Local artist Jeff Dobrow and The AV Company return for another year of The Great Rotumpkin, a ghoulish good time celebrating the spooky season. Skeletons, pumpkins, cauldrons, and more appear on the exterior of UVA’s Rotunda as projected vignettes, accompanied by haunting music, cycle through scenes that send shivers down the spine. This year, Kiki and Celeste join the festivities following the puppets’ incredible appearance at the Festival of the Moving Creature.
Photo via Matt Riley / UVA Athletics Communications.
Off court
Tony Bennett retired as head coach of the University of Virginia men’s basketball team after leading the program for 15 years.
UVA announced Bennett’s immediate retirement on October 17, shocking the Cavaliers faithful since it came just 20 days before the team starts its regular season and four months after the coach signed a contract extension that would have kept him at the university through 2030. For Bennett, the decision was made after months of deliberation and a growing discomfort with the changing world of college basketball.
“It’s not fair to these guys, and this institution that I love so much, to continue on when you’re not the right guy for the job,” a choked-up Bennett said during an October 18 press conference. “I’m a square peg in a round hole. That’s what it is.”
In his time at UVA, Bennett, the winningest coach in program history, led the Hoos to a 364-136 record, with two ACC Tournament titles, six ACC regular season championships, 10 NCAA tournament appearances, and a 2019 NCAA championship. The three-time national coach of the year was also named ACC coach of the year four times. Ten Virginia players were selected in the NBA Draft during Bennett’s tenure at the university.
Associate head coach Ron Sanchez was named interim head coach for the 2024-25 season. Sanchez, who led the University of North Carolina Charlotte men’s basketball team from 2018 to 2023, is no stranger to the program, having been on Bennett’s staff for 12 years, including three years at Washington State and nine years at UVA.
“I’m at peace,” Bennett said during the press conference. “When you know in your heart it’s time, it’s time.”
Just the ticket
File photo.
After a 45-day warning period, Albemarle County began issuing citations on October 21 for motorists caught speeding in the Hydraulic Road school zone.
Drivers going 10 or more miles per hour over the speed limit are subject to a $100 fine, though the citations are not reported to the Department of Motor Vehicles. With the enforcement of citations, Albemarle County Police hope to see a decline in speeding by the Lambs Lane campus that includes Albemarle High, Journey Middle, and Greer Elementary.
Between September 3 and October 11, ACPD reviewed and issued 4,902 warnings, according to a release from the county.
“With the transition to full enforcement, we aim to see improvements in driver behavior, ensuring a safer environment for students, families, and staff as they travel to and from school,” the county said. “For school children and other vulnerable road users, drivers must stay alert and obey the posted speed limit. Driving too fast for certain conditions is one of the most prevalent factors contributing to traffic crashes.”
For more information on the speed cameras and citations, visit the Albemarle County website.
Not too much
Hometown rock group Dave Matthews Band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in a Cleveland, Ohio, ceremony on Saturday, October 19. Other inductees included Cher, Ozzy Osbourne, Peter Frampton, and Mary J. Blige. Matthews followed up the event with a social media post recognizing the band’s beginnings in Charlottesville and thanking longtime manager Coran Capshaw.
Photo by Tristan Williams.
Almost there
The final phase of Biscuit Run Park—a 1,190-acre state park off Scottsville Road—has begun. Heralded as Albemarle County’s largest park, Biscuit Run’s first phase has included the installation of the park’s eastern entrance off Route 20, a trailhead with 75 parking spots, and public restrooms. Construction crews are currently focused on the Route 20 entrance. Expect delays on Route 20 for the rest of the month.
Shooting death
Following what Charlottesville police have described as a “gang-related” shooting the night of October 19, one person is dead and another injured. Police were called to Rio Hill Apartments in the 1600 block of Rio Hill Drive around 8pm, where they found the deceased, 23-year-old Charlottesville resident Zerrion Eubanks-Warfield. “The incident involved multiple gunshots, with several vehicles and apartments struck,” police said in an October 20 statement.
The University of Virginia football team suffered a tough loss to Louisville Saturday, on an otherwise perfect fall afternoon at Scott Stadium. The Cavs, whose October 12 defeat was their first in the ACC this season, had a couple of memorable special teams miscues and questionable play calls in the red zone that sank what were otherwise solid performances from many Hoos on both sides of the ball.
The highs
Quarterback Anthony Colandrea was once again solid in the passing attack with 279 yards, one touchdown pass, and no interceptions on the day. But it was his legs that kept things moving for UVA. With a season high 15 carries for 89 yards he looked dynamic scrambling out of the pocket when necessary, and picked up multiple key first downs to extend drives.
On offense, fourth-year wide receiver (and Monticello High School standout) Malachi Fields (nine receptions for 129 yards) and Harvard tight-end transfer Tyler Neville (seven receptions for 64 yards), have clearly become two of Colandrea’s preferred targets as the season has progressed. Expect to see more of Neville, especially in the offensive game plan from here on out. He has great rapport on the field with Colandrea and has been an invaluable asset in mid-range third-down situations. Just about the only thing neither Fields nor Neville managed to do Saturday was find the end zone, as UVA stalled out on multiple drives in Louisville territory.
On the defensive side, safety Jonas Sanker, a Covenant School grad, continued to impress. With 11 tackles, eight of which were unassisted, Sanker seemed to somehow be everywhere all at once. He brings an explosive energy to a UVA secondary that, to be fair, was overall pretty solid given its tall task on Saturday. It limited a strong Louisville receiving core (which includes former four-star recruit and recent Alabama transfer Ja’Corey Brooks) to just one TD and 231 receiving yards.
The lows
UVA’s control of the Louisville run game was abysmal. Louisville running back Isaac Brown ran wild all game long, picking up two TDs on 20 carries for 146 yards from scrimmage. This is something the coaching staff must address before the team’s next matchup, on October 19 at noon against No. 10 Clemson, whose fourth-year running back Phil Mafah has consistently shown he’s more than capable of doing similar damage against a porous defensive line.
Some of Saturday’s play-calling, particularly on short-yardage downs and in the red zone, was a bit suspect. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one scratching my head about a fourth-down passing attempt instead of kicking an easy field goal before the half. Perhaps the result of an aggressive coaching philosophy, or potentially a lack of conviction in the run game (or some other aspect of the offense), but there’s certainly something to be said for having the lead going into the locker room at halftime. Even if it’s only by three points instead of seven.
Charlottesville Area Transit will get an upgrade later this month, with several service changes going into effect on October 26.
The service enhancements, announced October 3, are the product of a years-long effort to improve the reliability and frequency of the CAT system. New schedules have been made for all routes to best serve needs based on current usage as measured by automatic passenger counters on buses.
On Route 4, which runs between Cherry Avenue and Harris Road, operations will increase to 30-minute frequency during the week between the peak hours of 6am and 7pm.
More changes are coming for Route 6, for which service will increase to 30-minute intervals on weekdays between 6:30am and 10:30pm and no longer include a stop at the University of Virginia hospital between downtown and Willoughby Square. By removing this detour, CAT hopes to significantly increase efficiency and reduce travel times along the route.
Riders can still access UVA Medical Center through other routes, including Route 4, Route 9, and the Free Trolley.
Beyond routing and frequency changes, CAT will now provide all drivers working eight-hour shifts two 10-minute breaks as part of the city’s collective bargaining agreement with the Amalgamated Transit Union.
For more information on the upcoming route changes and service improvements, visit charlottesville.gov.
Roadwork ahead
An entire section of the Blue Ridge Parkway washed away at Milepost 336. Supplied photo.
Destruction from Hurricane Helene has closed the entire Blue Ridge Parkway indefinitely. The National Park Service and other authorities continue to assess the damage to the scenic route between Virginia and North Carolina.
While local portions of the parkway have sustained minimal damage, according to Nelson County authorities, all 469 miles of the route remain closed as the NPS completes its comprehensive assessment of the parkway. Virginia resources have been diverted to North Carolina, where wreckage is extensive and portions of the road have been completely washed away.
An October 5 update from NPS indicated damage assessments and debris clearage in Virginia are nearly complete, allowing the phased reopening of portions of the Blue Ridge Parkway in the commonwealth in the upcoming days and weeks. There is no estimate for the reopening of any part of the parkway in North Carolina, and no timeline or cost estimate for repairs.
To monitor the latest updates on the reopening of the Blue Ridge Parkway, visit nps.gov.
Pedestrian fatality
Charlottesville police have arrested 19-year-old Matthew Kozub of Louisa in connection with a fatal pedestrian crash. At approximately 7:25pm on October 3, Mamawa Simai, 64, was struck by a vehicle while crossing the intersection of Elliott Avenue and South First Street. Simai was transported to University of Virginia Medical Center, where she died from her injuries. Kozub was arrested at the scene on an outstanding assault warrant from Louisa County.
Fluid situation
The University of Virginia Medical Center has paused some elective surgeries amid a nationwide shortage of IV fluids. The effort to conserve existing supplies was prompted by the closure of a Baxter International plant in North Cove, North Carolina, due to damage from Hurricane Helene. Prior to its temporary closure, the facility was producing approximately 60 percent of all IV solutions for the United States.
File photo.
Hoos the winner
The University of Virginia football team celebrated a homecoming victory October 5, after an electric come-from-behind 24-14 win over Boston College. With a record of 4-1, this is the best start to a season for the Hoos since 2019. The next test for the Cavaliers comes on October 12 against Louisville, with a 3:30pm kickoff at Scott Stadium.
After speaking with UVA law students, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff
attended a fundraiser hosted by John
and Renee Grisham.
File photo.
Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff made a campaign stop in Charlottesville on September 25, speaking to a crowd of more than 200 University of Virginia law school students at the Kimpton Forum Hotel.
“It’s good to be talking to law students again,” said Emhoff, who is a practicing attorney and instructor at Georgetown Law. “I’m not teaching this semester because I’m spending full time campaigning so my wife can be the next president of the United States.”
Emhoff was met with raucous applause from attendees who’d gathered for a voter protection training organized by the UVA Law Democrats. Voter disenfranchisement is a chief focus for the Harris-Walz campaign amid increasing barriers instituted by Republican leaders under the guise of election integrity.
“As a practicing lawyer for over 30 years, I cannot tell you how important it is for what our profession does to protect democracy,” said Emhoff. “We are literally on the front lines protecting the rest of our fellow citizens from what could happen when the rule of law is ignored, abused, and taken advantage of, and that’s why lawyers have to be vigilant and prepared and ready for anything during this election season.”
Beyond preparing for the legal challenges anticipated post-election, UVA Law Democrats are also rallying behind voter protection and efforts to get out the vote.
The Virginia Democratic and Republican parties are both running major poll-watching campaigns for the November General Election. While similar in theory, the impetus and rhetoric around the volunteer drives diverges.
On the Republican side, state and national leaders are calling for poll watchers to protect election integrity and continue to peddle the claim that the 2020 presidential election was “stolen” from former president Donald Trump. The Virginia Democratic Party has also committed to election integrity, but does not deny the outcome of the last presidential election. The VDP Voter Protection Team, which includes poll watchers and phonebankers, emphasizes the importance of ensuring that voters are able to exercise their legal right to vote and combat misinformation and disinformation around the election.
“We’re going to continue to have these voter protection and election events through November 4 … and we’re going to be getting out the vote,” says Kirk Wolff, a second-year law student and vice president of UVA Law Democrats.
The student organization—which relaunched five weeks prior to the event with Emhoff—has rapidly rallied support on Grounds. According to Wolff and Law Democrats President Miles Cooper, more than 230 students have joined the group and there was a lengthy waitlist for the September 25 event.
“We [Cooper and Wolff] have a lot of close friends who are Republicans, and we saw that they were organizing Law Republicans, and we just couldn’t believe that there was nothing happening on Grounds for Democrats,” says Cooper.
While Cooper is excited by the energy around Law Democrats and the Harris-Walz campaign, he also hopes to rally more energy for 5th District congressional candidate Gloria Witt in the weeks leading up to the election.
“I think there’s a really, really great chance to send Witt to the House,” he says. “You can make a huge difference here. … If [Harris and Walz] don’t have the House and the Senate, it will impede their ability to execute the New Way Forward agenda. … It’s a team effort. That’s the way our founders envisioned it, and so we have to make sure that we send a really good team.”
Criminal and disciplinary charges have been dropped against protesters arrested
at UVA on May 4. Photo by Eze Amos.
Charges against student protesters arrested May 4 have been dropped, but the University of Virginia continues to grapple with protections for and restrictions on freedom of speech. While celebrating its status as the No.1 campus for free speech in the nation, UVA is cracking down on students’ ability to demonstrate on Grounds.
Prior to the start of fall semester, the university updated its rules governing “demonstrations and access to shared spaces” on Grounds. Through these changes, UVA has not only deemed any form of encampment against university policy, but outlined a willingness to escalate to trespass warnings and arrest for noncompliance.
Key changes to demonstration policy include: expanding the definition of the Academical Village, which is subject to additional demonstration restrictions; banning outdoor events on Grounds, including demonstrations, between 2 and 6am; prohibiting camping, with or without a tent, in outdoor spaces; prohibiting sleeping outside between midnight and 6am; and requiring any person wearing a face covering to provide identification if requested by a UVA official.
Students who fail to comply with UVA policy after being informed of a violation can face disciplinary action including “the issuance of an interim suspension by Student Affairs and a trespass warning by law enforcement. Failure to abide by the trespass warning will result in arrest. Every reasonable effort will be made to resolve the matter at the lowest possible level without the involvement of law enforcement.”
UVA’s policies on protests, demonstrations, and gatherings on university property, which include potential consequences for policy violations, can be found at freespeech.virginia.edu/policies-regulations.
Earlier this month, UVA officials demonstrated a willingness to both enforce these new policies and call university police for peaceful noncompliance. According to The Daily Progress, on September 12, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs Marsh Pattie informed students on the Lawn making signs calling for divestment that their use of a folding table violated policy, and asked a student wearing a mask to provide ID.
When the student did not identify themself, Pattie threatened to contact university police. The situation deescalated when the student left the area and the table was taken down. The table was briefly set up again in front of a Lawn room with the permission of its resident, but was deconstructed again when Pattie returned with another official.
In the midst of the implementation of new rules and a crackdown on peaceful organizing, UVA was named the top college for free speech in the nation on September 5 by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.
“FIRE considered several factors, including students’ perceived ability to have difficult conversations, their comfort expressing views on controversial topics and perceptions of their administration’s support for free speech,” wrote University News Senior Associate Jane Kelly in a UVAToday article highlighting the announcement. “The top-ranked colleges have the highest average score among all students surveyed and have the most open environments for free speech.”
For student and faculty organizers, the announcement, and UVA’s public celebration of free speech on Grounds, was deeply ironic.
“If they’re so proud of [the FIRE ranking], then I think [UVA] should roll back the new protest guidelines and start to really listen to faculty and students,” said Laura Goldblatt, assistant professor and faculty liaison for pro-Palestine student protesters, in an interview with C-VILLE. “If they’re so proud of their rankings, then they should follow through on the actions that those rankings might require of them. Instead of using them as a publicity tool, they should use them as a way to guide their decisions about policy.”
Calculated through more than 58,000 surveys, FIRE’s 2025 College Free Speech Rankings considered data collected from students between January 25 and June 17 this year. Beyond surveys, schools were not further penalized for actions related to encampment protests, according to Chief Research Advisor Sean Stevens.
“This decision was made because many schools were likely dealing with a complicated mix of protected and unprotected speech, so accurately adjudicating each individual incident that may or may not have made one of our databases would’ve been impossible,” said Stevens in an email. He further highlighted a footnote from the report, noting that, “The impact of the encampment protests on the campus speech climate is captured by responses to survey questions that ask students about their confidence that their college administration protects speech rights on campus, their comfort expressing controversial political views, and how frequently they self-censor. Deplatformings that occurred during the encampment protests were also still included in the calculation of the 2025 College Free Speech Rankings.”
Laura Beltz, director of policy reform for FIRE, said UVA’s updated demonstration policies will be reviewed as part of the nonprofit’s annual speech code report in January.
The 12-story Verve is one of two large student apartment buildings planned for construction within close proximity to the University of Virginia.
Photo via ESG Architecture and Design.
The governing body of the area’s largest landowner will meet this week with five new members, at least one of whom has significant experience in real estate. Governor Glenn Youngkin’s latest appointees to the University of Virginia’s Board of Visitors begin their terms at a time when two private, recently approved student developments are moving toward construction and while UVA seeks to provide more housing for students.
“UVA has committed to expanding its current first-year residency requirement to require all first- and second-year students to live on-Grounds while enrolled at UVA to better support students in their transition to University life, and as residents of the broader Charlottesville community,” reads a May 2024 solicitation for firms to partner to build the housing.
At the same time, two large private developments near UVA continue to make their way through the finer details of the city’s permitting process.
On Tuesday, the Charlottesville Planning Commission formally approved a site plan for the Verve, a 12-story student apartment building to be constructed in the heart of central Grounds. Several dozen apartments at the intersection of Jefferson Park Avenue and Emmet Street will soon be demolished to make way for the new building, which will have 442 units, according to the site plan.
City Council approved a rezoning in January for the Verve despite opposition from UVA officials, who argued the tall building would diminish UVA’s architectural character. The plans were submitted in time to qualify under the city’s old zoning rules, which required significantly fewer units to be designated as affordable. In this case, the developer will contribute $6.8 million to the city’s affordable housing fund rather than build units that are price-controlled.
Earlier this month, the Charlottesville City Council granted approval of another technical step for a 10-story student apartment building at 2117 Ivy Rd. that was approved under the old rules. That project comes with a $3.25 million contribution to the city’s affordable housing fund and required council action to waive a requirement to build sidewalks on all road fronts.
“The waiver request is only for the easternmost portion of the property’s frontage on Copeley Road,” said Dannan O’Connell, a city planner. He added that they will build sidewalks on Ivy Road and a portion of Copeley Road.
Meanwhile, UVA is planning to build up to 2,000 bedrooms for undergraduate students at both the former University Gardens as well as on Ivy Road. The Afghan Kabob restaurant will be demolished to make way for what UVA calls the Emmet North site.
Because UVA owns those parcels of land, the city will not collect property tax revenue but they will for both the Verve and 2117 Ivy Rd. UVA officials want the first units to come online for the fall of 2027.
One of the new members of the Board of Visitors is David F. Webb of Virginia Beach, whose day job is vice chair of development firm CBRE’s Capital Markets Group. Webb is now a member of the Buildings and Grounds Committee, which will meet on Thursday. One item on their agenda is a discussion of student housing.
Football season is off to an electric start at the University of Virginia. Despite a two-hour severe-weather delay, the Cavaliers maintained momentum in their August 31 season opener, and beat the University of Richmond 34-13.
Before kick-off, UVA held a moment of silence to honor Lavel Davis, D’Sean Perry, and Devin Chandler, who were killed in a November 13, 2022, shooting on Grounds. Former UVA running back Mike Hollins was also injured in the shooting, and returned for his final season with the Cavaliers last fall. Members of the Perry and Hollins families stood on the field for the coin toss.
The Hoos were strong out the gate, quickly shutting down the Spiders’ initial drive and immediately scoring a touchdown on their first possession. Starting quarterback Anthony Colandrea had an impressive showing alongside Trell Harris, Jack Griese, and Malachi Fields.
After the weather delay, the Cavaliers returned to the field and closed out the game with gusto, avoiding a repeat of last year’s post-monsoon loss to James Madison University.
The win was a welcome departure for the Hoos, who finished the 2023 season 3-9, tied for second worst in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
In addition to celebrating the team’s victory, fans at Scott Stadium also cheered the return of the “Adventures of Cavman” before kick-off. The beloved pre-game show is back in two-dimensional, stylized animation.
“I really appreciate the students and the fans that came back [after the weather delay],” said UVA Head Coach Tony Elliott in a post-game media conference. “Two hours and 18 minutes in a pretty bad storm, and a lot of folks decided to come back. … We wanna fill the entire stadium.”
The UVA football team’s next test comes September 7 on the road against Wake Forest, with kickoff scheduled for 7pm.
More guidelines
Photo by Sanjay Suchak.
The University of Virginia has suspended admissions and historical tours by the University Guide Service amid accusations of overly critical and “woke” content. The suspension of UGS was announced August 28, and is expected to extend through the fall semester.
While UVA has not connected the halt of UGS tours with the condemnations by conservative alumni organizations like The Jefferson Council, statements to various media outlets and UGS itself indicate tour content was an element in the decision. The organization is currently working with the administration to create a semester training plan that would allow UGS to resume tours in spring of 2025.
“The justification for these suspensions is based on the Administration’s view that UGS is failing to fulfill its delegated functions, particularly in terms of reliability and tour quality,” said UGS in a statement posted on social media. “We are continuing our work with administrators … so long as this relationship does not harm our ability to share an honest and complete account of UVA and its history.”
According to a statement to The New York Times, fall semester tours will be run by paid student interns hired by UVA.
Pride time
After a summer of celebrations in other cities, it’s finally time for the Charlottesville Pride Festival. This year’s festivities at Ting Pavilion will run from noon to 7:30pm on Saturday, September 7, with highlights including live music, food, and drag performances. The event is open to all ages, though drag shows may include adult content. For more details and a timeline of events, check out @charlottesvillepride on Instagram.
Medaling at Paris Paralympics
Across the pond, two Hoos had a stellar showing at the 2024 Paralympics. Fourth-year rower Sky Dahl, who will continue competing for the Cavaliers this fall, won a silver medal for Team USA in the PR3 mixed four with coxswain on September 1. UVA Law alum Matt Simpson played on the U.S. goalball team, which was knocked out by defending champions Japan in the quarterfinals.
Race days
Local athletes were off to the races over the weekend: The Charlottesville Women’s Four Miler and Cal Tri triathlon were held August 31 and September 1, respectively. More than 1,200 competitors completed the 42nd annual Women’s Four Miler—the event raised over $52,000 for the UVA Breast Care Center this year. Charlottesville’s Cleo Boyd, 31, took first place for the third straight year, with a time of 22:07.35. In the triathlon, almost 200 participants competed, and 51-year-old Bill Deaton won with a time of 1:07:41.
Completion of The Flats at West Village 10 years ago marked a new era for the West Main Street corridor—one that included students and paved the way for more residential units in the area. Staff photo.
With the University of Virginia back in session next week, students are returning to Charlottesville—including the several hundred who live at 852 W. Main St. The first residents of the building known as The Flats at West Village moved in 10 years ago, beginning a trend of students moving into an area where they had not previously lived.
Riverbend Development and an out-of-town group took the project through the approval process in December 2012, during which City Council voted 4-1 on a special use permit to allow the building to be eight stories high and to have up to 595 bedrooms. Councilor Dede Smith voted against the permit that night, arguing that the project would have negative impacts on surrounding neighborhoods.
“Charlottesville was told that a large student complex on West Main would moderate rents across town, stimulate a vibrant mixed-use community, and reintegrate Westhaven and Fifeville into Main Street,” Smith says. “Unfortunately, few, if any, of these benefits have occurred.”
The current owner is an entity called Madison Loft LLC that purchased the property in November 2016 for $77.5 million. Previous structures on the property were automotive in nature, reflecting the role West Main Street played in the 20th century.
Since people began living at the Flats, the city has collected $6.35 million in taxes, with a bill this year of $821,143.96. The property is now managed by Asset Living, one of the largest property maintenance firms in the United States.
The Flats was followed by what’s now called The Lark on West Main and The Standard at Charlottesville, adding more students and millions more in tax revenue.
Previous zoning on the property required the ground floors to be commercial, but that has not been a total success. The Flats opened with a restaurant called World of Beer that folded before the pandemic, and the space was vacant for many years until Mejicali recently opened. The convenience store next door has been the only permanent fixture, but another retail space on the ground floor has never had an occupant.
The same is true across the street at the Standard, where two retail spaces sit vacant. The retail space at the Lark is currently occupied by Devil’s Backbone Backyard after two similar businesses failed at the location.
Other buildings constructed to the east include the former Quirk Hotel (now The Doyle Hotel), the Marriott Residence Inn, and the apartment complex at 600 W. Main St. that preserved Blue Moon Diner. That project also has a retail space that has proved difficult to keep rented.
More buildings constructed on West Main will not need approval from the city council because the new zoning code allows taller heights without special permission. Residential density is unlimited, but the new rules require 10 percent of units to be affordable to households or individuals whose incomes are 60 percent below the area median income.
Meanwhile, UVA is moving ahead with plans to build new residence halls for second-year students as part of an initiative to house more people on Grounds. This spring, the Office of Facilities Management asked firms to submit qualifications to build up to 2,000 new bedrooms either on Ivy Road or Emmet Street. The bid documents state that UVA would like those units to be in place by the fall of 2027.
Charlottesville resident Rachel Drame has been charged with arson of an unoccupied structure in connection with an August 11 fire at Vocelli Pizza.
The fire caused approximately $30,000 in damage to the pizzeria, and investigators with the Albemarle County Fire Marshal office quickly determined the blaze was suspicious after first responders found the storefront and nearby trash cans aflame. If convicted of the class four felony, Drame faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $100,000.
While she was originally arrested the day of the fire on charges of public intoxication, Drame was released on recognizance, according to the Virginia Court Case Information System. She was then arrested in connection with the arson on August 15 and is being held without bond at Albemarle Charlottesville Regional Jail.
Separate hearings have been set for the public intoxication and arson charges, and no connection between the offenses has been made as of press time. Drame’s next appearance in connection with the pizzeria fire is scheduled for 10:30am on August 28.
According to a post on the pizzeria’s Facebook, Vocelli Pizza will remain closed until repairs are completed. A timeline for reopening has not yet been announced.
Weekend availability
The Emergency Food Network is now open on Saturdays, according to an August 16 press release.
Open since 1973, EFN provides free food to Charlottesville and Albemarle residents. Those in need can contact the nonprofit at 979-9180 between 9am and noon on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday for same-day food pick up at 900 Harris St. from 1:30 to 3:30pm.
“Since the expiration of increased pandemic SNAP benefits, demand for our services has been at capacity and we knew we needed to do more,” said EFN Board Chair Miette Michie. “A weekend day may be more convenient for those in need who are working weekday hours.”
Beyond food, EFN also provides personal hygiene products and cleaning supplies on request. The nonprofit does not require any financial information from those in need to receive donations.
For more about EFN, visit emergencyfoodnetwork.org.
Carjacking arrests
Charlottesville City Police have arrested two people in connection with a carjacking that occurred on August 14. The incident took place at approximately 10:08pm in the area of 7 ½ and Pine streets, with initial reports indicating a firearm was involved. Officers located the stolen vehicle, which was occupied by multiple people, the next morning in the 600 block of Cherry Avenue. A local juvenile and an 18-year-old from Chester County were arrested after attempting to flee the vehicle. Officers also recovered a replica firearm during the investigation. CPD asks that anyone with information contact Crime Stoppers at 977-4000.
Knighthood
In addition to a new name, Buford Middle School (soon to be Charlottesville Middle School) is getting a new mascot next fall, according to an August 16 press release from Charlottesville City Schools. After conducting two community surveys, CCS selected the Young Knights as the new mascot. Both the mascot and new name officially go into effect in fall of 2025.
Move-in madness
The University of Virginia’s move-in is in full-swing this week, with the bulk of first-year students set to arrive on August 22 and 23. Locals looking to dodge the chaos should avoid the UVA area, especially Alderman and McCormick roads. Upperclassmen move-in continues throughout the weekend, so make sure to finish any grocery store runs before Thursday if you want to avoid the out-of-town and student traffic.
