‘Insufficient’: Kessler petition to oust Bellamy thrown out

  Jason Kessler chastised reporters on his way into court today and spoke disrespectfully to the special prosecutor who requested that Kessler’s petition to remove Vice-Mayor Wes Bellamy from office be dismissed because it lacked enough signatures. Kessler, who burst into the local spotlight after he discovered unsavory tweets Bellamy made before taking office in […]

City budget up 6%: Affordable housing, parking are priorities

City Manager Maurice Jones presented his $170 million draft budget for fiscal year 2017-2018 at the March 6 City Council meeting, citing the city’s significant growth as a main reason for the 6 percent increase over the current adopted budget. “City Council and staff have identified two critical areas that must be addressed in order […]

Hate violence on the rise, bystander intervention training in demand

When Claire Kaplan offered to facilitate a bystander intervention training before a local January 21 rally to support the Women’s March on Washington, the response was so huge that she had to turn people away. She promised to coordinate additional trainings in the future, and she’s been busy doing just that. “Hate violence, and violence […]

Make your last wishes known before it’s too late

On the evening of what would have been my grandmother’s 99th birthday, our family raised champagne glasses and toasted her. “She would have hated turning 99,” my mother said, smiling. We all drank to that. My grandmother, Edith, had made her wishes clear before passing away under palliative care in her mid-90s. No resuscitation or […]

5-star offensive: Council okays incentives for Dewberry Hotel

City Council approved 4-1 a financial assistance package estimated at $1.1 million over 10 years to assist John Dewberry in finishing the derelict hotel that’s loomed over downtown Charlottesville for the past eight years. The folksy owner of the Landmark Hotel appeared before the council dais March 6. “I’m not used to people seeing my […]

In brief: Basketball hair, parking layoffs and more

What about London Perrantes? The New York Post said first-year Hoo Kyle Guy has the best hairdo in college basketball for his man bun/top knot hybrid, but Perrantes’ high-top fade is pretty impressive, too. ACC bummer The Cavs exited the tournament in the quarterfinals March 9 after losing 58-71 to Notre Dame. But UVA got […]

Unprecedented activism galvanizes Charlottesville

Charlottesville is no stranger to protests. The city’s Free Speech Wall is a testament to the First Amendment and a frequent gathering spot for citizens exercising their right to assemble. That said, we’ve never seen anything like this. Since the election of Donald Trump as president, at least seven new groups have sprung up, and […]

SOLD: Ice rink goes for $5.7 million

Taliaferro Junction, LLC and Jaffray Woodriff announced their purchase of Main Street Arena on March 2, but it’s not quite time to say so long to skating—the new owners reached an agreement with the seller that will allow all ice skating programs to operate undisturbed this spring and through its final season this fall. Construction […]

Getting personal with Heather Hill

City Council candidate Age: 39 Resident since: 2003 (with two years away after getting her MBA) She describes herself as a wife and mother of three, a neighbor, an engaged community leader, an engineer, a business person and, now, a candidate for Charlottesville’s governing body. With her navy and lime-green Nikes laced up, Heather Hill […]

In brief: Supervisors in the running, a town hall no-show and more

Fixer uppers In Charlottesville and Albemarle County, 33.3 and 9.7 percent of our bridges, respectively, are structurally deficient, according to information published by the Washington Post. That’s higher than the national average of 9.4 percent and, hopefully, a priority for the president of the United States who campaigned on a trillion dollar infrastructure plan. According […]