Football finale
The University of Virginia football team ended an emotional season on a low note, losing 55-17 to Virginia Tech on November 25. The blowout win means Tech, which has won 18 of the last 19 games against UVA, is 6-6 and bowl-eligible.
Despite an 0-5 start to the season, the UVA faithful were hopeful that the Hoos could pull off an upset victory against the Hokies following Virginia’s surprise wins against UNC and Duke. Amid the team’s growing momentum, sixth-year running back Perris Jones was seriously injured during the November 9 Louisville game. (Jones was released from University of Louisville Health on November 28, and has a lengthy rehabilitation journey ahead of him in Virginia.)
After the disappointing end to its season, UVA football’s mishap streak continued after the Tech game, when the field’s sprinklers went off and doused the Hokies while they were taking a team picture. According to Sports Turf Manager Jesse Pritchard, the sprinklers were on a timer, and the soaking was not intentional.
This was not the Hokies’ first run-in with rogue sprinklers—the irrigation system at Tech’s own stadium went off mid-game against Clemson in 2020.
The Cavaliers did receive some positive news on November 27, when it was announced that running back Mike Hollins won the 2023 Brian Piccolo Award, which honors the Atlantic Coast Conference’s “most courageous” football player. Hollins was injured during the on-Grounds shooting that killed his teammates Devin Chandler, D’Sean Perry, and Lavel Davis Jr. last November.
“I told [the team] this was not a ‘me’ award, this was a ‘we’ award. And I really mean that. This year, together, we have gone through something we could have never imagined,” Hollins told Virginia Sports. “I am proud to have been a part of a team that came to work, stayed motivated, and never lost focus. It is nice for the team to receive the recognition for the courage it displayed this year.”
Joe-verlooked
Charlottesville is once again in the headlines, with National Public Radio reporting that, despite his frequent references to A12, President Joe Biden has not visited the city.
In 2019, Biden cited August 12, 2017, and former president Donald Trump’s remarks about the violence that unfolded that day as key drivers in his decision to run for president. “At that moment, I knew I’d have to run,” said Biden in a campaign announcement video. “I wrote at the time that ‘we’re in a battle for the soul of this nation.’ Well that’s even more true today.”
Despite his invocation of Charlottesville in the launch of his presidential campaign, in debates, and during speeches since taking office, Biden has not stopped by.
NPR correspondent Deepa Shivaram made the trip to Charlottesville recently to cover Biden’s lack of appearance, and though some residents told Shivaram it was weird the president had not actually been to Charlottesville, others acknowledged Biden’s busy schedule and questioned what a presidential trip to town would accomplish.
In brief
TIME to shine
Photographer Eze Amos, a frequent contributor to C-VILLE Weekly, had his work featured in TIME’s list of the top 100 photos of 2023. The photo chosen depicts a foundry worker using a plasma torch to cut into the head of the Robert E. Lee Confederate monument, during the bronze statue’s October 21 melting process. “Melting down this symbol of oppression and hate, transforming it into hopefully something of peace and love for the entire community to enjoy—this, to me, is a befitting ending to the story,” said Amos in an Instagram post. “And a testament to our resilience as a community.”
Get lit
UVA’s Lighting of the Lawn is scheduled for Friday, December 1, at 7pm. The event began in 2001 as a gesture of unity after the September 11 terrorist attacks, and has continued to celebrate the spirit of community at the university and throughout Charlottesville. This year’s Lighting of the Lawn includes a glow-in-the-dark disco called Disglow, where visitors are encouraged to bring glow sticks and wear flashy disco outfits.
Celebrate Kwanzaa
The Jefferson School African American Heritage Center will celebrate Kwanzaa on Sunday, December 3, from 1 to 4pm, with a market of Black-owned farms and businesses, a performance by the Eko Ise Drummers, and a children’s craft table. Market participants include Carter Farms and children’s spa MxA Collection and Spa. The free event is open to the public and hosted in the JSAAHC auditorium.