Podcasts about thomas jefferson foundation

The Thomas Jefferson Foundation has a new idea. Don't just badger people with slavery. Instead, badger them with slavery and progressive politics.https://mcclanahanacademy.comhttps://patreon.com/thebrionmcclanahanshowhttps://brionmcclanahan.com/supporthttp://learntruehistory.com

Happy New Year and welcome to the final episode of season four (4)! We're wrapping up the season with a conversation featuring the incredible Peter D. Cook, FAIA, NOMA. In this episode, we talk about his remarkable lineage, his role in shaping DC's architectural landscape, and his work at The Contemplative Site at Monticello. We also discuss the importance of community engagement, the challenges architecture students face, and his contributions to DC's public spaces, including libraries. It's the perfect close to a long season. Peter D. Cook, FAIA, NOMA is a Design Principal and Vice President with HGA, a position he has held since joining the firm in 2017. A graduate of Harvard College and Columbia University's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, he is a nationally recognized architect based in Washington DC with a portfolio of award-winning art, community and educational projects demonstrating versatility with a variety of sites, typologies and scales. Common among them is his approach that values the establishment of a strong, personal connection with client and stakeholders, the result of deep listening and empathy. A direct descendant of Julian F. Abele (1881-1950), one of the nation's most celebrated and accomplished African-American architects, Peter served as one of the three lead design collaborators for the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African American History and Culture. Peter was appointed in 2021 by President Joseph Biden to serve as a member of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts and was elevated in 2022 as a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. He has also served for over 20 years as a Peer for the U.S. General Services Administration Design Excellence program. Peter continues to be engaged with many community-based institutions including serving on the Board of Directors at the Washington Architectural Foundation, the Board of Trustees at the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, and as a past Vice President of the National Organization of Minority Architects.

In celebration of John Adams's 289th birthday, Jeffrey Rosen joins a discussion on Adams's legacy with Danielle Allen, the James Bryant Conant University Professor at Harvard University, and Jane Kamensky, president and CEO of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation. Kurt Graham, president of the Adams Presidential Center, moderates. They explore the constitutional legacy of the Adams family—including John and Abigail Adams and John Quincy and Louisa Catherine Adams—and discuss the importance of resurrecting the Adams family's tradition of self-mastery and self-improvement to defend the American Idea. This conversation was originally aired at the Adams Presidential Center as part of the 2024 Adams Speaker Series.   Resources:  Jeffrey Rosen, The Pursuit of Happiness (2024)  Jane Kamensky, The Colonial Mosaic: American Women 1600-1760 (1998)  Danielle Allen, Our Declaration: A Reading of the Declaration of Independence in Defense of Equality (2014) Stay Connected and Learn More Questions or comments about the show? Email us at podcasts@constitutioncenter.org Continue the conversation by following us on social media @ConstitutionCtr. Sign up to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate. Subscribe, rate, and review wherever you listen. Join us for an upcoming live program or watch recordings on YouTube. Support our important work. Donate

Thomas Jefferson contained multitudes.  Like the nation he helped to create, Jefferson was a fascinating man of contradictions:  a party leader who did not believe in political parties, an apostle of liberty who owned others, and a "man of the people" who lived atop a mountain.  His mountaintop home, Monticello, since 1923 has been maintained by the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, which presents all of Jefferson's legacy to visitors, scholars, students.  We talk with historian Jane Kamensky, President of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, about Monticello and its architect.Tell us what you think! Send us a text message!

In this episode of In the Course of Human Events, historians from Monticello's Getting Word African American Oral History Project share the recent rediscovery of Robert Hemmings's signature, a revelation confirming the literacy and the agency of the man that Thomas Jefferson enslaved as his valet. As a teenage boy, Hemmings was at Jefferson's side in Philadelphia when he wrote the Declaration of Independence, and later gained his own freedom, becoming the first of very few to be freed by Jefferson. Listen as Andrew Davenport, Auriana Woods, and Bernatiae Reed discuss this discovery and describe the life of Robert Hemmings whose story inspired “Descendants of Monticello,” a new exhibition that recently opened at Independence National Historical Park's Declaration House in Philadelphia, PA. By moving Hemmings to the center of this moment in history, this project explores the entangled legacies of freedom and enslavement at the core of our nation's founding. Since 1993, the Getting Word African American Oral History Project has collected and preserved the oral histories of Monticello's enslaved community and their descendants, creating an archive of freedom and a fuller story of Monticello and the United States. Getting Word and other staff from the Thomas Jefferson Foundation worked with Monument Lab, the National Park Service, and other organizations to present “Descendants of Monticello,” which was conceived and developed by artist Sonya Clark.

As promised, here is the completion of my examination of David Barton's whitewashing of Thomas Jefferson. In our book Getting Jefferson Right: Fact-Checking Claims About Thomas Jefferson, Michael Coulter and I assume the position held by most scholars and the Thomas Jefferson Foundation when it comes to the paternity of Sally Hemings children, i.e., Thomas Jefferson was their father. In The Jefferson Lies, David Barton deceives readers about what Madison Hemings said about his mother. Here is what Barton said Hemings told a Pike County (OH) newspaper in 1873."The other major oral tradition challenging Jefferson's sexual morality came from Sally Hemings' son Madison (the fourth Hemings child, born in 1805). In an article published in an Ohio newspaper in 1873, Madison Hemings claimed that in France “my mother became Mr. Jefferson's concubine, and when he was called back home she was enceinte [pregnant] by him” with Thomas Woodson."Here is what Madison Hemings actually had published in that newspaper:"But during that time my mother became Mr. Jefferson's concubine, and when he was called home she was enciente by him. He desired to bring my mother back to Virginia with him but she demurred. She was just beginning to understand the French language well, and in France she was free, while if she returned to Virginia she would be re-enslaved. So she refused to return with him. To induce her to do so he promised her extraordinary privileges, and made a solemn pledge that her children should be freed at the age of twenty-one years. In consequence of his promises, on which she implicitly relied, she returned with him to Virginia. Soon after their arrival, she gave birth to a child, of whom Thomas Jefferson was the father. It lived but a short time. She gave birth to four others, and Jefferson was the father of all of them. Their names were Beverly, Harriet, Madison (myself), and Eston—three sons and one daughter. We all became free agreeably to the treaty entered into by our parents before we were born. We all married and have raised families."Hemings did not mention Woodson because he was irrelevant. Sally Hemings first child lived but "a short time." Barton didn't tell his readers that part of the story.The Monticello website on Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson: https://www.monticello.org/thomas-jefferson/jefferson-slavery/thomas-jefferson-and-sally-hemings-a-brief-account/Research Report: https://www.monticello.org/thomas-jefferson/jefferson-slavery/thomas-jefferson-and-sally-hemings-a-brief-account/research-report-on-jefferson-and-hemings/SHOW NOTES:For more information about Getting Jefferson Right, go to gettingjeffersonright.com.  The closing song is Were You There by LoFi Hymnal. https://open.spotify.com/track/19oJxhr6efnpU7LVBzUQz2?si=c94873948db84fbdBackground music by Jonathan Swaim, Roman Candle, and Warren ThrockmortonThe series will conclude during the final week of April with an episode on the virtues of the separation of church and state.  Watch for additional episodes between now and then.  If you like the pod, leave a positive review. 

The I Love CVille Show headlines: Michie Tavern Deal Kiboshed By Potential Buyer Thomas Jefferson Foundation Backs Out Of Deal Spring Creek Golf Club In Louisa Has Been Sold Heritage Golf Group Buys Spring Creek Golf Club UVA Disputes DEI Numbers, Says Spending Less Georgia Tech at Virginia, 8 PM, ACC Network Judah Witkower Makes Dinner For The Millers The I Love CVille Show Viewer/Listener Top 50 Read Viewer & Listener Comments Live On-Air The I Love CVille Show airs live Monday – Friday from 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm on The I Love CVille Network. Watch and listen to The I Love CVille Show on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, iTunes, Apple Podcast, YouTube, Spotify, Fountain, Amazon Music, Audible and iLoveCVille.com.

In 1923, the newly created Thomas Jefferson Foundation fulfilled its primary purpose by acquiring Monticello to preserve it in Jefferson's memory. But now it had another problem: money. Faced with a large mortgage and impending repairs to the main house, the new owners had to move fast to hire staff and find novel ways to pay for it all. Along the way, the Foundation would employ ingenious fundraising, stage some very unusual publicity stunts, and in the end, help restore not only Jefferson's home but his reputation as one of America's Founders.

The battle for Monticello was waged with pamphlets and letters. It was waged in Congress and in newspapers. It was even waged Good Housekeeping! It was a knock-down, drag-out, often dirty fight that ultimately ushered in a new era of how Americans preserved, honored, and examined their history. Join us for the first installment of "Sharing History: 100 Years of Telling American Stories at Monticello," a limited podcast series about the history of Thomas Jefferson Foundation, which was founded in 1923 to acquire Jefferson's mountaintop home and open it to the public.

What layers of history unfurled in the restoration of Monticello's gardens? On this episode of the Thriving Farmer Podcast, we're joined by Peter Hatch who has served as the Director of Gardens and Grounds at Thomas Jefferson's Monticello. During his 35 years there, he managed 2,500 acres and the restoration of Jefferson's Grove and Monticello's 8 acre fruit and vegetable garden.  He also developed many educational programs on the practice of historic garden preservation and has written four books, including A Rich Spot of Earth: Thomas Jefferson's Revolutionary Garden at Monticello. Tune in today to hear about Peter's dedication to Monticello and the history of Thomas Jefferson's love for gardening. You'll hear: About what work Peter did that led to his role at Monticello 1:47 What the condition of Monticello was when Peter first arrived 5:40 How extensive was the garden restoration Peter undertook 13:57 About Jefferson's process of restoring the soil 21:53 How Peter's book was researched 27:52 About Thomas Jefferson's true stance on slavery 43:45 How the Monticello gardens today compare to Jefferson's day 50:38 What Peter would change (if anything) given the opportunity to restart his career 53:46 About the Guest: Peter J. Hatch served as Director of Gardens and Grounds at Thomas Jefferson's Monticello for 35 years. He was responsible for the care of 2,500 acres owned by the Thomas Jefferson Foundation and managed the restoration of Jefferson's Grove and Monticello's 8 acre fruit and vegetable garden. Peter has lectured in 38 states on the gardens of Monticello and the history of garden plants. He has written four books including A Rich Spot of Earth: Thomas Jefferson's Revolutionary Garden at Monticello which won Book of the Year of the American Horticultural Society in 2012. Resources: Website: https://www.peterjhatch.com/ His book: A Rich Spot of Earth: Thomas Jefferson's Revolutionary Garden at Monticello       This podcast is sponsored by Small Farm University, THE go-to resource for gardeners, homesteaders, and farmers around the world. Small Farm University delivers classes online and on demand, with training on how to grow crops AND how to grow a profitable farm business that serves you, your family, and your community well.  Applying what you learn in SFU could save you countless hours and thousands of dollars. And, it can save you the agony of costly mistakes some make, just because they “don't know what they don't know.” Delivered by real farmers with hands-on experience and expertise, it is unique in its approach, using the RIPEN method for growing and building a farm or farm business. To learn more, visit:  GrowingFarmers.com today!  

Our guest today is the brilliant and entertaining Andrew Jackson O'Shaughnessy. Andrew is Professor of History at the University of Virginia and the former Saunders Director of the Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies at Monticello. From 2015-2022 he was the Vice President of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation. Andrew also spent thirteen years at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, where he served as the Chair of the Department of History and held the Rosebush Professorship. Andrew attended Columbia University before earning a BA, MA, and PhD in History from Oriel College at Oxford University. Andrew is the author of The Illimitable Freedom of the Human Mind: Thomas Jefferson's Idea of a University (University of Virginia Press), and is the co-editor with John Ragosta and Peter Onuf of The Founding of Thomas Jefferson's University (University of Virginia Press) and European Friends of the American Revolution with John A. Ragosta and Marie-Jeanne Rossignol (forthcoming, University of Virginia Press). Andrew is perhaps best known for The Men Who Lost America:  British Leadership, the Revolutionary War and the Fate of Empire (Yale University Press), which won numerous awards, including the George Washington Book Prize, The Society for Military History's Distinguished Book Award in US History, the National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution's Excellence in American History Book Award, and the New-York Historical Society Annual American History Book Prize. His first book, An Empire Divided: The American Revolution and the British Caribbean (University of Pennsylvania), has now gone through its third printing. In addition, Andrew is widely published in many of the top journals in the field. Andrew is an award-winning teacher and he has held numerous visiting professorships and fellowships. Most recently, he was a Visiting International Fellow at the Wilberforce Institute at Hull University. In 2016-17, he was the Sons of the American Revolution Visiting Professor at King's College, London. Andrew is a fellow of the American Antiquarian Society and, of course, a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. Andrew first researched in an archive when he was only 15, and has never looked back. Join us as we chat about growing up in the US and the UK, the American War for Independence, the Grenadier Guards band, hosting Presidents at Monticello, and Virginia wines!

Michelynn “Miki” Woodard serves as President and CEO of Texas Women's Foundation. A 25-year business and social- impact veteran, she is a respected national voice who has dedicated her career to championing equity, cultural diversity and social justice. As the leader of one of the largest women's funds in the world, Miki works alongside a talented group of multicultural and multigenerational leaders to drive Texas Women's Foundation's enduring focus on its mission – to raise funds for statewide research, advocacy and grantmaking to unlock economic and leadership opportunities for Texas women and girls. Since its founding 37 years ago, the organization has awarded $57 million in grants and programs, including $43 million since 2011. In addition, the Foundation's assets of over $40 million are invested in its innovative 100% mission-aligned gendered portfolio providing both financial returns and social benefits to women and girls. Miki brings to her role at Texas Women's Foundation a long history of working across industries and geographies leading multimillion-dollar equity, cultural diversity and social justice impact investments, philanthropic programs and advocacy initiatives. Most recently, she served as Head of Social Impact, Diversity and Inclusion for Bad Robot Productions, Inc., and Senior Advisor of the Katie McGrath and J.J. Abrams Family Foundation. In 2016, Miki co-founded The Artemis Agency, one of the first 100% women-led social impact agencies, partnering with high-profile celebrities and influencers to execute sustainable social impact strategies and social change initiatives. Prior to that, she was President and CEO of the multimillion-dollar non-profit charitable foundations of two high-profile television celebrities, where she led national programs and advocacy efforts benefitting children and families. During her tenure as Vice President, Philanthropy at JCPenney, Miki managed a $30 million global corporate giving portfolio and oversaw disaster relief, volunteer programs, grant administration, employee hardships, corporate sustainability, and military affairs. Before that, she served as Managing Director for Be the Change, Inc., organizing coalitions of non-profits, social entrepreneurs, policymakers, private sector leaders, academics and citizens to address national issues. Miki began her career as an executive with Creative Artists Agency (CAA), working as a philanthropic advisor to prominent celebrity clients. A passionate philanthropist and volunteer, Miki is a board member for the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, Community Coalition, Dallas Regional Chamber and The Challenger Foundation. She is a founding board member of The Papa John's Foundation and sits on the Trust for Public Land (TPL) Black History and Culture Advisory Board. In addition, she is a member of the Forbes Nonprofit Council, International Women's Forum and Chief, where she is part of a community of c-suite leaders. For more information visit www.marcyllecombs.com

1806 Virginia sees a murder forgotten, a murder ignored, and a murderer set free.This is also the episode where you learn about Thomas Jefferson's secret murdered love child. Maybe.This is Part II of Monstrous Strange. For Part I, please listen to episode 29.Sources:Bailey, John. Jefferson's Second Father:  (Pan, 2013).Berexa, Daniel. “The Murder of Founding Father George Wythe.” Tennessee Bar Association. https://www.tba.org/?pg=LawBlog&blAction=showEntry&blogEntry=9542 . 2010.Boyd, Julian. "The Murder of George Wythe," in The Murder of George Wythe: Two Essays (The Institute of Early American History & Culture, 1955)Callender, James. “The President, Again” by James Thomson Callender (September 1, 1802). (2020, December 07). In Encyclopedia Virginia. https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/the-president-again-by-james-thomson-callender-september-1-1802.Chadwick, Bruce. I Am Murdered: George Wythe, Thomas Jefferson, and the Killing That Shocked a New Nation. (Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2009).Crawford, Alan Pell. “A House Called Bizarre.” The Washington Post.https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/travel/2000/11/26/a-house-called-bizarre/4ea73982-5c3c-4599-9086-ea209464a666/ 26 November 2000.“George Wythe.” Colonial Williamsburg. https://www.colonialwilliamsburg.org/explore/nation-builders/george-wythe/"Our Lives, Our Stories: Legacy of the Randolph Site - Virtual Tour." Colonial Williamsburg. https://virtualtours.colonialwilliamsburg.org/randolph/ and https://www.colonialwilliamsburg.org/learn/behind-the-scenes/newest-virtual-tour-randolph-site/Hemphill, Edwin. "Examinations of George Wythe Swinney for Forgery and Murder: A Documentary Essay," The William and Mary Quarterly, Third Series 12, no. 4 (October 1955): 551–562.Longsworth, Polly. "Jefferson's "alleged child." Colonial Williamsburg Journal. Vol. 21, No. 02 (April/May 1999). “Lydia Broadnax.” Slavery and Remembrance: Colonial Williamsburg. https://slaveryandremembrance.org/people/person/?id=PP040"Monticello Affirms Thomas Jefferson Fathered Children with Sally HemingsA Statement by the Thomas Jefferson Foundation." Thomas Jefferson's Monticello. https://www.monticello.org/thomas-jefferson/jefferson-slavery/thomas-jefferson-and-sally-hemings-a-brief-account/monticello-affirms-thomas-jefferson-fathered-children-with-sally-hemings/Mumford, George Wythe. The Two Parsons (Richmond: J.D.K. Sleight, 1884)."Sally Hemings." Thomas Jefferson's Monticello. https://www.monticello.org/sallyhemings/"Slavery FAQs." Thomas Jefferson's Monticello. https://www.monticello.org/slavery/slavery-faqs/“Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings: A Brief Account.”  and “Sally Hemings.” Thomas Jefferson's Monticello. https://www.monticello.org/thomas-jefferson/jefferson-slavery/thomas-jefferson-and-sally-hemings-a-brief-account/ and https://www.monticello.org/sallyhemings/ “Q&A with Bruce Chadwick.” C-SPAN Transcript Viewer. https://www.c-span.org/video/transcript/?id=8188. July 6, 2009.Wolfe, Brendan. “Wythe, The Death of George (1806).” Encyclopedia Virginia.https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/wythe-the-death-of-george-1806/“Wythepedia: The George Wythe Encyclopedia.” The Wolf Law Library. https://lawlibrary.wm.edu/wythepedia/index.php/Main_PageMusic: Dellasera by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.comFor more information, visit www.oldbloodpodcast.com

You can tell a lot about a person by what they think about the noise that emanates from the bagpipe, a woodwind instrument perhaps best associated with Scotland but with origins that might date back to the Hittite people from three thousand years ago. Even if are not a fan of the combination of melody and drone, July 27 is the day to appreciate this unique musical instrument. Perhaps this is the day you buy one for the enjoyment of your friends, family, and co-workers? I’m Sean Tubbs, and not a cent or shilling is being paid to Charlottesville Community Engagement by Big Bagpipe. Sign up to make sure each email finds its way to your inbox. Payment isn’t necessary but does tend to help keep the electrons flowing to make the work possible. On this version of the show:Charlottesville continues to prepare for a school year in which more students will not be able to catch a yellow school busTwo new members will soon join the Charlottesville Planning CommissionA former member of the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors has diedCharlottesville City Council hears from the interim City Manager on how $14.8 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding could be spent First shout-out is for LEAP’s new Thermalize Virginia program In today’s first Patreon-fueled shout-out: Have you been thinking of converting your fossil-fuel appliances and furnaces into something that will help the community reduce its greenhouse gas emissions? Your local energy nonprofit, LEAP,  has launched a new program to guide you through the steps toward electrifying your home. Thermalize Virginia will help you understand electrification and connect you with vetted contractors to get the work done and help you find any rebates or discounts. Visit thermalizeva.org to learn more and to sign up!  Preparations continue in Charlottesville for more to walk to school Classes begin for Charlottesville City Schools in four weeks and work continues to prepare for a year in which more students will not be eligible to get a ride on a school bus. A driver shortage has led the school system to expand walk zones that are still being finalized. “We are hoping to let families know this week about their current bus eligibility and whether they have a bus request on files,” reads an email update sent to parents interested parties on Monday. “This status update will tell families if their child is in a walk zone or eligible for the bus.”The notice also states that priority will be given to families living further away from schools. The actual bus assignments will be released in August. Last week, the city administration told City Council that staff is recommending using $500,000 from the city’s share of the American Rescue Plan Act to help pay for safety improvements. “We’ve added $500,000,” said interim City Manager Michael C. Rogers. “Higher amounts were suggested. In talking with staff we believe that we have other funds in the budget that can actually exceed the amount that has been suggested in the past by some of the communications from people but this is a high priority area and we are offering that up for your consideration.” More on ARPA later in the newsletter. In their update, city schools say they are in conversations with the city, parents, and community members about sidewalks and intersections that need to be improved. Last week, Deputy City Manager Sam Sanders said the city government will follow the school system’s lead.“What we’re doing is working directly with schools and trying our best to make sure that their priorities are what we prioritize and what we do to help them through this process because we’re seeing this as everyone’s issue,” Sanders said. Sanders said the work to address safety concerns will continue past the first day of school. “And then to go beyond that and basically reboot our Safe Routes to School program,” Sanders said. “That’s what this is really synergized at this time by allowing all this focus on what we’ve been doing and what we’ve been talking about doing.” Sanders said there are also conversations with Albemarle about how to collaborate on pupil transportation for special needs students. The school system is also encouraging people to report problem locations using the MyCville app or by phoning 434-970-3333, option #2. Two other ways people can become involved are: Take a walk along a school route and make your observations known in a Google Doc created by the school systemApply to be a regular or substitute crossing guard or walking school bus leader - paid positionsThe school system will hold a final “walk and talk” this Friday at Mount Zion First African Baptist Church from noon to 2 p.m. There will also be an online Q&A session on August 10 at 5 p.m. (register)Council make two new appointments to Planning CommissionWhen the Charlottesville Planning Commission meets on September 13, two veterans of other advisory bodies will take their place at the makeshift dais in CitySpace. Carl Schwarz served two terms on the Board of Architectural Review from 2014 to the end of last year. He’s an architect in private practice who lives in the 10th and Page neighborhood. Phil d’Oronzio has been the chair of the Housing Advisory Council Committee since August 2014. He’s the CEO of Pilot Mortgage who lives in the Belmont neighborhood. The pair join three Planning Commissioner who were reappointed by Council at their meeting on July 18.“By some accident of history we wound up with five different Planning Commissioners whose terms expire on August 31, 2022,” said Charlottesville Mayor Lloyd Snook. By Virginia law, the seats have to be staggered so that terms don’t expire all at once. To make that work, they had to technically reconstitute the body and reappoint everyone, even those who terms were not yet.Commissioner Hosea Mitchell was appointed to Seat One for a term expiring on August 31, 2023. Mitchell served a partial term in the late 2000’s before rejoining the Commission in June 2018 to fill an unexpired term. He is retired from a career in the medical business. Commissioner Rory Stolzenberg was appointed to Seat Two also for a term expiring on August 31, 2023. Stolzenberg first joined the Commission in October 2018.  He’s a software engineer with Lumin. Seat Three will continue the appointment of Lyle Solla-Yates whose term expires at the end of August 2024. Solla-Yates has been on the Commission since March 2018 and is the current chair. He works for the University of Virginia School of Architecture. Commissioner Liz Russell will continue in Seat 4 with a term that also expires at the end of 2024. Russell has been on the Commission since September 2020. She’s the director of planning, sustainability, and project management at the Thomas Jefferson Foundation. Seat 5 will continue to be occupied by Commissioner Karim Habbab until August 31, 2025. Habbab was appointed in June 2021 and is an architect with BRW Architects. The terms of Schwarz (Seat 6) and d’Oronzio  (Seat 7) and Schwarz will expire on August 31, 2026. The reconstitution of the Planning Commission comes at a time when the city is rewriting the Charlottesville zoning code to increase density. That’s a major objective of both of the Affordable Housing Plan adopted in March 2021 and the Comprehensive Plan updated in November 2021. Former Albemarle Supervisor Cooke dies at 90 A woman who served two terms on the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors has died. Patricia Cooke was elected in 1981 to what used to be called the Charlottesville District and was re-elected in 1985. According to her obituary in the Daily Progress, Cooke graduated from Lane High School in 1950 and opened a laundry business with her husband in 1956. She also had a bridal and formal wear company. A funeral service will be held on Friday.The Charlottesville District became the Rio District at some point during the tenure of Cooke’s successor, David Bowerman. Bowerman served four terms until retiring the Board at the end of 2004. He passed away in March 2020 while he was a sitting member of the Albemarle County Board of Zoning Appeals. In today’s other two shout-outs Code for Charlottesville is seeking volunteers with tech, data, design, and research skills to work on community service projects. Founded in September 2019, Code for Charlottesville has worked on projects with the Legal Aid Justice Center, the Charlottesville Fire Department, and the Charlottesville Office of Human Rights. Visit codeforcville.org to learn about those projects. The final comes from another Patreon supporter who wants you to go out and read a local news story written by a local journalist. Whether it be the Daily Progress, Charlottesville Tomorrow, C-Ville Weekly, NBC29, CBS19, WINA, or some other place I’ve not mentioned - the community depends on a network of people writing about the community. Go learn about this place today!Council briefed on potential usage of ARPA funds Charlottesville has now received all of the $19.6 million in funding it will receive from the federal government as part of the American Rescue Plan Act fund. Interim City Manager Michael C. Rogers gave Council an update at their meeting on July 18.“It’s been a big help for local government in terms of recovery from the impact of the pandemic,” Rogers said. Council has already appropriated $4.81 million of the funding and has an unallocated balance of $14.8 million. Money spent so far went to four different categories recognized by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Of that $14.8 million, $2.28 million was already designated for various uses during the development of the budget for the fiscal year that began on July 1. For the balance, Rogers suggested the following uses:For economic development:$750,000 to the Charlottesville-Albemarle Convention and Visitors Bureau to make up for revenue loss from decline in meals tax revenue. Albemarle County is also being asked to make the same contribution. $300,000 for improvements to the Downtown Mall coordinated with Friends of Downtown Cville. The Mall turns 50 in 2026 and Rogers said a task force may be formed to help mark that occasion and prepare for the next fifty years$100,000 for updates to wayfinding One million for a strategic investment fund for economic development$500,000 for the Meadow Creek Trail to close a gap for a VDOT-funded projectInternal uses:$829,000 for equipment replacement$200,000 for facilities repair$270,000 to augment the Human Resources including hiring a deputy director and a recruiter$200,000 to fund Council’s development of a new strategic planPublic safety: $1.4 million for additional COVID spending should future surges have a greater community health impact$1.1 million to help Charlottesville Fire Department with its accreditation, including hiring three more battalion chiefs for two years$450,000 to help retain personnel in the Charlottesville Fire Department$50,000 to help retain personnel for the Sheriff’s Office$500,000 for the “Safe Routes to School Fund” Human service support:$700,000 for the Emergency Assistance - Pathways program which would include additional rental assistance$1.63 million for affordable housing and homeless services$500,000 for the Community Health Initiative $1 million for the Agency Investment Fund $580,000 for Community Arts Investment$176,000 for the Office of Human Rights to hire an investigator to look into claims under the Fair Housing Act $40,000 for an emergency generator for a city shelter that would be used in major catastrophes The combined $2.63 million for affordable housing and the agency investment fund would be disbursed through a competitive process separate from the “Vibrant Community” process the city has used since 2019 to allocate funding for nonprofits. The Community Health Initiative would support public health projects.“Think of this funding as being available for a previously floated idea of the Community Care Team or something of that nature in order to do a really needed and wonderful pilot to see what would be the best support for our community,” said Deputy City Manager Ashley Marshall.Council was to have discussed a proposal for a Community Care Team at its meeting on February 7 but the item was pulled. The topic did come up as part of a Council work session on May 2. Councilor Brian Pinkston noted that additional on-going positions were being proposed to be created with the one-time ARPA money.“Hiring people with one-off type of funding is something we’re trying to be careful of,” Pinkston said. Rogers said those positions would be proposed to continue into the future and the city would have to find other funds to cover them. Councilor Michael Payne questioned the use of $750,000 to go to the CACVB. The city’s economic development director said the money would help the destination marketing organization with a current cash flow situation caused by the way it is funded. “There’s a two year lag in the funding cycles so the money wasn’t needed two years ago,” said Chris Engel. “It’s needed now because that cycle is playing through.”Council got a briefing on the CACVB in June and learned that the agency received $680,000 from ARPA that flowed through the Virginia Tourism Council. (read the story)“Given that state support I’m a little skeptical about how much is really needed for the CACVB as well as whatever specific measurable deliverables we will get for that investment,” Payne said.  Council will be asked to take action on the appropriations at its August 1 meeting. There’s also an additional $2.52 million for which Rogers has not made any suggestions for how it should be spent. “We look forward to our dialogue on this,” Rogers said. “This is meant to be a first start to set us on a direction to address some things we really need to address in the coming months and thought that these funds would be a good way to do it.” Thoughts? Leave a comment below. Housekeeping items for episode #412That’s another program in the archives, and in a few days you’ll be able to read these stories on the Information Charlottesville website I created to help me keep track of what I’m reporting. Want to read articles on land use in Charlottesville? Click here!What about infrastructure updates? Click here!How about climate action? Elections in Virginia? The archive grows each week!All of this is supported by readers and listeners under the Town Crier Productions company I formed two years ago and am still learning how to operate. I’m breaking even, but I’d very much like to find a way to grow. There are ways to do that!For one, if you sign up for a paid subscription through Substack, Ting will match your initial payment! And, if you sign up for their services through this link you’ll get a free standard install, your 2nd month free, and a $75 downtown mall gift card! Enter the promo code COMMUNITY for full effect. Music on the podcast version of the show comes from the D.C. sensation Wraki, and you can support their work by paying whatever you want for the album regret everything on BandCamp.My sincere hope today, though, is that someone will go and buy a bagpipe. If you do, please let me know. If you have one already, record yourself and send me the audio! Or any exotic instrument, really. 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

On March 10, 2022 Gayle Jessup White, author of Reclamation: Sally Hemings, Thomas Jefferson, and a Descendant's a Search for Her Family's Lasting Legacy, discussed her 50-year journey to confirm her family's oral history that they are descended from the country's third president. Growing up in Black middle-class Washington, DC, Jessup White was 13 when she first heard the family lore. Fueled by personal loss and professional angst, she devoted herself to uncovering the truth, a commitment that ultimately led her to Monticello, where she became the Thomas Jefferson Foundation's first community engagement officer. Reclamation is an intimate exploration race, class, and redemption in a country that continues to struggle with its complicated and painful origins. Gayle Jessup White is Public Relations & Community Engagement Officer at the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, the non-profit organization that owns and operates Monticello. She is the first descendant of Jefferson and the families he enslaved to be employed by the Foundation. She is the author of Reclamation: Sally Hemings, Thomas Jefferson, and a Descendant's Search for Her Family's Lasting Legacy. The content and opinions expressed in these presentations are solely those of the speaker and not necessarily of the Virginia Museum of History & Culture.

Sally Hemings is one of the most famous—and least known—African American women in U.S. history. For more than 200 years, her name has been linked to Thomas Jefferson as his “concubine,” obscuring the facts of her life and her identity.The historical question of whether Jefferson was the father of Hemings' children is the subject of the Jefferson–Hemings controversy. Following renewed historical analysis in the late 20th century, and a 1998 DNA study (completed in 1999 and published as a report in 2000) that found a match between the Jefferson male line and a descendant of Hemings' youngest son, Eston Hemings, the Monticello Foundation asserted that Jefferson fathered Eston and likely her other five children as well. However, there are some who disagree. In 2018, the Thomas Jefferson Foundation of Monticello announced its plans to have an exhibit titled Life of Sally Hemings, and affirmed that it was treating as a settled issue that Jefferson was the father of her known children. The exhibit opened in June 2018SALLY HEMINGShttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sally_HemingsTHE LIFE OF SALLY HEMINGShttps://www.monticello.org/sallyhemings/Thomas Jefferson's Black and white relatives meet each otherhttps://youtu.be/7uCvaTV-L0UNew Monticello Exibit Has picture of whole familyhttps://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/new-monticello-exhibit-takes-closer-look-sally-hemings-slavery-healing-ncna888136DON'T FORGET TO RATE, COMMENT AND SUBSCRIBEJoin us on social mediaVisit our website www.adaywithcrime.comadaywithcrime@gmail.comCover Art created by Geneva McClamSound Mixing and editing by David McClamIntro and outro jingle by David McClam

It has been one year since the last time it was January 20, and this time around many things are different. Does anything ever stay exactly the same? That is not a question directly before us on this installment of Charlottesville Community Engagement, a constantly changing compendium of challenges, choices, and charged chatter. I’m your host, Sean Tubbs. Charlottesville Community Engagement is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.In this edition:Charlottesville City Council approves two housing projects intended for those with lower incomesScottsville Town Council defers a vote on two clustered developments within town limitsGovernor Youngkin issues two more executive orders, including a removal word “equity” from his Cabinet diversity chiefA new brief is filed in a lawsuit seeking a House of Delegates election in 2022 And an update from the General Assembly update. Two shouts-outs to start the programYou’re listening to Charlottesville. Community Engagement. Let’s begin today with two more Patreon-fueled shout-outs. The first comes a long-time supporter who wants you to know:"Today is a great day to spread good cheer: reach out to an old friend, compliment a stranger, or pause for a moment of gratitude to savor a delight."And this is where I wish my mother a Happy Birthday! The second comes from a more recent supporter who wants you to go out and read a local news story written by a local journalist. Whether it be the Daily Progress, Charlottesville Tomorrow, C-Ville Weekly, NBC29, CBS19, WINA, or some other place I’ve not mentioned - the community depends on a network of people writing about the community. Go learn about this place today!Pandemic updateToday the number of new COVID-19 cases increased over yesterday, but the seven-day percent positivity has declined once again. There are 14,803 new cases and the percent positivity is at 31.6 percent. The number of hospitalizations is currently at 3,868 patients with 635 of them in intensive care units and 388 are on ventilators. The Blue Ridge Health District reports another 512 new cases today and the percent positivity is at 26 percent. Just before publication, Governor Glenn Youngkin has announced a limited state of emergency in Executive Order 11 that is related to the pandemic. This is similar to one enacted earlier this month by former Governor Ralph Northam which provides flexibility to health care providers related to staffing. This will expire on February 21. Read the order for more details on the 18 provisions within. Request for 2022 General Assembly election still alive in federal courtA new motion was filed this week in the federal lawsuit seeking the Virginia Board of Elections to hold a new election this November for all 100 seats in the House of Delegates. Attorney Paul Goldman filed the suit in the Eastern District of Virginia last year arguing that the current boundaries are invalid because they are based on 2010 Census data. Goldman also sought a temporary injunction to stop the Board in November from certifying the 2021 election results in the House of Delegates for a period of two years. That motion was denied. Goldman appealed and this week filed a brief in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals that applies the same legal arguments that led the Eastern District Court in 1981 to order House of Delegates elections that year for a one year term with a new election in 1982. (learn more on Wikipedia)“The failure of the federal government to timely provide 2020 U.S. Census Data created delays in the Virginia reapportionment process,” reads the summary of the argument. “But this federal failure doesn’t provide a constitutional ‘free pass’ for state officials to arbitrarily decide to violate Appellee’s constitutionally protected voting rights.” Goldman argues the districts in place last November violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment because some districts had many more voters than others because the reapportionment had not happened yet. He’s asking the three judge panel to take up the case. In late December, The Supreme Court of Virginia approved maps drawn by two special masters. More 2022 General Assembly legislation ends in committeeMeanwhile, the work of the General Assembly continues with 1.4 percent of the 2,078 bills filed so far listed as failing. At least, as of 8 a.m. this morning. All but one of them are in the Senate. One such bill from Senator Bill Stanley (R-20) would have required a mandatory minimum of life imprisonment for a Class 1 felony. It was “passed by indefinitely” in the Judiciary Committee on a party line vote of 8 to 7. (SB79)A bill from Senator Ghazala F. Hashmi (D-10) would have allowed “credentialed newspersons” to cross police lines, perimeters, and barricades. Hashmi asked for it to be stricken. (SB240)Senator Amanda Chase (R-11) has a bill (SB548) that would have prohibited any discrimination of people based on vaccination status. That one “failed to report” from the General Laws and Technology committee on a party-line vote. A second bill (SB582) from Chase would have prevented any discrimination against people who don’t want to wear a mask. That one was “passed by indefinitely” by an 8 to 6 vote, with Senator Siobhan Dunnavant (R-12) not casting a vote.A bill from Senator Jeremy McPike (D-29) (SB606) would have required smoke detectors in all new residential units, equipped with a battery that can last ten years. The request was stricken at the request of the patron. A bill from Senator Jill Vogel (R-27) would have added a sixth member to the Board of Elections and extend their terms to six years. SB610 would also have required photo identification to vote and require registrars to audit the voter rolls more frequently. The bill was stricken at Vogel’s request in the Privileges and Elections committee.One piece of legislation has already been continued to 2023. SB59 from Senator Travis Hackworth (R-38) would require the police chief in a dissolved city to relinquish records over to the sheriff of the county that would take over authority of the jurisdiction.  But it’s not all failure. Forty House Joint Resolutions have passed the House of Delegates, as well as four House Resolutions. Most of these are organizational or commendations for various individuals and organizations across Virginia. View the full list of passed bills here on the Legislative Information System. Youngkin drops “equity” from title of new diversity chiefGovernor Youngkin has selected a top official of the Heritage Foundation to serve as his director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Angela Sailor is the vice president of the Feulner Institute, a wing of Heritage. Youngkin also signed Executive Order #10 which elevates Sailor to his cabinet as the Chief Diversity, Opportunity, and Inclusion officer.  “We acknowledge that too many of our citizens have not received the equal opportunity they deserve, and we recognize that diversity when genuinely embraced strengthens our Commonwealth,” reads the order, which also establishes that Sailor will be “responsive to the rights of parents in educational and curricular decision-making.” Third shout-outThis past Monday was Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society heard from their newest board member at a meeting beginning at 7 p.m. Now you can catch up with the event on YouTube. (watch here)Gayle Jessup White is the first Public Relations and Community Engagement Officer for Monticello and the first descendant of Thomas Jefferson and the enslaved community to work for the Thomas Jefferson Foundation. Gayle Jessup White will talk about her book Reclamation: Sally Hemmings, Thomas Jefferson, and a Descendant’s Search for her Family’s Lasting Legacy. The recording is available on YouTube and you can learn more about the historical society as albemarlehistory.org. Council approves MACAA rezoning for Piedmont Housing Alliance and Habitat for HumanityCharlottesville City Council has given final approval to two separate rezoning requests for new housing projects on Park Street in Charlottesville, just north of the U.S. 250 bypass. At Council’s first meeting of the year, they reached consensus to place rezoning of land at the Park Street Christian Church was approved on the consent agenda for the January 18 meeting, but the rezoning at the Monticello Area Community Action Alliance property was further discussed. Dannon O’Connell is a city planner. “The proposed [Planned Unit Development] development calls for preservation of two existing single-family homes, 28 new townhome or duplex units, 65 multifamily units in two buildings, and a maximum of 7,500 square feet of commercial child care space,” O’Connell said. The land use designations for both properties were changed in the 2021 Future Land use Map to allow more density. (review the Future Land Use Map on the Cville Plans Together) Nearby resident John Hossack argued that data supplied by the developer was faulty and a new sample should be taken. “The traffic analysis was based on data collected in June 2021, in the middle of COVID, middle of summer, and outside of school and University term time,” Hossack said. “This is really significant because this potentially could sink the project or at least justify a reduction in scale which is really what the community is looking for.” Traffic engineer Brennan Duncan acknowledged the traffic study may have been affected by COVID but defended its use. “The applicant was on a pretty strict timeline to get their stuff submitted so I did say that if they were going to do it and wanted to move forward, they would have to do the correcting factor,” Duncan said.Duncan said the applicant was asked to compare their traffic study with a previous one conducted for a previous rezoning for the MACAA property and to traffic counts from the Virginia Department of Transportation. “Both of the traffic studies that have been done do fall in line with the VDOT estimate for Park Street so I am confident in both the VDOT estimate and the numbers that came through,” Duncan said. Duncan acknowledged traffic would increase in the area above the average of 10,000 vehicles that use it today. That’s down from the more than 20,000 vehicles a day that used to use the roadway before the John Warner Parkway opened. (read the 2020 estimated traffic counts for Charlottesville)“The theoretical maximum is around 18,000 vehicles per day and that’s at the point where you start seeing pretty severe traffic backups during peak hours,” Duncan said. “The 1,200 vehicles per day between both this project, the MACAA site and the Park Street Church is not insignificant. I also do not believe it will severely hurt or have severe detrimental effects on the network.”Duncan also acknowledges that there are site distance issues with the existing entrance, but that the development will meet the minimum requirement with a new intersection that will align Maaca Drive with Davis Avenue. “I have worked with the applicant to achieve what I believe to be the safest intersection that we can hope for given the topography of the area,” Duncan said. Duncan said he would be requesting a left hand turn lane onto Macca Drive from northbound Park when the project goes to site plan approval. Mayor Lloyd Snook said he has had a concern about the existing MACAA site for years and that the existing conditions with site distance are not good. “And it just seems to me that the changes that will be coming to eliminate a lot of those obstacles are going to make life a lot easier,” Snook said. “Whether that has anything to do with the accident rate, I don’t know.”Snook said a Charlottesville with more residential density will mean development on what he called more problematic parcels. “One of the things we’ve got to do as Councilors, Planning Commissioners, and city planners, and so on is to attempt to recognize when the problem is something that is manageable versus when it is not manageable,” Snook said.Snook said in this case, the problems are manageable. He added Council will be called on to manage those problems. Councilor Michael Payne said he walked through the sight and acknowledges the problems. He gave some insight into how he made his decision.“A heuristic I use is just if a development is appropriate and safe, is would I feel comfortable explaining to everyone who could have lived there the reasons I voted no, and likewise, would I feel comfortable explaining to every individual who lives in the neighborhood why I voted yes,” Payne said. “In this case the tradeoffs to me seem clear for the benefit of at least 76 families who will have access to affordable rentals and homeownerships is worth it.” The vote was unanimous. Scottsville Town Council defers on density requestsMeanwhile in Scottsville, the Town Council on Tuesday night took up two special use permits to allow for additional residential density for projects on Bird Street and Blenheim Road. The Blenheim Heights projects would see 24 houses on 9 acres and the Bird Street project would be 48 houses on 12 acres. Both take advantage of provisions in an updated zoning code that allows for clustered development. Before the meeting, the town put on three informational meetings at which the details were given. The public hearing opened without a presentation from the applicant. Several speakers asked for Council to deny the request. One of them was Kim Schmitt, who moved to Scottsville in 1995. “We moved from Florida and one of the reasons was to get away from development,” Schmitt said.Schmitt said she wanted to see what the by-right development would look like.  Another speaker mentioned a petition calling for “responsible” development and she asked this be entered into the record.“There are a total of 299 signatures from the paper and online petition,” the woman said. “This petition shows that there are many people who want development and that’s what the petition says. We want development but we want responsible growth commensurate with the size of our town.” Others were supportive. Thomas Unsworth who lives on Bird Street. He supported a project that would give him new neighbors.  “And I cannot stress how excited I am to see it happen,” Unsworth said. “The historic downtown area is already a dense settlement that encourages people to get out and walk to enjoy local amenities like the library, parks, and the farmers’ market and the many businesses that we have. Building new housing in this part of town is the perfect way to allow Scottsville to grow without putting an undue stress on the parking and traffic situations downtown.”However, he said he did not support the Blenheim Heights project because it is a cul-de-sac, more common in suburban development. The majority of speakers asked for a denial or more time to come up with conditions. When the matter came before the Town Council, Scottsville Mayor Ron Smith suggested taking time for a vote later. “Technically we could vote on this right now but with all that information that came out of this weekend’s meeting I feel like Town Council needs to have a special session to discuss all that information before they take a vote,” Smith said. The items will return to the Town Council for a vote on February 22, with a special session to be scheduled between now and then. 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

If the year were so far an Olympics, today would be the final ceremony. But we’re just at the beginning of a new era in Virginia with a new Governor who has demonstrated a different approach than the previous one. These words are being sent out just as another winter storm rolls through. So, this rare Sunday edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement is being crafted to capture this moment when we don’t quite know what will happen, but there are signs. I’m your host, Sean Tubbs.The newsletter and podcast is free, so sign up to make sure it shows up in your inbox! On today’s show: Albemarle and the region prepare for another winter storm Governor Glenn Youngkin is sworn in and signs eleven executive orders, including a withdrawal to pull out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and a revocation of statewide mask mandatesThe Piedmont Housing Alliance breaks ground on the development of Friendship Court after many yearsFirst subscriber-supported shout-outMonday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society invites you to hear from their newest board member at a meeting beginning at 7 p.m. Gayle Jessup White is the first Public Relations and Community Engagement Officer for Monticello and the first descendant of Thomas Jefferson and the enslaved community to work for the Thomas Jefferson Foundation. Gayle Jessup White will talk about her book Reclamation: Sally Hemmings, Thomas Jefferson, and a Descendant’s Search for her Family’s Lasting Legacy. That’s 7 p.m on Monday and you can register for the Zoom call or watch on Facebook Live. Sign up now at albemarlehistory.org. Albemarle County EmergencyAlbemarle County has declared a local emergency in advance of today’s winter storm in order to help coordinate services in the event that it is disruptive. “It has the potential to cause downed trees, widespread power outages, and hazardous travel conditions,” reads the disaster declaration issued by County Executive Jeffrey Richardson.Dan Eggleston is the chief of Albemarle Fire Rescue and he said his staff has been watching the weather forecasts. “We have been engaged with the state resources as well as local utilities and others to help understand the potential impact that this storm may have on county residents,” Eggleston said. Former Governor Ralph Northam issued a declaration of emergency on Friday. Eggleston said the forecast became more clear as of Saturday morning and that the threat of further power outages loomed. There could be a lot of wet snow and ice, prompting County Executive Jeffrey Richardson to make the declaration. “Basically what this does is allows us to implement our emergency operations plan and activate any contracts we might have to solicit resources including a clear channel to the state should we  need any additional resources beyond our local capacity,” Eggleston said. If you need resources, or want to know what they may be before a power outage affects you, visit communityemergency.org. The Virginia Department of Transportation is asking people to stay home on Sunday due to potential blizzard conditions. “The current forecast indicates this event will drop significant snow, followed by freezing rain and ice in many areas, targeting the central region of Virginia and areas along the Interstate 81 corridor with the most extreme conditions,” reads a press release. VDOT urges anyone who does travel today to carry an emergency winter weather kit including food, water, blankets, and other tools needed if you are stranded. Albemarle fatalityAlbemarle County has also reported the death of a driver in a single-vehicle crash yesterday morning in the 4100 block of Free Union Road. This is the first traffic fatality of the year in Albemarle. Youngkin sworn in as Virginia’s 74th Governor signs 11 executive actions Soon after being sworn in, Governor Glenn Youngkin got to work with a series of executive orders to undo many key policies of the last administration and General Assembly. It was, in fact, Day One of his administration, and many of the directives are intended to comb through Virginia’s policy to remove that which the Governor finds offensive.“Well, it’s Day One, and we’ve had a great morning and as we head into the afternoon, it’s time to get to work,” Youngkin said.  Youngkin made a point of gathering in a working office in the Governor’s mansion that hasn’t been used in two years. To his right, Lieutenant Governor Winsome Sears. To his left, Secretary of the Commonwealth Kay Coles James. No one in the picture wears a mask. “These executive actions combined with the 59 bills that are being carried in our legislature right now by Delegates and Senators and 25 budget amendments comprise the actions necessary to put our Day One game plan into motion,” Youngkin said. The first bans “the use of inherently divisive concepts, including Critical Race Theory” and states that “political indoctrination has no place in our classroom.” Specifically, the order directs the Superintendent of Public Instruction to end all policies that promote “inherently divisive concepts” and remove “those that promote or endorse divisive or inherently racist concepts.” Youngkin didn’t elaborate much on this one but did welcome the person who will oversee some of the education changes. “I’m particularly excited to be joined by our Secretary of Education designee, Aimee Guidera,” Youngkin said This order singles out programs by name, such as the Department of Education’s Cultural Competency Training Program, EdEquityVA, and the Virginia Math Pathways Initiative. (read the full text)A change in pandemic policyThree of the actions relate to the pandemic. Executive Directive Two rescinds a mandate that state employees get vaccinated against COVID. Youngkin said it is a matter of individual rights. “No executive branch employees shall be required to be vaccinated or required to disclose their vaccination status as a condition of their employment,” Youngkin said. “Let me be clear. I continue to be an absolutely staunch advocate for the vaccine. I’ve gotten the vaccine. I’ve gotten the booster. Suzanne has gotten the vaccine and gotten the booster. I believe it is the best way to keep your family safe. But we also believe individual liberty counts and matters and therefore rather than mandate we’re going to work to educate.” Executive Order Two ends Virginia’s requirement that children in public school be masked. This one points out what it calls outdated information in the August 12, 2021 order and states that the Omicron variant causes less severe than the Delta variant. (read the full text)Executive Order Six orders the Virginia Safety and Health Codes Board to conduct an emergency meeting to decide if a Virginia Department of Labor and Industry COVID standard should be eliminated.(take a look at the standard)“Most succinctly I can say this executive order keeps Virginia open for business,” Youngkin said. “We’ll remove burdensome COVID-19 regulations.”Executive Order Nine seeks the re-evaluation of Virginia’s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and to begin undoing the regulations embedded in executive branch agencies such as the Department of Environmental Quality. “The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative as I’ve said before is nothing more than a carbon tax, a carbon tax that raises the utility bills of all Virginians,” Youngkin said. Youngkin thanked Andrew Wheeler for being willing to serve as Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources, a position where he will oversee the dismantling of RGGI. There are also several bills filed to accomplish many of the changes to state law. The order also states that RGGI be notified of the administration’s intent to withdraw. (read the full text)The others:Executive Order Three fires the parole boardExecutive Order Four orders the Attorney General of Virginia to investigate the Loudoun County School Board related to a sexual assault in the spring of 2021 (full text)Executive Order Five creates a position that will review Virginia agencies beginning with the Department of Motor Vehicles and the Virginia Employment Commission. Eric Moeller will be the Chief Transformation Officer in Virginia. (full text)Executive Order Seven establishes the Commission on Human Trafficking Prevention and Survivor Support. (full text)Executive Order Eight establishes the Commission to Combat Antisemitism (full text)Executive Directive One orders a 25 percent cut of regulations, citing a report from 2018 mandated by the General Assembly but not implemented. (full text) (HB883)No action today in the General Assembly. Many meetings scheduled for tomorrow have been canceled. It’s also the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Support the show by giving a shout-out!In today’s shout-out, a shout-out to the shouters-of out! I want to thank all of the individuals and entities that have supported this newsletter and podcast through a $25 a month Patreon contribution or through some other combination of support. Thanks to the Charlottesville Jazz Society, Code for Charlottesville, LEAP, the Rivanna Conservation Alliance, Lonnie Murray and his penchant for native plants, WTJU, the Albemarle-Charlottesville Historical Society, Jefferson Madison Regional Library, the Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards, Cville 350, Piedmont Master Gardeners, and of course, the Valley Research Center. More in 2022. Click through to Information Charlottesville to learn more about how you can support this channel. Friendship Court groundbreakingAfter years of planning, the Piedmont Housing Alliance has broken ground on the multi-phase redevelopment of Friendship Court. Phase One will be built on the open space portion of the existing 150-unit residential complex. Sunshine Mathon is the executive director of the Piedmont Housing Alliance. “For over 40 years, Friendship Court, also known to many as Garret Square has been home to over hundreds of families,” Mathon said. “For some, it was a short time. For others, it is all they have known. For some, it has been a place of solace and respite during difficult times. For others it has reflected the pain of broader racial and social injustices, and families caught in the unrelenting gears of generational poverty.” Before Friendship Court, the land had been a predominantly Black neighborhood and was razed during what’s known as the Garret Street urban renewal. Planning for what would replace Friendship Court has been underway for many years. Piedmont Housing Alliance has been involved since before Mathon joined the agency four and a half years ago. “When I arrived in Charlottesville I knew little of this history and as an outsider and as a white man, I have had to listen and I have had to come to learn that we cannot turn our gaze to the future to explore what’s possible whether here at Friendship Court or in the region more broadly without truly knowing the weight of the past,” Mathon said. A site plan for the four phases at Friendship Court has been developed by the Timmons Group, and this calls for a range between 350 to 500 units on the 11.758 acres with up to 60,000 square feet for commercial, business, or assembly space. This site plan also shows a road network that eventually will become public streets. Mathon said that work has been overseen by a committee of current residents. “They have participated in deep community outreach,” Mathon said. “They have chosen architects and contractors, they have taken field trips to other cities to explore what has been done elsewhere and they have worked and reworked and reworked and reworked a plan for redevelopment aimed directly at redressing root causes such as systemic inequity.” Charlottesville City Council has approved millions of funds in contributions to the project’s financing including a $5.5 million forgivable loan approved by Council in October 2020. (read a story from then)“So much of what is pushed in front of our faces on City Council is five-star hotels, the University, fancy restaurants, business development, and that’s all fine enough but it’s this what makes Charlottesville a great community,” said City Councilor Michael Payne. “To have residents who are taking self-control of their future in building with our community their future.” You can watch the ground-breaking in a link in the newsletter. Visit piedmonthousingalliance.org for more information. Stay safe today. 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

Will today be an unlucky day? After all, the calendar for today does contain a 13. Would it were we could design our time without so many potential pitfalls! Still, unlike a building, Charlottesville Community Engagement cannot skip ahead to 14 because otherwise we’d fall far behind. I’m the host, Sean Tubbs, and let’s wish fortune has a wide enough brush to cover us all. On today’s program:Governor Northam says goodbye, while incoming Speaker of the House Gilbert says helloAlbemarle County is not planning on in-person meetings for now with the omicron COVID wave still ragingAnother winter storm approaches, and Charlottesville is still adjusting to missed solid waste pick-ups from the last oneAttorney General Herring said the incoming governor can’t pull Virginia out of an interstate carbon cap-and-trade marketTwo Patreon-fueled shout-outsLet’s begin today with two more Patreon-fueled shout-outs. The first comes a long-time supporter who wants you to know:"Today is a great day to spread good cheer: reach out to an old friend, compliment a stranger, or pause for a moment of gratitude to savor a delight."The second comes from a more recent supporter who wants you to go out and read a local news story written by a local journalist. Whether it be the Daily Progress, Charlottesville Tomorrow, C-Ville Weekly, NBC29, CBS19, WINA, or some other place I’ve not mentioned - the community depends on a network of people writing about the community. Go learn about this place today!Winter storm approaching?Another winter storm is in the forecast with a lot of speculation. According to Weather Underground, Charlottesville could get as much as eight inches on Sunday, though we’ll have more information as that time approaches. On Wednesday, Albemarle Supervisor Ann Mallek had this advice.“Nobody knows what the winter storm Sunday is going to be but I encourage everyone to take a couple of days of sunshine to pre-clean your sidewalks and get your supplies in so we can be ready for whatever comes our way,” Mallek said.The aftermath of the January 3 storm is still being worked through. This morning, the City of Charlottesville announced that normal trash pickup has resumed, but recycling service that was missed due to the storm won’t be made up with an additional run. Trash is collected weekly in Charlottesville but recycling is every other week. “Due to resource capacity issues, our service contractor for Trash/Recycling will be unable to provide make-up recycling collection for those impacted by the suspension in service that occurred the week of January 3rd,” reads a release. “Impacted residents will receive recycling collection on their next scheduled service date.” Residents are encouraged to take their recyclable materials to the McIntire Recycling Center, on McIntire Road, which is operated by the Rivanna Solid Waste Authority. In addition, the city will pick-up debris from the January 3 storm the week of January 24. “Any adjustments to this schedule that may result from volume or operational delays will be provided to the public in as timely a manner as possible,” reads the city’s website on solid waste management. “We also encourage City residents to take advantage of the free storm debris disposal waiver being operated until January 24th at the Ivy Material Utilization Center, located at 4576 Dick Woods Road.”The Ivy MUC is also operated by the Rivanna Solid Waste Authority. Albemarle and Charlottesville are covering the fees to drop off that debris. Pandemic records continue to be brokenThe highest COVID surge in pandemic continues in Virginia with an average of 18,782 new cases a day. The seven-day percent positivity is at 35.6 percent today statewide. Today’s snapshot from the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association, there are 3,894 people hospitalized with COVID, with 646 of them in intensive care units. There are 349 people on ventilators. Those last two numbers are new records. On Wednesday, the Albemarle Board of Supervisors had a work session on what county staff are calling the “Reconstitution” of Albemarle government, which is a way of saying a return to in-person public hearings. Trevor Henry is the assistant county executive. “When we first set this agenda it was prior to the Omicron variant, prior to that wave hitting the region the way it has,” Henry said. This week has seen the highest numbers to date in the Blue Ridge Health District, which includes Albemarle, Charlottesville, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, and Nelson counties. Today there are 480 cases reported. There have been five deaths reported since the beginning of the year, though that figure often lags behind as death certificates are tallied. “At this point, we will not be recommending a date certain on returning to in-person public meetings,” Henry said.Henry and other staff sought direction about how to proceed with a future where those meetings are open. The county has made investments in some rooms in order to allow remote participation by members of the public in a hybrid manner. Both Albemarle County and Charlottesville remain under a local declaration of emergency which allows for remote meetings. County Attorney Greg Kamptner explained how that would end. “The state code and the state emergency law provides when the Board [of Supervisors] in its discretion determines  that there are no further emergency services to be provided,” Kamptner said. Kamptner said the county has come close to that at certain points during the pandemic, but various surges have complicated the matter. Herring: Youngkin alone can’t remove Virginia from carbon cap-and-trade marketUntil Saturday, Mark Herring is Virginia’s chief counsel. On Tuesday, the outgoing Attorney General issued an opinion stating that Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin cannot through executive order or other executive action remove the Commonwealth of Virginia from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. Virginia joined the mid-Atlantic interstate compact following an act of the General Assembly in 2020. “The [Clean Energy and Community Flood Preparation] Act directs the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality to amend its regulations that established a carbon dioxide cap and trade program,” Herring wrote in the opinion. “The Constitution of Virginia does not grant the Governor the power to suspend laws.”The opinion did not come out of the blue. Herring’s advice was sought by Delegate Charniele Herring (D-46) and Delegate Rip Sullivan (D-48).On Friday, the State Corporation Commission issued a ruling granting approval of a plan from Dominion Energy to upgrade their portion of the electric grid. Dominion’s Phase II seeks to integrate more “distributed energy resources” into the power network. Their plan cites the Clean Economy act as a justification for moving to more solar, wind, and other renewable sources. “There is no doubt that significant volumes of [distributed energy resources] are coming to Virginia,” reads the plan. “The distribution grid must be ready.” The State Corporation Commission had public hearings on the plan last October, which calls for $193.8 million to install net metering infrastructure, $203.9 million on a customer information platform, and other areas to upgrade the grid. The SCC approval notes the importance of educating the public on what’s going to happen. “Customer education will ensure that the full benefits of other [grid transformation] projects are realized by educating customers on the opportunities that such projects provide,” reads page 13 the ruling. Today’s third subscriber supported shout-outMonday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society invites you to hear from their newest board member at a meeting beginning at 7 p.m. Gayle Jessup White is the first Public Relations and Community Engagement Officer for Monticello and the first descendant of Thomas Jefferson and the enslaved community to work for the Thomas Jefferson Foundation. Gayle Jessup White will talk about her book Reclamation: Sally Hemmings, Thomas Jefferson, and a Descendant’s Search for her Family’s Lasting Legacy. That’s 7 p.m. on Monday and you can register for the Zoom call or watch on Facebook Live. Sign up now at albemarlehistory.org. Legislative update On the first day of the General Assembly, the 2022 session in the House of Delegates is coming into shape. Delegate Rob Bell (R-58) will chair the Courts of Justice committee and will serve on the Health, Welfare and Institutions committee and the Rules Committee. Delegate Sally Hudson (D-57) will serve on the Finance Committee and Health, Welfare, and Institutions. Delegate Chris Runion (R-25) will also serve on the Finance Committee, the Agriculture, Chesapeake, and Natural Resources Committee, the General Laws Committee, and the Transportation Committee.Several House committees met this morning but there are not yet bills on their agendas. Instead, members of Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin’s cabinet were interviewed by various committees. Over in the Senate, the Committee on Education and Health met. Remember, the Senate is still controlled by the Democratic Party with a two-seat majority, meaning Democrats hold the gavel on committees. Outgoing Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax presides over the Senate until incoming Lieutenant Governor Winsome Sears is sworn in. The Senate Education and Health committee did take up legislation and began winnowing out some of the bills, or at least hitting pause on some of them. For instance, the Education and Health heard a bill from Senator Mark Peake to require the Virginia Department of Health to create a program to mitigate algae blooms. Peake said he would edit the bill to make change that requirement to go to the Department of Environmental Quality instead.  (SB171)When I published the January 12 edition of this newsletter, I had initially stated there were around 850 bills submitted. As I write these words, there are 1,634 bills. Four measures passed the House on the first day, including a commendation for former Speaker of the House Kirk Cox. Oh. Now we’re up to 1,677. The trickle is now a flood. Virginia finances up in December The Commonwealth of Virginia has reported that state revenues were up 19.2 percent in December over the previous year. According to a press release from Governor Ralph Northam’s office, that’s the fifth straight month of double-digit increases. Northam leaves office on Saturday when Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin is sworn in. “We have governed with fiscal responsibility and compassion for all Virginians—and with five straight months of double-digit revenue growth, record job creation and historic investments in Virginia families, the results speak for themselves,” Northam said.In his farewell address to the General Assembly last night, the outgoing Governor thanked his cabinet for their service and and honored Supreme Court Justices Donald Lemons and William Mims on their retirement.  He also saluted the tradition of gubernatorial addresses at the General Assembly. “This is a time when elected leaders from different branches of government, different political parties, and different parts of the state come together to talk about the Commonwealth that we all share,” Northam said. Governor-elect Youngkin will address the General Assembly on Monday night. “By then he will be your Governor and I wish him the best and I am confident that he will be lead this Commonwealth well,” Northam said. Northam reviewed his four years in office and said he has tried to govern in order to help people across Virginia. “Virginians choose leaders who will make our Commonwealth better for them and their families, no matter who they are or where they live,” Northam said. “I can confidently say that we have done that. We are leaving this Commonwealth better than it was when we came into office. We have built a state that does a better job of treating people right. It’s more welcoming. It’s more open. It is more fair. And it is more equitable.”After the speech, Speaker of the House Todd Gilbert sent out a tweet that did not share the same spirit of bipartisanship. However, seven hours earlier, Gilbert did sound bipartisan after the House of Delegates unanimously elected him as speaker. That’s a tradition in Virginia politics. “Thank you for the trust that all of you have placed in me willingly,” Gilbert said. “Some unwillingly, admittedly, but thank you nonetheless. I do not take this responsibility lightly and I pledge to you that I will give the utmost to be a Speaker for all of Virginia.”And as we end this installment of Charlottesville Community Engagement, none of the 1,693 bills filed so far have failed. Give it time. 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

There have been a dozen days to the year so far, and after today there are 29.4 dozen 24-hour periods left until we all sing Auld Lang Syne once again. Until then, let’s not forget any of our acquaintances for now, and let’s stock up on cups of kindness. This is Charlottesville Community Engagement for this particular period of time, and I’m Sean Tubbs, here everyday “to take a right goodwill draught for auld lang syne.” Sign up for free for regular installments of information. Payment is encouraged, but not mandatory. On today’s show:New data shows that inflation is occurring at the highest rate since 1982Charlottesville City Council holds interviews for interim city manager but don’t yet make a decisionRegional planners get a first look at a rezoning at UVA’s North Fork Discovery Park The Charlottesville Democratic Committee selects two new co-chairsCharlottesville’s NDS director gives a preview of the rewrite of the zoning ordinanceTwo options are alive for a pedestrian bridge over the Rivanna River Today’s first subscriber supported shout-outMonday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society invites you to hear from their newest board member at a meeting beginning at 7 p.m. Gayle Jessup White is the first Public Relations and Community Engagement Officer for Monticello and the first descendant of Thomas Jefferson and the enslaved community to work for the Thomas Jefferson Foundation. Gayle Jessup White will talk about her book Reclamation: Sally Hemmings, Thomas Jefferson, and a Descendant’s Search for her Family’s Lasting Legacy. That’s 7 p.m on Monday and you can register for the Zoom call or watch on Facebook Live. Sign up now at albemarlehistory.org. More “investigation” needed before interim city manager pickCharlottesville City Council met in closed session for over three hours yesterday to meet with candidates for interim city manager. The five elected officials met with Robert Bobb of the Robert Bobb Group as well, but had nothing much to report at the end of the meeting. Here’s Mayor Lloyd Snook. “We have interviewed some very impressive candidates,” Snook said. “We have some further investigation yet to be done. We are not yet prepared to make a decision but expect to make a decision probably on Tuesday, January 18.” Council’s regular meeting will be that day due to the commemoration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Zoning rewrite updateIn November, the City Council adopted a new Comprehensive Plan as the second leg of the Cville Plans Together initiative. The first was adoption of a new affordable housing plan in March. The next step is the rewriting of the city’s zoning code. James Freas, the director of Neighborhood Development Services, told the Charlottesville Planning Commission that the public process for the three phases of the zoning rewrite will kick off at the end of the month.“What we are looking at is a complete rewrite,” Freas said. “This isn’t going to take your existing ordinance and redline it and make changes. This is going to be a complete rewrite.” Freas said some portions of the existing code would be copied over into the new version with new formatting and wording. “There are some aspects of the new ordinance we anticipate bringing over wholesale but it will be a new document,” Freas said. The first phase will be a diagnostic comparing the existing zoning code to the Comprehensive Plan to eliminate barriers to implementation. A report will come before the Planning Commission and City Council for approval before the drafting process begins.“That first phase will probably take us up to the end of May, hopefully not, but maybe the beginning of June but I’m anticipating that first phase will take us to the end of May,” Freas said.In the fall, drafts will begin to be shared with the Planning Commission and Council. The adoption process will be the third phase and that section has not yet been determined. “But we’re anticipating that adoption process taking us into 2023 and culminating in a vote by Council sometime in the spring of 2023,” Freas said. There will be a community engagement process, but of course, there will also be Charlottesville Community Engagement. Details to come as they’re known. During the process, there will be at least two new Planning Commissioners. The terms of Commissioners Jody Lahendro and Taneia Dowell will expire at the end of August and neither can reapply. Commissioner Karim Habbab is filling out an unexpired term that ends in August, but he can reapply. Hosea Mitchell and Rory Stolzenberg’s terms expire at the end of August, too, and both can reapply. Comprehensive Plan lawsuitLast week, a group of citizens filed a lawsuit in Charlottesville Circuit Court against the validity of the Comprehensive Plan. The argument cites four specific failures and asks that Council’s vote be held null and void. The seven plaintiffs are Charlottesville residents seeking to withhold their identity. They argue the Future Land Use Map “radically increases density within the city” in a way that violates state code. (read the argument)“Unlike the Comprehensive Plans that are contemplated by the General Assembly…the Plan at issue is very specific, and assigns new zoning designations to each specific parcel in the City,” reads paragraph 15 of the argument. “As a result of this approach, the City’s actions are already  having a direct impact on property owners.” The argument singles out one home on 10th Street NW that is now listed on the market for $485,000 but has a 2021 assessment of $315,600. According to the real estate listing, there are currently three one-bedroom apartments there, but states “Charlottesville City's new proposed plan shows this property as mixed urban use.”The suit also argues the plan does not sufficiently plan for transportation improvements within the city to support additional growth, and that the public notice for the adoption on November 15 was not sufficient. The city has not yet been served with the lawsuit, according to city attorney Lisa Robertson. (image) The lawsuit was filed on December 15, 2021 but has not yet been served to the parties, which would trigger a response from the defendants. Read the argument here. Charlottesville Democrats pick new chairsThere’s new leadership in the Charlottesville Democratic Committee. At a reorganizational meeting on Monday, about a hundred participants selected John McLaren and Dashad Cooper to serve as the co-chairs of the committee. McLaren is a resident of the Martha Jefferson neighborhood and Cooper is a student at Piedmont Virginia Community College who worked on the City Council campaigns of Brian Pinkston and Juandiego Wade. The vice chair is Nancy Damon, a Fry’s Spring resident and former member of the Charlottesville Planning Commission. The secretary will continue to be Mary Ann Harris. Jason Vandever is the party’s treasurer.  Vandever was elected as the city’s treasurer in a special election in 2013 and has held the position ever since. The Republican Party of Charlottesville has not fielded a City Council candidate since 2015 when Anson Parker was their candidate. The chair of the party in Charlottesville is Dan Moy and the treasurer is Buddy Weber. Weber ran for Council in 2013 along with former Planning Commissioner Mike Farruggio. Second subscriber supported shout-outAlgorithms know how to put songs and artists together based on genre or beats per minute. But only people can make connections that engage your mind and warm your heart. The music on WTJU 91.1 FM is chosen by dozens and dozens of volunteer hosts -- music lovers like you who live right here in the Charlottesville area. Listener donations keep WTJU alive and thriving. In this era of algorithm-driven everything, go against the grain. Support freeform community radio on WTJU. Consider a donation at wtju.net/donate.Regional planners get preview of North Fork rezoningAn official group of planning officials from around the Charlottesville area got a preview last month on a major rezoning on land at the University of Virginia Foundation’s North Fork research park. The Land Use Environmental and Planning Committee was created in 2019 when elected officials agreed to cease meeting in public as a body known as the Planning and Coordination Council.  One of its members is Hosea Mitchell of the Charlottesville Planning Commission.“They are actually asking for a rezoning and the rezoning is to allow for residential to be included in the industrial developments that they’re doing there,” Mitchell said. The presentation at the December meeting was made by Fred Missel, the UVA Foundation’s director of design and development. He has since been named to serve on the Albemarle Planning Commission as a voting member after spending several years on the Albemarle Architectural Review Board. The LUEPC meetings are not open to the public, but Missel presented the rezoning in detail. The Foundation seeks a rezoning for portions of the North Fork park to the Neighborhood Model District. The Code of Development calls for a multiblock approach with a minimum of 200 residential units and a maximum of 1,400 units. The University of Virginia has announced this location as one of three sites where the Foundation will partner with a developer to build affordable units. At North Fork, buildings would be up to six stories. Albemarle County’s first round of comments back to the foundation are due at the end of this month, according to the presentation. A community meeting will also need to be held for the rezoning.  Back to the Land Use, Environmental and Planning Committee. This year, the city of Charlottesville takes on administrative responsibility for the group. According to Mitchell, utilities director Lauren Hildebrand will be the chair this year. The University of Virginia Master Planning Council meets next week. Those meetings are not open to the public but there are representatives from Albemarle and Charlottesville. Rivanna bridge options narrowed to onePlans are being made to build a pedestrian and bicycle bridge over the Rivanna River and the Charlottesville Planning Commission got an update last night. The Thomas Jefferson Planning District Committee is leading the efforts and a stakeholders group has been meeting to review options. One of its members is Planning Commission Karim Habbab. “The two options that we’re looking at are a connection near Riverview Park on Chesapeake and the other would be at the Wool Factory,” Habbab said. “One would span between city and county and the other would be basically on county land.”The Woolen Mills is located on a small peninsula of Albemarle County that is landlocked within Charlottesville. The stakeholder group will take a tour of the two sites on Friday. Prices continues to riseThe cost of goods in the United States has increased seven percent over the last 12 months according to data released this morning by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s the largest yearly increase since 1982. The consumer price index rose half a percentage point in December.“Increases in the indexes for shelter and for used cars and trucks were the largest contributors to the seasonally adjusted all items increase,” reads the press release. “The energy index declined in December, ending a long series of increases.”Overall, energy prices increased 29.3 percent from December 2020 to December 2021. Pre-filing period for General Assembly completedBy the time you hear or see this, the Virginia General Assembly will have convened for the 2022 session. Republicans now have 52 seats in the House of Delegates and the Speaker is now Todd Gilbert, a Republican from the 15th District. Democrat Eileen Filler-Corn will be the minority leader with 48 seats. Yesterday, Democrats retained the 89th District in Norfolk when Democrat Jackie Hope Glass defeated the Republican candidate with 75 percent of the vote. (election results) For the past couple of weeks I’ve been writing up some of the bills, and now we’ll see how many make their way through the legislative process. General Assembly sessions move fast. Here’s some more of the legislation to give you a sense of this aspect of our democracy: Delegate M. Keith Hodges (R-98) has a bill that would assign chief executive powers to the Mayor of the Town of Urbanna in Middlesex County. (HB190)Hodges has another bill that would create the position of Special Advisor to the Governor for Health Workforce Development. (HB191)Another bill from Hodges would add more chemicals to Virginia’s list of Schedule 1 drugs, including 4-chloro-alpha-methylaminobutiophenone. Also known as 4-chloro Buphedrone. (HB193)Delegate Chris Runion (R-25) filed legislation that would allow electric cooperatives to petition the State Corporation Commission for permission to raise rates to recover the cost of providing broadband. (HB194)Delegate Michael Webert (R-18) has a bill that would allow school board to use an alternative system to measure the progress of elementary and middle school students in reading and mathematics. Specifically, the NWEA MAP Growth system. (HB197)Webert also filed legislation that would require localities that do not provide in-person instruction to pay parents who remove their children from school “a prorated share of the applicable Standards of Quality per-pupil state funds appropriated for public school purposes.” (HB201)Another bill from Webert would prohibit localities from removing property from land use taxation programs if a hardship related to an emergency declaration made by a governor. (HB199)Webert also has legislation that would lower the threshold for streamlined permitting processes for solar facilities from 150 megawatts to 20 megawatts (HB202)Delegate Keith Hodges (R-98) has filed a bill that would allow certain pharmacies to sell cannabis products at the retail level without a prescription to people over the age of 21. (HB211)Delegate Karen Greenhalgh has submitted a bill to require physicians and nurses to follow certain procedures related to getting a woman’s informed written consent when a woman seeks an abortion. (HB212)Senator Mark Peake (R-22) filed a bill directing the Virginia Department of Health to develop a plan to mitigate algae blooms. (SB171)Peake has another bill that would allow nurses to pronounce a person dead (SB169)Peake would also end the state’s further minimum wage increase, capping it at $11 an hour. (SB173)Babysitters, home health aides, and personal care aides would no longer be considered “domestic workers” under another bill from Peake (SB179)A bill from Senator Montgomery Mason would allow people with advanced degrees in public health to serve as health directors, something that’s currently reserved for people with medical degrees. (SB192)Senator Joe Morrissey (D-16) wants Petersburg to be added to the list of cities that can hold a local referendum to allow for opening of a casino. (SB203)Senator Chap Petersen (D-34) has a bill to require the Virginia Department of Health to expedite the process to issue certificates of need for certain medical facilities, such as increased psychiatric beds. (SB205)Senator Jeremy McPike (D-29) would require all candidates for office to file electronically with the Department of Elections. (SB222)More tomorrow. t 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

Gayle Jessup White, a descendant of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings, is author of "Reclamation: Sally Hemings, Thomas Jefferson and a Descendant's Search for Her Family's Lasting Legacy." A former journalist, she talks about research for the book, America's racial reckoning and her work at the Thomas Jefferson Foundation in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Alumni of the University of Virginia enjoy pointing out that while Thomas Jefferson's tombstone declares his foundation of that university as his third great achievement, it does not so much as mention his presidency of the United States. Jefferson had a vision of what a great university could and should be, and the political talent and allies to see that vision implemented. That vision was an intimate part of his republican political philosophy, and of his hopes and fears for the fate of the republic in whose creation he had participated. As Andrew O'Shaughnessy writes in his new book The Illimitable Freedom of the Human Mind: Thomas Jefferson's Idea of a University, “Acknowledging that his ideas were utopian, [Jefferson] regarded himself as an idealist who wanted to benefit humankind, improve society, and offer a happier life.” Andrew O'Shaughnessy is Vice President of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello, and the Saunders Director of the Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies. His most recent book was The Men Who Lost America: British Leadership, the American Revolution, and the Fate of Empire, which was awarded the George Washington Book Prize.  

In certain ways, Jupiter Evans's story paralleled that of Thomas Jefferson's. But Evans was enslaved by Jefferson, and the realities of slavery highlighted the many ways in which their lives diverged. Brandon Dillard, Manager of Historic Interpretation at the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, joins Monticello Guide Kyle Chattleton in a conversation about Jupiter Evans's story.

In certain ways, Jupiter Evans's story paralleled that of Thomas Jefferson's. But Evans was enslaved by Jefferson, and the realities of slavery highlighted the many ways in which their lives diverged. Brandon Dillard, Manager of Historic Interpretation at the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, joins Monticello Guide Kyle Chattleton in a conversation about Jupiter Evans's story.

In today’s Patreon-fueled shout-out: The Rivanna Conservation Alliance is looking for a few good volunteers to help out on Clean Stream Tuesdays, a mile and a half paddle and clean-up to remove trash and debris from popular stretches of the Rivanna River. Trash bags, trash pickers, gloves, and hand sanitizer/wipes will be provided, though volunteers will need to transport themselves to and from the end points. Kayaks for the purpose can be rented from the Rivanna River Company. Visit the Rivanna Conservation Alliance's volunteer page to learn more about upcoming dates.On today’s show:The Pantops CAC hears about development projects and an extension of the Old Mills TrailThe Metropolitan Planning Organization endorses planning projects Virginia’s Constitution turns 50 tomorrowAlbemarle and Charlottesville launch a Buy Local campaign We begin today with some transportation news. U.S. 250 in Nelson County between Route 6 and I-64. has reopened to traffic two months after being closed after a rock slide. According to a release, that’s two weeks ahead of schedule. Lou Hatter is a spokesman for the Virginia Department of Transportation’s Culpeper District. “We had two contractors who were really focused on getting this work done as quickly as possible,” Hatter said. “The fact that U.S. 250 was not open created real issues particularly for people lived on Route 6, Afton Mountain Road.”The contractors worked six days a week and removed over 700 dump trucks of material removed from the failed slope. “It was a steep slope so the work had to be done in stages because they had to go in with equipment and level out an area called a bench that the equipment could work from and then they would reach up above that to remove the loose material.”Hatter said a series of something called a “soil nail” have been drilled into the rock.“They’re secured in place with a cement grout and then over top of that is overlaid a chain link material like chain link fencing, a mesh material and that’s secured to the rods,” Hatter said. Over top of the soil nails is a layer of straw and grass seed intended to grow vegetation quickly. Hatter said the contractors also identified another area where a slope might have failed, and this same process has been applied at that location. Credit: Virginia Department of TransportationIn addition to being the first day of Fiscal Year 2021, July 1 is also the 50th anniversary of Virginia’s current constitution. The 1971 Constitution replaced a version from 1902 which historic records show was created to make it harder for Black Virginians to vote and to enshrine segregation as the law of the land. That constitution imposed a poll tax and literacy requirements to vote. The 1971 Constitution was an attempt to remove those restrictions following federal bans as well as passage of the Civil Rights Act. Copies of all four of Virginia’s Constitutions are on view at the Library of Virginia through Thursday. Learn more about the 1971 Constitution in a press release sent out by the office of Virginia Governor Ralph Northam.Governor Northam inspects previous Constitutions with legal scholar A. E. Dick Howard. Howard led the process to write the 1971 document. Albemarle County and Charlottesville have launched a joint Buy Local campaign to promote small businesses in the area. The economic development offices in both jurisdictions will run the campaign and are looking for businesses that might want to participate in what’s being described “as a multi-channel, multimedia promotional and educational campaign.” From the release:“Locally-owned, independent businesses with a brick-and-mortar facility in the City of Charlottesville or Albemarle County interested in being featured in the campaign should contact Jennifer Schmack at jschmack@albemarle.org (for Albemarle-based businesses) and Jason Ness at nessj@charlottesville.gov (for Charlottesville based-businesses).” Today is the official last day for Rebecca Carter as administrator of Buckingham County, according to the Farmville Herald. Carter moved to the county south of Albemarle in 1986 when her husband was transferred to a job with CSX. Soon after she went to work for Buckingham County as an administrative assistant. In 1994, she became administrator. Carter announced her resignation last December due to her husband’s failing health. Wayne Carter died in April, and Rebecca Carter told the Farmville Herald she plans to spend her retirement helping with the family farm. There’s an effort underway in Albemarle County to extend the Old Mills Trail along the Rivanna south of Pantops. That was one piece of information told to the Pantops Community Advisory Committee during their briefing on the Urban Rivanna River Corridor Plan, a joint planning effort intended to encourage greater collaboration between Albemarle and Charlottesville along a common border. Tim Padalino is a planner in Albemarle’s parks and recreation department.“There is an existing section of the Old Mills Trail as I think most viewers and attendees know,” Padalino said. “It’s approximately two and a half miles in length between Darden Towe Park on the upstream section and the I-64 bridges downstream, the current ending of the trail.”Padalino said the proposed extension would go further downstream to Milton through an area that is currently overgrown and wild. If turned into a trail, people might be able to walk to a spot that is also being planned for a better place to end a journey on the river itself. “So for example the vision for the Rivanna Greenway and Blueway includes future development of an expanded improved public landing and river access sport at Milton as well as some type of a new trailhead facility at Milton,” Padalino said. The extension will pass over land owned by the Thomas Jefferson Foundation. Padalino said a primitive pathway does exist, but it’s not sanctioned. The idea would be to use crushed stone as a trail bed rather than paving the four mile long, six foot wide trail. There’s also no funding yet for the extension. “It’s not officially maintained and it’s not permanently authorized for public use,” Padalino said. “Some easement acquisitions are still necessary before beginning final project design and funding request and grant applications and everything else that will come in the weeks and months ahead.” The extension to Milton will pass in some section close to the railroad, which will be owned soon by the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority. It will also pass by the Luckstone quarry. “And part of the arrangement and agreement between Luckstone and Albemarle County is to make sure that trail users can remain safe while passing through an active quarry,” Padalino said. Prepared by Albemarle County Parks & Recreation with support from Albemarle County Community Development – Geographic Data Services Division.Padalino made his comments at the Pantops Community Advisory Committee. That group also got updates on development projects under construction or under review. Senior planner Cameron Langille said contractors hired by the Virginia Department of Transportation continue to work on converting the junction of U.S. 250 and Interstate 64 into a “diverging diamond.”“As it stands that project is still on track to be completed at the original date of March 2023,” Langille said.Planners are reviewing a new 1,000 square foot building at the Pantops Shopping Center.“There’s a flat green grassed area there that they’re going to install some new parking into and then the new building is going to be a drive through car wash,” Langille said. Across U.S. 250, the façade of the former Battlefield/Malloy Ford has been demolished. Malloy moved to U.S. 29.“What they’re doing is to try to build the façade back because they’re looking to get some new auto dealerships to go back to that site,” Langille said. A site plan is nearing approval for The Hampton Inn to be built on State Farm Boulevard. A second hotel The Overlook is still in the review process for a rezoning application. “The applicant has told us that they want to continue going through reviews with staff until our comments have gotten to a point where the applicant feels comfortable moving forward to a public hearing with the Planning Commission,” Langille said. Langille said a proposal to build 130 apartment units on South Pantops Drive next to the Overlook Condominiums has been withdrawn. In its place is a new development for 40 townhomes. Two former fast food franchise buildings in the Pantops Shopping Center have closed in the past year. A Burger King remains vacant while the Hardees has a new tenant. “Tobey’s Pawn Shop has gone on in and occupied that space,” Langille said. “They just did some work inside of the building but really didn’t change anything else on site.”The Pantops Community Advisory Committee will next meet in August and will take off the month of July. Time for another subscriber-supported public service announcement! The Friends of the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library are having a Warehouse Sale at Albemarle Square Shopping Center (300 Albemarle Square) Friday, July 9 through Sunday, July 11 from 10-6 each day. There will be Fiction, Mysteries, SciFi and Fantasy, Cookbooks, Military, Biographies and YA and Children’s Books There will be a capacity limit of 80 shoppers. Proceeds benefit our regional public library system, JMRL, serving Charlottesville, Albemarle, Greene, Louisa and Nelson.*Finally today, time to go through some of the June 23 meeting of the Metropolitan Planning Organization Policy Board. To recap, that’s the federally-mandated body that approves transportation funding. It’s made up of two Charlottesville City Councilors, two Albemarle Supervisors, and the head of the Virginia Department of Transportation’s Culpeper District. The MPO adopted a resolution supporting an effort by the city of Charlottesville to seek additional funding to support the Meadow Creek Trail. Chris Gensic with the city’s Parks and Recreation Department said the city received a Transportation Alternatives grant of $300,000 two years ago for the project, which according to the staff report was for “the design and construction of a bike and pedestrian bridge across Meadow Creek as part of the U.S. 250 Commuter Trail from Hydraulic Road to Brandywine Drive.” That amount included $75,000 in local funding. However, that amount will not be enough to cover the project.“After doing some discussions with VDOT and thinking it through, we came up with a plan where A, you can’t just build a bridge that isn’t connected by a full multi-use path,” Genesis said. “There’s paths in that area but they are recreational dirt surface paths. In order to construct the entire project, to get all the funding in at once and hire one contractor and just get it all done, we’ve decided to apply for a second round of funding.” The request this year is for $500,000 and will require $135,000 in local funding as a match. A second city department is also making a Transportations Alternative Project grant request to fund the existing Safe Routes to School program for the next two fiscal years. More specifically, the funding would cover the cost of a full-time coordinator.“That coordinator helps to implement programs in the city schools, things like Bike and Walk to School day events, helmut giveaways, neighborhood bike repair,” said Amanda Poncy, the city’s bicycle and pedestrian coordinator. “Working with the city school division to better understand how kids are getting to school, and also building a website and social media presence.”The MPO approved resolutions of support for both, and a third for a planning grant for future of the Amtrak station on West Main Street. Jessica Hersh-Ballering is a transportation planner with the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission. “This is a small station but it serves a lot of riders,” Hersh-Ballering said. “The size of the station doesn’t currently meet the needs of our numbers of boardings and alightings and with continued investment by the state into rail and passenger rail, it will continue to not meet those needs.”If funded, the TJPDC would create a master plan for the site. More on all three of those projects as 2021 continues. We’ll also hear more the rest of the year about the candidates for projects for consideration in the next round of VDOT’s Smart Scale process. The deadline isn’t until next year, but pre-selection work is underway. Potential projects for the MPO to consider are:A roundabout at the intersection of District Avenue and Hydraulic RoadAn extension of Hillsdale Avenue to the U.S. 250 bypassA bike and pedestrian crossing of the Rivanna River Multi-modal improvements for Avon Street between Mill Creek and Belmont Bridge Multi-modal improvements for 5th Street between Southwood and Harris RoadA grade-separated interchange, or “flyover” at U.S 250 and U.S. 29 Interested in more information in any of these stories? Take a look at the video. If you have any questions, let me know and I’ll try to help. That’s what I am here to do! A “flyover” interchange was suggested as a candidate by a member of the Citizens Transportation Advisory Committee This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

Maddi Ney interviews Melanie Bowyer, Manager of Digital Learning at Thomas Jefferson Foundation

The Coming to the Table organization's vision for the United States is of a just and truthful society that acknowledges and seeks to heal from the racial wounds of the past—from slavery and the many forms of racism it spawned. Its mission is to provide leadership, resources, and a supportive environment for all who wish to acknowledge and heal wounds from racism that is rooted in the United States' history of slavery.We are so pleased to welcome CTTT founder, Prinny Anderson, and Gayle Jessup White (Public Relations & Community Engagement Officer at the Thomas Jefferson Foundation) to the show. Both speak candidly about their experience when meeting descendants of the enslaved and the family/families that enslaved their ancestors - and vice versa. Prinny & Gayle are more than CTTL colleagues – they are cousins who share Thomas Jefferson as an ancestor. Join us as they candidly talk about black and white sides of the same family, joined by slavery, meet to discuss America's past – and its future. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/genealogy-adventures. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today's episode, Rick and Sam are joined by Dr. Andrew O'Shaughnessy to discuss the civic importance of education, especially as Thomas Jefferson viewed it in the context of the American experiment. Examining the principles of the founders, in particular Jefferson, they discuss how education can teach us to put aside self-interest for the public good and the role of education in America's progress as a nation. Additionally, they discuss Jefferson's optimistic view of America and the continued debate over the complex legacy of the founders. A big thank you to guest Andrew O'Shaughnessy. Andrew is Vice President of Monticello, the Saunders Director of the Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies at the Thomas Jefferson Foundation and Professor of History at the University of Virginia. He is the author of "An Empire Divided: The American Revolution and the British Caribbean" and "The Men Who Lost America: British Leadership, the American Revolution and the Fate of the Empire." The latter received eight national awards including the New York Historical Society American History Book Prize, the George Washington Book Prize, and the Society of Military History Book Prize. His newest book, "The Illimitable Freedom of the Human Mind:'Thomas Jefferson's Idea of a University,"will be released in 2021. Sam Scinta is President and Founder of IM Education, a non-profit, and Lecturer in Political Science at University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and Viterbo University. Rick Kyte is Endowed Professor and Director of the DB Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University. Music compliments of Bobby Bridger- “Rendezvous” from "A Ballad of the West"

What does the American Revolution look like from a British vantage point? How does that change the way we think about the origins of the United States, and major figures such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, or George III? And in the new republic, how did Jefferson try to keep the revolution alive through his ideas on education. On today's episode, Dr. Andrew O'Shaughnessy helps us explore these questions. O'Shaughnessy is a historian of the American Revolution. He is also the Saunders Director of the Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies at Thomas Jefferson's Monticello. The ICJS is one of the premier institutes for the study of the American Revolution and the early Republic. In 2014, O'Shaughnessy was awarded the George Washington Book Prize for his book, The Men who Lost America: British Leadership, the American Revolution, and the Fate of Empire. He is currently at work on a book about Thomas Jefferson and his vision for education in the early United States. We recorded our conversation at ICJS, just down the mountain from Monticello, and as you'll hear, O'Shaughnessy oversees a major educational enterprise. About Our Guest: Andrew O'Shaughnessy is Vice President of Monticello, the Saunders Director of the Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies at the Thomas Jefferson Foundation and Professor of History at the University of Virginia.  He is the author of An Empire Divided: The American Revolution and the British Caribbean (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2000).  His most recent book The Men Who Lost America: British Leadership, the American Revolution and the Fate of the Empire (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2013) received eight national awards including the New York Historical Society American History Book Prize, the George Washington Book Prize, and the Society of Military History Book Prize.   About Our Host: Jim Ambuske, Ph.D. leads the Center for Digital History at the Washington Library. A historian of the American Revolution, Scotland, and the British Atlantic World, Ambuske graduated from the University of Virginia in 2016. He is a former Farmer Postdoctoral Fellow in Digital Humanities at the University of Virginia Law Library. At UVA Law, Ambuske co-directed the 1828 Catalogue Project and the Scottish Court of Session Project.  He is currently at work on a book about emigration from Scotland in the era of the American Revolution as well as a chapter on Scottish loyalism during the American Revolution for a volume to be published by the University of Edinburgh Press.

Alan Taylor, Professor, Thomas Jefferson Foundation, College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, History -Thomas Jefferson's Education Pulitzer prize-winning author and University of Virginia historian, Alan Taylor will present an informative talk covering Thomas Jefferson's experiences as a college student at the College of William & Mary and how this first-hand knowledge informed his plans to create an innovative academic university for Virginia after the American Revolution. https://alumni.virginia.edu/learn/program/thomas-jeffersons-education/

In late August 2007, Dan Jordan, President of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, joined Coy Barefoot on WINA's Charlottesville–Right Now! to talk the past, present and future of Monticello. Of special note is Monticello's award-winning website, which Jordan call an amazing outreach tool for the historic site.

In late August 2007, Dan Jordan, President of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, joined Coy Barefoot on WINA's Charlottesville–Right Now! to talk the past, present and future of Monticello. Of special note is Monticello's award-winning website, which Jordan call an amazing outreach tool for the historic site.

In this episode of In the Course of Human Events, historians from Monticello's Getting Word African American Oral History Project share the recent rediscovery of Robert Hemmings's signature, a revelation confirming the literacy and the agency of the man that Thomas Jefferson enslaved as his valet. As a teenage boy, Hemmings was at Jefferson's side in Philadelphia when he wrote the Declaration of Independence, and later gained his own freedom, becoming the first of very few to be freed by Jefferson. Listen as Andrew Davenport, Auriana Woods, and Bernetiae Reed discuss this discovery and describe the life of Robert Hemmings whose story inspired “Descendants of Monticello,” a new exhibition that recently opened at Independence National Historical Park's Declaration House in Philadelphia, PA. By moving Hemmings to the center of this moment in history, this project explores the entangled legacies of freedom and enslavement at the core of our nation's founding. Since 1993, the Getting Word African American Oral History Project has collected and preserved the oral histories of Monticello's enslaved community and their descendants, creating an archive of freedom and a fuller story of Monticello and the United States. Getting Word and other staff from the Thomas Jefferson Foundation worked with Monument Lab, the National Park Service, and other organizations to present “Descendants of Monticello,” which was conceived and developed by artist Sonya Clark.