Time again for another sonic edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement, a newsletter and podcast that seeks to capture at least some of what happens in local and regional government. The timestamp for this one is the 312th day of the year 2025, otherwise known as

November 8. I’m Sean Tubbs, glad to bring you another set of stories that went out this morning on WTJU. Why not send them out again to all of you?

In this edition:

* A round-up of elections at the state and local level

* Charlottesville is planning to launch a public art program and City Council gets an update (4:30) (read the story)

* Charlottesville is holding a Community Walk this Sunday through the Venable neighborhood (read the story)

* A divided City Council appears willing to sell Clarke Court to the Jefferson Scholars Foundation (read the story)

* Albemarle County prepares to celebrate Veterans Day with a ceremony

* A very quick preview of the Week Ahead!

This edition is an audio version which is on the same feed as the newsletter. The links above go to stories that have already gone out. The next new edition is tomorrow!

Sponsorship demonstration: Westwind Flowers

Fall is in full bloom at Westwind Flowers! With the crisp autumn air settling in, they’re celebrating the season with fresh, local blooms perfect for every occasion.

And as the holidays approach, let Westwind Flowers bring local beauty to your celebrations. Dress up your Thanksgiving table with seasonal blooms, gift your host or hostess with a gorgeous indoor plant, or join us for one of our Holiday Wreath Workshops on November 29th or December 6th. Create your own festive wreath, from the base to the finishing touch, with expert guidance and fresh, locally grown greenery.

Westwind Flowers offers sustainably grown, thoughtfully curated cut flowers, perfectly suited to the season and the special moments in your life. They believe the blooms in your vase should be just as fresh, and just as local, as the food on your table. Visit their website to learn more!

Sponsorship demonstration?

Every edition of this newsletter allows me to continue to experiment with getting messages out to people who are paying for that for one reason or another. This all began in 2020 when I was considering a launch and created a Patreon account. Many of the shout-outs you see and hear are because I created a system where people or entities that paid a certain amount could get some sort of a benefit.

Over the years, I’ve offered more opportunities for people to qualify for shout-outs but the vast majority of people who are eligible for that system don’t take advantage of it. And as the audience grows, so does the value of reaching people.

In addition to this newsletter, there’s also Information Charlottesville, a companion website that provides a more robust archive than what my current service provides. Traffic there is light but the potential is there for that to serve as a community archive.

I’m not ready to broadcast the media kit I’ve put together yet because it’s not quite ready. I’ve still got a lot to learn and I’m looking for people and entities that would like to help support the business while assisting me with my experimenting.

I am a one-person operation and I put the reporting first. But as I continue this experiment I find myself intrigued with a part of the business I’ve never really been part of except for my attempts to sell ads in the early 1990’s for a college newspaper.

Drop me a line if you’d like to learn more.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe