Locals hire attorney, challenge Optima premiums

After Charlottesville earned the dubious distinction of having the most expensive health insurance premiums in the country, some of the area residents who couldn’t afford to pay $3,000 a month formed Charlottesville for Reasonable Health Insurance and retained a lawyer who’s made a career out of keeping insurance companies honest. Washington, D.C., attorney Jay Angoff […]

LIVING Picks: Beer and bourbon fest, square dancing and more

FAMILY Family Night Out Friday, January 26 Enjoy some family time with swimming, a movie, pizza and snacks. $6 per person; $25 families of five or more, 6-8pm. Crozet YMCA, 1075 Claudius Crozet Park, Crozet. 205-4380. NONPROFIT Drop spindle class Saturday, January 27 Crafter Russell Hubert teaches a class on how to spin wool using […]

Radical care: Doctors ditch health insurance

Maura McLaughlin still remembers the day in January 2015 she heard about a revolutionary way to practice medicine—like doctors used to do decades ago. Now she spends as much time as she needs with patients, who can come see her as often as they like at a reasonable cost. A key component: She doesn’t take […]

‘Life-changing’: Medical marijuana inches toward desperate families

Within the next few years, three Charlottesville families will be able to legally obtain the cannabis oil extract that eases the seizures of their children with debilitating intractable epilepsy, thanks to unanimous approval in the General Assembly in February, passing even the usually marijuana-averse House of Delegates 99-0. Good news, right? Yet none of those […]

LIVING Picks: Week of September 21-27

Food & Drink Edible native fruits and nuts Saturday, September 24 While exploring the Saunders-Monticello Trail, learn which berries, nuts and fruits are edible, as well as the history of these native foods and ways to prepare them. $18, 9:30-11:30am. Kemper Park, Thomas Jefferson Parkway. monticello.org Nonprofit In the Pink tennis tournament Saturday, September 24 […]

Living Picks: To-do this week

Family     Chihamba’s 27th Annual African American Cultural Arts Festival This year’s event features West African cuisine, a hair show, vendors, entertainment and more. Saturday 7/30. Free, 10:30am-7:30pm. Booker T. Washington Park, Preston Avenue and 10th Street NW. chihambacharlot tesville@gmail.com. Nonprofit BarkAID 5K and 50 States Tour Paws for Pits partners with internationally known hair stylist Patrick Lomantini […]

UVA researchers discover immune cells call the shots

Groundbreaking research has emerged from UVA researchers showing that immune cells control social behavior. Last year, the same lab debunked a long-held scientific belief that the brain lacked a connection with the immune system, which will require medical textbooks to be rewritten. The researchers, led by Jonathan Kipnis, chairman of the department of neuroscience in […]

Living Picks: To-do this week

Family     Sweet Dreams Festival This family-friendly event features activities including a craft tent, rock climbing wall, laser tag, inflatables and more. Saturday 7/23. Free, 9am-4pm. Stuarts Draft Park, 96 Edgewood Ln., Stuarts Draft. sweetdreamsday.com. Nonprofit Restaurant Week Enjoy specially designed menus in local restaurants, with a portion of proceeds benefiting the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank. […]

Zoom Indoor Cycling joins the local boutique fitness scene

When the owner of MADabolic grins at you from her bike and says, “Sometimes this class kicks my ass,” you know you’re in for a good workout. On Saturday, June 26, about a dozen people clipped onto bicycles in the rows of stationary bikes at Zoom Indoor Cycling, located in the Barracks Road shopping center, […]