Catie Ratliff

Charlottesville

News Reporter at C-Ville Weekly

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Articles

Albemarle County supervisors adopt FY 2026 budget

3 days ago | c-ville.com | Catie Ratliff

The Albemarle County Board of Supervisors adopted a $644 million FY26 budget on May 7. The budget is balanced with a 4-cent increase to the real property tax rate, and a restoration of the pre-pandemic personal property tax rate. New rates go into effect on July 1, for an overall real property tax rate of $0.894 and a personal property tax rate of $4.28 per $100 of assessed value.
DOE takes former FEI site away from CCS, awards it to UVA

3 days ago | c-ville.com | Catie Ratliff

The U.S. Department of Education rescinded its recommendation that Charlottesville City Schools acquire the site of the former Federal Executive Institute. In a May 9 email to CCS, the DOE said it will instead recommend the U.S. General Services Administration move forward with the University of Virginia’s bid for the property.
Nomination contests kick off for Virginia’s 2025 General Election

1 week ago | c-ville.com | Catie Ratliff

It’s primary season in Virginia, and here’s what is—and notably isn’t—on the ballot June 17. Virginia and New Jersey’s off-year elections are historically treated as bellwethers, taking the temperature of public opinion one year after presidential elections. Despite the hoopla, there’s no gubernatorial primary in Virginia this June, with Abigail Spanberger and Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears the Democratic and Republican nominees, respectively.
Charlottesville City School Board approves rezoning

1 week ago | c-ville.com | Catie Ratliff

The Charlottesville City School Board has officially rezoned its elementary schools for the first time in more than 50 years. While the months-long process was the source of heated debate earlier this year, the new school zones were adopted unanimously at the May 1 board meeting. Neighborhoods affected by the redistricting include the area west of Kindlewood, Kindlewood, Locust Grove north of U.S. 250, Rose Hill south of U.S. 250, the Meadows, and various parcels of land that have no CCS students.
MVP Southgate back again?

1 week ago | c-ville.com | Catie Ratliff

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers published a permit request for the Southgate extension of the controversial Mountain Valley Pipeline on April 30. According to the notice, the natural gas pipeline is “subject to special emergency permitting procedures to address an energy supply situation” under a January executive order signed by President Donald Trump.
Early season - C-VILLE Weekly

2 weeks ago | c-ville.com | Catie Ratliff

Early voting in the June 17 Democratic Primary for Charlottesville City Council begins May 2, officially kicking off the city’s experiment with ranked-choice voting. Mayor Juandiego Wade and Vice-Mayor Brian Pinkston are both seeking reelection, but face a challenge from Jen Fleisher for the two available seats. Rather than filling in two bubbles as usual, voters have the opportunity to rank all three candidates in order of preference.
Plainclothes agents detain two men at Albemarle County Courthouse

2 weeks ago | c-ville.com | Catie Ratliff

Local judicial and law enforcement systems were turned upside down on April 22, when two men were detained by plainclothes immigration officers at the Albemarle County General District Court. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is standing by its actions despite numerous concerns and questions raised by immigration activists and civil rights organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union.
Local LGBTQ+ organizers are moving full steam ahead on a Queer community center

3 weeks ago | c-ville.com | Catie Ratliff

The Rivanna Area Queer Center, or RAQC (pronounced “rack”), has been a months-long labor of love for area organizers. And while the LGBTQ+ community center isn’t set to open until later this spring, the space at 801 W. Main St. is quickly taking shape, entirely through the work of volunteers. Charlottesville has a myriad of businesses owned by and friendly to the LGBTQ+ community, but dedicated, intentional spaces are few.
Collective bargaining is a step in the right direction, but not a fix-all for the city’s transit employees

3 weeks ago | c-ville.com | Catie Ratliff

Charlottesville was one of the first municipalities in Virginia to adopt a collective bargaining ordinance, and its unions are some of the first to navigate what it means to have an agreement post-ratification process. The contracts have been a success in many ways, but members of the Amalgamated Transit Union say there’s still work to be done and agreements to be fulfilled.
New executive order allowing logging could affect area forests

1 month ago | c-ville.com | Catie Ratliff |Sean Tubbs

An April 3 memo from United States Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins designates 112,646,000 acres of national forest lands as an Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act “emergency situation.” The directive, which comprises 59 percent of all National Forest Service lands and includes most of the George Washington & Jefferson National Forests, allows for expanded logging in the designated areas.