The inside headline for last week’s cover story, “City missteps,” is inadvertently misleading, as it implies that the story contains more criticisms than questions about the city’s Downtown Mall rebricking project. The inside headline should have been the same one that appeared on the cover, “City misstep?”
Ix Art Park gets funded
Four days before the Kickstarter campaign expired, the Ix Art Park project hit its $20,000 goal, unleashing promised matching funds from the Ix property developer Ludwig Kuttner and big smiles from the man leading the effort. “The success of the campaign suggests that the community wants this,”
UVA increases tuition by 4.3 percent
The UVA Board of Visitors today approved a 4.3 in-state tuition hike, an increase the University plans to use to support a major faculty hiring push. The total cost of an in-state education at UVA—including tuition, fees, room and board, and books—will rise by $949 to $27,417, according to
Fire line: One man documents his journey from photographer to firefighter
As a photojournalist for the last 25 years, working at both small and large newspapers in West Virginia and Boston, I was constantly on the outside of the fire line, shooting photos and telling the stories of those affected by fires, and the firefighters themselves. Firefighters were easy to
Education Beat: Albemarle school board begins cuts
The Albemarle County Board of Supervisors last week adopted a tax rate of 79.9 cents per $100 of assessed real estate value—a 3.3-cent increase over the previous rate of 76.6 cents—but even with the hike, the county schools are $3.9 million short of their $164.3 million funding request. During
Deadlock in Richmond leaves local drug court judgeless
The General Assembly’s political dogfight over the state’s budget is threatening to neuter Charlottesville’s drug court. The Medicaid expansion stalemate in Richmond has left Charlottesville’s 16th Circuit Court without a designated judge to oversee the city’s drug court for the first time
Former UVA associate dean Michael Morris pleads guilty to child porn charges
Appearing calm and dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit issued by the Central Virginia Regional Jail, where he has been held since his November 2013 arrest, former UVA associate dean Michael G. Morris, 50, appeared in U.S. District Court in Charlottesville on Monday, April 21, where he pleaded
Former Western teacher arrested in sex sting
A former Western Albemarle High School teacher is being held in a Staunton jail after a sting operation caught him attempting to meet a person he thought was a 13-year-old boy he’d encountered on the Internet, according to Augusta County Sheriff’s Office. John Daniel Patterson, 66,
What’s happening in Charlottesville and Albemarle the week of April 21
Each week, the news team takes a look at upcoming meetings and events in Charlottesville and Albemarle we think you should know about. Consider it a look into our datebook, and be sure to share newsworthy happenings in the comments section. The Albemarle County Architectural Review Board meets
What’s Happening at the Jefferson School?
Literacy Volunteers’ Wordplay Delights and Challenges for the Seventh Year On Wednesday night, nearly 400 team members, scorekeepers, and audience members filled the Paramount Theater for a night of trivia in support of Literacy Volunteers’ mission to provide free one-on-one tutoring for adults
Innocent man jailed? Perjury, misconduct, and error alleged in abduction guilty verdict
After former Food Lion manager Mark Weiner was convicted of abduction with intent to defile last May, his attorney alleged in court that the prosecutor kept out cell phone records that would have cleared his client. Weiner’s new attorney has gone further, contending in a new motion filed April
Kickst-Art: Fundraiser helps Ix undergo creative metamorphosis
In the past several weeks, the Ix property between Elliott and Monticello avenues has begun to transform from a former industrial complex that’s home to retail businesses, restaurants, and the Newsplex television offices to an art park. Ix developers Ludwig and Fabian Kuttner envision a
Education beat: County balks at funding Yancey learning center and other school news
Our education reporting appears thanks to a partnership with Charlottesville Tomorrow. The funding future for an “intergenerational learning center” at Yancey Elementary is unclear after the Albemarle School Board met last week. “We need to define what the programming for an intergenerational
Deadly nibbles: UVA researchers’ parasite discovery is big news in global health
A team of researchers at UVA’s School of Medicine published a big discovery in the journal Nature this month: They’ve figured out how a particularly nasty parasite wreaks havoc in the human intestine, and the findings could go a long way toward treating a widespread and often deadly childhood
State seeks dismissal of Daly’s $40 million ABC suit
Last week, the $40 million dollar lawsuit of 21-year-old third-year UVA student Elizabeth Daly against the Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control was moved from Richmond Circuit Court to the federal U.S. District Court in Richmond under Judge Henry E. Hudson. Now, the state of
Harding’s charge: Albemarle County Sheriff takes aim at wrongful convictions
Albemarle County Sheriff Chip Harding has always approached his work as a cop through his background as a social worker and through his Baptist faith. But after a four-decade law enforcement career that includes nearly 30 years putting criminals behind bars as a Charlottesville Police
New search in Alexis Murphy case
Two weeks before the murder trial of Randy Allen Taylor is scheduled to begin on May 1, investigators from multiple law enforcement agencies searched property around his former Nelson County residence, according to NBC 29. Taylor is charged with first-degree murder in the disappearance of
Charlottesville drone vid at the center of landmark FAA challenge
Charlottesville made headlines around the country last year when it became the first municipality in the U.S. to pass legislation limiting the use of unmanned aircraft. Now the city is in the drone spotlight again—but this time because of an aerial video at the center of a landmark court
What’s happening in Charlottesville and Albemarle the week of April 14
Each week, the news team takes a look at upcoming meetings and events in Charlottesville and Albemarle we think you should know about. Consider it a look into our datebook, and be sure to share newsworthy happenings in the comments section. The Albemarle County Board of Supervisors gathers from
A very Tom Tom weekend: What not to miss during the festival’s busiest days
The third annual Tom Tom Founders Festival is in full swing, and the city’s headed into a busy weekend of talks, music, and food. The Saturday and Sunday schedules in particular are busy enough to be a little overwhelming, so check out our recent feature story on the festival here—it
What’s Happening at the Jefferson School?
Drums & “Swingin’ Senegal” Lecture at Mary Williams Community Center Last Friday, JABA’s Mary Williams Community Center was filled with tapping feet and smiles as members enjoyed an afternoon with Bruce Penner, a local musician, who shared his knowledge of music along with a drumming