If you are a fan of Fridays in March, rest assured that you will have one more opportunity in 2023. This is also the 83rd day of the year, so if you’re a fan of prime numbers, today’s a day to celebrate! You have one more of those in March and I’ll say which one at the very end of this installment of Charlottesville Community Engagement. For now, it’s on to the information. 

On today’s program:

* A second candidate has emerged in the race for Rivanna District Supervisor in Albemarle County

* There are some more details in Charlottesville’s acquisition of CATEC

* The Virginia Supreme Court has thrown out a zoning update in Fairfax County that was approved by Supervisors at an electronic meeting during the pandemic

* Charlottesville is studying the feasibility of disconnecting its municipal natural gas utility

First shout-out: Rivanna Conservation Alliance photo contest

In today’s first Patreon-fueled shout-out, the Rivanna Conservation Alliance wants wildlife and nature photographers to enter their second annual photography contest! They want high-resolution photos related to the Rivanna watershed and the winning entries will be displayed at the 2023 Rivanna Riverfest on May 20. The two categories are 16 and under, and those over the age of 17. You can send in two entries, and the work may be used to supplement Rivanna Conservation Alliance publications. For more information, visit rivannariver.org.

New candidate has emerged for Rivanna Supervisor in Albemarle

A second independent has emerged in the race to represent the Rivanna District in the Albemarle Board of Supervisors. Thomas Fadeley has filed a statement of organization with the Virginia Department of Elections to run as an independent in the November election.  

Fadeley joins fellow independent David Rhodes in the race to challenge incumbent Supervisor Bea LaPisto-Kirtley in the general election. LaPisto-Kirtley has also filed to run for a second time and so far has no challengers in the Democratic Primary. 

So far in the Scottsville District race only Democrat Michael Pruitt has filed to run. 

In the White Hall District, independent Brad Rykal has filed to challenge Democrat Ann Mallek in the November 7 election. Mallek is seeking her fifth term.

There are seven members of the Albemarle School Board unlike the six members of the Board of Supervisors There are two candidates in the race for the at-large School Board seat and they are Meg Bryce and

It has now been a day since the spring has sprung, and the time is fading when the word “vernal” can be used to express the current time. But the new season is now with us and the days shall grow longer until the solstice. No matter what position we may happen to be in, this is Charlottesville Community Engagement and there is no shortage of items to track. I’m Sean Tubbs, constantly looking for new ways to navigate. 

On today’s show:

* An arrest has been made in connection with a Saturday morning murder on the Corner in Charlottesville

* Bids have come in for the renovation of Buford Middle School in Charlottesville

* Charlottesville’s new transportation planning manager outlines a new process for prioritizing projects

* Details on major transportation projects coming up at major intersections across Albemarle and Charlottesville

A no-nonsense introduction today to the March 18, 2023 edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement to mark a Saturday just before the equinox in a time of rapid change as the first blooms travel through the air on winds that no one really understands. I’m Sean Tubbs, ready to get straight to the information. 

On today’s program:

* A shooting in a parking lot on Elliewood Avenue early this morning killed a 26-year-old Charlottesville man and the shooter is still at large at publication time 

* The UVA representative on the Charlottesville Planning Commission gives an update and I fill in more of the details

* A 245-unit apartment complex on East High Street could still go before the Charlottesville Planning Commission

* There will be a delay in the next set of rules for Charlottesville’s zoning code 

Be incredibly careful today, because for some reason March 16 is Everything You Do is Right Day. Such confidence is never the ethos of Charlottesville Community Engagement, a newsletter and podcast infused with more than a modicum of doubt. But this particular solar rotation is also Freedom of Information Day, and this program seeks to be a conduit to a sense of what’s happening. I’m Sean Tubbs.

On today’s show:

* Dashad Cooper drops out of the House District 54 but joins the Charlottesville City Council race

* Charlottesville’s Sister City Commission offering up travel scholarships 

* Charlottesville City Council hears from department heads at budget work session

On today’s program: 

* A top epidemiologist at the University of Virginia reflects on three years since the beginning of the pandemic

* Virginia passenger rail hits a new record ridership in January 

* Albemarle County Supervisors  begin going through the $551.51M  total budget for FY2024

On today’s program:

* Albemarle and Charlottesville announce several arrests in recent gun violence 

* A second person files paperwork to run for Supervisor in Albemarle County’s White Hall District 

* Weldon Cooper Center will soon become part of the Karsh Institute of Democracy

* Albemarle County will hand out $100,000 in grants to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions

* More from the Charlottesville City Budget

* Information from Fluvanna, Louisa, and Nelson counties from the recent Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission

On today’s program:

* Charlottesville City Manager Rogers addresses recent gun violence in the community

* A real property tax relief deadline in Charlottesville is extended to Friday

* Charlottesville’s new City Councilor is appointed to a few committees 

* A compensation study in Charlottesville is delayed 

* Council officially approves new precincts 

* And a very brief introduction to recommended Charlottesville budget for FY24

On today’s show:

* A 17-year-old has been charged with the second degree murder of a Gordonsville man in Charlottesville Saturday afternoon 

* Albemarle County will begin work this week on Biscuit Run State Park

* The latest information from Charlottesville government including news on collective bargaining

* Albemarle County holds the first public hearing for the proposed $551.5 million budget for FY24 

This is the ninth Friday of 2023 leaving 43 left to go. What will happen on each of those days, as well as the other days that happen between? Perhaps there is too much to write down each day  and no way to capture it all. Perhaps the effort should be made anyway. After all, this is Charlottesville Community Engagement and I’m the host and producer, Sean Tubbs. 

On today’s string-of-beads: 

* A committee of the University of Virginia Board of Visitors approve concepts for the new Biotechnology Institute at Fontaine Research Park

* Three members of the Board memorialize the late Ken Boyd 

* The UVA Sustainability Committee hands out leadership awards 

* Locally-produced podcast Stitch Please is up for a national podcast award

* Albemarle Supervisors agree to proceed with a test of a car-free Free Bridge Lane

The date informs us it is the second day of March, which is also a day to recognize the mental wellness of our community members who are in their teens. World Teen Mental Wellness Day is intended to raise awareness of resources for those coming of age in a time when so much is uncertain and stressful. This is Charlottesville Community Engagement which seeks to allay stress that comes from not knowing about what’s happening in local and regional government. I’m Sean Tubbs, hopeful that one day we’ll figure it all out. 

On today’s show:

* New names are under consideration for Burnley-Moran and Johnson elementary schools in Charlottesville

* Liz Cheney will be a Professor of Practice at the UVA Center for Politics

* The Albemarle Board of Supervisors votes to approve 525 units on Old Ivy road despite