Removing the mask: Series unveils racial issues within the community

By Jonathan Haynes A little backstory: Charlottesville began as a plantation community with slavery as its foundational industry. Racial violence did not stop after Emancipation, but continued with lynchings and segregation, according to Monticello historian Niya Bates. The University of Virginia, she adds, was a big proponent of scientific racism at the turn of the […]

Leaky-gate: RWSA employee resigns in protest

Remember last fall’s mandatory water restrictions? An employee who recently resigned from the Rivanna Water & Sewer Authority says the agency is blaming an alleged drought for the loss of several hundred million gallons of water from the South Fork Rivanna Reservoir, when two leaky gates were the culprit. “The dry weather did not cause […]

Inciting words: Kessler gets a win and $5

In a civil suit against an angry activist, Unite the Right rally organizer Jason Kessler has won $5. The man who planned the August 12 event where neo-Nazis and counterprotesters clashed in the streets, leaving three people dead by the end of the day, said his suit was intended to bring “decorum.” He sued Donna […]

New look: Former asylum turned luxury inn

The place once known as the Western State Lunatic Asylum before it became a medium security prison in 1981 and was abandoned in 2002 opened last week as The Blackburn Inn. “This building has such a storied past,” says Paul Cooper, the president and CEO of Retro Hospitality, the firm that manages the inn. Part-time […]

Napoleon v. Bellamy at City Council

Kerfuffles certainly aren’t new at City Council meetings anymore, but the one June 18 between Pat Napoleon and Wes Bellamy jolted awake anyone who may have been dozing during public comments. Napoleon is the founder of Rise Charlottesville, and has been collecting signatures to remove those on council last year who voted to remove Confederate […]