All eyes are once again on the Free Bridge encampment, with Charlottesville police investigating reports of a sexual assault and Mayor Juandiego Wade announcing that efforts to clear the area are underway. On the evening of July 9, officers were dispatched to the encampment, where a victim reported being raped by someone potentially known to […]
On the fifth anniversary of the removal of the Robert E. Lee statue, Swords Into Plowshares announced the design concept for the next stage of the project: ROOTED, by Model of Architecture Serving Society and Dana King. The former monument’s melted-down bronze will be transformed into a new public artwork at the center of a […]
The median home price in Albemarle County this May was $554,000 and the median rent is around $2,200. Either is out of reach of many in the community—especially those on government salaries. “Police officers start at $60,798, firefighters at $59,825,” said Kaki Dimock, Albemarle’s chief of human services, at a June 17 Board of Supervisors […]
The final adoption of Virginia’s budget has authorized all localities to ask voters for permission to increase the sales tax by 1 percent to fund public school modernization and construction projects. If the electorate consents in November, $15 million a year will be generated for Charlottesville. Fluvanna County supervisors have already adopted a resolution seeking […]
Mass detentions in Ruckersville on June 23 were an escalation in an ongoing effort to expunge undocumented immigrants from our area, according to eyewitnesses, family members, and people detained. The operation, a joint effort between the Greene County Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, had been active since at least June 2, says […]
One of the tasks awaiting Charlottesville’s next director of Neighborhood Development Services is how to respond to ongoing calls to amend the city’s 2023 zoning code to hinder the construction of tall buildings in some areas. “There are a lot of unintended consequences because of some of the decisions that were made in the ordinance,” […]
Pantops is one of three areas Albemarle planners hope to grow as an “activity center” as part of the county’s ongoing management strategy to avoid expansion of the growth areas. A new group has become one of the stakeholders. One of Albemarle’s many private religious schools paid $4.355 million for 384 Worrell Dr., which includes […]
With the holiday weekend on the horizon, Charlottesville is expected to cross the triple-digit temperature threshold for the first time this year. In anticipation of what’s likely to be a scorching summer, the city has announced that several cooling centers will be available for anyone looking to escape the extreme heat. Cooling centers are located […]
The Greene County Sheriff’s Office, working with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, conducted a large-scale immigration enforcement operation near the intersection of routes 29 and 33 in Ruckersville on June 23. An ICE spokesperson said the operation detained 49 people. “I just saw them pull someone over right now where I’m sitting,” said Andrew Young, […]
As the unhoused encampment by the Rivanna River near Free Bridge grows, so have community concerns about sanitation—even though recent tests show very low levels of harmful bacteria in the water downstream. New temporary facilities provided by the city could help both the river and its new residents until Charlottesville can find a better solution. […]