The ruins of Afton Mountain: Eyesores along a scenic byway

Thousands of visitors come to Virginia every year to tour the Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive. As they soak in the natural beauty where the two meet off Interstate 64 at Rockfish Gap, with views stretching out across the Shenandoah Valley, they soak in something else less appealing, although breathtaking in its own way: […]

Richmond rundown Legislators find common ground as session winds down

The 2015 General Assembly session is in its final sprint, with talk of both houses agreeing to a budget and voting on it one day before the session ends February 27—a nearly unprecedented rapprochement. Contributing to the speedy resolution was taking Medicaid expansion off the table, despite Governor Terry McAuliffe setting that as a priority […]

Dominion proposes alternative pipeline routes through Nelson

Dominion has announced that it is exploring several alternative routes for its planned Atlantic Coast Pipeline through Nelson County. The 550-mile natural gas pipeline, which the company hopes to have online by the end of 2018, would be routed through West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina, and has seen significant opposition in Nelson, where many […]

Positive outlook for commercial real estate market

Predictions for the 2015 commercial real estate market are encouraging.  A recent report from Deloitte states, “In many ways, the commercial real estate (CRE) industry is on more solid footing than it has been for quite some time. The US economy continues to progress and investors are generally seeing robust performance across most property types […]

Built-ins add value

Built-ins—permanent installations of anything from shelving to bunk beds—can be space savers or space makers, adding convenience, value, and personality to a home. “Today’s buyers want homes that are open and uncluttered,” declares Kelly Ceppa, a REALTOR® associate with Charlottesville’s Nest Realty Group. “Built-ins can make a home look ‘finished’ or custom built.” There’s no […]

Documentary screening aims to get people talking about race

How do you get teens to talk about race in a way that prompts action and meaningful change? That’s a central question posed in the 2013 documentary “I’m Not Racist…Am I?,” which follows 12 New York City teenagers from diverse racial and socioeconomic backgrounds as they go through a series of workshops and conversations on […]

The giving spree: The General Assembly swallows a bitter pill

Let us set the scene for you. As the Virginia General Assembly heads into the home stretch of its winter session, it has one currently incarcerated delegate legislating while on work release, another recent delegate serving a nine-and-a-half-year prison sentence for bribery and extortion and a former governor headed to the federal pen on multiple […]

Redistricting reform bills die in House subcommittee

A handful of bills to reform gerrymandering died February 12 in a seven-person House of Delegates subcommittee by voice vote. Delegate Steve Landes (R-25th) was one of those voting to kill the bills. “Our districts are not gerrymandered,” he said. “They’re approved by the Department of Justice.” The state constitution makes legislators responsible for drawing […]