The Power Issue

 Time, suggested Thomas Jefferson, often turns the powerful into tyrants—a curious remark from a person whose legacy still dictates the culture and image of our city’s largest employer. But as C-VILLE assembled its new Power Issue we learned that, in the two years since we last ranked our mightiest locals, time can turn the powerful […]

Votes of confidence

Did you people compare notes? C-VILLE recently asked 11—well, 10 (see page 13)—City Council candidates to respond to the same question: “What is Charlottesville’s most valuable resource, and how do you propose to protect it?” A majority responded, “people.” Granted, there were a few variations on the theme—“children,” “the individual citizen,” “community,” “the Charlottesville resident.” […]

Eminent domain revisited

On July 3, 1936, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt manned a microphone at Skyline Drive Milepost 51 and christened Shenandoah National Park (SNP) as he marveled at its restorative powers.

The sweetest thing

Charlottesville’s School Health Advisory Board (SHAB) is trying to improve nutrition in schools by limiting the amount of sugar, as well as sodium and hydrogenated oils, in students’ lunches and snacks. To that end, SHAB—a group that guides the School Board on matters of student health—has significantly revised the school district’s 2006 Wellness Policy, and […]

Election update: Dede Smith declares

Dede Smith, perhaps best known for her opposition to a new earthen dam at the Ragged Mountain Reservoir and her equally vocal advocacy for restoring Rivanna Reservoir capacity through dredging, officially announced her City Council candidacy on Monday at Forest Hills Park.

Donkeys on defense

We’ve made no secret of our utter befuddlement when it comes to Virginia’s completely complacent state Democratic party. Although the commonwealth has become increasingly competitive at the presidential and (last year notwithstanding) congressional level, you’d be hard-pressed to find a Democratic member of the General Assembly who seemed passionate (or even mildly optimistic) about the […]

Home delivery

Last month, Ruth Haske left the hospital to have her baby. She was a couple of weeks shy of her due date when she woke up feeling ill —back hurting, stomach hurting, fever. At UVA Medical Center, she underwent some tests and monitoring and was then sent home. Three days later, she still felt awful. […]

ICLEI is out

Ask the right Albemarle residents, and they will tell you that efforts by county government to reduce carbon emissions and promote sustainable development approach “a Big Brother mentality,” “socialism,” and “Soviet-style rule-by-committee.” Last week, they told their six supervisors the same thing. Jefferson Area Tea Party chair Carole Thorpe said that ICLEI, a nonprofit organization […]

Woodriff raises a racquet

Bob Sweeney doesn’t play squash. “Believe it or not,” says UVA’s Vice President for Development and Public Affairs, who oversees the school’s $3 billion capital campaign.