Outside of school, Malone enjoys music and film podcasts. The principal is currently on a major Kendrick Lamar kick. Supplied photo.
Charlottesville High School is kicking off the 2024-25 school year with a new principal, Justin Malone. Since starting on July 1, Malone has worked to get CHS ready for students to return.
“I was ordered a new desk when I came on board and then went on vacation,” says Malone. “When I came back, not only was my old desk removed, but the new desk hadn’t arrived … So I have been here since July 1 without a desk.”
While waiting on his desk to arrive, Malone has been working out of a conference room by the main office. Three of the four walls to the room are glass, allowing the new principal to stay engaged with the school community—something he plans to keep up during the school year.
“I’m constantly navigating and going through this building to be a presence so that people can see me,” says Malone. Getting to know the school community, both new and returning faces, is key for the principal and something he hopes to foster among the incoming freshman class through the Link Crew program.
As CHS’ main initiative for helping freshmen with the transition into high school, the Link Crew program comprises roughly 70 juniors and seniors selected to mentor the incoming freshman class. Link Crew leaders will check in on the ninth graders throughout the year, helping the underclassmen settle in academically and socially.
“The structure of it is meant to sort of demystify what high school could be like or areas that might be just on a freshman’s mind about what to do when,” says Malone. “We have a full day of training helping workshop some activities that [the Link Crew mentors] will then lead with our freshmen.”
Beyond the peer mentoring program, Malone has also highlighted staffing and community-building as top priorities.
Staffing shortages were a major factor in the unexpected closure of CHS last November, when several instructors called out following student fights. Longtime local instructor Kenneth Leatherwood stepped up as interim principal in the wake of the closure and unexpected departure of former principal Rashaad Pitt.
The school is now fully staffed outside of some additional needs in the science department, according to Malone.
“I’m really proud of our staff,” he says. “They know this community well, and they embrace the experiences and the students that are a part of Charlottesville High School in a way that helps to express our students’ talents, our students’ capacity, our students’ identity. Our staff sees that and welcomes it and helps champion that.”
To help foster community and accountability, CHS has also implemented a new digital hall pass system this year. Through the digital system, instructors will be able to not only set an expected duration and location for student passes, but monitor the number of students school-wide sent to an area at one time. Limiting the number of students outside of class in a given location allows instructors and administrators to prevent large groups from meeting or coordinating fights in the hallways. With 1,430 students—the highest enrollment in the school’s history—set to attend CHS this fall, this is especially vital.
“We’re thoughtful about when we’re sending students to [other] spaces,” says Malone. “We’re thoughtful about the number of students that we’re sending to certain locations, and in doing so, we’re all able to prioritize the time that students are in their classes.”
“Coming into this year, we know that Charlottesville High School is a very special place, and we have prepared for the expectation that students are going to be where they need to be,” says Malone. “We have a staff that is ready to engage them in meaningful, engaging experiences in the classroom, and our administrative team and our [Care and Safety Assistants] are in a position to help make sure that the students are [not] in unauthorized spaces when they shouldn’t be.”
Since returning from virtual learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, engaging with students and the community has been an ongoing effort in Charlottesville City Schools. At the core of that effort is a return to regular community-building activities, including school sports and dances.
“So much of what we heard over and over again last year from teachers and students was that, really, the issues that came up in the fall were still kind of post-COVID, post-being away from school for such a long time,” says CCS Community Relations Coordinator Amanda Korman. “By that point none of these kids have been to a pep rally, none of these kids have had a normal dance or a prom. … All those normal cultural, positive things that keep a high school together.”
“To a large extent, it’s super important and we’re going to keep building out beyond Link Crew, creating experiences for students,” says Malone. “Our work will always continue to be, ‘How do we create and connect students with meaningful experiences that are part of the high school experience?’”
Former delegate Sally Hudson founded Ranked Choice Virginia in 2021.
Photo: The Smiths.
Charlottesville City Council will formally consider a draft ranked-choice voting ordinance at its August 19 meeting. If approved, Charlottesville would become the second locality in Virginia to adopt ranked-choice voting, and the new voting system will be used on a trial basis in the city’s 2025 election.
Under a ranked-choice system, voters can rank candidates in order of preference. If no candidate receives 50 percent of the first preference vote, the candidate with the fewest votes is then eliminated. Voters who selected the eliminated candidate as their first choice then have their second preference candidate votes tallied and added to the vote totals. The process continues until a candidate has earned a simple majority of votes.
“The beauty of ranked-choice voting is it ensures that we elect leaders who actually build coalitions from the breadth of their community, rather than just rallying an extreme minority,” says former delegate Sally Hudson. “It lets voters vote for who they really like no matter how many candidates run.”
During her time in the Virginia General Assembly, Hudson introduced a bill allowing cities to adopt ranked-choice voting. She went on to found Ranked Choice Virginia in 2021 and continues to advocate for the adoption of the voting system across the commonwealth.
Benefits to ranked-choice voting are numerous, according to Hudson. Key positives include empowering voters to select their preferred candidate and reducing, if not completely eliminating, the risk of splitting the vote among like-minded candidates.
“If it turns out that your favorite candidate is not among the most popular picks, you still get a voice in who the final selection is from your community, from the last candidates,” she says. “Once candidates don’t have to worry about splitting the vote and accidentally tipping the scales toward someone they don’t support, we see more candidates who are willing to throw their hat in the ring, and that means that voters get more options.”
Locally, Hudson says one of the races that could most benefit from ranked-choice voting is city council elections.
“We now have the virtue of having wide fields run for just a handful of city council seats each year, and that’s exactly when you can see vote splitting,” she says. “Somebody [can] get elected to council with a relatively small share of the vote, maybe only 20 or 30 percent … a ranked choice election can ensure that you find the winners who really do have broad support in the community and don’t just have a super vocal slice that is out of step with the rest.”
Though Charlottesville City Council will formally consider the adoption of ranked-choice voting for the first time on August 19, preparations have already begun behind the scenes for the possibility of using the voting system in local elections in 2025. A number of logistical steps have been taken (namely, finding ranked-choice-capable software for voting machines), but the largest hurdle is still to come: voter education.
“It’s a switch for people,” says Hudson. “Once voters have a chance to see it in action, they consistently report that they understand the new system and that they like it. … You do have to do voter education, but if you do it and you do it well, then voters get it. They like it. They want to do it again.”
More than a dozen constituents spoke at the August 5 council meeting. Photo by Eze Amos.
Charlottesville City Council had a jam-packed meeting on August 5, covering everything from affordable housing efforts to potential salary increases for councilors.
Earlier this year, the Virginia General Assembly passed legislation, introduced by Charlottesville-area Del. Katrina Callsen, which allows city councils to increase compensation for their members. Currently, Charlottesville city councilors receive a salary of $18,000 annually, with the mayor’s salary slightly higher at $20,000. Under the proposed ordinance, councilors’ pay would increase to $34,000 and the mayor’s to $37,000, effective July 1, 2026.
Discussion by council showed support from a majority, with the sole dissent coming from Councilor Lloyd Snook.
“I think at a time when we are raising taxes on basically every tax we could raise this past year, it’s certainly not good politics and probably not wise more broadly for us to take the most full advantage of what the General Assembly has done,” said Snook. “If we want to be really honest with ourselves, … if we’re looking to keep pace with inflation … raise it to $22,500 for councilors and $25,000 for the mayor.”
The rest of the city council spoke in support of the ordinance.
“I disagree with the fundamental proposition that the original salary, when it was set way back in the dark ages, was anywhere close to what it should have been,” said Vice Mayor Brian Pinkston.
Pinkston and the councilors in favor of the salary increase also cited the potential for a pay improvement to allow more people the financial opportunity to serve on council.
“The thing about this role, and the reason I love it, is that you’re always carrying the city around with you in your heart and your mind,” said Pinkston. “I will wholeheartedly and enthusiastically vote for this without any shame whatsoever.”
Councilors Michael Payne and Natalie Oschrin echoed Pinkston’s points.
“There’s an idea that [this] could be a fully part-time volunteer legislature, but with the complexity of local government, I think it’s more akin to a second job,” said Payne. “I have talked to people who thought about running for office. … Financially, it wouldn’t be feasible for them.”
“More people should be able to do this and the money help[s] make it more accessible to more folks by voting for this increase,” said Oschrin. “We’re not voting necessarily on our own salaries. We’re voting on the salaries of the next incoming councilors.”
Mayor Juandiego Wade also weighed in on the potential salary increase: “I think it’s one of the most significant things that I can do as an individual councilor to increase the diversity on this board.”
While he is able to take time off of work for council obligations, Wade highlighted how that is not a reality for a significant number of potential council members.
Constituents were divided on the salary ordinance.
“This is one of the single most important things that you guys can do to help us become a more equitable city going forward,” said one public commenter in favor of the pay raise. “If people can’t afford to live in this town, they can’t serve on council—it’s that simple. … I would like as broad of a spectrum [as possible] of people from our population to be able to afford to serve. … There’s a reason why our general assembly is largely composed of doctors and lawyers, and no disrespect to them, but I don’t feel that that is a proportional representation of the people in our Commonwealth.”
Another speaker was decidedly against the measure. “It is completely unfathomable to me that you all would sit with the possibility of discussing a pay raise tonight—not just any pay raise, [but] a pay raise somewhere 88 to 89 percent over where you currently are,” he said. “You are actually going to sit and vote on this subject when just outside your door there are homeless people that need to be addressed.”
The vote on the ordinance increasing city councilors’ salaries is scheduled for the next council meeting on August 19. A second public hearing will be held at that time.
Another major development at the council meeting was the approval by Piedmont Housing Alliance and Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville Area of city funds going toward the offer on Carlton Mobile Home Park.
With this financing, PHA and Habitat were able to proceed with a $7.25 million offer on the park before the August 6 deadline for consideration.
Under the agreement, the city will not have ownership of any portion of the park if the offer goes through but will assist with the financing of interest and principal payments. In an agreement with residents, Carlton will remain a mobile home park, but the purchase lays the groundwork for eventual redevelopment into deeply affordable housing.
“I want to remind everybody that this is an offer. Our fingers are crossed and hopefully it works out, but it’s not in our hands after today,” said Oschrin. “Part of why I am so supportive of this is that it will be getting redeveloped, and it is not being purchased to freeze in amber. It will become more housing for more people, which is obviously what we need.”
There has been no additional developments on the joint city, PHA, and Habitat offer on Carlton Mobile Home Park at press time.
Counter-protesters, including former Vice-Mayor Wes Bellamy, demonstrating on A12.
Photo by Eze Amos.
Since August 11 and 12, 2017, Charlottesville has become a national political talking point. With the seven-year anniversary of A12 just around the corner, discussion of Charlottesville continues to be deployed by both national media and political campaigns, especially in the 2024 presidential election.
“We are living through a battle for the soul of this nation,” wrote President Joe Biden in an op ed for The Atlantic on August 27, 2017. This statement would go on to define Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign, which centered on defending democracy by defeating then-President Donald Trump’s bid for reelection.
“Aside from January 6, Charlottesville 2017 may be the most concrete image the Democrats have in illustrating the idea of ‘threats to democracy,’” said Sabato’s Crystal Ball Associate Editor Miles Coleman in a comment via email.
During the June 27, 2024, presidential debate, Biden once again mentioned Charlottesville as his impetus for running and condemned comments made by Trump after A12.
While Trump disputed media interpretations of the comment, he did say there were “very fine people on both sides” but went on to clarify he condemned neo-Nazis and white nationalists “totally” during the infamous August 15, 2017, press conference. He drew comparisons between right-wing extremists and counterprotesters and has more recently called the events of A12 a “peanut” in comparison to “anti-Israel protests” in April.
Biden has since dropped his bid for reelection, but upholding democracy continues to be a central theme for Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris.
The vice president has not directly discussed the events of A12 during her current campaign, but she has emphasized the importance of opposing anti-democratic policies like those proposed in Project 2025—a more than 900-page-long conservative agenda that includes policy proposals that massively increase the powers of the presidency and reduce checks and balances. (Trump has said he does not support Project 2025, but a significant number of officials from his former administration was involved in the creation of the policy plan.)
“At this moment, we face a choice between two visions for our nation: one focused on the future and the other on the past,” shared Harris on X/Twitter on August 2. “With your support, I am fighting for our nation’s future.”
Beyond Harris, the National Democratic Party has made the protection of democracy a major part of its platform and will likely continue to use “Charlottesville” as a shorthand for A12 in the coming months.
“As long as the Republican Party is dominated by Trumpism—which seems likely to be the case until the man literally drops dead, and probably afterwards too—pro-Democratic groups will probably suggest that Trump’s sympathy, or at least his indifference, towards the white supremacists is evidence of a growing illiberal trend within the GOP,” said Coleman.
On the Republican side, discussion of Charlottesville has focused on assertions that Trump’s “both sides” comment was not accurately reported and that left-leaning media have intentionally misrepresented the former president and his allies. A recent op ed shared in The Washington Times highlights how right-leaning media use Charlottesville as an example of media manipulation.a
“Newly minted vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance just had his Charlottesville moment and again the public is getting played,” said Newsmax host Tom Basile in the August 3 article. “We must appreciate [that] those telling us marriage and family don’t really matter are the same ones who told us Donald Trump is Hitler, President Biden was fit to serve, Ms. Harris had nothing to do with the open border, having boys in girls’ locker rooms is just fine, and J.D. Vance is weird.”
Despite losing her previous bid for Albemarle County School Board, Meg Bryce nabbed an appointment to the Virginia Board of Education on July 24.
Supplied photo.
Former Albemarle County School Board candidate Meg Bryce was appointed to the Virginia Board of Education by Gov. Glenn Youngkin on July 24.
As a member of the VBOE, Bryce is now one of the top education officials in the state despite losing her previous bid for public office. In addition to her appointment to the state board of education, she is also a part-time psychology instructor at the University of Virginia.
While it was officially a nonpartisan race, Bryce ran on a conservative platform in her campaign for the Albemarle County Public Schools at-large seat last fall. Beyond her platform—centered on improving academic standards and strengthening parental rights—the newly appointed board member also caught media attention as the daughter of late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.
Bryce received significant criticism for running for the school board despite having pulled all of her children from public school during the COVID-19 pandemic.
After one of the most expensive school board elections in history, Bryce ultimately lost the election to opponent Allison Spillman, receiving only 37.56 percent of the vote. Spillman won the seat, but with her appointment to the VBOE, Bryce is now the one with greater influence over local and state education policy.
“The governor’s office reached out to ask if I would be interested in serving, and I gladly accepted. The Board of Education has been focused on the issues that matter so much to me and to other [Virginia] families—accountability, transparency, and excellence in education,” Bryce told C-VILLE in a comment via text. “It is a privilege to be a part of those efforts.”
For Spillman, Bryce’s appointment comes as a disappointment, but not a surprise.
“The voters of Albemarle County overwhelmingly voiced their support of public education this past November when they elected me to the school board,” said Spillman via email. “In spite of the Youngkin administration’s continued efforts to weaken public education in the Commonwealth, I will continue to fight for all the students and teachers of Albemarle County.”
Other local representatives have also publicly expressed concern over Bryce’s appointment, including Dels. Amy Laufer and Katrina Callsen.
“You know what’s easier to win than an Albemarle County School Board seat? An unearned appointment to the State Board of Education from Gov. Youngkin,” posted Callsen on X/Twitter on July 24.
Both Laufer and Callsen have indicated they will oppose Bryce’s appointment when it comes before the General Assembly in 2025. In the interim, Bryce has started her term on the board, attending her first meeting shortly after her appointment.
In her first meeting with the VBOE, Bryce indicated her support for changing the state’s accreditation regulations.
“One policy that I believe will be instrumental moving forward is the School Performance and Support Framework,” Bryce said. “The Framework will be a powerful tool to identify the schools that are excelling so that we may learn from their best practices, but also the schools that are struggling so that we may get them the support that they need. I believe it will go a long way in providing the best possible education to every student in [Virginia].”
The VBOE will reconvene for a special meeting on August 28.
Participants at the July 29 input session advocated for the reinvigoration of Market Street Park as a gathering space.
Staff photo.
The Charlottesville Department of Parks & Recreation is currently gathering community feedback and input as it develops a master plan for the future of the city’s public spaces. As part of the master plan—which will guide the department for at least the next 10 years—the city is examining current and emerging community needs through a closer look at four parks: Court Square Park, Market Street Park, Tonsler Park, and Washington Park.
Since last November, the city has been collecting public comment through consultant groups Kimley-Horn and PROS Consulting. Online engagement with the project has been promising, with 973 surveys completed on the project website and 545 comments made through the interactive map feature as of July 29.
Each park-specific survey asks respondents to share how often they visit the park and their thoughts on the park’s cleanliness, safety, and potential amenities. Specific features mentioned in the form include food carts, art exhibits, vendors, public art, historic markers and displays, public games, water features, and native plants. There is also a space for more in-depth comment on both the surveys and the map feature.
According to Will Bassett, Parks & Rec business manager and one of the project managers for the master plan, the most filled-out park-specific survey so far is for Booker T. Washington Park, with 121 submissions.
While the city and consultants anticipated significant public engagement at city council’s input session on Market Street Park and Court Square Park on July 15, extremely low turnout prompted a second event to be held at CitySpace on July 29. The parks are the former sites of the Robert E. Lee and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson statues, respectively, and gathered national attention during A12. Both sites were originally segregated.
Andrea Douglas, executive director of the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center, was the only participant in the city council session who commented on the parks, updating council on the Swords Into Plowshares project. (Another woman mistakenly attended believing the comment session was for Parks & Rec more broadly, asking for shades for the pickleball courts at Carver and Keys recreation centers.)
Despite the lack of public participation at the council meeting, councilors gave their thoughts on the parks and the broader master plan.
“Two paths for these two parks [Market Street Park and Court Square Park]: One is these could be parks that are pretty standard and could be [parks] that [exist] in most any city in the country. Or two, they could be defining public spaces that engage thoughtfully with local history,” said Councilor Michael Payne.
“Both of these parks have a lot of pain associated with them,” said Vice Mayor Brian Pinkston. “How we honor that history and how we honor the events of a few years ago and do so in a way that’s honest and authentic to who Charlottesville is—particularly since there will be a lot of other people who want to write narratives about what happened in those parks—I think it’s going to be really important.”
The meeting about Market Street Park and Court Square Park on July 29 garnered more participants than that on July 15, but attendance of the in-person input session was still sparse. Six constituents were in attendance, with one member of the Parks & Rec advisory board also speaking in his capacity as a city resident.
Attendees largely agreed that the master plan should aim to bring people together in the parks, though there were some differing opinions on what design choices best facilitate gatherings. Topics of discussion included the history of the parks, safety improvements, tree cover, accessibility, and potential community engagement.
Frank Bechter, a local musician, floated the idea of Market Street Park as a living monument, focusing on the potential community engagement brought through plantings and rotating events. “Various kinds of plants, flowers—all kinds of people are interested in that and are gardeners,” he said. “There could be community engagement between the city and interested lovers of green.”
Alex Joyner, pastor at Charlottesville First United Methodist, spoke about acknowledging the parks’ histories and driving engagement in the spaces. “I think some kind of historical recognition is probably good,” he said. “I’d just like to see events that bring the community together happen in that space.”
“I’m going to take issue with ‘that park has a lot of history,’” said Genevieve Keller, a current member of Charlottesville’s Historic Resource Committee. “I’d say that park only has a recent history. The most significant thing that ever happened at that park happened in 2017 and before that, it was a very passive park … I mean, [the Lee statue] was there, people knew, and people reacted to it in their own ways. … It really was a successful event space.”
“I’m sure there were people who did not feel welcome there for a variety of reasons, but it really did serve as that kind of informal community gathering place,” said Keller.
Public surveys for the Parks & Rec master plan are open until August 25. For more information about the project or to participate in the survey, visit charlottesville.gov/1742/Parks-Recreation.
President Joe Biden was first elected to public office in 1970. File photo.
In an unprecedented move, President Joe Biden announced on July 21 that he is ending his bid for reelection. The president has endorsed his former running mate and current Vice President Kamala Harris for the nomination, but much is still up in the air ahead of the Democratic National Convention next month.
Since entering the Senate more than 50 years ago, Biden’s political and personal careers have been defined by his perseverance.
“I thought that his mentality was, ‘Okay. I could get through this just like I got through everything else in the last 50 years,’” says Miles Coleman, associate editor of Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia. “He was obviously talked out of that.”
While doubts about Biden’s candidacy have plagued the entirety of his 2024 bid for reelection, it was the June 27 debate against Donald Trump that likely shifted the Democratic Party’s calculations, according to Coleman.
“You could very plausibly argue that that is the most consequential presidential debate in our history,” he says. “The coalition of voters he had, I would argue, wasn’t as much of a pro-Biden coalition as it was anti-Trump. I think that was part of it. He was thinking, ‘Okay, well, am I the one who can best beat Trump?’ … I think one of the big favors he did was right off the bat he endorsed Harris.”
A recent article from Sabato’s Crystal Ball—published on July 18, three days before Biden’s announcement—details the president’s declining polling numbers and increasingly “grim electoral future for Democrats.”
In the article, Coleman and Crystal Ball managing editor Kyle Kondik assert that increasingly shaky polling around Biden, especially in crucial swing states Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada, and Arizona, makes the gamble of switching to Harris more attractive.
“Harris, to me, is a little untested in terms of being on the national stage and having to actually win votes,” says Coleman. “I’m really not sure if she is going to play in the Midwest, which, in my mind, that’s probably going to be the region that’s going to decide the election.”
Existing polling on Harris shows the vice president slightly outperforming Biden with Democratic core groups, specifically women and minorities. Her numbers are slightly lower with men, but the aforementioned core groups have the real potential to make or break Democrats’ bid for the presidency, according to Coleman.
While another member of the party could mount a rapid campaign against her for the position, the vast majority of the Democratic establishment has quickly gotten behind Harris.
A number of state and local Charlottesville Democrats have expressed their support for Harris and respect for Biden, including Sen. Tim Kaine, Sen. Mark Warner, Rep. Abigail Spanberger, state Sen. Creigh Deeds, and Del. Amy Laufer.
“As I have been saying for weeks, President Biden is a patriotic American who has always put the needs of our country ahead of himself. … His decision today reflects the same patriotism that George Washington and Teddy Roosevelt demonstrated when they selflessly put their country above their own political ambitions,” shared Kaine in an official statement shortly after Biden’s announcement. “I’m looking forward to working with my friend Kamala Harris and a great ticket mate to keep Virginia blue so that we can continue to build on our progress.”
Vice President Kamala Harris broke the all-time single-day fundraising record, garnering $81 million for her campaign. File photo.
With Harris now the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, the question of her running mate remains. At press time, a formal selection for the Vice President spot on the ticket has not been made, but a few names and trends have emerged.
“Something that we talk about often when it comes to picking the vice president is the idea of balance,” says Coleman. “At this point, I think it would be a big shock if [Harris] doesn’t end up picking another white male to replace Biden.”
Among the most likely contenders for the job are North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly. All four are white men with good electoral track records in politically purple states.
Cooper has quickly emerged as a potential frontrunner for the VP pick, having won twice in a state that went for Trump in 2016 and 2020. The governor is also at the end of his eligibility, presently serving his second consecutive term in office, which removes pressure to keep him in his current role to oppose state-level Republican efforts.
Moving to Kentucky, Beshear stands out as a younger contender for the running mate position. The 46-year-old won his bid for reelection to the governorship last year, winning 52.5 percent of the vote against Republican challenger Daniel Cameron.
Beshear also has local ties, having earned his law degree from UVA in 2003.
In Pennsylvania, Shapiro recently came into the national spotlight in the wake of the failed assassination attempt on Donald Trump at an outdoor rally. “He won some bipartisan praise about how he handled the assassination attempt on Trump last week, at least how he set the tone for the aftermath of the assassination attempt,” says Coleman.
Republicans and Democrats praised Shapiro for his quick response, intentional and prompt release of information, conversations with state representatives, and call to the family of Corey Comperatore in the aftermath of the assassination attempt. Comperatore was killed in the shooting, sitting in the section immediately behind Trump.
Cooper, Beshear, and Shapiro have all served as state attorney general at some point in their careers, something the three share with Harris. Coleman highlighted that Democrats could potentially use a ticket with two former attorneys general on it to push back against Republican law and order appeals.
Kelly is also a potential contender for the VP spot but a less likely pick compared to the aforementioned governors. While he could help turn out voters given his popularity in his home state, Kelly is also only in his first term as a senator.
Looking more locally, Coleman says it’s unlikely either Virginia senator will be named as Harris’ running mate. “The biggest strike against Kaine (or Warner) is that Youngkin would appoint a replacement,” he says. “A Virginia pick is just a lot less attractive to Democrats this time around compared to 2016.”
Regardless of who ends up as Harris’ running mate, Coleman speculates that the election is still going to be close. “To me at least, in terms of the electoral map, the Democrats are going to have to win those three midwestern states (Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin).”
Though switching to Harris might be a gamble this late in the election cycle, the move and its timing have several potential upsides for Democrats.
“For much of this year, the Trump campaign had been preparing to run against Biden, and now that’s kind of shuffled up,” says Coleman. “Had Biden announced this time last year that he wasn’t running, then this whole last year the Republicans would have turned their fire on Harris. I’m sure they are going to still very much be going after her now, but they only have four months.”
“One of the biggest criticisms of Biden, not just from Republicans, but from Democrats as well, is his age,” says Coleman. “Now the oldest person to ever run in a presidential general election is going to be Donald Trump because he’s older right now than Biden was in 2020.”
Trump’s recently announced running mate J.D. Vance was also selected with a Biden ticket in mind. Rather than choosing a more moderate VP candidate or someone with different potential selling points, Trump “doubled down and went for Vance.”
Looking ahead, the next month will be especially crucial for Democrats. A divided Democratic Party come August would spell disaster, says Coleman, but that seems increasingly unlikely. “At least theoretically, [Harris’] biggest contenders for the nomination would have been people like Gavin Newsom and Gretchen Whitmer; they’ve kind of ruled that out,” he says.
“In terms of getting names on ballots … the point of no [return] is going to be more like late August, early September,” says Coleman. “That’s when the first few states start to print their ballots. There are some states, like Virginia, that give people 40 plus days to go vote early.”
Early voting for the November general election starts on September 20, 2024.
The highly anticipated 2024 Paris Olympics kicks off July 26, with opening ceremonies officially starting at 1:30pm eastern daylight time. While the actual competition is an ocean away, Charlottesvillians will see several familiar faces representing Team USA and other countries on their small screens.
Equestrian
Local equestrian Will Coleman is returning to the games for the first time since his original appearance in 2012.
Coleman started riding—on a Shetland pony named TJ—after moving to Charlottesville at 6 years old.
After graduating from UVA in 2007, Coleman returned to competition and founded Will Coleman Equestrian, which he runs with his wife Katie Coleman. The business is based in Gordonsville, Virginia, and Ocala, Florida.
The equestrian has been named to the U.S. Olympic Eventing Team and will compete with his horse Off the Record. Eventing, also called Three Day Eventing, is split into three parts consisting of dressage, cross country, and show jumping.
Rowing
After competing in the Paralympics, Sky Dahl will return to Grounds, where she competes on the ACC Team. Photo via virginiasports.com.
Across the pond, alumna and former UVA Rowing captain Heidi Long will compete for Great Britain in the women’s eight. The 2024 games are her first Olympic appearance.
“Every day I’m trying to keep focused on rowing and what we are trying to achieve, but I also want to enjoy and feel the excitement of all these special moments,” Long told online magazine British Rowing. “Knowing that my friends and family will be in Paris to support the whole team will hopefully inspire and encourage us to have the best time of our lives.”
In the Paralympics, Sky Dahl will compete in Para Rowing 3 mixed four with coxswain. The PR3 category includes athletes with residual function in the legs and those with vision impairment.
Soccer
Stepping onto the pitch, Cavalier alum Emily Sonnett will play on the U.S. women’s soccer—or, as it’s listed on the Olympic website, football—team.
Since graduating from Virginia, Sonnett has had an action-packed professional soccer career. She is a member of the U.S. national team and was part of the squad that won the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Sonnett is already an Olympic medalist, winning bronze with Team USA at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Swimming
The Charlottesville area will be well-represented in the pool this Olympics. University of Virginia Head Coach Todd DeSorbo is leading the American women’s team, which boasts an impressive five Cavalier competitors. Local highschooler Thomas Heilman will also be swimming for Team USA and is the youngest swimmer to make the men’s Olympic team since Michael Phelps in 2000.
Breaststroke
In her first ever Olympic appearance, UVA’s Emma Weber will represent Team USA in the 100-meter breaststroke event. Weber’s personal-best time of 1:06.02 is unlikely to get her to the podium, but anything is possible in this event, which online publication SwimSwam said is “proven to be unpredictable.”
Kate Douglass—whose image was displayed across the outside of the U.S. Olympic Trials arena—is among the favorites to take gold in the 200-meter breaststroke. Her biggest competition is expected to be defending winner Tatjana Smith of South Africa.
Butterfly
Walsh will make another appearance for Team USA in the women’s 100-meter butterfly and is likely to take gold after setting a new world record in the event at Olympic Trials this June. “Making the team was the biggest goal, but getting a world record was absolute insanity,” she told NBC Sports poolside at the Trials. “I couldn’t ask for a better first event of the meet.”
On the men’s side of the pool, Western Albemarle High School student Thomas Heilman will represent the U.S. in both the 100- and 200-meter butterfly. The 17-year-old is the youngest person on the American Olympic swim squad and made major waves when he qualified for two events at his first Olympic trials in June.
The up-and-comer faces steep competition in both of his events, with Kristóf Milák of Hungary expected to win the 100- and 200-meter races. Heilman’s personal best times in both events put him in the running for a spot on the podium, with a higher likelihood that he places top three in the 200-meter butterfly final.
Freestyle
Sprinting the 50-meter free is up-and-comer Gretchen Walsh, who made a major splash at the NCAA Championships and Olympic Trials earlier this year. The UVA fourth year is on the shortlist to make the podium in the event, though Sweden’s Sarah Sjöström is expected to comfortably take gold.
Walsh will also be swimming in the 100-meter race and is among a handful of serious contenders for the podium in that event.
UVA alum Paige Madden is the one to watch for the longer distance freestyle events, competing in the 400- and 800-meters. Madden has posted impressive times in both races and will represent the U.S. alongside living legend Katie Ledecky, who holds the world record in the 800.
Madden will be swimming an uphill battle to medal in both events amid a crowded competitive field.
In the relay pool, the U.S. has a truly stacked lineup: Walsh and swimming superstar Kate Douglass, another UVA alum, will race on the 4 x 100-meter women’s freestyle relay, while Madden and Ledecky will lead the 4 x 200-meter women’s freestyle relay.
The U.S.-Australian rivalry in the pool will be on full display in the relay events, with Australia favored to take gold in the events. The Aussie roster for the women’s 4 x 200-meter free relay includes the two fastest women in the world in the event, Ariarne Titmus and Mollie O’Callaghan. China and Canada are also expected to have a good showing in the race.
In the international field, Aimee Canny will be competing on behalf of South Africa in the women’s 200-meter freestyle event. A current UVA student, Canny was part of the record-breaking 2023-24 women’s NCAA team. Canny will need to fight to pull off an upset, with Australia expected to sweep gold and silver in the race and Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey favored to win bronze.
Individual Medley
Following an incredibly competitive race at Olympic trials, UVA swimmers Kate Douglass and Alex Walsh (pictured) will represent Team USA in the 200-meter individual medley event. Photo via UVA Athletics Communications.
After an incredibly competitive race at Olympic trials, Douglass and Alex Walsh will represent Team USA in the 200-meter individual medley event in Paris.
Touching in just behind Douglass in the final, Alex Walsh not only earned a spot on her second Olympic team, but achieved a lifelong dream of making Team USA alongside her sister Gretchen at the Olympic trials.
“To have a sibling duo that is this elite … both going for the same Olympic dream is so rare,” Alex said ahead of Olympic trials. “We’re proud of each other no matter what.”
The 200-meter IM is a major toss-up, with both Douglass and Alex among the shortlist to take home the gold. Alex and Douglass won silver and bronze, respectively, in the event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Team USA has not officially announced the roster for the women’s medley relay, but Douglass and Gretchen Walsh are both highly anticipated to swim the breaststroke and butterfly legs of the event, respectively. Whatever combination of swimmers the U.S. puts forward, the Americans are expected to sprint away with the gold in the relay.
UVA Swimmers could also appear in the mixed medley relay, but there has been no official information released about the makeup of that team. The U.S. has dominated the event in international competitions recently, with Douglass swimming on the gold-medal team that won top prize at this year’s World Aquatics Championships.
Tennis
Twenty-three-year-old Emma Navarro is riding a career-high rank of 15th in the world going into the Olympics. Photo via UVA Athletics Communications.
On the courts, Charlottesville will recognize Danielle Collins and Emma Navarro on Team USA. Both Hoos will play in the singles field, with Collins pulling double duty on the doubles roster.
Navarro—who left UVA to go pro after her second year—has reached new heights after upsetting tennis star Coco Gauff in the fourth round at Wimbledon. While she was knocked out in the quarterfinal by Jasmine Paolini of Italy, the 23-year-old is riding a career-high rank of 15th in the world going into the Olympics.
Also competing in singles, Collins had a strong showing at Wimbledon and is one to watch in Paris. The 2016 alum is currently ranked ninth in the world in singles by the Women’s Tennis Association and was previously ranked seventh in 2022, with the Olympics set to be her last major competition before retiring later this year.
In the doubles arena, Collins is ranked lower, currently positioned at 154th internally by WTA. She will compete alongside Desirae Krawczyk, who is 12th in the world.
As of press time, preliminary brackets for Olympic tennis events have not been released.
Track and Field
Former Cavalier Bridget Williams will represent Team USA in the women’s pole vault. Photo via UVA Athletics Communications.
In the track and field arena (or, as it’s labeled on the Olympics’ website, Athletics) several Virginia alumni will be competing—but only one for Team USA.
On the American team, former Cavalier Bridget Williams, née Guy, will represent Team USA in the women’s pole vault following her win at U.S. Olympic trials.
“Being a first time Olympian is a huge honor that I will never take for granted,” Williams told Virginia Sports. “The United States consistently [boasts] the top athletes in the world, and I am grateful I get to be a part of this year’s team.”
On the Jamaican team, Hoos Andrenette Knight and Jordan Scott are both making their first Olympic appearances at 27 years old.
A world-class athlete in the 400-meter hurdle and flat events, Knight has been named as an alternate and is among the relay pool. Jamaica’s track and field team are among, if not outright, the best in the world, so qualifying for the team is extremely competitive even for top-ranked athletes.
Knight is currently ranked seventh in the world in the 400-meter hurdle event and finished fourth in the race at the Jamaican Olympic trials earlier this summer. She holds the school record in the event at UVA, which she set during her final year of NCAA eligibility in 2021.
Leaping into action, Scott will compete in the men’s long jump and triple jump for Jamaica. During his time at Virginia, Scott set school records which still stand today in both events.
“Coming from Jamaica, with such a rich history in the sport, I’ve grown to see how much these athletes were admired and cherished by my country and it is still surreal that I’ve finally achieved this goal and am receiving the same level of admiration as the individuals I once looked up to,” Scott told Virginia Sports.
Competing for Grenada, Halle Hazzard will sprint the women’s 100-meter dash at her first Olympic Games. She is one of only four athletes on the Grenada Olympic track and field team, with the Carribbean nation sending six competitors total to Paris this summer.
Hazzard currently holds the UVA record in the 100-meter dash at 11.20 seconds, set in 2019.
Virginia law student Ashley Anumba is also making her Olympic debut in Paris, representing Nigeria in the women’s discus throw.
Ranked 35th in the world in her event, Anumba competed for University of Pennsylvania as an undergrad, then the Hoos during her first two years as a law student. After the Olympics, she is set to return to Charlottesville for her final year of law school.
Also throwing his hat in the ring this Olympics, alum Filip Mihaljević will make his third Olympic appearance for Team Croatia in the men’s shot put.
Post-grad, Mihaljević has risen through the ranks to become one of the top shot put athletes in the world, currently ranked seventh internationally. He previously competed in the 2016 and 2020 Olympics and has placed progressively higher in his event at each Olympic Games.
Goalball
Competing on the American Goalball team, Matt Simpson is making his third Olympic appearance, vying for another medal after taking home silver in 2016 and coming just short of the podium in 2020. The sport is specifically made for visually impaired athletes, with competitors throwing balls with bells inside them into goals. Simpson graduated from UVA Law in 2020 and is a practicing attorney.
VDOT project manager Will Stowe says the roundabout construction is on time: “We are on schedule to finish, certainly by August 13, which is really the deadline, but probably a couple days before that.”
Photo by Stephen Barling.
As of July 8, through traffic on Hydraulic Road is closed while contractors work on the construction of a roundabout. If you’ve driven anywhere in Charlottesville recently, you’ve probably noticed the wealth of ongoing road work while sitting in heavier-than-usual traffic. Here are the latest updates on the construction status and detours for local motorists and pedestrians:
By far the largest ongoing project is at Hydraulic Road and U.S. Route 29. According to Virginia Department of Transportation Project Manager Will Stowe, construction on the roundabout at the intersection of Hydraulic Road and Hillsdale Drive is on schedule despite the extreme heat, with drainage work and the removal of old signal poles already completed.
Crews are working in two shifts six days a week on the project to finish by the August 13 deadline.
“They’re working almost 24/7 during the daylight hours,” says Stowe. “We are giving the guys a break on Sunday, but we’re working six days a week besides that to try to get this back open to the public.”
“There’s quite a lot of concrete that needs to go down. We’re probably about 80 percent done with the splitter islands [pavement that separates a roundabout’s entrances and exits] currently. So right on schedule,” says Stowe. Some of that concrete will be poured in the second week of construction as crews work on the center island of the roundabout and install light poles.
During project planning, the detour was intentionally scheduled to end before the influx of traffic from the University of Virginia’s move-in weekend and the start of the school year in Charlottesville and Albemarle County. “The roundabout will be functional with all lanes of traffic open in the roundabout configuration. … It won’t be the final pavement, but it should be a smooth intermediate layer with good pavement markings. Also, the pedestrian facility should be completed around the roundabout.”
While work is ongoing, roughly 35,000 vehicles per day are being detoured from Hydraulic Road, according to VDOT. Traffic signal timings have been adjusted at several lights around the detour to accommodate the temporary traffic pattern, but some congestion is still occurring during rush hour windows.
“It’s really a balancing act of managing the traffic that was there before the detour and adding the additional traffic to it,” says Stowe.
VDOT does not currently have official information about the extent of delays. Anecdotally, traffic is moving well at off hours, but there is some backup in the detour areas during peak flow hours of 9am, noon, and 5pm on Route 29.
Motorists coming off of the 250 Bypass traveling westward who would normally use Hydraulic Road have been detoured to the next available exits for 29 North and 29 South. Traffic traveling eastbound from Route 29 looking to use the bypass can use the entrances by Angus Road at the intersection of Route 250 and Emmet Street.
Access to both Whole Foods and the Kroger shopping area has also been affected by the detour. To get to Whole Foods, shoppers can either use Zan or India roads to access Hillsdale Drive or pass through the rerouted one-way side entrance from the east side of Hydraulic Road. Kroger and its surrounding stores are still accessible by Hydraulic Road in both directions through Kroger Way and the turn-in on 29 North.
According to Stowe, VDOT has been coordinating with both grocery stores and other businesses for more than a year to maintain access during the detour.
“Back when we first were procuring a contractor and designer for the project, we sat down with both Kroger and Whole Foods and some of the businesses along Hydraulic,” says Stowe.
The size and frequency of the semi-truck deliveries were also factored into the design of the roundabout itself.
Beyond the roundabout, improvements to Route 29 and Hydraulic Road also include signal and traffic pattern adjustments and the construction of a pedestrian bridge crossing Route 29.
“We’re currently building some retaining walls for [the pedestrian bridge], and we’ll start doing some drilled shafts here later in August,” says Stowe. “We’ll be working on that after the roundabout is completed. … When we go to hang the girders for the pedestrian bridge, we will have some overnight closures for traffic for about 20 minutes, but that’ll be probably a year down the road from now, so nothing to anticipate in the near future.”
For more information about the project and detours, visit vdot.virginia.gov.
“We are giving the guys a break on Sunday, but we’re working six days a week besides that to try to get this back open to the public.”
Both CCS and ACPS issued new personal device policies in recent years, citing mental health and academic concerns.
File photo.
On July 9, Gov. Glenn Youngkin issued an executive order calling for “cell phone-free education” across Virginia. Rather than issuing a direct guideline, the EO outlines a rapidly paced timeline for stakeholder feedback and policy development.
“This essential action will promote a healthier and more focused educational environment where every child is free to learn,” said Youngkin in a press release announcing the action. “Today’s executive order both establishes the clear goal to protect the health and safety of our students by limiting the amount of time they are exposed to addictive cell phones and social media and eliminates clear distractions in the classroom.”
In the order, Youngkin indicates that the directive was prompted by rising rates of depression and suicide among teenagers in addition to a dip in academic performance trends. (Meanwhile, Youngkin has not expressed support for regulating guns, the most common method used in deaths by suicide.)
Under Youngkin’s EO, leaders in the Department of Education, Department of Health and Human Resources, and other related agencies have until August 15 to publish a draft guidance factoring in feedback and best practices from stakeholders. As part of this process, the agencies will also define exactly what a “cell phone-free education” means. Feedback on the policy guidelines will be gathered through online comment and listening sessions, according to the EO.
None of the Commonwealth Conversations listening sessions will be held in Charlottesville, with the closest event set for July 31 in Waynesboro. Those looking for more information on the events or to comment online can visit doe.virginia.gov.
While Youngkin’s office describes the executive order as the first statewide action on cell phone usage in the classroom, the action largely mirrors rules and expectations currently in place across the commonwealth.
In Charlottesville City Schools, students are already required to keep their devices “off and away all day.” The district has also publicly discussed the potential implementation of Yondr pouches—lockable magnetic cases that make devices inaccessible in phone-free zones—but has paused rollout.
“We expect we are already in line with the guidelines that the state will develop—but we are prepared to be responsive and adjust accordingly,” said CCS Community Relations Coordinator Amanda Korman in a comment via email.
“While cell phones have many benefits, they can also be a distraction to student learning and harmful to mental well-being,” said Korman. “We have found that the ‘off and away all day’ policy has had a positive impact in our classrooms, and, to a lesser degree, in our hallways, lunchrooms, and restrooms.”
Albemarle County Public Schools has less restrictive cell phone policies but does prohibit the use of personal devices during “instructional periods.” Unlike their peers in CCS, ACPS students are allowed to use their phones before and after school, between classes, and during lunch.
At press time, ACPS has not responded to a request for comment.
Both CCS and ACPS mention the detrimental effects of cell phone use on mental health and academic performance in the districts’ cell phone policies, largely mirroring the concerns expressed by Youngkin in his executive order.
The executive order can be found in its entirety on the VDOE and Governor’s websites.
