Middleditch charged with involuntary DUI manslaughter

Local realtor and Ivy resident Andrew Middleditch, 55, was charged with felony involuntary manslaughter while driving under the influence July 13, a charge stemming from a May 25 crash in which Lonnie Wycliffe Branham, 78, was killed on Barracks Road. Middleditch previously had been charged with a DUI, his second. He was released from Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional […]

Democracy’s lessons: Up close with a Mandela Fellow

As features editor for Zimbabwe’s largest daily paper, The Herald, in the capital city of Harare, Roselyne Sachiti doesn’t shy away from tough stories, even if they place her in danger. The 33- year-old journalist has gone undercover to investigate the smuggling of clothes into her country, an episode that found her temporarily locked in […]

Down the rabbit hole: Talented C’ville restaurant staff in demand

Are representatives from an out-of-state hospitality company trying to poach some of Charlottesville’s most talented restaurant staff? According to local restaurant owners, the answer is yes. According to the out-of-state guys, the answer is hmmm, well, that wasn’t their intention and they’re sorry for the misunderstanding. Will Richey, owner of The Whiskey Jar, The Alley […]

Donald’s day off: Trump cuts the ribbon at Albemarle Estate

  Minutes before top Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s helicopter landed on the grounds of the Trump Winery in southern Albemarle County on Tuesday, July 14, a soft breeze rustled the grapevines on the 1,300-acre estate and, in an occurrence that might have seemed eerily symbolic to some of Trump’s critics, the American flag flanking […]

Tracci responds: Defends experience as prosecutor, denies hitting kill switch

Robert Tracci’s first job out of law school was in Congress as counsel to a House committee. He worked in the Justice Department in Washington in 2006, and was a federal prosecutor in Charlottesville two years later. Despite the glittery resume, some Democrats are asking if the Republican candidate for Albemarle commonwealth’s attorney, challenging incumbent […]

‘Switcheroo’? William Taylor Plaza developer stuns City Council

The darling of 21st-century community design is the “planned unit development,” which typically combines commercial and residential for high-density, pedestrian friendly living. So when the developer of the already controversial William Taylor Plaza PUD told City Council July 6 there was no requirement for a residential component, councilors put the brakes on a rezoning amendment […]

‘Squeaky wheel’: Earl Smith joins Scottsville supes’ race

Earl Smith’s best-known foray into civic engagement came in 2013 when former Scottsville supervisor Chris Dumler was convicted of misdemeanor sexual battery—and refused to resign from the Board of Supervisors while spending weekends in jail. Smith decided to do something about it. “We have so many Facebook warriors who yell and scream about it,” says […]

Voter fraud? Briehl one of two arrests made in Albemarle

For as much legislation passed that demands identification to vote, voter fraud is still a pretty rare crime. That’s why it was eyebrow-raising last month that not one, but two people were arrested in Albemarle County for election fraud for allegedly making false statements, and one of them is a former minister who made news […]

Big box bickering: Why some locals are wailing over Wegmans

The Fifth Street development project, now known as 5th Street Station, is soon to be a big box retail sanctuary with almost half a million square feet of space, an abundance of parking and a buffet of popular brands—and it only took about two decades to build on this historically sought-after plot of land previously […]