Buford Middle has cause to celebrate

At Buford Middle School, optimism was up this year even before parents found out that the school, for the first time in four years, met the performance goals imposed by the federal government. "The parents just seem to have a very positive reaction to the new principal [Eric Johnson], and to the school in general," […]

Drought warning may become emergency

The Charlottesville area is smack in the middle of what Public Works Director Judith Mueller called the worst drought since 2002. With scant rainfall in August, typically the area’s driest time of year, the city and county declared a Drought Warning on August 16, complete with mandatory restrictions on watering plants, washing cars and serving […]

Amnesty comes but twice a year

Local residents looking for an environmentally friendly way to dispose of their household hazardous waste must wait until October 6 to get rid of potentially harmful adhesives, pesticides and cleaners.

City considering cutting out bottled water

Even Mayor David Brown admits that bringing up the idea during a drought warning may not have been the best move, marketing-wise. But Brown says it’s an idea that he believes in. So at the end of the last City Council meeting, he proposed that the city stop buying bottled water. Bottled water, begone! City […]

Graffiti on W. Main statue stymies city

It’s easy to miss the graffiti on the side of the Lewis, Clark and Sacagawea statue. You have to be pretty close to even see it—a jagged black box with lines fanning off the top that brings Chinese characters to mind. Still, it’s there, and it’s been there since 2004, when a tagger spraypainted what […]

University revamps ID system

UVA students, faculty and staff, excluding the health system, are beginning the academic year with new ID cards, and a conundrum. Brad Sayler is concerned that UVA is now taking driver’s license info for the new IDs—another bit of personal data that could be compromised. The cards, according to Shirley Payne, director for security coordination […]

State cuts $11.4 million from UVA budget

Like a child leaving the nest, negotiating with her parents for more autonomy, UVA is seeing that increased independence also means a stingier Daddy State-bucks. The Commonwealth fell short in its budget this year, and most state agencies are seeing cuts at around 5 percent. But UVA, as a school that has restructured its relationship […]

"This was something I wasn't going to fight off"

Charlottesville firefighter David Allen compared it to standing over the top of a wood-burning stove's chimney "looking right down it." He and three other firefighters were in the UVA heating plant, watering down coal stuck in chutes that had caught fire and continued to smolder.

J.R. Reynolds to play in Italian League

When C-VILLE spoke to J.R. Reynolds in March, he mentioned that he’d like to travel outside of the U.S. and live in another country. "I want to just go tour and talk to people and see what it’s like," said Reynolds, who at the time was finishing up a stellar basketball career at UVA, racking […]

The quiet advocate

The prison's waiting room is like any other waiting room, save the walk-through metal detector to the right of the front desk. Off in one corner there's a silent auction going on. A card table holds 10 clipboards, most with only …