A couple of grim anniversaries were noted on September 13: the one-year anniversary of the disappearance of 18-year-old UVA student Hannah Graham, and five years since 19-year-old Orange resident Samantha Clarke vanished. Her last known contact was with Randy Taylor, the man convicted in 2014 for the murder of missing teen Alexis Murphy. The grandmother […]
A couple of grim anniversaries were noted on September 13: the one-year anniversary of the disappearance of 18-year-old UVA student Hannah Graham, and five years since 19-year-old Orange resident Samantha Clarke vanished. Her last known contact was with Randy Taylor, the man convicted in 2014 for the murder of missing teen Alexis Murphy. The grandmother […]
The defense for Jesse Matthew Jr., now on trial for the murder of University of Virginia student Hannah Graham, filed three motions to the Albemarle Circuit Court September 8. While two of the three motions are frequently seen in cases where the death penalty is sought, the defense’s third is a rarity. Graham went missing […]
Nearly six years after 20-year-old Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington disappeared from a Metallica concert at John Paul Jones Arena, her parents sat within feet of the man accused of abducting and killing her. Jesse Leroy Matthew Jr., 33, was arraigned September 16 in Albemarle Circuit Court for first-degree murder and abduction with the intent […]
A list of rules and regulations are finally in place for Charlottesville homeowners who rent their houses to visitors through Airbnb and other homestay networks. At a September 8 City Council meeting, during which the ordinance was enacted by a 4-1 vote, non-owner-occupied rentals, like Stay Charlottesville, were not addressed, with the city’s promise to rule […]
Bernie Sanders, a Democratic candidate for the 2016 presidential race, addressed the economy, healthcare, foreign policy, environmental issues and student debt and tuition in his most recent stop in Charlottesville. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Doug Blackmon interviewed Sanders at UVA’s Miller Center September 14 for a taping of “American Forum.” Though just over 100 spectators were […]
Police say the presence of spice, a form of synthetic marijuana, is not new to Charlottesville or Albemarle County, however, they’re now seeing new behaviors associated with people using the drug. Charlottesville Police Lieutenant Joe Hatter, who oversees the Jefferson Area Drug Enforcement Task Force, says spice has been in the area for the last […]
Local fire chiefs were in the news last week. The city hired Henrico County Assistant Chief Andrew Baxter to head the Charlottesville Fire Department, succeeding Charles Werner, who retired after 37 years in the department. Although he’s worked in Henrico since 1995, Baxter has lived in the Charlottesville area for 25 years, and he has […]
Sandra Marks, 41, who was known locally for her Readings by Catherine business on U.S. 29 North until she disappeared following a big raid a year ago, made it back to town August 28 for a bond hearing in U.S. District Court. Marks was arrested in New York, and a 34-count indictment accuses her of […]
The Public Housing Association of Residents and local branch of the NAACP passed the first hurdle in their lawsuit against the City of Charlottesville for police records of stops and frisks when a judge refused the city’s request to throw out the suit August 25. The case is also raising questions about how government bodies […]
In our experience, the current Republican majority in the General Assembly excels at exactly one thing: grandstanding. Not great at legislating, consensus-building or acknowledging basic reality, but boy do they know how to make a ruckus. If the definition of a conservative is, as National Review founder William F. Buckley put it, someone who “stands […]