The surprise redistricting bill Republicans pushed through the Virginia Senate yesterday has raised a lot of questions: Did Governor McDonnell’s office know his fellow party members were plotting a mid-decade overhaul that, if it sticks, would likely hand Republicans a State Senate majority? Could the redistricting stand up in court, considering Virginia’s constitutional restrictions? And where [...]
Rob Bell solidifies his platform—and local support—in bid for attorney general
Just over a year after he first announced his bid for Virginia Attorney General, Albemarle Delegate Rob Bell is using the 2013 legislative session as a final chance to shore up his conservative, tough-on-crime credentials, and he’s calling on deep local pockets to help him win the seat currently held by gubernatorial hopeful and fellow [...]
New state regulations could put one of two local abortion clinics out of business
The future of one of Charlottesville’s two clinics offering abortions is in the hands of state politicians, and pro-choice activists and medical professionals across the commonwealth are up in arms. Governor McDonnell quietly signed a bill last month that cracks down on building codes in abortion clinics. The piece of legislation was passed in the [...]
Eli Cook Band
05/24/2013 9:30 pm Eli Cook Band Durty Nelly’s, Charlottesville VA
What’s coming up in Charlottesville the week of 1/21
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, too. It’s a short week because of MLK Day, so a lot of city and county meetings are [...]
Snow closings and delays for Charlottesville and Albemarle
UPDATE: Albemarle County schools have a teacher work day today—no regular classes. The storm that was supposed to bring several inches of snow may have been a bit of a bust, but it’s still causing some closures and cancellations Friday morning. Neither Charlottesville nor Albemarle schools have announced closures or delayed openings as of 6:30am. [...]
Coran Capshaw married in private ceremony
Charlottesville’s own entertainment emperor Coran Capshaw has tied the knot. Capshaw, 54 and the founder of Red Light Management, married Parke Fontaine Eager, 44, on January 2 in what sources close to the family said was an intimate event at Capshaw’s Crozet home. Little is known about the famously private Capshaw’s bride, who is a [...]
Old-time Corner frame shop owner tries to keep the spirit of his business alive
Local artist and business owner Richard Freeman likens day jobs to prisons. Still, he said he’s willing to fight to keep the prison he built for himself from being destroyed. Freeman, 74, owns and operates a frame store called Freeman-Victorius in the heart of Charlottesville’s Corner. For nearly half a century, he has purposefully prowled [...]
Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards spread community awareness
Self-proclaimed tree hugger Martha Orton said she’s had an interest in learning about trees and forest health since her son told her, while on a reforestation trip to India, that “trees all look different when you know their names.” A retired social worker, Orton enrolled in the Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards’ 14-week training class in [...]
Habitat, partners roll out first plans for mixed-income housing on Elliott
Last spring, the City Council agreed to sell 3.5 weedy acres of former dirt dump next to the Oakwood Cemetery off Elliott Avenue to a development team for $10. The group—made up of Habitat for Humanity and for-profit builders Southern Development and Community Results—would assume cleanup costs for the site, but there was more to [...]
Nearly unanimous: Details of the Supreme Court’s YMCA decision
The Virginia Supreme Court last week struck down a lawsuit brought by two local gyms challenging the deal between the Piedmont YMCA and the city and county to build a new $14.5 million facility in McIntire Park. The decision means the more than 4-year-old plans for the new Y can now move forward, and according to the attorney who argued [...]
What’s coming up in Charlottesville the week of 1/14
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, too. It’s the time of year when governing bodies put their heads together and review their notes. Albemarle [...]
Green happenings: Charlottesville environmental news and events
Each week, C-VILLE’s Green Scene page takes a look at local environmental news. The section’s bulletin board has information on local green events and keeps you up to date on statewide happenings. Got an event or a tip you’d like to see here and in the paper? Write us at news@c-ville.com. Become a Master: For any nature lovers [...]
State Supreme Court rejects suit against Piedmont YMCA
The Virginia Supreme Court has struck down a lawsuit brought by two local gyms challenging the deal struck between the Piedmont YMCA and the city and county to build a new facility in McIntire Park. YMCA CEO Denny Blank said he was in Richmond for the Thursday ruling. “We’re ecstatic,” he said. “This is the best [...]
Row by row: City community gardens get kudos
When the Piedmont Environmental Council kicked off a contest to seek out and recognize the best community gardens in central Virginia last spring, its members weren’t quite sure what to expect. By year’s end, they were holding 22 applications: big plots, small plots, old ones, new ones. The diversity and strong showing, especially from Charlottesville [...]
Food fight: Charlottesville Restaurant Week becomes weeks
The annual food fest known as Charlottesville Restaurant Week—sponsored by The Hook and benefitting the Local Food Hub—has some competition this year from a local marketing group. In addition to the original and well-known Charlottesville Restaurant Week, which run January 21 to January 27 (and again from July 8 to 14), a new event—somewhat confusingly [...]
Jefferson School reopens as cultural community center
The new Jefferson School City Center officially opened its doors to the public on Monday, January 7, kicking off a costly and hopeful experiment to preserve local history and provide services for underserved communities close to Downtown. After a year-and-a-half of renovations, the center is offering an African American heritage center and other cultural, multi-generational [...]
UVA’s two-week January Term offers everything from sculpting to wine history
Most college students use the first half of January to hit the slopes or loaf around the house in sweatpants, blissfully unburdened by academia. But for about 900 UVA students, both on Grounds and abroad, the weeks leading up to spring semester are for intellectual experimentation. This is UVA’s ninth year offering January Term, a [...]
Off to Richmond: David Toscano on what to expect in 2013 session
Delegate David Toscano left Charlottesville for Richmond and the 2013 legislative session last week, his campaign coffers well padded with the checks of more than 100 supporters who turned out for a fundraising sendoff dinner at Escafé last Thursday. And he carried plenty of requests with him, too. For local government, the asks have ranged [...]
Comics: Who’s unhinged now?
What’s coming up in Charlottesville the week of 1/7
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, too. After a holiday hiatus, local governing bodies are getting back to normal with the first meetings of [...]
For outdoor enthusiasts, specialized first aid course could be a lifesaver
Matt Rosefsky was on a Washington mountaintop on a 70-mile stretch of trail last September when everything went wrong. One of the group of four he was leading on an excursion with the local Outdoor Adventure Social Club injured his knee and had to slow to a hobble. Another hiker started to get hypothermic as [...]
Austin trip for city and county is on, despite concerns of some
Despite a last-minute flap over cost, Charlottesville and Albemarle are sending staff and elected officials to Austin next month for talks and tours they hope will help city and county replicate some of the Texas city’s economic successes here. But even as details of the trip take shape, some are still concerned it’s a waste of money. [...]

















