At its first meeting of 2026, the Albemarle County School Board swore in two new members: Bob Beard and Jim Dillenbeck. While Beard ran uncontested for the Samuel Miller District seat, Dillenbeck’s election to the Rio District has been a years-long effort. He successfully unseated Board appointee Leslie Pryor last November with 51.3 percent of […]
At its first meeting of 2026, the Albemarle County School Board swore in two new members: Bob Beard and Jim Dillenbeck. While Beard ran uncontested for the Samuel Miller District seat, Dillenbeck’s election to the Rio District has been a years-long effort. He successfully unseated Board appointee Leslie Pryor last November with 51.3 percent of […]
Outgoing Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares reached an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice December 29, committing to end the Virginia Dream Act. The legislation, passed in 2020, allows eligible immigrant students attending Virginia high schools to access in-state university tuition regardless of legal status. To qualify for the Virginia Dream Act, students must […]
As President Trump pushes Republican-led states to redraw their Congressional districts for their party’s benefit in this year’s midterm elections, Virginia’s General Assembly plans to respond in kind. Democrats, who hold a majority in both the state House and Senate, are moving forward with a plan that amends Virginia’s constitution to allow mid-decade redistricting. Depending […]
The Albemarle Planning Commission has recommended denial of a developer’s second request to fill in a portion of the floodplain in order to build a commercial building in the county’s Broadway Blueprint. The Commission had voted 4 to 3 in April 2025 to recommend approval of Elemental Ecotech’s first version of the permit, but the […]
In yet another test of the city’s new zoning code, the Charlottesville Board of Architectural Review has denied a necessary permit required for the current design of an apartment complex. The December 16 vote against the certificate of appropriateness was 6 to 1. On December 31, an attorney for developer LCD Acquisitions filed for an […]
Think of this as Charlottesville’s field guide to the new year. We rounded up the city’s most dialed-in experts in politics, food, art, weather, and beyond, and asked them to predict what’s coming up for 2026. Their collective wisdom charts the trends, shifts, and stories that will shape the year.—C-VILLE writers VIRGINIA POLITICS Fast times […]
Charlottesville City Council will not officially see a draft of the next budget until March, but City Manager Sam Sanders spent some time on December 15 setting up the next round of requests for affordable housing funds. “Our goal would be to begin to have conversations with you about prioritizing these considerations for the budget, […]
The Albemarle County Planning Commission has recommended approval of a rezoning that would allow a mixed-use development with 600 homes on 62.5 acres of land close to the junction of U.S. 29 and Interstate 64. In September, members of the appointed body thought the plan was too vague with a proposed minimum of 100 units […]
Half a century ago, Peter Jensen launched Project Censored, in part as a response to how the Watergate break-in was covered. Richard Nixon didn’t censor the initial reporting, but he didn’t have to. The press simply didn’t cover it with any serious scrutiny until well after Nixon was elected. The story didn’t reach the American […]
Charlottesville was among the first localities in the United States to regulate residential short-term rentals in 2015. More than a decade later, the city wants to update its rules, but it’s still juggling the often competing feedback from homestay operators and neighbors. Short-term rentals, also referred to as homestays, gained popularity during the mid-2010s surge […]