In brief: Bears having fun, legislators get graded and more

Another national story on rape at UVA “He said it was consensual. She said she blacked out. U-Va. had to decide: Was it assault?” The Washington Post reports on a bathroom sexual encounter between two athletes at an August 2015 party. Rising third-year volleyball player Haley Lind agreed to speak on the record about her […]

War on drugs: When the options for addicts aren’t enough

His family and friends describe Luke Beckelman as someone with a big heart and loving soul. The former Monticello High student’s passion was hip-hop: writing it, rapping and making several videos, says his mom. He also was an addict. And he sold drugs—twice to a confidential informant in 2015—which led to his arrest for felony […]

Is Washington Park Pool pricing out local neighborhood children?

If you’re taller than 4 feet, it’ll cost you $6 to enter the Washington Park public pool, a price one resident claims is too high. Raymond Mason appeared before City Council July 5 and complained about the price to enter the pool. He says he’s seen young black children run up to the convenience store […]

Stopping the stink: Last phase of RWSA odor control project kicks off

The smell of sewage has wafted through the east side of Charlottesville for decades, driving out some residents, nauseating the ones who have stayed and even leaching into the surgical suites at Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital, according to complaints by the hospital’s director at a Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority board meeting in 2014. But […]

‘Poetic justice:’ First black UVA student celebrated

In the midst of a national controversy surrounding racial inequality and civil rights, members of the Charlottesville-Albemarle Bar Association unveiled a 150-pound bronze marker July 12 to commemorate the first African-American student ever admitted to the University of Virginia. When Danville native Gregory Hayes Swanson, a 26-year-old practicing lawyer, applied for admission to UVA’s School […]

New web app shows how your taxes are broken down

Tackling a county budget may seem daunting, but Smart Cville tactfully lays out Albemarle’s budget in a spread of colors with its new budget visualization tool that illustrates how your money helps the county. Smart Cville, a locally based nonprofit, aims to open up data, plain and simple. Creator Lucas Ames, 35, sent out a […]

In brief: Debtors’ prison, slush fund and more

Modern-day ‘debtors’ prison’? The Legal Aid Justice Center sued the Department of Motor Vehicles July 6 in federal court in Charlottesville, claiming that suspending the licenses of nearly 1 million low-income Virginians for failure to pay unreasonable court costs and fines traps them in debt, makes it impossible for them to legally drive to work […]

Can county officials remain unbiased for referendum vote?

The Albemarle County Board of Supervisors voted 4-2 July 6 to hold a $35 million bond referendum for school improvements in November, and some locals think county officials will not be able to educate the public about the new ballot item without advocating for it. Virginia Code allows local governments to clarify a referendum, but […]

Two parking spaces removed two years after request

In a town where parking is already sparse, two unlimited-time parking spaces have been removed from South Street to “improve traffic operations and safety,” according to the city—two years after residents complained about the sight lines there. Residents from the Midway Manor neighborhood approached the city May 20 with concerns about the parking spots, says […]