Put a ring on it (later): postponed weddings take a toll on vendors
With its array of elegant wineries and historic inns, nestled in between the picturesque Blue Ridge mountains, Charlottesville has become one of the country’s top wedding destinations. Last year, over 1,500 couples said “I do” in the area, according to The Wedding Report. And in January, brides.com named Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards one of […]
Credit check: UVA students protest new grading policy
With courses moved online for a significant portion of the spring semester, colleges across the country have had to decide on the fairest way to grade students in the midst of the ongoing pandemic. While some institutions, like Yale and Columbia, have opted for mandatory pass/fail policies, others, like the University of Virginia, have implemented […]
Cut the check: BRACE grants bring relief for some businesses
As the coronavirus epidemic has devastated small businesses nationwide, many local shops and restaurants have sought federal relief. But the City of Charlottesville has also rolled out several of its own assistance initiatives this month. The Building Resilience Among Charlottesville Entrepreneurs grant, which awarded up to $2,000 to city businesses, received nearly 150 applications in […]
Managing mental health during COVID
For some people, quarantine has given them the opportunity to spend more time with their family, catch up on their favorite TV shows, or finally learn how to bake bread, among other things. But for those struggling with anxiety and depression, this time may be very difficult, especially if they live alone. To learn more […]
Juggling act: Working parents adjust to life without childcare
For the first few weeks after her kids’ daycare shut down, Sarah Burke found herself in survival mode, scrambling to figure out how to manage her full-time career while keeping her children (ages 2 and 3) busy at home. “For a while, we felt like this was a short-term problem, and therefore would have a […]
‘He was like a ninja’: Rivanna shooting remains unsolved
On the morning of April 7, a local 20-year-old college student and his 18-year-old cousin woke up early, excited for a day of fishing on the South Fork Rivanna Reservoir. By 9 am, they were on the water in their kayaks, waiting to see who would make the first catch of the day. Shortly before […]
We are open: Local retailers adapt to stay afloat
In recent weeks, multiple local retailers, from Oyster House Antiques to Angelo Jewelers, have been forced to shut their doors due to Virginia’s stay-at-home order. But others are adopting contactless business models, and customers are still streaming in. Shenanigans Toys & Games, on West Main Street, has made the transition to online shopping. Customers can […]
Telemedicine keeps patients healthy from home
As the number of coronavirus cases in our area multiply daily, health officials have urged anyone experiencing symptoms of the virus—fever, cough, and shortness of breath—to immediately contact their doctor. But what if you have other symptoms, suffer a minor injury, or just need a checkup? Will you still be seen by a physician? For […]
Class dismissed: School closings intensify equity issues
With Virginia’s K-12 schools shuttered for the remainder of the academic year, our city and county districts have moved into uncharted territory: figuring out not only how to teach thousands of students outside of the classroom, but also making distance learning accessible and equitable for all. The districts say they are still developing formal distance […]
How to track a virus
You can’t stop coughing and are running a fever. It’s becoming harder for you to breathe, and you can barely muster the energy to get out of bed. A glance at the CDC’s website confirms your greatest fear: You may have the coronavirus. What happens from there? We spoke with Ta’Kindra Westbrook, a disease intervention […]
Ground zero: Local hospitals, health department prepare for coronavirus spike
In just a matter of days, the number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the Thomas Jefferson Health District has jumped from one to 16, including four in the City of Charlottesville and six in Albemarle County. While the first case was initially thought to be travel-related, it’s now unclear how the individual, […]
Closing chapter: Book festival cancellation reverberates throughout the area
In the past few days, outbreaks of COVID-19 have led to mass cancellations and postponements of events around the country, from the N.C.A.A. basketball tournament to Coachella. Though Charlottesville’s first presumptive positive case was just announced on March 16, efforts to contain the virus spread as much as possible led organizers to call off one […]
Healing from the past: Exploring the generational trauma of slavery and Jim Crow
Imagine you’re a young person in Africa. Your community is strong and supportive. You have everything that you need—until one day you’re kidnapped, put in chains, and packed tight into a ship with hundreds of other people who look like you, but whom you don’t know or understand. You see others die on the ship […]
Get out of the zone: Outdated zoning in Rose Hill leaves some lots vacant
Back in 2013, Julie (who asked that we not use her last name) bought a house in Rose Hill, a small, historically African American neighborhood roughly bordered by Preston Avenue, Madison Avenue, and Harris Street. The house had gone into foreclosure during the housing market crash, and had been neglected for a while. After determining […]
Be prepared: Is Charlottesville ready for the coronavirus?
Since last week, when health officials warned that Americans should prepare for the inevitable spread of the coronavirus here in the U.S., at least 12 Americans have died and new cases have been emerging almost daily. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned that Americans should be prepared for the spread of the […]
(Don’t) take it down: Removal of Cale black history poster sparks backlash
On February 10, local conservative radio host Rob Schilling posted a photo of a Black History Month poster from Cale Elementary School on his blog, with the headline “Fomenting dissension at Cale Elementary.” Three days later, Albemarle County Public Schools Superintendent Matt Haas left a comment agreeing that the poster was causing dissension among students, […]
Answering the call: PACEM seeks to create a permanent women’s shelter
Last August, Chinikqua Joseph’s Buckingham County home burned down. Thankfully, no one was injured or killed by the fire, but she, along with her mother and godmother, lost everything. They were homeless. While looking for housing, Joseph stayed with friends, and later with a boyfriend. When that relationship became abusive, she had to find a […]
Call for help: Human Rights Commission asks for more city support
Charlottesville’s Office of Human Rights and Human Rights Commission have an intimidatingly broad mission: to reduce discrimination in the city. So perhaps it’s not surprising that the office and its volunteer commission, which are tasked with both investigating individual complaints of discrimination and reviewing city polices for systemic discrimination, have received their fair share of […]
Saying goodbye: Margaret O’Bryant on 30 years at the historical society
For most of her life, Margaret O’Bryant has called the library home. After receiving a master’s degree in library science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, she worked in libraries at Ferrum College, Lenoir-Rhyne College, and UVA, later moving to the reference department at the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library. While at the public […]
Breaking free: Cyntoia Brown-Long shares her story of redemption with UVA students
“Fifteen years ago, at the age of 16, I was told that I’d spend the rest of my life behind bars,” activist Cyntoia Brown-Long told hundreds of UVA students February 6 at Old Cabell Hall. As a teenager, Brown-Long was in an abusive relationship with a man known as Kut, who forced her into prostitution. […]
Fighting for life (without parole): Death penalty abolitionists see change on the horizon
In August 2006, 24-year-old William Charles Morva made national headlines when he sent the Montgomery County Police on a manhunt unlike any the town of Blacksburg had seen before. While awaiting trial for an attempted armed robbery, Morva was taken to Montgomery Regional Hospital for minor injuries. After using the bathroom, he knocked out the […]
Counting up: Pay raise for census takers reflects the importance of getting the numbers right
With a new decade comes a new census. Starting March 12, every household across the country will receive a letter in the mail, explaining how to respond to the 2020 census by phone, mail, or—for the first time ever—online. Census data is used to redraw legislative districts, determining the amount of seats each state is […]
Riding green: JAUNT’s all-electric van gives a peek into the future of regional transit
Braving the frigid weather, nearly two dozen people gathered in front of Regal Stonefield & IMAX last Wednesday to see the newest addition to JAUNT’s fleet: an all-electric transit vehicle. The first of its kind in the region (and the first in operation in Virginia), the Ford Transit 350HD passenger van, which will be used […]
More than a store: Uplift Thrift benefits mental health, addiction services
With the newly expanded Goodwill on 29 North, SPCA Rummage in Seminole Square, and boutique favorites like Darling, Charlottesville has no shortage of spots to score second-hand goods. But the newest arrival, Uplift Thrift, comes with a unique mission: all of its proceeds support the work of On Our Own. Since 1990, On Our Own […]
Rivanna Trails Foundation seeks a new path
Snowy roads didn’t stop about a dozen people from making their way to the Carver Recreation Center last Tuesday for a brainstorming session on something that’s been in the works for nearly 10 years: the Three Notched Trail. The Rivanna Trails Foundation is spearheading the effort to build a 25-mile-long paved pedestrian and bicycle path […]
Price check: UVA raises housing costs, again
My first semester at the University of Virginia was full of surprises. I was surprised to learn just how difficult college classes are, how frustrating roommates can be, and how competitive everything at UVA is—just to name a few things. What I found the most surprising though was that in October—a little over a month […]
(Don’t) take a seat: Downtown Mall still lacks public benches
Last year, the Seattle Department of Transportation installed 18 new bike racks on a stretch of pavement underneath Highway 99. However, the racks were not meant to provide more resources for cyclists—but to prevent the homeless people who had been camping there from coming back. Seattle is just one of many cities known to use […]