Dreaming Big At IX Art Park

by Ken Wilson –  The Wizard of IX can help your dreams come true. Independent filmmaker Brian Wimer was first the “instigator” of the IX Art Park, nestled between Monticello and Elliot Avenues in Charlottesville, then he was its “executive director,” and now he’s officially its “Wizard.” And why not? As Wimer notes with the […]

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 […]

Independence Day 2018: Honoring History Where it Happened

By Ken Wilson – An Albemarle County landowner named Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence. James Monroe, had a place just up the road and James Madison, mentored by Jefferson and hailed as “the father of the Constitution” settled in nearby Orange County. These men made history—our American history—and their […]

Home Buyers Love Walkable Neighborhoods

By Marilyn Pribus –  These days, people shopping for a new abode often have “walkability” close to the top of their list of wants. Especially as gas prices are again on the rise, the thought of not having to get out the car keys to go places you want to go is appealing. Walkability basically […]

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 […]