City sued for alleged racial bias

A former employee of Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority is suing the City of Charlottesville to the tune of $300,000. Angela Estes, who worked as a property manager for CRHA in 2005, claims in her lawsuit that her former employer discriminated against her because she is black.    Estes alleges that she was denied training, time […]

Judge dismisses Collins suit

A former political candidate who sued over his right to distribute leaflets in a local parking lot hit a roadblock last month, when a judge effectively dismissed his case. Now Richard Collins is trying to figure out the best way to get his case before the State Supreme Court.

Thefts up in Albemarle

The good news in the first-quarter crime stats from Albemarle County is that there were fewer violent crimes such as murders, assaults and rapes so far in 2006 compared to 2005. The bad news? This year has so far seen a substantial increase in other types of crime.    As shown here, instances of larceny increased […]

Sentencings continue in local gang convictions

Federal court sentencings will continue into late August for members of Project Crud, also dubbed the Westside Crew, a Charlottesville gang that spread drug violence for more than 10 years. Ringleader Louis Antonio Bryant (a.k.a. Tinio or B-Stacks) will face the harshest penalties at a hearing in U.S. District court August 18.    A longtime gang […]

Progress parent company sued for libel

Frank Lucente, a member of Waynesboro City Council, is suing the editorial board of the News Virginian and the newspaper’s parent company, Richmond-based Media General, which also publishes The Daily Progress. Lucente alleges that the paper’s editorial board libeled him when on May 1 they published an editorial accusing him of unethical conduct.    Lucente seeks […]

Albemarle Place only gets dirt—for now

What is the deal with mega “mixed-use” development Albemarle Place? Certainly, red dirt now exists on the expansive retail and residential site just north of the Hydraulic/29 intersection surrounding Sperry Marine. Several local blogs have reported that construction has begun, even though the final site plan has yet to be approved by the Albemarle County […]

High-tech vet hospital coming to Rio road

It sure is good to be a Charlottesville pet. In addition to organic puppy chow, natural goose down beds and those adorable matching outfits (à la Paris Hilton), lucky local pets are getting a new high-tech veterinary hospital.    Two veterinary clinics have teamed up to build a larger practice at Rio Court East. Village Animal […]

SELC to argue before Supreme Court

This fall, the Charlottesville-based Southern Environmental Law Center will argue its first case before the U.S. Supreme Court. In representing a consortium of North Carolina-based environmental groups, SELC will argue that Duke Energy violated the Clean Air Act by renovating old coal-fired power plants without installing required modern pollution controls.

No bail for alleged porn possessor

Raja Jabbour, former Albemarle High JV girls’ soccer coach, will remain in jail until his trial for possession of child pornography on his computer. At a U.S. District Court bond hearing June 27, Judge Norman K. Moon ruled that there were no conditions that could “keep him from being a danger to the public,” adding […]

Capshaw underwrites inmate work crew

Local mogul Coran Capshaw has committed to donate $6,000 a month for a work crew to improve landscaping around the entrances to Albemarle County. The program will allow inmates to work for “time off” from their sentences.    Inmates who are jailed for non-violent crimes for sentences less than two years qualify, according to Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional […]