Guns & PE: Firearm safety comes to high school health class

Charlottesville’s physical education teachers are already tasked with teaching a range of heavy topics in health class, from the dangers of opioid addiction to how to avoid unhealthy relationships. Now, gun safety will be added to the list. Fifteen of the city school division’s PE teachers traded a day in the gym last week for […]

County warning: School board activists go to trial

Five anti-racist activists were in court October 30, following their arrests at an August 30 special meeting of the Albemarle County School Board. But many community members feel like only one was handed down the verdict she deserved. While Lara Harrison’s trespassing charge was dropped, four others were convicted of trespassing or obstruction of justice. […]

Uninvited callers: Activists confront United Daughters of the Confederacy

As the United Daughters of the Confederacy gathered in Richmond last week for its annual convention, members were met with some unexpected visitors. Around four dozen demonstrators from Charlottesville and Richmond, many of them wearing hats, pearls, and white gloves, stood outside the UDC’s mausoleum-like headquarters on the BoulevardNovember 4. They came to accuse the […]

Gasapo not guilty, veteran gets protective order

Veteran and activist John Miska, who was followed by a group of protesters and called a “Nazi” after a recent court hearing, filed a criminal charge for abusive language against a member of what he called a “mob.” On November 5, a judge found her not guilty. Anti-racist activist Donna Gasapo is known for hurling […]

The Crozet Hum: Mysterious noise traced to Yancey Lumber

By Jonathan Haynes After hundreds of complaints, the R.A. Yancey Lumber Corporation has confirmed that it is, in fact, the source of the mysterious humming noise that has been pestering Crozet residents since September. The family-owned company, which has operated in Crozet since 1949, had initially denied its mill was causing the noise. Crozet resident […]

Dark Christmas: Lights go out on Mountain View Street

For more than 20 years, Jeff Norford has staged the brightest holiday light display in town, a must-see on any light tour that’s been visited by thousands of Charlottesvillians. Which is why a collective “oh no” arose when he announced he would not be putting up lights this year. “I’m tired,” he says. “I don’t […]

‘Disturbing’: Documentary looks at Unite the Right’s anti-Semitism

The most frightening movie on this year’s Virginia Film Festival schedule doesn’t feature supernatural ghouls, but it had Larry Sabato shaken. Charlottesville is the real-life horror story that took place on UVA’s Grounds and in city streets when white supremacists and neo-Nazis came to town in August 2017. “We have people and film footage no […]

Tough talks: Hundreds gather to discuss racial inequities in city schools

Charlottesville City Schools has opened up a dialogue on racial disparities in its schools, with a survey to parents and a series of community forums, the first of which was held on October 23. Though data on the black/white gap in city schools—in everything from suspension rates to participation in gifted programs—has existed for decades, […]