It’s electric! Silverchair employees make power moves

In his Downtown Mall office, Stuart Leitch unfolds two pedals on either side of his electric unicycle, steps onto each and begins to balance from side to side with the 14-inch wheel between his shins. “I’ve had it for a year and a half and I’ve used it pretty much every single day,” says Leitch, […]

Still relevant? New NAACP president faces charged civil rights landscape

There were times in its century-long history that the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was considered a militant organization. Today, not so much. Just last week, the national organization’s board ousted its president and called for a “systemwide refresh.” Janette Martin took the helm of the Albemarle-Charlottesville NAACP in January at the […]

Heavy topics: Parents call for reform in city schools

By age 6, children—and girls, especially—begin to express concerns about their weight, according to a widely referenced 2011 study by psychologist Linda Smolak. For this reason, one local mother says the practice of publicly weighing students during gym class should be banned. At press time, Christa Bennett’s petition to stop weigh-ins in Charlottesville City Schools […]

The man who confronted white nationalists in Lee Park

The initial police officer on the scene at the May 13 Lee Park demonstration of Richard Spencer’s alt-right gang described between 100 and 150 people carrying tiki-style torches, some of whom were in an argument with a man who was yelling at them to “leave my town,” according to a Charlottesville Police release. That man […]

‘Mental health is health care’

  Senator Creigh Deeds celebrates a newly expanded space at The Women’s Initiative, which provides mental health services through a sliding scale walk-in clinic. The new space on East High Street includes a large room for physical activities that promote trauma healing and additional therapy offices designed for tech-assisted and live supervision for clinical training. […]

In brief: Killer drug epidemic, movie money and more

Killer drug epidemic More than 1,100 Virginians died in 2016 from the state’s opioid epidemic, with fentanyl, the drug that killed Prince, now racking up the most fatalities. And while the state hasn’t had much luck so far in slowing addiction, which often occurs after people are prescribed opioid-based meds for pain, it is a […]

Court conundrum: A failed referendum and a wish to avoid one

  The Board of Supervisors’ interest in relocating Albemarle County’s houses of justice from their current location on Court Square and into their own jurisdiction has been overshadowed with opposition, but county attorney Greg Kamptner thinks he may have found a way to circumvent the need for public approval. He told supervisors at their May […]

WANTED: An attorney for Kessler

  Jason Kessler appeared in Charlottesville General District Court today for a disorderly conduct charge related to his presence in Lee Park last Sunday, when he allegedly disobeyed officers’ commands to leave the park and incited the crowd with a bullhorn. The right-wing blogger told the judge he’s having trouble finding an attorney to represent […]