By Virginia Daugherty “We teachers stay in touch and try to keep up our morale.” “Children aren’t meant to sit in front of computers all day.” “I’m upping my skills daily.” “I didn’t sign up for this.” It’s Teacher Appreciation Week, and this year our local educators deserve a special shout-out as they try their […]
It’s to be expected that one’s wedding day will include a few stressors—the guest shuttle didn’t arrive on time, there’s a stain on the bride’s veil, the band left a crucial instrument behind. What’s less predictable: A global pandemic shuts down the wedding altogether. Here are three local couples embracing the change. May the 4th […]
Standing in the Chimm dining room, Jay Pun felt a sense of unease. It was the weekend of March 7, and the tables were full of diners noshing on Thai and southeast Asian street food dishes. “This is really starting to freak me out,” said one of Pun’s employees, who was also surveying the scene. […]
While most of us are staying home, some locals are still heading to work, to keep essential services running. Here are nine of their stories, in their own words. Allison Kirkner Lead nurse practitioner and manager, cardiothoracic ICU at UVA Hospital As told to Erin O’Hare Every single day is a [...]
by Charlie Burns Ever since its emergence in the United States, the coronavirus has impacted people’s lives in distinct ways, and laid waste to societal norms as we know them. For high school seniors, this includes social and academic expectations for their final semester. Senior year has [...]
Chanell Jackson is home early. The local resident and mother of three had about seven weeks left on her six-month sentence in Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail when she was transferred to house arrest in late March. She’s one of the 61 non-violent offenders who have so far been [...]
On Monday, Governor Ralph Northam ordered all Virginians to stay at home, turning the “suggestion” that we all keep our distance into an official command. While the announcement likely won’t change much in Charlottesville, where schools, universities, and most businesses are already operating [...]
Settle in “Our message today is very clear: That is to stay home,” said Governor Ralph Northam at the beginning of a March 30 press conference. On March 27, the governor issued Executive Order 53, which shut down schools for the rest of the year, closed all “non-essential” businesses, and asked [...]
Entrepreneur and inventor Oliver Kuttner has been known to step up in a crisis. In 2005, he loaded the Starlight Express, a Charlottesville-New York luxury bus service he co-founded, and headed south with supplies to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina in Mississippi. Now Kuttner has a plan to [...]
Suddenly, a new normal Just two weeks ago—two weeks ago!—our schools were open, our basketball team was eyeing a tournament run, and our restaurants were dusting off the patio furniture for long evenings of springtime outdoor dining. But thanks to the spread of the infectious and dangerous [...]
As restaurants nationwide are forced to limit service in response to the coronavirus epidemic, workers and owners face economic as well as emotional uncertainty. Our gem of a food town is no exception. By the time Charlottesville announced its first case of COVID-19 on March 16, restaurants [...]
Virginia reported its first two coronavirus cases on March 9. By March 13, Charlottesville and Albemarle’s governments had each declared a local state of emergency and Governor Ralph Northam had ordered all public schools in Virginia to close for at least two weeks. Charlottesville’s first [...]
In an effort to contain the growing coronavirus/COVID-19 threat, a lot is shifting. Schools are closed, government proceedings are different, local venues are cancelling and postponing events, and local shops and restaurants are closing or pivoting to different business models. We’ll keep [...]
Just weeks ago, Caterina Martini was celebrating the first birthday of her daughter, surrounded by friends and family at a large gathering. Hugs and kisses passed freely from person to person. Life changed quickly for Martini and her family on March 10, when the Italian government issued a [...]