In brief: Jail renovation, Brackney out of retirement, and more

‘People don’t get well in a cell’  Charlottesville City Council passed a resolution last week supporting the Albemarle Charlottesville Regional Jail’s request for state funding for a massive $49 million renovation project. Jail leadership hopes the state will contribute around $12 million, leaving the three localities that use the facility—the City of Charlottesville and Albemarle […]

In brief: City wants Brackney lawsuit dismissed

City asks judge to throw out Brackney lawsuit More than two months after former police chief RaShall Brackney filed a $10 million lawsuit against the City of Charlottesville—and 10 current and former city officials—alleging she was wrongfully terminated based on her sex and gender, the city has asked a federal judge to dismiss the suit. […]

Pedestrian unfriendly

Nearly a year ago in the early hours of September 13, 2021, Sarah Peaslee got the knock on the door no parent ever wants to hear. A police officer told her that her son, 29-year-old Will Davis, had been struck by a motorcycle crossing Richmond Road—U.S. 250 east—and died instantly. “Will was coming home from […]

Bus-ted

Expanded walk zones. Double bus routes. Delayed student arrivals. The bus driver shortage in Albemarle and Charlottesville is creating challenges for schools, drivers, kids, and parents.  “It’s an inconvenience,” says Teresa Green, a mother of two students at Charlottesville High School. Green and her family live in the Fry’s Spring neighborhood, and both her kids […]

Beauty for all

At 10 months old, India Sims was sent to the hospital for a chronic ear infection. A doctor decided to give Sims a spinal tap to help diagnose the infection—but inserted the needle into the wrong part of her back. She soon became partially paralyzed, and suffered from constant fevers and seizures.  Over the next […]

Game changer

By Jack Keaveny Every new season offers a clean slate—and the opportunity to dream big. The UVA football faithful are dreaming especially big this year, with the arrival of new head coach Tony Elliott. Leaving last season’s disappointing 6-6 record behind them, the Cavaliers and their fans are optimistic about Elliott, who plans to bring […]

In brief: Violent arrest under review, and more

PCOB director to review first case In July, Charlottesville’s Police Civilian Oversight Board was scheduled to hold its long-awaited first hearing concerning the 2020 violent arrest of a man experiencing homelessness, but on the day of the hearing, complainant Jeff Fogel, a local attorney, and the Charlottesville Police Department agreed to an alternative dispute resolution […]

Breaking barriers

WillowTree has always been sort of an enigma: It used to have a reputation for being what Kelli Palmer calls “this tech firm in the Downtown Mall where everyone wore matching hoodies.” But the 14-year-old, rapidly expanding tech company is actually “a digital consultancy” that “works with businesses to strategize around and to build their […]

Saving Lives

When a 6-year-old boy with autism was found dead after he wandered away from his Buckingham County home last month, officials there urged the media to publicize Project Lifesaver, a program that outfits people at risk for wandering with a tracking device that can be used to locate them. A $6,000 grant from the Alzheimer’s […]

(Not) reaching out

After firing former Charlottesville police chief RaShall Brackney last year, the City of Charlottesville has finally begun looking for her replacement. In July, it paid D.C. executive search firm POLIHIRE $35,000 to assist interim City Manager Michael Rogers with recruitment, interviews, and other aspects of the selection process. The firm launched an online survey August […]