HUD report criticizes foundering, divided housing authority
The Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority (CRHA) got a thrashing last week with the release of a highly critical report on its operations by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and since then, parties on all sides of the debate over how to fix public housing in the city have been leveraging […]
A shooting, a guilty plea, your tax bills, and basketball: News briefs
Check c-ville.com daily and pick up a copy of the paper Tuesday to for the latest Charlottesville and Albemarle news briefs and stories. Here’s a quick look at some of what we’ve had an eye on for the past week. Police-involved shooting leaves two wounded, cop on leave Two men were wounded early Saturday morning […]
Local nonprofit New Forest Earth brings sustainable goods to market in C’ville
Andon Zebal’s eureka moment came when he was confronted with several hundred gallons of honey in Mexico’s Yucatan. The founder of a still-young Charlottesville nonprofit called New Forest Earth was on a post-college solo trek through Central America, trying to figure out how he could create an organization that could help stop the destruction of irreplaceable […]
City homelessness survey highlights a common cause
Over the course of two days in late January, teams of volunteers filed into shelters in communities around the country to conduct a massive point-in-time survey on homelessness, including here in Charlottesville. The results of the survey of about 130 locals have just been released. The data doesn’t offer a complete picture of the homeless […]
Tom Tom 2.0: Why UVA is investing in Charlottesville’s take on SXSW
Short, sweet, and smart. That’s what Paul Beyer wants the second annual Tom Tom Founders Festival to be, and the erstwhile City Council candidate has a powerful partner backing his vision. The University of Virginia is providing brainpower, funding, and even an appearance by its own president to help fuel this year’s pared-down version of the […]
What will it take for Dominion to bury power lines?
Before the end of the winter storm that dumped more than a foot of snow in central Virginia and put the Commonwealth into a state of emergency last week, 233,000 Dominion Power customers around the state were without electricity in freezing temperatures, including tens of thousands in Charlottesville and Albemarle. At 10am Wednesday—the morning after […]
UVA-linked public school yoga program comes under fire
A yoga program in a California public school district that’s linked to UVA’s Contemplative Sciences Center (CSC) is the subject of a religious freedom lawsuit filed last week in San Diego County, and the plaintiffs’ expert witness is using language from UVA professors to help her make her case. The CSC, a collaboration among several […]
Grading education: How good are Charlottesville and Albemarle schools?
Virginia schools are about to get their grades. The state legislature passed a new measure at the end of its 2013 session last month instituting an A-through-F assessment system for public schools. Supporters of the new guidelines—particularly Governor Bob McDonnell, who was largely responsible for pushing it through both houses—say it will bring clarity and […]
Under fire: Democrats distance themselves from Dumler as Supe digs in
Albemarle County Supervisor Chris Dumler heads to jail Friday, the first stint in the weekends-only 30-day sentence he accepted when he pleaded guilty to sexual battery in late January. In the weeks since the plea deal, the calls for his resignation have grown louder, and now, in the wake of a string of interviews in […]
Waste not: Passive house movement gaining traction in local market
When Bill Jobes learned about the ultra-high-efficiency building concept known as passive house, “it was love at first sight.” Jobes, CEO of Jobes Builders, has worked in home construction in the Charlottesville area since 1977, when he started apprenticing with Shelter Associates. He’s always been inspired by efficient home design, he said, and not just […]
Dumler issues statement of apology, says he won’t resign
Despite escalating pressure to resign from office—including from all five of his fellow Albemarle County supervisors—embattled Scottsville representative Chris Dumler released a statement today apologizing for his actions and saying he does not intend to step down following his guilty plea on a sexual battery charge stemming from an arrest for forcible sodomy late last […]
City’s marijuana possession ordinance stalls, but debate isn’t over
When the Charlottesville City Council let die a proposed ordinance that would have officially eliminated jail time for first-time simple possession of marijuana in the city last week, it signaled the end of a recent push by would-be reformers to write into law the city’s relatively lenient pot policy. But legal observers say it’s likely […]
Kerry in Cabell: Secretary of State’s first speech delivered at UVA
The choice of the University of Virginia as the venue for John Kerry’s first major policy speech as Secretary of State surely had something to do with the lingering presence of Thomas Jefferson on Grounds. UVA’s founder was, after all, the first person to hold the title Kerry recently acquired, and his name was invoked […]
Who will try Jim Baldi on embezzlement charges?
Last week, two and a half years after fleeing indictments, former Charlottesville restaurateur and accused embezzler Jim Baldi made his first appearance in local court, but the nature of the charges against him make it difficult to predict what the path forward looks like for the area’s most notorious bookkeeper. Altogether, Baldi, who managed the […]
UVA grapples with how to reform its embattled Honor Code
On February 25, UVA students will vote on what could be the most substantial changes to the University’s much-lauded Honor Code in the 170-year history of the student-policed system, which demands that all Wahoos pledge not to lie, cheat, or steal, and threatens them with expulsion if they’re caught. But the storm of debate over […]
What’s in a comprehensive plan?
Few local government topics are as mired in planning jargon—or more likely to cause eyes to glaze over at public meetings—than the revision of a comprehensive plan, the massive guidance document that lays out broad ground rules for a municipality’s growth and development. “It’s sort of this giant cloud that hangs over the community for […]
Gun shy: Charlottesville, Albemarle confront school safety
Albemarle County School District Assistant Superintendent Matt Haas remembers the day Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed 13 people and themselves at Colorado’s Columbine High School in 1999 as a day he knew his job would no longer be the same. A climate of fear was born overnight at the Virginia Beach high school where […]
Judge clears way for Biscuit Run suit to go to trial
The original purchasers of the 1,200-acre Biscuit Run tract just south of I-64 have been battling Virginia’s Department of Taxation for years over a $20 million tax credit claim, and on Tuesday, a county judge denied a challenge from the state, clearing the way for a spring trial date. “It’s wonderful news,” said Craig D. […]
Dumler faces censure, calls for resignation
Albemarle County Supervisor Chris Dumler faced official censure and angry calls for his resignation at his first Board of Supervisors meeting after pleading guilty to sexual battery last week, and may also have to beat back a challenge to his continued presence on the Board. An overflow audience—some holding signs calling for the Scottsville representative […]
Virginia’s environmental lobby claims victory in battle over uranium mining —for now
A bill that would have lifted Virginia’s 31-year ban on uranium mining died in the State Senate last week, but local environmental advocates monitoring the issue in Richmond during this year’s fast-paced legislative session say the long-running debate is hardly over in the Commonwealth. Dan Holmes, director of state policy for the Piedmont Environmental Council, […]
Site prep for future Wegmans shopping center scrutinized
Plans for a shopping center with a Wegmans grocery store just south of Charlottesville are marching forward, despite recommendations of caution from staff and the qualms of some neighbors. Last week, the Albemarle County Planning Commission gave its stamp of approval to a special use permit allowing developers to fill in parts of the site […]
What’s coming up in Charlottesville the week of 2/4
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. The Charlottesville City Council meets Monday night at 7pm at City Hall. Two big topics on the […]
Welcome to the 58th: Details of Boyd and Bell’s redistricting maneuver
In the week and a half that has followed the controversial redistricting bill pushed through the State Senate on Inauguration Day, more details have come to light about the last-minute engineering of a small shift in local House district lines that could have a lasting impact on local politics. If the bill clears the House […]
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. March of the Priuses: A parade of […]
Pipe dreams: How should Charlottesville fund stormwater overhaul?
For decades, Charlottesville has struggled with how to pay for long-needed upgrades to its crumbling stormwater system. Few disagree that the needs are pressing, and that an overhaul is overdue. For the second time in four years, city staff and a volunteer advisory group were tasked with finding an answer to the question of how […]
Extreme makeover: McIntire Park is about to look a whole lot different
If 2012 was the last year of the battle over McIntire Park, 2013 is the year of the build. Several long-awaited, much-debated projects—some of which survived legal challenges last year—are now entering the home stretch. Love ’em or hate ’em, they’re on the way. Here’s what to look out for in the months to come. […]
Charlottesville-Albemarle MPO grows to include Crozet
The Charlottesville-Albemarle Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Policy Board voted unanimously last week to redraw its boundaries to include Crozet, an expansion officials say could mean more federal dollars for public transit linking Western Albemarle to the area’s urban core. Like its nearly 350 counterparts across the country—cross-governmental organizations tasked with long-term regional transportation—the MPO was […]