Design work continues for new dam

The view is spectacular. The trees have yet to blossom, and so the placid slate gray waters of the Ragged Mountain Reservoir are in sharp relief against the earth tones around them. I’m standing on a hill that will one day be the water’s new edge, assuming permits come through and the community continues to […]

Downzoning by choice

Most developers want to max out the building potential of a parcel. But Wavertree Hall LLC wants to downzone 145 acres of land located in Greenwood from planned residential to rural area zoning. Most of the land is off limits anyway because of conservation easements, but Wavertree wanted to lower its tax rate by rezoning […]

Residents upset over graveyard vandalism

Knocking down headstones and tagging memorials with spraypaint may not bother the dead, but it sure does piss off the living. A recent round of vandalism in Maplewood Cemetery has angered nearby residents and reopened a sore spot between them and the city that stretches back for the better part of a decade. Maplewood, just […]

Bad gets worse for alleged I-64 shooter

The month of March ended badly for Slade Allen Woodson. On March 31, Albemarle County police charged Woodson with five additional felony counts connected to the I-64 shootings, the same day he was denied bail in a Waynesboro courtroom. Woodson now faces a total of 17 felony counts, 15 in Albemarle and two in Waynesboro. […]

You can check out any time you like…really

The MacDonalds have occupied two rooms at the Residence Inn since August 2006, though the hotel contends that they haven’t paid since November. Plaintiff: Marriott International, Inc. Defendants: Terrence MacDonald, et al Court: Charlottesville Circuit Court What’s at issue: Whether Terrence MacDonald and three family members overstayed their welcome at the Marriott Residence Inn on […]

For Region Ten, more money means more responsibility

 First in a two-part series on mental health reform Spurred by last year’s mass shooting at Virginia Tech, state legislators this spring unanimously passed a package of bills that will bring more people into a mental health care system that is already stretched thin. While the state gave the Department of Mental Health roughly $42 […]

Ambulance fees still under consideration

If you call for an ambulance, chances are that an all-volunteer squad will respond and that you’ll only be charged for medical supplies on the way to the hospital. But this budget season, local officials are exploring the idea of imposing fees, as much as $450 per ride. And as the closed-door discussions continue between […]

Your tax dollars, at work

Worked for the county for: One month Resides in: Charlottesville Job title: Civil deputy clerk. Melampy’s primary duty is to process, file and organize all civil lawsuits and divorces in the county. Daily, she interacts with attorneys, plaintiffs and defendants and says the interaction with people is one of the reasons she likes her job. […]

Controversy averted during pro-Palestinian talk

It looked like a battle was brewing. A group of about 10 students, wearing yarmulkes and Israel’s blue and silver, had arrived early to take front row seats in a UVA law school classroom. Their purpose was to show their support for the Middle Eastern country that the speaker, Harvard University research scholar Sara Roy, […]