Charlottesville Archives - The Virginia Star

Dozens of Virginia Housing Projects to be Supported by $93 Million in Loans

March 14, 2023March 13, 2023 The Center Square

The Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development is distributing more than $93 million in housing loans to support housing projects across the commonwealth that are estimated to create nearly 4,000 units for low-income and extremely low-income households, according to Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s office.

The $93 million in Affordable and Special Needs Housing loans administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development will support 57 projects in various parts of the state. In total, the projects are estimated to create 3,936 units for low-income and extremely low-income households, including 298 permanent supportive housing units, 3,825 rental units and 111 units for homeownership opportunities, according to the governor’s office.

State Senator Reeves Supporting Lawsuit over Decision to Melt Charlottesville Lee Statue

January 2, 2022January 1, 2022 Eric Burk

Senator Bryce Reeves (R-Spotsylvania) is supporting a lawsuit against the City of Charlottesville over the decision to give the Lee statue to a museum that plans to melt it. The lawsuit argues that the city didn’t have a competitive or transparent process to consider offers to take the statue, and additionally argues that melting the statue violates the spirit of state law governing monument removals. According to the lawsuit, the statue has already been delivered to a foundry and broken up, although not yet melted down.

“The City can legally remove, relocate, contextualize or cover the Lee monument, but the General Assembly denied the City authority to alter or destroy it,” the Trevillian Station Battlefield Foundation and the Ratcliffe Foundation state in the lawsuit.

Albemarle County Considers Gun Ban on County Property

July 23, 2021July 22, 2021 Eric Burk

After lengthy discussion, public hearing, and a pro-gun protest outside the Albemarle County Office Building, the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors (BOS) decided to postpone a decision on a gun ban on county property. In the board’s virtual meeting Wednesday, many public speakers spoke against the proposed ordinance, while others argued for a gun ban. But the supervisors seemed to take a more nuanced approach, discussion exemptions for concealed handgun permit holders and trying to make sure people wouldn’t accidentally violate the law.

Vice Chair Donna Price said, “One of the interesting things when you talk about weapons/guns: on either extreme there are people who believe there should be no regulations or total regulation, and both parties argue that if you don’t follow their belief, that there will either be anarchy or tyranny. And I tend not to believe either of those to be likely.”

Charlottesville Removes Lee and Jackson Statues

July 11, 2021July 10, 2021 Eric Burk

Charlottesville, Virginia – The City of Charlottesville removed two famous Confederate statues of Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson on Saturday. Workers began removing Lee shortly after 7 a.m. to a moderately sized crowd, but more people arrived later in the morning to see Jackson lifted off his pedestal and driven to storage. In a special meeting afterwards, the city council also approved removing Charlottesville’s Lewis, Clark, and Sacajawea statue; workers removed that statue after the meeting.

“Taking down this statue is one small step closer to the goal of helping Charlottesville, Virginia, and America, grapple with the sin of being willing to destroy Black people for economic gain,” Charlottesville Mayor Nikuyah Walker said in a speech before the monuments came down, according to The Associated Press.

Virginia Supreme Court Allows Charlottesville to Remove Lee and Jackson Statues

April 4, 2021April 3, 2021 Eric Burk

The Supreme Court of Virginia ruled Thursday that Charlottesville can remove a statue of Robert E. Lee and a statue of Stonewall Jackson from its parks. In February 2017, the city chose to remove the Lee statue, triggering a lawsuit. Then, in the wake of the violent Unite the Right rally, the city reaffirmed its decision to remove the Lee statue and to remove the Jackson statue as well, according to court documents.

Charlottesville Mayor Compares City to Rapist

March 27, 2021March 26, 2021 Eric Burk

Charlottesville Mayor Nikuyah Walker drew attention this week with a graphic poem on social media comparing her city to a rapist.

Warner and Gade Face off in Second Debate for Senate

October 4, 2020October 3, 2020 Eric Burk

Incumbent Senator Mark Warner (D) and challenger Daniel Gade (R) debated police reforms, social justice, and COVID-19 at Norfolk State University on Saturday evening. The live-streamed event was the second debate between the two candidates. Warner touted his experience as a governor and senator, and cast himself as a middle-of-the-road Democrat. Gade portrayed himself as a free-thinker who nonetheless supports many traditional Republican values.

Richmond, Charlottesville City Councils Pass Gun Bans

September 9, 2020September 8, 2020 Eric Burk

Richmond and Charlottesville City Councils on Tuesday both unanimously passed ordinances banning firearms in city buildings, parks, and permitted events. Both cities had spent multiple meetings discussing the ramifications of their ordinances.

FAKE NEWS: Washington Post Publishes ‘Historian’ Max Boot’s False Racism Accusation Against Trump

August 10, 2018August 9, 2018 Admin

by James D. Agresti Max Boot, a foreign policy expert and historian, recently wrote in the Washington Post that President Trump “praised white supremacists who gathered nearly a year ago in Charlottesville as ‘very fine people’.” This is an abject falsehood. At the press conference where Trump allegedly said that, he explicitly “condemned” the white…