Waiting for payday

United Campus Workers at the University of Virginia is hosting a budgetary town hall on December 6, once again calling for UVA to cut the checks and improve payment systems for graduate workers. Despite promises made by the university following talks with UCW-UVA leaders earlier this year, graduate workers continue to report issues with timely […]

Manufacturing affordability

Albemarle hopes to build over 10,000 units by the year 2040, and civil engineer Justin Shimp has an idea for how the county can reach its goal.   “Within the last 15 years, four manufactured home parks in the Charlottesville/Albemarle area have been sold and redeveloped,” Shimp wrote in an application for a rezoning of […]

Getting out the youth vote

It’s difficult. Even Virginia’s dean of political analysts Larry Sabato didn’t know how to explain three weeks of inaction in the U.S. House of Representatives at the same time two wars raged worldwide and one American party seemed determined to nominate a presidential candidate who has been found liable in two civil suits and is […]

In brief

Football finale The University of Virginia football team ended an emotional season on a low note, losing 55-17 to Virginia Tech on November 25. The blowout win means Tech, which has won 18 of the last 19 games against UVA, is 6-6 and bowl-eligible. Despite an 0-5 start to the season, the UVA faithful were […]

Fresh start

Students returned to Charlottesville High School on Monday, November 27, after a series of fights spurred staff absences and a string of closures prior to Thanksgiving break. Charlottesville City Schools labeled the multi-day suspension of classes a “cultural reset.” The first day back went relatively smoothly according to interim principal Kenny Leatherwood, but he noted […]

In brief

Walking it back The University of Virginia is withholding the independent report on the November 13, 2022, shooting on Grounds, citing potential impacts on the criminal trial of accused shooter Christopher Jones. “Making the report public at this time, or even releasing a summary of their findings and recommendations, could have an impact on the […]

Fighting for calm

Charlottesville High School was unexpectedly closed for three days, from Friday, November 17, through Tuesday, November 21, after student fights tipped an already short-staffed school over the edge. Brawls and disruptive behavior have been a persistent problem at CHS this school year, causing safety concerns for students, staff, and parents. Though Charlottesville City Schools has […]

Fire watch

The Albemarle County Fire Marshal’s Office issued a burn ban on November 17, following a wave of wildfires across Virginia. Though the Afton Mountain and Quaker Run fires are now contained, the Charlottesville area is not yet out of the woods this fire season. No big fires have broken out in Albemarle County, but Albemarle […]

What and where

One of the major ideas driving reform of land-use approvals in Charlottesville is the notion that developers will construct much more housing if City Council and the Planning Commission are not involved in deciding what gets built and where.   “Height restrictions effectively require all multifamily projects to obtain special use permits to make development […]

Shifting numbers

One assumption in the draft of Albemarle’s new Comprehensive Plan is that the county must increase its housing supply.   “Albemarle County needs to add approximately 10,070 affordable units to our housing stock by 2040 to ensure all current and future residents can enjoy a good quality of life in our community,” reads a section […]