Last summer, hundreds of people took to the streets of downtown Charlottesville, demanding justice for Black people murdered by police across the country. Many protesters urged the city to drastically reduce the Charlottesville Police Department’s $18 million budget, and reallocate those funds toward community services, including mental health treatment. Thanks to new legislation, a mental […]
Last summer, hundreds of people took to the streets of downtown Charlottesville, demanding justice for Black people murdered by police across the country. Many protesters urged the city to drastically reduce the Charlottesville Police Department’s $18 million budget, and reallocate those funds toward community services, including mental health treatment. Thanks to new legislation, a mental […]
Botanical garden plans move forward City Council unanimously approved the lease of city park land to the Botanical Garden of the Piedmont at Monday’s meeting, a significant step forward in the decade-long endeavor to establish a garden in McIntire Park. Formerly called the McIntire Botanical Garden, the garden’s name was changed by the board […]
Call to action Two years ago, Charlottesville City Council committed to cutting the city’s greenhouse gas emissions nearly in half by 2030, and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. Yet to many local climate activists, the city has done very little so far to meet these goals. To push the city government to take immediate, concrete […]
Two distinct factions have emerged in the heated discussion around Charlottesville’s zoning laws. Some city residents say the latest proposed land use map goes too far, and that the construction of apartment buildings and shops would have deleterious effects on what are currently single-family neighborhoods. Others say the map doesn’t do enough to open up […]
By Kristin O’Donoghue Tired of government regulations standing in the way of his wife’s whiskey distillery, Denver Riggleman decided to enter “the belly of the beast” and run for public office. Riggleman hoped to help understand the rule-making processes and regulations that affect small businesses. “We need people who understand how that dance happens,” he […]
McAuliffe and Youngkin take debate stage Gubernatorial candidates Terry McAuliffe and Glenn Youngkin butted heads in the 2021 election’s first debate last week. McAuliffe, a longtime Democrat insider who served as governor of Virginia from 2014-2018, stood by his record, while former private equity boss Youngkin styled himself as a businessman who knows how […]
By Brielle Entzminger and Ben Hitchcock Three weeks ago, Charlottesville City Manager Chip Boyles announced that he had decided to fire Police Chief RaShall Brackney. The city will open a national search for the next chief of police, though community members and city councilors alike feel the reasons for Brackney’s dismissal remain murky. And for […]
After a public hearing last week, the Charlottesville Planning Commission sent a proposal for 170 new housing units back to the developer for updates. Southern Development is asking the city to rezone 12 acres of land in the Fry’s Spring neighborhood to allow the construction of a new complex of townhomes and apartments. Fifteen percent […]
By Kristin O’Donoghue Usually, the strip of pavement outside the Bodo’s on the Corner is reserved for parked cars. Last Friday, that space was filled with bright green turf, spiky potted ferns, students in lawn chairs, and a three-foot tall Connect Four game. The set-up was created by UVA’s Student Planners Association to celebrate Park(ing) […]
Richmond Lee statue goes down Workers removed Richmond’s gigantic statue of Robert E. Lee last week, following years of advocacy from activists, politicians, and lawyers. The 21-foot-tall, five-ton casting, the largest Confederate statue in the U.S., was cut in two and sent to an undisclosed location. Its stone plinth still stands, covered in graffiti from […]