Political polarization in the U.S. is extreme. People watch cable news networks that confirm their existing biases; Facebook offers an “unfriend” option, which encourages ideological homogeneity on feeds. A program at UVA, open to the entire Charlottesville community, aims to break down those barriers, one conversation at a time. “We’re really trying to get out […]
Political polarization in the U.S. is extreme. People watch cable news networks that confirm their existing biases; Facebook offers an “unfriend” option, which encourages ideological homogeneity on feeds. A program at UVA, open to the entire Charlottesville community, aims to break down those barriers, one conversation at a time. “We’re really trying to get out […]
By Matt Dhillon There is a moment when our things stop being our things and begin their new life as trash. It is the frighteningly casual act of throwing something away. Once it is trash, it is forgotten, discarded, and buried, but we know that our wastefulness is catching up with us. It’s a problem […]
Fogel FOIA response from city How much has the City of Charlottesville paid out in settlements for claims of police misconduct? That’s what attorney Jeff Fogel hoped to learn when he filed a FOIA request on behalf of the People’s Coalition two weeks ago, asking for any responsive records for the past two years. The […]
A student-led campaign to pressure the University of Virginia to fully withdraw its investments in the fossil fuel industry has gained momentum in recent years with petitions and public protests. Last month, the University of Virginia Investment Management Company finally addressed some of these concerns by publishing a framework that lays out principles the school […]
Nearly two weeks after the Montpelier Foundation Board voted to reverse an agreement to share power with the Montpelier Descendants Committee, the force of the backlash has dismayed the board’s leadership. The dispute between the board and the committee has also exposed division among some descendants about the future of the fourth U.S. president’s former […]
For more than a decade, Charlottesville’s school reconfiguration has remained in limbo, thanks to a plethora of financial setbacks. As the city works to finalize its budget for fiscal year 2023, leadership has struggled to figure out how to fund the $75 million project, which would move fifth grade from Walker Upper Elementary—currently home to […]
By Kristin O’Donoghue It was only a matter of time before the free speech debate was reinvigorated at the University of Virginia. Three years after the Miller Center’s decision to hire Trump administration official Marc Short sparked protests and faculty resignations from the center, the latest round of debate has been ignited by the impending […]
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 […]