The echo of Vinegar Hill

There is a scene that begins the third act of William James' play Vinegar Hill Revisited, in which two sisters, Brenda Ann and Mary Lou, stare down their grief over the death of their mother. They are—or were—inhabitants of Vinegar Hill, a 20-acre tract of land just west of what is now Charlottesville's Downtown Mall…

Neighbors mourn dam's passing

For hundreds of years, probably thousands, a type of fish known as the American shad would leave its birthplace in the Rivanna River to travel to the Atlantic Ocean by way of the James River and Chesapeake Bay. Like the better known salmon, shad are an anadromous species that are born in fresh water, but […]

Growth spurts

click for larger image A theme in this year’s county supervisors election was the true story of local growth. Is it too much? Too little? Just right? Ken Boyd’s campaign for re-election laid it on thick that while Boyd was supervisor, the population growth rate fell below 1 percent, a figure borne out by Weldon […]

Is racial profiling a Virginia problem?

Is racial profiling by Virginia police a problem? There is plenty of anecdotal evidence that suggests it is, though no one seems to have enough data to know for sure. But the Charlottesville-based Virginia Organizing Project (VOP) wants that data, and Virginia police and state lawmakers aren’t making it easy to come by. 60: percentage […]

Alleged killer details shooting

A week after 26-year-old Jayne Warren McGowan was found shot dead, police raided the home of the future wife of one of McGowan’s alleged killers, William Douglas Gentry. The previous night, November 15, Jenna Critzer had appeared on NBC29 to offer a defense of her fiancé. Michael Pritchett, one of two charged with the murder […]

Public pool priorities are changing

As the city juggles its pool options—to renovate city pools or to approve a YMCA aquatic facility—one of the most vocal contingents throughout the process has been city and county residents who regularly use the lap lanes at Smith and Crow pools. But the way citizens are using pools is changing, as evidenced in proposed […]

County restores 5.2 miles of trail

Ever since he retired, Carlos Otoya has spent more time on the trails at Mint Springs Park than anyone else. "It’s a very healthy life, clearing brush from the trail—my cholesterol is good now." New sign markers make the trails at Mint Springs much more accessible. "Unless you were a local, you were bound to […]

State to pay for six new profs

The London-based company, Rolls-Royce, which no longer makes cars that only 99 percent of the population can afford, has announced plans to build a jet engine manufacturing plant in Prince George County, southeast of Richmond.