Promise broken The Montpelier Foundation board has revoked its promise to share governance of the historic property with descendants of the over 300 enslaved laborers who lived and worked there. The foundation voted in June 2021 to change its bylaws and fill half the board of James Madison’s former home with members of the Montpelier […]
Promise broken The Montpelier Foundation board has revoked its promise to share governance of the historic property with descendants of the over 300 enslaved laborers who lived and worked there. The foundation voted in June 2021 to change its bylaws and fill half the board of James Madison’s former home with members of the Montpelier […]
After years of public debate over Charlottesville’s housing woes, City Council adopted a new Future Land Use Map last fall, which advocates for increasing housing density across the city—and in turn, creating more affordable housing. Last month, city staff began the lengthy process of rewriting an outdated zoning ordinance, something that could take a year […]
Charlottesville’s Police Civilian Oversight Board met last week to discuss procedures for how the board can investigate complaints against the police—and how board members can investigate complaints against each other, an all-too-relevant process given the fractious history between recent members. At the meeting, board members voted to send a final draft of their operating procedures […]
After years of public outcry, the James River Water Authority has abandoned its plans to build a water intake and pump station at Rassawek, the historic capital of the Monacan Indian Nation. Last week, the authority—a partnership between Fluvanna and Louisa counties—unanimously voted to apply for permits for an alternative project site, located about two […]
Since defeating Dr. Cameron Webb in 2020, 5th District Representative Bob Good has stayed true to his Trump-loving, Bible-thumping platform. In addition to introducing bills attacking abortion rights, criminal justice reform, gun control, and refugees, the Republican has rejected the 2020 presidential election results, voted against investigating the Capitol insurrection, and supported fellow far-right conservatives, […]
Back-to-backstroke UVA’s women’s swim and dive team won its second consecutive national championship over the weekend—and set five American records in the process. Junior Kate Douglass put on an absolutely dominant show, breaking national records in the 50-yard freestyle, 100-yard butterfly, and 200-yard breaststroke on three consecutive days. Alex Walsh and Gretchen Walsh also won […]
When the music stops Virginia’s men’s basketball team, three years removed from a national championship, failed to qualify for the NCAA Tournament when the brackets were announced on Sunday. (To make matters worse, Virginia Tech won the ACC Tournament and qualified as an 11-seed.) It’s the first time the Cavaliers have missed the tourney since […]
Since the beginning of the pandemic, inmates at the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail have called attention to a host of health and sanitary issues at the facility, including black mold, faulty wiring, leaky ceilings, poor plumbing, freezing temperatures, bug infestations, standing water, and shoddy COVID containment procedures. The jail’s leadership has begun taking steps to improve […]
Virginia’s General Assembly session ended its regularly scheduled 60-day run on Saturday. The work of the legislature is far from over, however—the divided assembly has not yet agreed on a state budget and has left a number of bills on the table. Once the budget is complete, a special session can be held later in […]
In 2004, Charlottesville’s tree canopy covered 50 percent of the city. In 2018, it covered just 40 percent of the city—meaning the city has lost one-fifth of its total tree cover. Eleven of Charlottesville’s 18 neighborhoods—including North Downtown, Woolen Mills, Belmont, Martha Jefferson, and Fifeville—now have below 40 percent canopy cover, according to the city […]