Catie Ratliff

Charlottesville

News Reporter at C-Ville Weekly

Featured in: Favicon

c-ville.com

Articles

The right (of) way?

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

Charlottesville Police arrested local pedestrian activist Kevin Cox on May 21, four days after he used spray chalk to create a makeshift crosswalk at the intersection of Elliott Avenue and Second Street SE. Calls for a permanent marked crossing at the intersection picked up last October following the death of Mamawa Simai, who died after being fatally struck by a vehicle while using a crosswalk one block away.
Alamo Drafthouse tells patrons to move their wheelchairs—an hour after they purchased tickets - C-VILLE Weekly

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

Accessibility advocate India Sims and her friend Cynthia Pettus left Alamo Drafthouse midscreening on May 25 after they were told their wheelchairs’ location violated the fire code. Sims, a lifelong Charlottesville-area resident, has previously seen films at Alamo without issue. “I’ve been there multiple times to see things,” she says.
City (finally) nearing completion of shared-use path on Rugby Avenue near Brooks Family YMCA

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

More than eight years after the Virginia Department of Transportation awarded a grant for construction of a shared-use path along Rugby Avenue by the Route 250 bypass, the project is nearing completion. The 10-foot-wide path, and a return to the original traffic pattern along Rugby Avenue, will be finished by the end of August.
Mifepristone case is back in Charlottesville court

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

Access to mifepristone was once again on the local docket, with representatives from the Center for Reproductive Rights and the Food and Drug Administration presenting oral arguments on May 19 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Charlottesville. The suit, filed by Whole Woman’s Health Alliance in May 2023, challenges federal restrictions on mifepristone, one of the most common abortion medications in the United States.
Albemarle County supervisors adopt FY 2026 budget

3 weeks 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 weeks 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 month 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 month 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 month 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

1 month 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.