Above board

After nearly two months of tension that included firings of high-level staff and public accusations of game-playing and racism against the Montpelier Foundation, the dispute between the foundation board and the Montpelier Descendants Committee has ended. At the May 16 foundation board meeting, the board voted in 11 new members recommended by the MDC, two […]

Union bagels

Holding colorful homemade signs and pictures of bagels, Bodo’s employees—joined by several dozen community members—gathered on the Corner last week, urging the restaurant to allow its staff to unionize. A majority of the workers at the shop’s Corner location have presented signed union cards to management in an effort to improve wages, benefits, and overall […]

Hoos the best

When Carla Williams took charge of University of Virginia athletics in 2017, she was the only African American woman directing sports at a Power Five school. Now, she is one of three. But Vanderbilt’s hiring of Candice Storey Lee, and Duke’s of Nina King, is not the only way Williams has helped shape sports during […]

In brief: Plastic bag tax, Montpelier questions, and more

Questions linger in Montpelier controversy With less than a week before the May 16 meeting of the Montpelier Foundation board, initial interviews with 20 candidates put forth by the Montpelier Descendants Committee are underway. But MDC attorney Greg Werkheiser says there are still concerns that the dispute between the two organizations isn’t fully resolved. “They […]

Farewell

In the nearly 60 years that he has lived in Charlottesville, University of Virginia history professor George Gilliam has had a long career spanning multiple areas of public service and politics. Now, he is retiring after giving his final lecture last week.  From 1972 to 1976, Gilliam served on the Charlottesville City Council, helping to […]

No relief

Since the Supreme Court ended the national eviction moratorium in August, many Virginians have been able to stay in their homes thanks to the state’s rent relief program. But on May 15, the program will stop accepting new applications due to dwindling funds, leaving struggling renters with few other assistance options.  Once the program ends, […]

Our bodies, our choice

Hours after a leaked U.S. Supreme Court draft opinion made real the likelihood that Roe v. Wade will be fully overturned by summer, reversing decades of legal protection for a woman’s right to control her own body, protesters gathered in front of the federal courthouse in downtown Charlottesville. “This is so major, because if you […]

In brief: Union rally, FOIA lawsuit, and more

‘Having a voice matters’ Waving colorful homemade posters and blue union authorization cards, several dozen Albemarle County teachers and community members rallied in front of the County Office Building last Thursday evening, urging the county school board to allow school employees to unionize. In late March, the Albemarle Education Association submitted to the board a […]

Healing together

For the first time since the death of their son Otto, Cindy and Fred Warmbier returned to the University of Virginia last week, as the fifth anniversary of his passing nears. While touring North Korea, the then-third-year UVA commerce student was accused of attempting to steal a political banner, and sentenced to 15 years in […]

‘No new crimes’

During a heated one-day veto session last week, the Virginia General Assembly killed Governor Glenn Youngkin’s amendments that would have created two new misdemeanor crimes for possessing more than two ounces of marijuana, accompanied by potential fines and jail time. The controversial legislation also would have banned the sale of Delta-8—a popular form of THC […]