In 1986, the land that is now the Fontaine Research Center had been slated for commercial development. The Albemarle Board of Supervisors approved a rezoning for a shopping center called Fontaine Forest on a 4-2 vote that January over the objections of both Charlottesville and UVA. At the time, UVA officials expressed interest in the property. “To…
On July 12, 1898, a crowd of armed men intercepted John Henry James as he was on his way from Staunton to face charges of sexual assault. James was removed from the train at Wood’s Crossing, hung from a tree, and shot dozens of times. As James was being murdered, a grand jury was meeting…
There are some odd perks to being mayor of Charlottesville, according to City Councilor Lloyd Snook. “I got a call from folks at the historical society asking me if I would be interested in a cameo appearance in a play, and I am going to be playing the part of the Governor of Virginia in…
Yesterday was the federal holiday of Juneteenth to mark the end of legal and state-sanctioned slavery in the United States of America. On June 7, the Albemarle Board of Supervisors issued a proclamation recognizing the occasion. “On June 19, 1865, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed to free all enslaved people,…
The Charlottesville School Board will be presented tonight with two names for two more elementary schools. A name review committee is recommending that Burnley-Moran become Blue Mountain Elementary and that Johnson Elementary become Cherry Avenue Elementary. “In the case of Burnley-Moran and Johnson, the three namesakes of these schools—Carrie Burnley, Sarepta Moran, and James G….
The stories that you’ll hear about Black history in the next 27 days took place throughout the entire year, and every February is an opportunity to think about the topic year-round and how our community might become more equitable. This is the 47th year of the federal recognition of Black History Month, according to a proclamation…
A football coach who led Lane High School to a 53-game winning streak had died at the age of 89. Thomas George Theodose died Saturday as announced by Charlottesville Mayor Lloyd Snook on Monday. “He was at Lane when I was at Lane back in the 1960’s,” Snook said. The winning streak came between 1962…
The man who served as Charlottesville’s City Manager from late 2010 to the middle of 2018 stepping down as the administrator of a town near the University of North Carolina’s main campus. “It’s been an honor to serve the Town of Chapel Hill over the past four and a half years,” Maurice Jones in a press…
A man who spent 25 years as the City Manager of Charlottesville has died. Cole Hendrix served from 1971 to 1996 and presided over the conversion of Main Street into the Downtown Mall “During his tenure he provided stable, professional management and leadership, and mentored many young public administrators,” reads a message sent out Wednesday…
The names of several schools in Albemarle have recently been changed to new ones per a policy initiated by School Superintendent Matthew Haas in October 2018. Now Charlottesville City Schools has resumed the process of determining whether its own facilities are appropriately named and Clark Elementary and Venable Elementary are up first. “Like many communities, universities,…