An old war from a new Grisham

It’s a wonder anyone tries to write historical fiction. You have to bring the past to life without resorting to lectures, stiff dialogue or tedious exposition. To be really good, you also have to avoid clichéd characters and stock situations, while not making the slightest misstep in historical fact. Mark Grisham (brother of Charlottesville author […]

Darden Towe Park lighting controversy continues

The “community conversation” hosted by Board of Supervisors Chairman Ken Boyd on Thursday night at the Elks Lodge began as a dialogue among county residents and county and city officials about the proposed lighting project for Darden Towe Park. But it soon became a chorus in favor of saving McIntire Park. “The two are one […]

NGIC expansion: slimmer pickings than expected

All those home builders banking on selling houses to new National Ground Intelligence Center (NGIC) employees may be in for a rude awakening. An estimate from the Charlottesville Area Association of Realtors (CAAR) is that only 30 to 40 percent of employees will relocate, the rest not wishing to unsettle spouses and children. Since NGIC’s […]

CHO gets $4.5M for runway expansion

The Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport (CHO) is now ready to spread its wings. The Virginia Aviation Board announced that it has approved tentative allocations of funds for 33 of the state’s airports for a total of more than $21 million. That funding includes $4.5 million for seven CHO projects, most notably the Runway Extension Phase 1A design […]

So that's what it is!

Ever had trouble finding the Mall? City officials (prodded by Downtown merchants) want to make sure that Charlottesville tourists have no problem figuring out where they can drop some dough betwixt trips to Monticello and the Rotunda. The city Board of Architectural Review is vetting signs like these on September 15, designed by Merje, a […]

Miller Center overrun by old, well-dressed men

In academics as in life, timing is everything, folks. Twenty-four hours after the Bush Administration announced the bailout of financial giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, UVA’s Miller Center of Public Affairs hosted what it called a global summit on “The New Financial Architecture.” In the rain, yellow-slickered parking attendants greeted reporters and financial consultants […]

New studio art building focuses on exhibits

A massive steel staircase, exposed ducts and a naked concrete floor welcome faculty and students to the new home of UVA’s Studio Art program. The 42,000-square-foot, three-story facility brings together all studio art programs —drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography, new media and film, installation and performance art—under one roof for the first time. For more […]

Sick of football? Try field hockey.

The football team is off to an underwhelming start (blown out by U.Conn??!) and the men’s soccer team has fallen to 4-3. Where’s the sports excitement this season for the Cavaliers? Try field hockey. The team (6-1) has been ranked as high as No. 8, and though it dropped its first game of the season […]

What's In Your Backpack?

Year: Junior Major: Biology Hometown: Northern Virginia What’s in your backpack? The Christians as the Romans Saw Them by Robert Lewis Wilkin, The Shape of a Pocket by John Berger, umbrella, two notebooks, Post-it notes, wallet, planner, five pens, three pencils, iClicker for her Econ 201 class, ruler, Chapstick (plain flavor), cell phone, a sorority […]