At press time, more than 840,000 visits were made to c-ville.com, with over 4,230 views of our September story on closings at Dairy Market, including Jonathan Wright's 434th Street.
With this issue, C-VILLE wraps up its 2024 news coverage. What follows is a glimpse at our top news stories of the year, according to Google Analytics.
Big changes in the works at Dairy Market
September 4 A popular topic for C-VILLE readers (it made our top 10 list in 2023, too), changes at Dairy Market was our most-viewed news story of 2024. Specifically, the mass exodus of restaurants from the food hall. While some of the market’s future plans have come to fruition (including the much-anticipated free parking), more new vendors are expected in the coming months.
Updates on the construction and detours at Hydraulic Road and Route 29
July 17 Construction stories were top of mind for many this year, with more than 2,700 viewers checking our online update of the Virginia Department of Transportation’s work on Hydraulic Road and Route 29. VDOT Project Manager Will Stowe recently told us he does not have data yet, but notes anecdotally, “We still occasionally see some confusion from drivers at the [Hydraulic Road] roundabout, but drivers are getting the hang of it.”
Tim Kaine and Hung Cao talk policy and priorities
October 30 Ahead of Election Day, C-VILLE swapped emails with longtime Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine and challenger Hung Cao about their respective platforms. Kaine won his third U.S. Senate term by a margin of 8.2 percent. In a weird update, the Associated Press shows only 96 percent of precincts reporting results at the time of this writing (December 12).
UVA frat expelled, others suspended
May 1 Written by C-VILLE contributor Matt Dhillon, this story recapped the (then) latest on fraternities in hot water following a hazing investigation. Since the expulsion of Pi Kappa Alpha in April, two more fraternities have had their fraternal charters terminated: Kappa Sigma and Theta Chi. Sigma Alpha Mu’s suspension is set to expire on January 5, just before the start of rush.
Quirk Hotel to undergo rebrand following $24 million sale
May 8 The former Quirk Hotel, now called The Doyle, was rebranded in the wake of its sale in April. Since our original coverage, new owner Blue Suede Hospitality Group has expanded its portfolio to eight properties—doubling its locations after purchasing the Charlottesville hotel.
A seat on the Albemarle County School Board is up for grabs in upcoming special election
September 25 In other election news, many C-VILLE readers checked out our coverage of the special election for the Rio seat on the Albemarle County School Board. Though former-appointee Chuck Pace won, he’ll be campaigning again soon—the same seat will return to the ballot as regularly scheduled in November 2025.
VDOT removes left-turn lanes from Hydraulic Road onto Route 29
August 23 Always interested in construction news, readers logged on for our August update on the removal of left-turn lanes at the busy intersection of Hydraulic and 29. No formal data about improved traffic flow has been released, but Stowe told C-VILLE that VDOT has “observed better throughput and reduced travel times on all approaches … due to additional green time.” He also shared that the installation of remaining pedestrian signals at the crossing is almost complete, with work slated to wrap up in late December or early January. Construction of a pedestrian bridge in the same area will continue into fall 2026.
Changes at IX Art Park
February 7 Early this year, Dhillon also took a look at changes in the works at IX Art Park. Since his dive into the skeleton crew running the park, IX has undergone a variety of updates (including the stylistic change of its name from Ix to IX).
UVA withholds degrees from students arrested at encampment
June 18 The University of Virginia made headlines for its reaction to protesters when it withheld degrees from some graduating students arrested at the pro-Palestine encampment. All of the withheld degrees have now been conferred and backdated, but not without public pressure and stress for impacted students. Despite continued organizing by pro-Palestine student groups, UVA has not met demands for divestment or disclosure.
House of Delegates committee advances resolutions calling for constitutional amendments
November 20 A late entry to this list, C-VILLE’s review of three potential state constitutional amendments, and the amendment process, was popular with readers in recent weeks. Even if the legislature passes the suggested amendments during its 30-day session starting on January 8, the earliest any of the items could make it on the ballot is November 2026.
Sentara must comply with DOJ demands
March 27 Returning to a story she’s been following for years, former C-VILLE news editor Lisa Provence highlighted recent discoveries in the Department of Justice investigation into Sentara Health. Updates have been scarce since March, but the investigation into Sentara’s insurance rate hikes is ongoing.
More than 600,000 visitors have been to Shannon Library since March, according to UVA Library records. Supplied photo.
By Merrill Hart
After a nearly four-year closure for renovations, Shannon Library has re-established itself as the University of Virginia’s main study spot. This December marks a full academic year since five floors of expanded seating and a grilled cheese café joined historic reading rooms and the checkered entrance hall students first crossed back in 1938.
UVA Library employees say community use of the space has held steady over the year, with about 635,000 visitors recorded since March. That’s more than twice the foot traffic that neighboring Clemons Library saw in the same time period.
Few, if any, current UVA undergraduates had the chance to explore the main library, formerly known as Alderman, before it closed its doors in 2020. Elyse Girard, executive director of communications and user experience for university libraries, describes Alderman as “kind of a sad space to go into”—with much fewer windows than it has now.
“I just love how much light is in the building and how open and inviting it is [now],” Girard says. “I was only at the library a couple months before it closed, and it was just dark and dingy and hard to navigate.”
Public Services Manager Will Wyatt, who started working at UVA libraries as an undergraduate in 2014, agreed the old library felt dark. Standing at 6-feet, 4-inches, he would often brush against low ceilings during visits to the library’s pre-renovation cramped stacks.
But certain nooks always felt like home. When Wyatt’s family came to Charlottesville for his 2017 graduation, he proudly walked them through Alderman’s walnut-paneled McGregor Room, known affectionately as the “Harry Potter Room.” Today, the space features the same vintage feel, updated with new windows and shelving.
“That’s an affectionate place in my heart,” says Wyatt. “That’s still a room that gets a lot of gasps from people.”
The mix of old and new echoes creative efforts to reframe resources for an increasingly digital era. After a lengthy moving process, the library now houses 1.2 million books—roughly 12 miles worth of shelf space. Online platforms like Virgo have seen increased usage, according to Girard, and staff continue monitoring the evolving use of space and services. Instead of visiting only to check out books, students often come to Shannon to study together, Wyatt observed.
“I do feel that in this iteration of the building, there are more spaces that are conducive to collaboration and teamwork, and I see them being used for that quite frequently,” Wyatt says.
Shannon also houses the Scholars’ Lab Makerspace, an interactive facility on the third floor that connects users with electronics, crafting, laser-cutting and 3D-printing. Makerspace manager Ammon Shepherd says the move from Clemons to Shannon has increased interest in user-led projects, which range from surgeons printing heart models to students designing elaborate Halloween costumes. The Makerspace plans to host 40 community events next semester.
With all the buzz, one question still lingers for some Shannon enthusiasts: Where is talking allowed? Unlike Clemons, where each floor requires a different decibel level, Shannon opened with no rules.
While the library has not enforced noise norms because staff are still figuring out how each space is being used, Wyatt says certain rooms already have unspoken conventions.
“The McGregor Room has always been, you know, you’re gonna get a death glare if you step too hard in there,” he says.
A rendering by the firm Diamond Schmitt shows the proposed Center for the Arts (right) fleshing out the Emmet/Ivy Corridor with the School of Data Science immediately to the south. Image via University of Virginia.
As the University of Virginia continues to expand onto Ivy Road, its new buildings are creating a new urban fabric for the public institution’s footprint in Charlottesville. On December 5, a committee of the Board of Visitors reviewed a preliminary design for the proposed Center for the Arts, and recommended a smaller building.
“You’re dealing here with a welcoming site to the university,” said John Nau, chair of the Buildings and Grounds Committee.
The Center for the Arts would be located in the northeast corner of the Emmet/Ivy Corridor. As presented, the building would house the 1,200-seat Richard and Tessa Ader Performing Arts Center and serve as the new home of The Fralin Museum of Art and the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection. The Department of Music would also move to the site, freeing up space for other UVA uses at Old Cabell Hall.
“The Center for the Arts will have an internal promenade on the ground floor that builds on the design guidelines of the previous buildings developed in the Emmet Ivy District,” said Gary McCluskie, an architect with the Toronto-based firm Diamond Schmitt, which has been hired to design the arts center.
Those buildings are the School of Data Science, the Virginia Guesthouse hotel, and the Karsh Institute of Democracy. One rendering shown to the Buildings and Grounds Committee depicted the possibility of films being screened on media walls above the entrance to the theater.
Nau expressed concern that those media screens might distract people at the busy intersection of Emmet Street, Ivy Road, and University Avenue.
“I have seen traffic come to a halt around sporting venues around the country that use these screens,” Nau said.
The project has an internal budget of $315 million. Nau and others questioned the scale and asked whether the center is something UVA really needs to build. Another committee member asked for updated financial projections to see if the center would provide revenue by attracting shows that currently don’t have an appropriate venue in the greater community.
While part of the funding for the center comes from a $50 million donation by the Aders, the bulk of the project might depend on a $200 million capital funding request made to Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and the General Assembly. UVA’s Senior Vice President for Operations and State Government Relations Colette Sheehy said Richmond has already authorized pre-planning work as well as given the green light to proceed with design.
“That is normally a signal from them that they are going to support the construction,” Sheehy said.
UVA President Jim Ryan said the project has been in the works for a long time. The building’s large size is comparable to what’s being built nearby, he said, and the structure would hide the Lewis Mountain parking garage. Ryan also noted that moving The Fralin would allow that building to serve as a new entrance for the School of Architecture, which is currently tucked away from public sight.
“I don’t know if you’ve ever tried to get to the architecture school but if we wanted to create a secret spot for architecture, we succeeded,” Ryan said.
Earlier in the meeting, the committee also approved amending UVA’s Major Capital Plan to add $160 million for the construction of three residential buildings at the western end of the Emmet Ivy District. BOV member Bert Ellis was the lone vote against doing so because he said UVA needs to cut spending.
Resilience coach Renee Branson encourages renegade resilience—the ability to pick your battles and avoid situations where you’re forced to repeatedly overcome trauma. Photo by Eze Amos.
Renee Branson considered herself a resilient person. She suffered a sexual assault in her late teens but soldiered on. She earned a bachelor’s degree at Ohio State University and a master’s in counseling psychology at the University of Colorado Denver. She built an outwardly happy home life and went into business helping others overcome their own adversity.
But things began to slip. Branson’s first marriage failed. She was inwardly unhappy. Finally, decades after her initial trauma, she realized she was the wrong kind of resilient. She was practicing what she calls “Rocky resilience” in her new book, Resilience Renegade.
“I was operating from this place of constantly living with my boxing gloves on. It was self-sabotaging,” Branson says. “I realized there was a different way to operate.”
Branson, who grew up in Ohio but has lived and worked in Charlottesville for the past 14 years, discovered what she now calls “renegade resilience.” Unlike Rocky resilience, renegade resilience is the ability to pick your battles and avoid situations where you’re forced to repeatedly overcome trauma. It’s the ability to listen to your needs and stand up for them. It’s being proactive rather than reactive.
Branson isn’t the only therapist or researcher thinking about resilience. While the concept traditionally falls under the umbrella of psychological constructs like “emotional regulation” and “cognitive flexibility,” and has taken a backseat to buzzword attributes like “grit,” resilience is having its moment. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, more and more people are thinking about the ways we bounce back from trauma. And in November, the peer-reviewed journal American Psychologist published a special issue on the topic, “Rethinking Resilience and Posttraumatic Growth,” that “aims to provide a foundation for a new generation of resilience … research.”
Among other things, the journal’s special issue takes on the definition of the term resilience, examining it in the context of community support, systemic societal issues, and the way it’s been studied for decades.
“The general advice I would offer anyone who is thinking about resilience, self control, or other psychological processes is to try to avoid the fundamental attribution error,” says Benjamin Converse, an associate professor of public policy and psychology at the University of Virginia. “That is, we have a general tendency to try to explain people’s behavior by appealing to personality while neglecting the power of social situations.”
Understanding resilience
According to Stefanie Sequeira, an assistant professor of psychology at UVA, people tend to observe others who bounce back from tragedy and think of them as being intrinsically resilient.
“Resilience is this process of adapting well when we are facing adversity—health problems, natural disasters, relationship problems,” Sequeira says. “Adapting requires flexibility, but that is a skill we can develop. Resilience is not a personality trait.”
Thinking of resilience as something we’re born with can actually do us harm, Sequeira says. The mindset might make people decide they are incapable of adapting to hardship and thriving, or that resilient folks don’t feel things deeply. Sequeira says being resilient doesn’t mean you don’t experience negative emotions. Indeed, experiencing sadness is critical for resilience.
In the introductory article to the recent special issue of American Psychologist, the editors likewise call resilience “the ability to adapt successfully to adverse events.” The guest editors go on to say that resilience springs from two sources: both the psychological and social resources within individuals and communities.
Bethany Teachman, the UVA psych department’s director of clinical training, says that part of the conversation today is recognizing that individual actors are often less important than the systems making things difficult for them. In other words, clinicians never put the onus on their patients to solve all their problems or be resilient on their own. “We want to say, ‘you are trying to navigate the system you are in,’ as opposed to saying, ‘this a weakness in you that you are struggling with,’” Teachman says.
According to Teachman, current events like the COVID pandemic, global wars, and the recent U.S. election make overcoming adversity as ubiquitous as ever in clinical psychology. At the end of the day, clinicians help people navigate the hard things in life, and resilience is key for overcoming challenging emotions, relationships, and situations.
Thinking of resilience as something we’re born with can actually do us harm, says Stefanie Sequeira, an assistant professor of psychology at UVA. Photo by Eze Amos.
Enhancing resilience
If resilience is a systemic phenomenon, anyone—from young people to adults—can grow their resilience. For parents, that might mean giving children the “right scaffolding to work through problems,” Teachman says. At the same time, an overprotective environment can hinder resilience development.
Adults who may have failed to develop the social systems necessary to enhance resilience aren’t stuck. Teachman offers several approaches, such as practicing mindfulness during hard times: gain control of your attention, be aware of what you are focusing on, and recognize that you can change your focus rather than being reactive. “That leads people to develop the acceptance they need,” Teachman says.
Clinicians often use motivational interviewing to overcome trauma. If patients feel unsure about whether or how to make a change, the clinician’s job is to help them recognize their desires, abilities, reasons, and needs. (Teachman suggests remembering the acronym DARN.) Through motivational interviewing, individuals facing adversity can find that they want to make a change and have the ability to make a change, why they should change, and the support they require to make it all happen.
Resilience can also be built on what Teachman calls “behavioral activation,” or recognizing that you are overwhelmed, taking small steps to re-engage, and finding pleasure in small rewards. Cognitive reappraisal is another technique. Say you want to be resilient after being fired from your job. The resilient person focuses on taking action on the opportunity, rather than dwelling on why the hardship happened.
“You want to look at the ways you are withdrawing from a situation or avoiding it and re-engage, even if it is a small step,” Teachman says. “It could be as simple as calling a friend.”
Still, it’s difficult to tell yourself simply to change the way you feel, Sequeira says. Folks suffering from anxiety can’t just stop being anxious. Clinicians must therefore find ways to help their patients embrace change, notice “thinking traps,” and avoid catastrophizing. “It can be helpful to think about times you have felt like this before and how you bounced back” from adversity, Sequeira says.
Branson suggests considering what is physically happening to your body in times of stress. If you’re having a difficult interaction with a colleague or loved one, tell yourself that your cortisol levels are high and you can do things to lower them—practice a slow breathing technique, step away from the immediate conversation, or simply take a walk.
Community resilience
Like individuals, communities can be resilient. So, how do you know if you live in a resilient community? Branson says she sees evidence of Charlottesville’s resilience, but she also sees room for improvement. “We could be more brave and more proactive versus reactive,” she says.
Branson has transitioned from a traditional therapy practice to working with law firms and other organizations, including nonprofits, in recent years. In her work, she’s found people throughout the C’ville community who provide the services needed to help people be resilient.
But as it is for individuals, resilience is not a have-it-or-don’t-have-it phenomenon in communities, Branson says. It lies on a continuum.
“One of the things I say in my book is that resilience has several levers,” she says. “We might have times when one lever for resilience is low. For me, after the election, my ability to self-soothe was low. So I am trying to push up the lever on that while also building connections.”
Sequeira points out that research shows loneliness is detrimental to our health, and people are struggling with isolation now more than ever due to remote work and social media. To be more resilient, she says we have to “make social connections, develop relationships, find other people in the community that share the same values as you.” Community groups can not only be a source of support, but they can also give one a sense of purpose.
Parents can help guide the social systems needed to build resilience in their children, Sequeira says. Resilience keys for young people include sticking to a routine, having a sense of control, and meeting small, achievable goals—not to mention sound nutrition, hydration, and sleep.
“Teens want control, they want agency,” Sequeira says. “They are supposed to be departing from their parents and want to feel like they have some control over their environment. So for example, instead of telling teens, ‘you need sleep,’ you might ask them, ‘how are you sleeping and how is that making you feel?’” Taking a break from social media and avoiding behaviors that are “mood congruent,” like listening to sad songs when you’re sad, are also good ideas.
In soliciting articles about resilience, the American Psychologist special issue editors found several recurring themes in the research, including reimagining ways to conceptualize adversity, how we study resilience, and pathways for enhancing resilience. But what emerges most often is how we think about resilience for marginalized communities.
Teachman points out that there are some groups, such as people of color and the LGBTQ+ community, that are repeatedly put into situations where they face adversity and attack. Those people are more likely to develop psychological issues as a result of trauma, according to Teachman, but they are also among the most likely to develop resilience.
“I think it is a really important group to highlight,” she says. “There are costs to being resilient all the time. We can’t just teach people how to cope and think that will solve all their problems.”
Bethany Teachman, the UVA psych department’s director of clinical training, says clinicians never put the onus on their patients to solve all their problems or be resilient on their own. Photo by Eze Amos.
Rethinking resilience
Can a person have too much resilience? Like so many things in clinical psychology, the answer depends on term definition. “You cannot overdose on resilience, but there might be times when you see yourself as a highly resilient person, and that can get in the way,” Sequeira says.
Some of the clients Sequeira has worked with say they feel invalidated by the word resilience. It sounds like an individual-level skill, and they’re turned off by the idea that they just have to cope with all the bad things in their lives.
For her part, Branson doesn’t completely discount Rocky resilience, the ability to take punches and stagger back up. We need Rocky resilience. But for folks in marginalized communities, being resilient becomes too heavy a burden after so many knockdowns.
Renegade resilience, on the other hand, is a long-term solution.
“We have to put ourselves first and nurture our own needs,” Branson says. “When it really started resonating with me, both in my own life as a survivor and working with other survivors, was when I realized resilience is what sustains us.”
So often, we feel like life is about getting past whatever is plaguing us. Maybe it is a severe trauma, or maybe it’s just that ever-present feeling that “as soon as I get through this week, things will slow down.” Branson says that’s no way to live.
Think about the way the heart works, she suggests. Your heart relies on valves to keep certain things in and other things out. In the world of renegade resilience, those valves are “boundaries and vulnerability.” Our boundaries tell the world what is and what is not okay. Our vulnerability allows us to stay open to social connections and be our authentic selves.
“Renegade resilience is something that we don’t have to wait for; it is something we can start to practice now,” Branson says. “We don’t jump out of a plane, then make sure our parachute is buckled up. Prioritizing ourselves is one of the most generous things we can do.”
Four organizations have expressed interest in operating a new grocery store at 501 Cherry Ave., the site of the former Estes IGA supermarket. Photo by Eze Amos.
Fresh ideas
The Cherry Avenue Grocery Community and Stakeholder Engagement Project held its fourth and final Buy Back the Block event on December 9, unveiling both the results of its survey and the names of parties interested in owning and operating a grocery store at 501 Cherry Ave.
The development is on the site of the former Estes IGA supermarket, and is a collaboration between Woodard Properties and Piedmont Housing Alliance. In addition to space for a grocery store and the Music Resource Center, the project is also slated to include two apartment buildings with one-, two-, and three-bedroom affordable units.
Current plans have the development applying for a certificate of occupancy in 2027.
More than 500 people completed the survey, with 75 percent indicating they would shop at a grocery store at 501 Cherry Ave. Top priorities of respondents in selecting a grocery store were proximity to home and work, selection of fresh food, and low prices. Most surveyed preferred that the store be either a co-op or owned by someone with “deep roots in Fifeville or other historically Black communities in Charlottesville/Albemarle.”
If a grocery store is not possible, survey respondents favored options like a farmers’ market, child-care facility, or nonprofit community center. Many meeting attendees said a grocery store is still their preferred choice, and they would like additional details before moving forward with any alternative.
Beyond the survey results, those who were at the event also heard from Fifeville Neighborhood Association President Carmelita Wood about potential groups interested in owning and operating the store: Good Food Grocery, the newly formed Food Co-op steering committee, Laziz Local Produce, and Goodwill Industries.
Suit dismissed
Following the dismissal of her Title IX lawsuit last month, complainant Jane Doe reiterated to The Daily Progress her distrust in and frustration with the University of Virginia. The December 9 article details both the complaint, court proceedings, and UVA’s response.
Doe accuses a now-former professor and department head of repeated instances of sexual harassment beginning during her January 2019 study abroad program. The professor, identified as Gabriel Finder by Charlottesville DTM, resigned prior to disciplinary action, has been barred from working at UVA, and was stripped of his emeritus status.
UVA leadership was first informed of a “consensual relationship” between Doe and the professor in January 2020, at which point the Title IX office became involved. Though Doe initially claimed the relationship was consensual, she later said she had reevaluated her relationship with the professor and wanted to hold him accountable. A formal Title IX investigation was opened on March 19, 2020.
The final investigation report was not released until April 30, 2021.
In his memorandum opinion, U.S. District Judge Robert Ballou—a double Hoo and current lecturer at UVA law school—issued a summary judgment dismissing the suit. He further found the delay did not rise to the level of “deliberate indifference,” as stated in the suit, and said Doe’s on-time graduation with a 3.98 showed she was not prejudiced by UVA.
Thomas Jefferson Statue at the University of Virginia
Burnout
A December 8 fire at the University of Virginia Sigma Pi fraternity house on Virginia Avenue displaced 13 students in the middle of final exams. Charlottesville Fire Department responded to the single-structure fire around 1:30pm. The blaze caused significant structural damage, but no injuries were reported. An investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing.
What a racket
After 10 years in business, Moose’s by the Creek will close at the end of 2024, according to owners Melinda “Moose” Stargell and Amy Benson. In a December 8 Facebook post announcing the closure, they shared, “We’ve won awards, received many accolades and reviews and have cooked many meals but none of that could’ve been possible without YOU…our customers, friends and family.” At the end of the post, they teased that “something new” will be announced soon.
New road forward
In a rare show of bipartisanship, District 5 Rep. Bob Good worked with Virginia Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine to advance the creation of an emergency access road to Wintergreen. The road will be built near Milepost 9.6, connecting Laurel Springs Drive to the Blue Ridge Parkway. “Currently there is only one road in and out of Wintergreen,” said Warner in a December 5 release. “This greatly hinders the ability of first responders to get into town, and impacts public safety for all residents.”
UVA’s loss to Virginia Tech in the Commonwealth Cup means the team misses bowl eligibility for the third straight year. Photo via UVA Athletics Communications.
The University of Virginia football season came to an ignominious end November 30, when the team lost 17-37 in the Commonwealth Cup game against Virginia Tech at Lane Stadium. UVA has now ceded the cup to Virginia Tech in 19 of the last 20 matchups (UVA’s victory came in 2019 at home in Scott Stadium).
But the bigger storyline is that both teams entered the night in line to become bowl eligible. Over the last few years the NCAA has become more lax with bowl eligibility requirements in reaction to the growth and popularity of college football, meaning far more “bowl” games have come into existence. Still, the achievement of bowl eligibility is seen as a milestone.
Bowl eligibility not only means the obvious—a potential invitation to a postseason matchup—but also brings a higher expected standard of play and a new level of respect to a program as a whole. Recruits who may have previously been out of reach may now be a possibility, and a team also has a chance to show its stuff (so to speak) to the nation, helping to draw additional recruiting interest. Despite the disappointing end to their season, the Hoos have made strides from the previous two seasons under Head Coach Tony Elliott. However, without maintaining a winning (or at least even) record, and eventually achieving bowl eligibility, any progress the program has begun to enjoy may stagnate.
Speaking of stagnation (and not to be totally doom and gloom here), some important things are happening this off-season for the Hoos. First, second-year quarterback Anthony Colandrea has officially announced that he will enter the transfer portal on December 9, as many had already suspected. Additionally, Tony Muskett, who started at QB in 2023 before being replaced by Colandrea for much of the 2024 season, will become ineligible to play for the team after finishing the season as a fifth-year senior. His absence leaves UVA with no quarterback on the roster with many college snaps under his belt (backup QB Gavin Frakes started five games for New Mexico State in 2022 before transferring to UVA). That’s a big problem, one that will likely need to be addressed via the transfer portal in the offseason.
Another issue: A large number of current UVA football players are either seniors or grad students. This includes standouts like wide receiver Malachi Fields, who led the team in receptions and receiving yards, the excellent safety duo of Jonas Sanker (whose praises I’ve been singing all season long) and Corey Thomas Jr., as well as much of the current offensive and defensive lines. In addition to the losses from graduation, I also expect a handful of underclassmen to opt into the transfer portal in the coming week. This leaves Elliott with a potential turnover of 40 to 50 players going into the 2025-2026 season.
On the bright side, Fields, Sanker, Thomas Jr., and others made their way to UVA and improved it over the past few years. And they did it in a program that was in far worse shape than it is now. Who’s to say that there aren’t a few new gems coming the Hoos’ way this offseason? No matter what happens, Elliott, Offensive Coordinator Des Kitchings, and Defensive Coordinator John Rudzinski will need to put the new pieces together and keep things moving in the right direction.
Former UVA student Christopher Darnell Jones Jr. pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree murder for the fatal November 13, 2022, shooting of D’Sean Perry, Devin Chandler, and Lavel Davis Jr. on Grounds. Photos via University of Virginia.
Less than two months before the start of his trial, Christopher Darnell Jones Jr. pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree murder and seven additional charges in connection with the November 13, 2022, fatal shooting of three University of Virginia student-athletes on Grounds. New details of the incident emerged during the November 20 hearing at Albemarle County Circuit Court.
As part of the plea agreement, aggravated murder charges—which carry a mandatory sentence of life without parole—for the deaths of Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr., and D’Sean Perry have been dropped.
In Virginia, first-degree murder is a class 2 felony, with a sentencing range of 20 years to life imprisonment. While Jones also pleaded guilty to two counts of malicious wounding and five firearms charges, the commonwealth declined to prosecute those seven charges at this time.
The UVA and Charlottesville communities continue to process the information revealed during the plea hearing.
According to a proffer filed by the state, Jones was “excited and happy when he arrived at the bus,” but his mood “turned irritable after the football players arrived.”
There is no indication that Jones knew any of the victims prior to November 13, 2022. While he was briefly on the UVA football roster, his time on the team did not coincide with Chandler, Davis, Perry, or Mike Hollins, who was injured in the shooting.
Most of the people on the bus were current or former students in a theater class on its way to Washington, D.C., to see The Ballad of Emmett Till, but Jones and three other students, who were enrolled in a seminar with the same professor, were invited because there was extra space.
During the ride to D.C., Jones sat alone and texted family members, including a “cryptic message that something might happen today,” sent to his younger brother. He also sat alone at the performance.
The group of students reboarded the bus around 7:30pm to return to Grounds. Witness accounts describe the mood as “jovial,” with people chatting and Chandler playing music over the bus speakers.
Several survivors recall Jones sitting alone and “frequently looking towards the back of the bus.” Earlier in the trip back to Charlottesville he “accused another student of staring at him, but that student chose not to engage with him,” according to the filing. Another student heard Jones speaking to himself, saying things like, “I’m sorry if I offended you. I didn’t mean to offend you,” “I’ve been through so much in my life,” and “I don’t have any weapons.”
Around 8:19pm, Jones texted an adult mentor and told him to contact a criminal defense attorney who had previously represented Jones. He then wrote, “This entire trip these boys been fcking wit me… tonight I’m either going to hell or jail. I’m sorry.”
The mentor asked Jones to call him, and for his location. Rather than respond, Jones said people were “talkin about killin” and he asked the mentor to “Just tell my story. I was a good guy I never meant or initiated any harm to anyone.”
At 8:36pm, Jones sent his last message: “They not getting off this bus.”
Sitting in front of Jones, Marlee Morgan was seated next to Davis, who called his aunt to talk about the play. Perry called his mom to share his “excitement over seeing his first live play.” Chandler slept.
As the bus approached Culbreth Parking Garage two hours later, students were mostly sleeping and doing homework, with some scattered conversations. Jones and Davis briefly talked about video games.
Jones abruptly said, “Y’all been fucking with me all day,” and shot Davis “through the gap in the seats.” As other students reacted to the sound, Jones and Davis struggled in the aisle of the bus. Jones stood over Davis and shot him in the back of the head after he collapsed. Morgan was shot in the right hip during the struggle.
After shooting Davis, Jones “stalked towards the back of the bus … methodically checked each seat until he reached the back of the bus where [Perry] and [Chandler] were.” He shoved over a female student crouching by Perry, then shot Perry once.
Chandler, who had noise-canceling headphones on, was still asleep when he was shot.
While fleeing the bus, Jones passed the professor, who was trying to evacuate students, and then fell out of the bus to the ground.
Hollins and another football player had been sitting at the front of the bus and already evacuated. When Hollins realized there were still people on the bus, he went back toward the doors. As he approached, Jones exited the bus with a gun in hand. Jones shot Hollins in the back as he ran toward the parking garage for cover.
Police were on scene within minutes of the first 911 calls at 10:16pm. All three victims died from gunshot wounds to the head.
UVA went into lockdown as Jones ran through Grounds toward his car, which was parked at Scott Stadium. He tossed evidence, including a firearm, as he ran. He was arrested the next day in Henrico County.
After the shooting, police found two additional firearms—a semi-automatic pistol and a Ruger AR-15 semi-automatic rifle—in Jones’ dorm.
Though the commonwealth’s proffer offers more insights into the shooting than was previously known, UVA refuses to release the attorney general’s independent report of the incident.
In an emailed statement, UVA Deputy Spokesperson Bethanie Glover told C-VILLE, “The University’s position hasn’t changed, we are committed to release the reports at the conclusion of the criminal proceedings, which will end with sentencing.”
Jones waived his right to appeal and admitted guilt as part of the agreement, but sentencing has been left to the discretion of Judge Cheryl Higgins. Sentencing has been set for February 4 through February 7, 2025, with a pre-sentencing report scheduled for 9:30am the first day.
University of Virginia and intelligence community leaders celebrated the official launch of the National Security Data and Policy Institute on November 21. The institute is a collaboration between the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and UVA.
“My belief is that this institute also fits squarely within UVA’s longstanding condition of public service,” said university President Jim Ryan at the event, which was held at the Rotunda. “Even if Thomas Jefferson would never have imagined artificial intelligence or a field called cyber security, I believe he would have been thrilled to learn that the university he founded would play a role in protecting the freedom and safety of American citizens from new kinds of threats and challenges.”
Funded through a two-year, $20 million contract, NSDPI is the realization of a joint effort by Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines and Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee.
“We all recognize the growing importance of data in our world, and it is nowhere more important than in the intelligence community,” said Haines. “Data and our ability to manage it properly is fundamental to our work and to maintaining an advantage in an increasingly complex and interconnected global security environment, and increasingly important to our competitive edge in that environment.”
While figures vary, whatsthebigdata.com estimates that more than 320 million terabytes of data are generated every day as of 2024. For comparison, Edge Delta estimates that watching YouTube videos uploaded at 1080p generates approximately 2.5 to 4.1 gigabytes per hour—or 0.0025 to 0.0041 terabytes.
By bringing together public, private, and academic research into data analysis, the institute will employ developing technologies like artificial intelligence to identify potential national security threats. Professor Philip Potter will lead the NSDPI, drawing on his experience as founding director of the Batten School’s National Security Policy Center.
“It really takes that policy acumen and knowledge,” says Potter. Beyond the initial tasks of determining how to quantify metrics and prioritize known challenges within the intelligence community, the institute is, at its core, about building predictive models. “Our policy folks are often really good at identifying the right questions. Our data science folks are really good at knowing how to predict patterns. Bringing those two things together presents really exciting opportunities.”
A major advocate in the creation of the NSDPI, Warner emphasized both the potential for the institute to advance American intelligence-gathering capabilities and the importance of protecting the independence of the intelligence community amid the transition of power.
“The value of the intelligence community must be that it speaks truth to power, and it must speak truth to power with independence, without fear of retribution, because that’s the only way policy makers can come to a judgment that makes sense,” says Warner. “I worry at times, some of that independence may be threatened. As long as I have a seat in that room, I’m going to do everything I can to maintain that independence.”
Come January, president-elect Donald Trump has said he will appoint Tulsi Gabbard as the new Director of National Intelligence. Despite the change in leadership, Potter does not anticipate any major impacts on the NSDPI.
“Transitions are a normal part of democratic governments, and they always involve change,” says Potter. “We’re going to put our heads down. We’re going to do important work that is moving things forward for the nation and for the university, and that’ll be our process through every part of the democratic cycle.”
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.
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.
