The Good fight

As the Republican primary in Virginia’s 5th district reaches a conclusion on June 18, a poll released by the Virginia Faith & Freedom Coalition shows Virginia Senator John McGuire(R-Goochland) with a 10 percent leadover his opponent, incumbent Rep. Bob Good (R-VA).  Despite Good’s position as the head of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus and his […]

Mistrial declared

After almost seven years of waiting, 14 months of preparation and legal wrangling, and three days of trial before the Albemarle County Circuit Court for Jacob Joseph Dix, Judge H. Thomas Padrick Jr. declared a mistrial Friday, June 7, after the jury spent 12 hours over two days deliberating, only to find themselves hopelessly deadlocked.  […]

Office politics

Few people get into politics for the salaries, but for local and state representatives this rings especially true. Whether they’re on city council, serving in the House of Delegates, or a longtime member of the state Senate, most of Charlottesville’s legislators have a second job. To find out more about compensation for elected officials, C-VILLE […]

Budging the budget

After months of debate, Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed a compromise budget passed by the state legislature during a special session on May 13. The new budget passed with broad bipartisan support, with vote totals coming in at 94-6 in the House of Delegates and 39-1 in the state Senate. Most of Democrats’ priorities from the […]

Passing the buck

Charlottesville representatives returned to Richmond for the April meeting of the state legislature. The April 17 session was originally intended to address vetoes, amendments, and the state budget, but a jam-packed agenda pushed budget considerations to May. Though he didn’t outright veto the budget, Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin put forward 233 amendments to the bill, […]

In brief

Rock solid Dave Matthews Band has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as part of the star-studded class of 2024. Musical acts become eligible for nomination 25 years after the release of their first recording, and are inducted based on voting by more than 1,000 music historians, industry professionals, and current […]

In brief

Taxed for time Charlottesville City Council worked down to the April 15 statewide deadline to approve the city’s budget for fiscal year 2025. Tax increases were a topic of hot discussion, with council reworking and amending levies repeatedly during the months-long budget process. Coming in at a whopping $253,335,298, the city’s general fund will finance […]

In brief

Money talks Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced on April 8 that he would not veto the entire state budget created by the legislature, instead putting forward a swath of broad-reaching amendments. The governor’s “common ground budget” has some key differences from the version passed by the state legislature earlier this year: It cuts all tax increases […]

In brief

Peace talks Charlottesville City Council passed a resolution on April 1 that calls for an immediate ceasefire in the conflict between Israel and Palestine. The resolution was first introduced at the March 18 council meeting and failed, with three councilors voting no. Though he originally voted against the resolution, Councilor Brian Pinkston joined Councilors Michael […]

Judge rules

For nearly three years, the Department of Justice has investigated whether Sentara made false claims for $665 million in Affordable Care Act subsidies when it jacked its rates 266 percent in Charlottesville in 2017, making them the highest in the country. In November, the DOJ took the unusual step of petitioning a federal judge to […]