Not ‘finger pointing’: State task force weighs in on August 12

  Almost immediately after the violent clashes in Charlottesville August 12, Governor Terry McAuliffe established a task force to review the events of that weekend, and consultants presented a preliminary report November 15. The top two takeaways: This is a new era of protests—and a stronger permit process for those seeking to use public facilities […]

Dismissed: Another win for Veronica Fitzhugh

In her most recent court appearance, a judge dropped an assault charge against activist Veronica Fitzhugh after her accuser failed to appear. Alleged victim Jason Turner blamed Fitzhugh for yelling at him and pushing him in Emancipation Park on May 21 as he attempted to take a photo of the General Robert E. Lee monument. […]

Gubernatorial grandson: Rape charges certified to grand jury

During a preliminary hearing in which the alleged victim burst into tears and ran out of the courtroom, a judge certified rape and forcible sodomy charges against a former UVA student. Stephen Dalton Baril, 20, is accused of pushing another student onto the bed of his Wertland Street apartment, taking her clothes off, performing oral […]

Park design experts start from the ground up

What should a public park contain? Swings and slides, shaded benches, a grassy picnic spot? Should there be gestures toward the region’s history, ecology and culture? Could a park be a place of encounter, of healing? In June, following their decision to remove statues of Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson from park grounds, city […]

Feasibility project: New West2nd plan draws complaints

In 2014, the city had a public competition for plans to develop the municipal parking lot that was the longtime home to City Market. Keith Woodard won, and three years later, West2nd, his bold mixed-use project that will house the market, has gone back to the drawing board. Last month, Woodard announced a new development […]

‘Crying Nazi’: Judge dismisses two charges against Cantwell

Two of three felony charges were thrown out in a more than six-hour-long preliminary hearing November 9 for “Crying Nazi” Chris Cantwell, the New Hampshire man accused of pepper spraying multiple people at the violent August 11 tiki-torch march across the University of Virginia. Hundreds of white supremacists were in town that weekend for homegrown […]

Independent upset: Dems crush everywhere—except Charlottesville

  Election night 2017 in Charlottesville had quite a different feel from 2016. Democrats swept statewide offices, with Ralph Northam winning the governor’s race by an even wider margin—9 percent—than pundits had predicted. And no one saw it coming that Dems would dislodge the hefty 66-34 Republican majority in the House of Delegates, and, depending […]

Price hike: National park users asked to pay up

About 1.4 million nature enthusiasts from near and far flock to the Shenandoah National Park each year, but they may soon be greeted by a different type of hike than they’re seeking—a price hike. The National Park Service announced plans October 24 to increase entrance fees in 17 of the country’s most visited parks from […]