Staff concerned about trust, pay

“I like my job here at UVA,” Brad Sayler, an outspoken employee in the civil engineering department, told the large crowd assembled in Newcomb Hall. “I just don’t like the way employees get treated around here a lot of the time.” The crowd had gathered for a “town hall” that was both an overview of […]

The death of Arthur—and insomnia

At the risk of incurring yet more angry letters from Ph.D. recipients we’ve (gently) mocked in the past (see: Michael Hightower’s response), it is time again for our recognition of dissertations sedulous UVA students have written that we admire but that we happen to have absolutely no interest in reading. This time around, John Ivor […]

Is it hot in here?

With little fanfare and almost no attention paid, state climatologist Patrick Michaels quit his post at UVA this past June, Bob Gibson of The Daily Progress reported last week. Michaels is perhaps best known for his very vocal skepticism of global warming, arguing that humans had no effect on climate change. “We know how much […]

County considers overruling landowner

Bordered by Route 20 to its east and Darden Towe Park to its south, a 77-acre parcel owned by Clara Belle Wheeler is largely wooded except for the grandiose 1862 house she lives in and a few adjoining buildings. Down a rise and located in a small cow pasture is a log house—the reconstructed site […]

Mall hotel strikes bargain for parking

So here’s a fun little problem: You’ve got plans for a 101-room boutique hotel on the Downtown Mall. The Mall has almost everything your upper-crust hotel dweller could ever want. Jewelry store? Check. High-end stationery? Oh yeah. Fine dining? Yup. Buskers to get you some of that local flavor? Sure. Parking? Well… For all of […]

Water Street design contest wins big

When I agreed to report on the results of the city’s design contest for the Water Street parking lots, little did I know the Charlottesville Community Design Center (CCDC) would receive a whopping 63 submissions from six countries. Wait, what? How many ways can you redesign a parking lot? Especially when you have to comply […]