Climate changer: Youth activists are fighting for their own future

Flashback to March 15, when the Downtown Mall teemed with 200 miniature activists rallying as part of the national Youth Climate Strike. Among them was 11-year-old Gudrun Campbell, who fearlessly gripped a microphone attached by a curly black cord to the bullhorn held by her dad. Drawing the mic half an inch from her mouth, […]

It’s the little things: Locals team up to tackle carbon reduction at home

The first Earth Day occurred in 1970, long before anyone started to worry about what was, at first, called “global warming.” So those trying to get Americans to change their behavior for the planet’s sake are fighting a battle against eco-fatigue, born of repeated exposure to environmentalist messages, and their inevitable fadeout. In Charlottesville, one […]

In brief: Plogging craze, Crozet shuttle, marathon man, and more

Plogging and other Earth Day events A combination of jogging while picking up trash—who wouldn’t want to go plogging? Easter Sunday, from 1 to 5pm, is your chance. “Instead of hunting for Easter eggs, we’re hunting for litter,” says organizer and self-proclaimed tree-hugger Brady Earnhart. He’s never been plogging, but was immediately intrigued when he […]

Second act: A new life for used books—and store’s owner

Amazon has been blamed for the demise of bookstores, but that doesn’t seem to deter people from taking up the retail cause on the Downtown Mall. New Dominion got a new owner in November 2017, and last month the former Read it Again, Sam reopened as 2nd Act Books. The name comes from both its […]

Curriculum crusade: Spanish as elective perturbs parents

Come this fall, Walker Upper Elementary, which serves the city’s fifth and sixth graders, will drop its Spanish language requirement for a focus on math and science instruction. During a January school board meeting, Principal Adam Hastings said the change, which the school board approved in February, was prompted by “a need for students to […]

New city manager wants open-door policy

City Council introduced its pick to be the city’s top executive April 15, and Mayor Nikuyah Walker urged citizens to be open to moving past “the way things have been done.” Tarron Richardson, currently city manager of DeSoto, Texas, a Dallas suburb, was chosen out of 37 candidates in a process that’s taken almost a […]

Pipe dreams: Virginia moves (slowly) towards marijuana reform

  Science can’t say for sure if marijuana saved Josh Hunt’s life. But he’s certain of it. Hunt, who co-owns and operates local restaurants Beer Run and Kardinal Hall, was diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma in October 2014. He’d had a seizure and was rushed to the hospital. An MRI revealed a growth on his […]