In brief: Public housing progress, Trump rally trouble, and more

Do-over Multiple public housing developments in Charlottesville are one step closer to getting a badly needed makeover. At its Monday meeting, City Council unanimously approved two ordinances regarding the redevelopment of Crescent Halls, South First Street, and Friendship Court. The Piedmont Housing Alliance will take the lead on the first phase of Friendship Court’s redevelopment, […]

Flip the script: In conversation with Cameron Webb

In 2016, Donald Trump won Virginia’s 5th Congressional District by 11 percentage points. Two years later, as a blue wave saw Democrats pick up 41 House seats nationwide, Republican Denver Riggleman beat Democrat Leslie Cockburn by 7 percent.  Virginia’s 5th District runs from Fauquier County to the North Carolina border. The huge district encompasses the […]

Campaign pain: Joe Biden talks about Charlottesville a lot. Charlottesville isn’t sure he’s listening.

When Joe Biden announced last year that he was running for president, the first words he uttered were “Charlottesville, Virginia.” The campaign video that followed featured footage of the Unite the Right rally overlaid with a voiceover from Biden, responding to President Trump’s infamous comment: “[You] had people that were very fine people, on both […]

Early birds: Charlottesville and Albemarle see record-setting turnout

By Geremia Di Maro There’s a line outside the City Hall Annex. Volunteers wearing cardboard posters of ballots circle cheerfully. This year, election season started early. In Charlottesville, as of October 26, about 14,500 people have voted—a huge increase from the 3,394 total absentee ballots cast in 2016. Roughly 33,000 ballots have been cast this […]

In brief: UVA returns in spring, COVID hits Wintergreen, and more

Back again? After a semester that featured dorm lockdowns, gathering limits, maskless masses flooding bars, and more than a thousand positive tests among students, staff, and contract employees since August, UVA announced last week that students will return to Grounds in person for the spring semester. The university will essentially replicate its fall reopening plans […]

Hard decisions: New learning center comes to Stonefield, as controversy reignites over in-person instruction

Beginning next month, Albemarle County Public Schools will bring kindergarten through third grade students back to classrooms for in-person instruction two days a week. That’s frustrated some teachers who maintain that the safety concerns outweigh potential benefits. Meanwhile, off-site learning centers aim to assist with childcare by hosting virtual learning. As local schools began the […]

In the running: Shelter for Help in Emergency fights on

By Laura Drummond The phone has been ringing a lot at the Shelter for Help in Emergency. Since the pandemic began, SHE, which provides safe housing and other services for domestic violence victims in the Charlottesville area, has received approximately 50 percent more hotline calls than during the same time period last year. SHE has […]

Charlottesville Free Clinic finds a new home

For the past 24 years, the Charlottesville Free Clinic has provided no-cost physicals, prescriptions, mental health services, dental care, and more for the uninsured and underinsured from its Rose Hill Drive facility, which it has long shared with the Thomas Jefferson Health District. But in May, the Virginia Department of Health announced it was terminating […]

In brief: Keeping the pressure, breaking the law, and more

Defunders keep fighting “Does abolition really mean ending the police? Yes.” So said community organizer Ang Conn, as she spearheaded last Wednesday’s Zoom conversation on policing, hosted by Defund Cville Police. Over 80 community members joined in on the call. The group hopes to keep the pressure on as the summer of protests moves into […]

Uncovered: How racist redlining shaped our urban forest

The trees you see around town are more than just nice to look at. On a hot day, they provide much-needed shade. When it rains, they absorb flood waters. They help filter air and absorb noise pollution, especially when planted near busy streets. And they’ve been linked to reducing stress and anxiety, among other benefits. […]