Feature News

How aggressive immigration policy undermines due process rights in Charlottesville, and the entire country

In late April, three plainclothes federal agents swept into Albemarle County General District Court, and carried out some of the Trump administration’s earliest-known local courthouse detentions. There, in front of stunned witnesses, agents detained Teodoro Dominguez-Rodriguez and Pablo Aparicio-Marcelino, who had each appeared in court while facing separate criminal charges. The sudden arrests—and the failed […]

Catie Ratliff | August 27, 2025

News Real Estate

PHAR resists West Main student housing

When Charlottesville City Council adopted a new zoning code in December 2023, a key idea was to reduce the role elected and appointed officials play in determining what can be built where. The idea was to improve certainty for developers.  Under those rules, the LV Collective has the right to build an 11-story building at […]

Sean Tubbs | August 27, 2025

News

Judge reverses ruling that voided city’s zoning

Charlottesville is once again legally in the clear to implement a zoning code that was adopted in December 2023, and was intended to allow developers to build more places to live across the city. But legal clouds remain on the horizon.  In a written opinion published August 22, Circuit Court Judge Claude Worrell reversed a […]

Sean Tubbs | August 27, 2025

News

General registrar Lauren Eddy resigns a month before early voting

The Albemarle County Electoral Board, which usually meets once a month, has three sessions scheduled between August 26 and September 2. While it’s normal for the board to meet more in the lead-up to Election Day, the three-member body is navigating this election season without a registrar following the resignation of Lauren Eddy earlier this […]

Catie Ratliff | August 27, 2025

News

Downtown Mall toy store Alakazam announces closure

After 20 years on the Downtown Mall, Alakazam Toys will close its doors. An official closing date had not been announced at press time. Ellen Joy, who took over Alakazam in March 2019, shared the news in an August 23 social media post. “In a world that can often feel challenging, I’ve always believed in […]

Catie Ratliff | August 27, 2025

News

Glenmore house explodes after suspected natural gas leak 

A house explosion at 2331 Ferndown Ln. shook Keswick’s Glenmore neighborhood on August 19. One person was killed and another is recovering at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Evans-Haynes Burn Center. The blast, caused by a suspected gas leak, leveled a large two-story home with a basement, and scattered debris—including insulation, bricks, and wood—across adjacent properties. Area […]

Catie Ratliff | August 27, 2025

News

Getting a read on interim UVA President Paul Mahoney and his future

Former University of Virginia law school dean Paul G. Mahoney, the interim president of UVA, officially began the job August 11.  Will history record him as a stop-gap public servant or the university’s 10th president? The U.S. Department of Justice asserts that practices related to diversity, equity, and inclusion  at UVA and other universities are […]

ericwilliamson | August 20, 2025

News

New City Arts wants feedback for a new arts council

Artists and cultural organizations across Virginia benefit from the existence of entities created to serve as a clearinghouse for information on events, funding, and community. However, the Charlottesville area has not had such a body since 2017, when the Piedmont Council for the Arts suddenly closed. “I was in the position for about four months […]

Sean Tubbs | August 20, 2025

News Real Estate

Despite zoning uncertainty, development planning continues

On Friday, August 22, Charlottesville Circuit Court Judge Claude Worrell will issue a written opinion on whether he will reconsider a motion of default judgment that threw out the city’s zoning code. On August 13, he hinted he would not, but also gave the city’s attorneys a chance to explain what their defense would be […]

Sean Tubbs | August 20, 2025