For Leah Puryear, the past month has been a whirlwind. After former Charlottesville city councilor Sena Magill abruptly resigned on January 3, citing family needs, Puryear—along with 19 other candidates—applied for the job. On February 21, council unanimously selected Puryear, a former Charlottesville School Board member, to fill the vacant seat. Since then, she has […]
For Leah Puryear, the past month has been a whirlwind. After former Charlottesville city councilor Sena Magill abruptly resigned on January 3, citing family needs, Puryear—along with 19 other candidates—applied for the job. On February 21, council unanimously selected Puryear, a former Charlottesville School Board member, to fill the vacant seat. Since then, she has […]
In the past few years, developers have filed proposals for some of the last vacant parcels in Charlottesville, pushing the limits of growth. This includes two projects a quarter-mile away from each other on the Rivanna River in an area where the city has never conducted a small-area plan for infrastructure. Local firm Seven […]
In 1959, 7-year-old Charles Alexander (Alex-Zan) walked into Venable Elementary School, accompanied by his mother, Elizabeth Alexander, and fellow classmates Marvin and William Townsend. He was among the first Black students to attend the newly integrated Charlottesville City Schools. On April 8, just down the road from Venable, Alex-Zan celebrated the unveiling of the Black […]
Just three months into 2023, and the amount of gun violence in Charlottesville has already surpassed that of previous years. The University of Virginia held a panel on Tuesday, March 28, to address the concerns of students, parents, faculty, and community members. University President Jim Ryan, University Police Department Chief Tim Longo, Executive Vice President […]
On February 6, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck southeastern Turkey and northern Syria, followed by a 7.7 magnitude earthquake the same day—and more than 10,000 aftershocks in the weeks that followed. The devastating quakes killed more than 50,000 people, and left millions homeless. After helping the University of Virginia’s Turkish Student Association fundraise several […]
At the tail end of March, Donald J. Trump became the first U.S. president to be indicted for an alleged criminal offense. The historic news dropped late on a Thursday afternoon. But over at the University of Virginia Center for Politics, J. Miles Coleman was thinking, “Okay, they couldn’t have waited until Monday?” Trump’s […]
The cost of housing continues to rise, but there is a large desire in the community for steps to be taken to preserve housing for those with lower incomes. That is translating into several large capital expenses throughout the area. This week, Charlottesville City Council held the first reading of a plan to award […]
A late-February 82-degree day followed by a stretch of mornings in the frosty 30s? Yep, we’re talking about winter 2023 in central Virginia. After a mild several months (except for that low of 6 degrees in December), it seems like any weather event or temperature is possible. Does this mean we’ll have a scorching summer? […]
City schools hires safety coordinator Regine Wright, Charlottesville City Schools new coordinator of school safety and security, will oversee the major components of the division safety model that were adopted in 2021. They include: safety and crisis-planning and training, monitoring of security systems, and the Care and Safety Assistant program. Wright, who was hired on […]
Why isn’t more public green space used to grow food? Highway medians, the small lawns between sidewalks and apartments, public parks, all have the potential, and Richard Morris thinks about this more than most. The co-executive director of the food justice organization Cultivate Charlottesville knows the challenges and rewards of choosing a good garden location. […]