional athlete, a rap star. Washington Post reporters Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa document those dreams and the impact of systemic racism on Floyd’s life in their book, His Name is George Floyd: One Man’s Life and the Struggle for Racial Justice. […]
The long-running lawsuit accusing an Albemarle police officer of racial profiling was back in federal court—this time for the defendant’s motion to enforce a September settlement agreement, to which seven of the eight plaintiffs mostly agreed. The suit against Andrew Holmes, now a detective, was originally filed in February 2016. Plaintiffs Bianca Johnson and Delmar […]
Eric Schmitz came back from the holidays last December and found a letter about plans to develop 17.5 acres on two parcels in front of Western Ridge in Crozet. “I know it well,” he says. “The future development was on top of a stream.” But on the Albemarle County map, the stream was no longer […]
The first use of a black panther in the Black power movement didn’t start in Oakland, California. The symbol came from one of the poorest counties in Alabama, where 80 percent of the population was Black and none were registered to vote, a place nicknamed “Bloody Lowndes.” Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power, […]
Justin Black grew up on the James River and didn’t realize some people thought it was “disgusting,” including two friends he met at the University of Virginia. Years later, the three paddled 250 miles down the James—and made a documentary. Black, Will Gemma, and Dietrich Teschner had never made a film before. What they had […]
You don’t forget Eugenio Caballero’s production designs. There’s the otherworldly Pan’s Labyrinth, for which he won an Academy Award. There’s the black-and-white Mexico City in Roma, for which he was nominated for another Oscar. And his most recent efforts in director Alejandro Iñárritu’s Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths will be screened at […]
For decades, two of Albemarle’s toniest enclaves—Farmington and Ednam Forest—have lived in proximity to a less desirable neighbor. Charlottesville Oil, built in 1950, has long been known for the junked vehicles and debris outside. And inside, when it rained, it poured. Albemarle County finally noticed. On April 22, it sent Charlottesville Oil president James […]