Be prepared: Is Charlottesville ready for the coronavirus?

Since last week, when health officials warned that Americans should prepare for the inevitable spread of the coronavirus here in the U.S., at least 12 Americans have died and new cases have been emerging almost daily.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned that Americans should be prepared for the spread of the […]

(Don’t) take it down: Removal of Cale black history poster sparks backlash

On February 10, local conservative radio host Rob Schilling posted a photo of a Black History Month poster from Cale Elementary School on his blog, with the headline “Fomenting dissension at Cale Elementary.” Three days later, Albemarle County Public Schools Superintendent Matt Haas left a comment agreeing that the poster was causing dissension among students, […]

In brief: Fire fighters fight the budget, Barracks bikers, and more

Money talks  City Manager Tarron Richardson presented his proposed budget for fiscal year 2021 at the City Council meeting on March 2. If that sentence made you yawn, we understand—but the tail end of the hours-long council meeting represents the beginning of the end of the budget cycle, some of the more important city business […]

Answering the call: PACEM seeks to create a permanent women’s shelter

Last August, Chinikqua Joseph’s Buckingham County home burned down. Thankfully, no one was injured or killed by the fire, but she, along with her mother and godmother, lost everything. They were homeless. While looking for housing, Joseph stayed with friends, and later with a boyfriend. When that relationship became abusive, she had to find a […]

Dems do battle: Charlottesville heads to the polls for Democratic primary on Super Tuesday

Mike Bloomberg’s Charlottesville campaign office is cavernous—and, on a Wednesday afternoon with the Virginia primary less than two weeks away, totally empty. The ninth-richest man in the world set up shop across the street from Friendship Court, one of Charlottesville’s largest low-income housing neighborhoods, but it doesn’t seem to have led to any foot traffic. […]

Call for help: Human Rights Commission asks for more city support

Charlottesville’s Office of Human Rights and Human Rights Commission have an intimidatingly broad mission: to reduce discrimination in the city.   So perhaps it’s not surprising that the office and its volunteer commission, which are tasked with both investigating individual complaints of discrimination and reviewing city polices for systemic discrimination, have received their fair share of […]

In brief: New memorials, kayak commute, gaga for Wawa

Back to the drawing board Three weeks after the Court Square slave auction plaque was stolen in the middle of the night, the hole left in the sidewalk has been bricked in, leaving little evidence that any memorial ever existed. The city quickly removed unauthorized replacement plaques by local artist Richard Parks, but discussions are moving forward […]