County budget: $10 million less?

After Albemarle County executive Bob Tucker finished his hour-long budget presentation for Fiscal Year 2010-2011—the proposed grand total is $293.85 million, for you eager readers—he asked members of the Board of Supervisors if they had any “general questions.” Board chairman Ann Mallek responded first: “Sobering news.” Likely, plenty of tax payers will pore over Tucker’s […]

UVA's Board of Visitors accelerates student housing project, aims to cut emissions

While both the city and county continue to grapple with unprecedented budget cuts—especially within their school systems—University of Virginia administrators are trying to capitalize on the positive outcome of the recession: competitive construction prices. Cheryl Gomez, UVA’s director of energy and utilities, calls lowering annual carbon emissions at the school “a 152,000 ton challenge.” In […]

Bioshock 2; 2K Games/2K Marin; XBox 360, PlayStation 3; Rated: Mature

The triumph of the ego versus the power of the collective. A ruined underwater city packed with murderous, genetically enhanced freaks. A clash of ideals and an unbreakable, if creepy, bond between father and daughter.  Admit it—it’s not exactly the stuff you expect to find in your standard-issue save-the-world shooter game. Then again, the Bioshock […]

Ace on the hill

 Dear Ace: What kind of effect has all this snowfall had on Charlottesville-area snowsports? I’ve never tried any, at least without the vicarious aid of a Nintendo 64, but everywhere I look now I see these scintillating heaps of powder, and I would hate for it all to go to waste. What does it take […]

Musicians and venues turn up, Council turns it down

At Tuesday night’s City Council meeting, in the midst of a contested amendment to the city’s noise ordinance, one thing was agreed upon: Charlottesville’s music scene is vibrant, unique and in need of protection.  Musicians, restaurateurs and venue owners vocally opposed two proposed amendments that would lower the evening noise level to 55 decibels citywide […]

Stonehaus sells 16 Belvedere acres to Cathcart Properties

We’ve all heard that timing is everything; likewise, time equals money. So when Frank Stoner, vice president of business development for local real estate developer Stonehaus, said the time was right for a 16-acre sale within the company’s 207-acre Belvedere neighborhood, it also meant the price was right. Cathcart Properties plans to construct a collection […]

Legal Aid helps in big labor dispute win

“This is a huge win for the courageous workers who brought this lawsuit, really by any measure,” says Tim Freilich, Immigrant Advocacy Program director at Legal Aid Justice Center, visibly pleased.   Thanks to local efforts from Legal Aid’s Tim Freilich (pictured) and many others, Arkansas’ Superior Forestry Service will pay a total of $2.75 […]