Old drug: New dangerous effects

Police say the presence of spice, a form of synthetic marijuana, is not new to Charlottesville or Albemarle County, however, they’re now seeing new behaviors associated with people using the drug. Charlottesville Police Lieutenant Joe Hatter, who oversees the Jefferson Area Drug Enforcement Task Force, says spice has been in the area for the last […]

Updated: Lockn’ adds to its infrastructure and allure

Updated: Due to a powerful storm, the opening of  Lockn’ campgrounds has been delayed until further notice and Thursday performances have been canceled. When gates open to the show field  on Thursday, returning campers and daytrippers will find what should be an improved experience at Lockn’ Music Festival, the four-day music bash on Nelson County’s […]

Man killed in first homicide of the year

More than 100 people gathered outside the home of Jason Lee Shifflett, Charlottesville’s first suspected homicide victim of the year, for a candlelight vigil September 3. Shifflett, 31, was shot and killed in his Carlton Avenue trailer home just before 1am that day, police say. His killer has not yet been identified. Shifflett’s friend, Ira […]

Residents petition BOS to slow comp plan amendment

People living around the property at the Interstate 64/U.S. 29 interchange, which the Albemarle Board of Supervisors is considering adding to the growth area to attract a West Coast brewery, are circulating a petition to slow the process. “We started being concerned about a factory across the street surrounded by a rural and residential area,” […]

Legendary attorney, Foxfield president Benjamin Dick dies

Stetson-wearing James Benjamin Dick, longtime Charlottesville attorney and colorful president of the Foxfield Racing Association, died August 29 at age 67 in Winchester, the town where he was born. Dick graduated from Virginia Military Institute and served in the Army during the Vietnam War. His penchant for Stetsons started at Fort Leavenworth, where he once […]

Crozet man killed by train

On September 2 around 8:25pm, Albemarle police say a 22-year-old male was hit and killed by a train in Crozet about 100 yards east of Starr Hill Brewery. This man has been identified as Matthew Michael Shannon of Crozet. No criminal activity is suspected, according to police spokesperson Carter Johnson. “We’re coping with family and […]

The sound of Costco: Neighbors fret over unwanted noise

“It’s like a twin-engine plane” is how an Albemarle County resident and local teacher describes the noise that now overpowers the quiet bustle and birdsong of his once-peaceful backyard. Donald Healy and his wife live in a townhome on Commonwealth Drive, behind the recently opened Costco in the Stonefield shopping center. Their home is situated […]

All bark and no bite: Controversial girls soccer match resurfaces

In the summer of 2012, the co-captain of the Fluvanna County High School girls varsity soccer team was charged with misdemeanor assault and battery and given a 90-day suspended sentence for biting an ex-teammate, who was playing for Western Albemarle High School in a heavily anticipated rivalry match. Three years later, New York Times best-selling author […]

#MarteseJohnson: Scarred, still alive and seizing the moment

March 17—St. Patrick’s Day—was a pretty typical day for third-year Martese Johnson at the University of Virginia. A Tuesday, it was one of the heaviest academic days for the media studies and Italian major, and he was in class until mid-afternoon. That evening, “I hung out with friends on the Lawn for a time,” he […]