It comes naturally

I scoop up a quart of dark pond water and debris in my cloth net. As the muck drains, my partner Claire sticks her hand into the mess. She grabs a glob of mud the size, shape, and color of a miniature York peppermint patty—except it’s wiggling and has a tail. A bullfrog tadpole! We crow […]

In brief

Look out: Terry’s running away with it  It’s no surprise that Terry McAuliffe is leading the Democratic primary gubernatorial field in fundraising. The former Virginia governor and DNC chair is famous for his shameless shakedowns—in a 2007 book, he wrote about making his teary wife and newborn baby wait in the car on the way […]

Hollowed-out halls

For more than 20 years, Crescent Halls residents have been speaking out about the intolerable living conditions in the public housing apartments, including leaky laundry machines, broken air conditioners, sweltering heat, sewage flooding, busted elevators, bed bugs, and cockroaches. Charlottesville leaders vowed in 2010 to redevelop the 45-year-old complex for seniors and disabled residents—along with […]

Taking notes

From 1941 to 1945, at least 6 million European Jews were deported, tortured, and murdered by Nazi Germany during the Holocaust. In light of these evils, all symbols honoring or celebrating the Third Reich have been banned in Germany for decades—outside of museums, you’ll find no Nazi flags, swastikas, or statues of Adolf Hitler. Yet […]

Summer of love?

Virginia’s marijuana legalization law will go into effect on July 1, making the Old Dominion the 16th state in the nation and the first state in the South to legalize adult recreational cannabis use.    The state’s Democratic-controlled legislature passed an initial marijuana legalization bill in February, then sent it to Governor Ralph Northam for […]

This is our shot

After months of reporting on the local COVID-19 vaccine rollout, I finally received the email I had patiently been waiting for: I was eligible to get the shot. I  scheduled my appointment and headed over to the vaccination clinic inside the former JCPenney at Fashion Square Mall the next day. The long Moderna line moved […]

Lawyer up

As millions of people across the country struggle to get back on their feet, an eviction crisis rages alongside the coronavirus pandemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s nationwide ban on evictions has been extended until June 30, and states continue to offer rent relief options for struggling tenants—yet these protections have not been […]

In brief: UVA dedicates MEL

UVA remembers “I welcome you to join us and share in the experience as we memorialize, as we celebrate, as we commemorate and learn lessons of the contribution of people of color who were enslaved and yet helped to build this university community,” said Mount Zion First African Baptist Church Pastor Alvin Edwards at the […]

On the move

They gather by the dozens at the Jefferson School at 6am every Monday, Wed­nesday, and Friday: Black, brown, and white, women and men, old and young, united by the road ahead of them. Year-round, they run, jog, or walk a challenging route through the city. Members say the group has changed their lives for the […]

Running through it

An expansive Virginia pasture opens up alongside the third mile of this year’s Charlottesville half-marathon course. The path then drops down on to Clark Road, a snaky, tree-lined gravel road where the next hill—and there’s always another hill—is obscured by trees until you turn a corner and start climbing. Runners pass Our Lady of the […]