Charlottesville Community Engagement

For fans of mathematical precision, we are now 2.74 percent of the way through the current year, but this is a metric that almost no one wants to hear. Yet, this is a way of conceptualizing the passage of time albeit one that may be premature. Either way, you are likely about the same amount of the way through this installment of Charlottesville Community Engagement . I’m Sean Tubbs, and I’m the p...

Multiple sources report that today, January 9, is in fact Balloon Ascension Day . This marks the occasion in 1793 when the first flight of a hot air balloon took place in Philadelphia with President George Washington in attendance. This is the sort of strange fact that fits alongside all of the other strange facts you’ll encounter in the rise and fall of every installment of Charlottesville Commun...

What is a democracy, really? That’s a very heavy question and there are many different types of answers. Some may seem simple. Some may seem intractable. Some will always shout that they are right, even when they’ve been proven wrong. All I can offer is as many editions of Charlottesville Community Engagement as I can in order to provide a kaleidoscopic avalanche of information in an attempt to re...

Behold the Perihelion! No, this is not the title of a new fantasy show on a prestige streamer or the latest SpaceX vehicle. The perihelion is the time of the year when the Earth is closest to the sun at 91.4 million miles. Did you know the other apsis is the aphelion? That line may be a good one for an obscure indie rock song. Will this be the first musical episode of Charlottesville Community Eng...

Today is the first day of the year that many readers and listeners to Charlottesville Community Engagement will not have a vacation day and some may be in withdrawal. If this description fits you, we turn now to a website for fake holidays to help get you through. Though, I’m not sure Humiliation Day will cheer anyone up. It seems like really bad timing for Festival of Sleep Day . Fruitcake Toss D...

Today is the day we say goodbye to 2022 , a full 365 days after we said goodbye to 2021. Where will be a year from now and is it possible to have enough data to make a guess? A lot has happened in the past 365 days, and Charlottesville Community Engagement has written down as much as possible in the 173 regular installments. How many in 2023?  Before we answer that in approximately 8,570 hours, a...

And like that, the holiday slowdown is over and it is back to some semblance of a regular schedule here on Charlottesville Community Engagement. 2022 is almost over, and it’s time for each of us to reflect on what took place. For me, there have been 363 days so far. What about you?  On today’s show: * An outdoor pool and health club is planned at the intersection of Interstate 64 and U.S. 29 * Are...

One two, two two, two zero, two two. This particular way of reciting the date sounds almost birdlike so let’s fly right into this pre-holiday edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement , a newsletter and podcast that seeks to provide as much information as possible. But if you are avian in nature, apologies in advance for the lack of translation into dialects for all of our feathered friends....

There is now only one day left until the day in our portion of the northern hemisphere with the least amount of light. Does the holiday time coincide coincidentally with this orbital highlight of the year, or have the two fused together over millennia? Perhaps we’ll never fully understand for sure, but there’s always a journey in pondering the question. That’s not really what Charlottesville Commu...

As if we don’t have enough holidays to worry about at this time of year, I offer the following possibilities for additional cheer and or punishment. These include: National Emo Day ; Look for an Evergreen Day ; National Hard Candy Day ; Goa Liberation Day ; It’s also time to celebrate the 473rd installment of Charlottesville Community Engagement , a newsletter and podcast that is not capable of ha...

Are there Ides of December? That would be today, if it were a thing. The magic of the Internet likely makes it possible I could simply look up this fact but I throw it out to the collective wisdom of readers and listeners of Charlottesville Community Engagement to let me know for certain. I’m Sean Tubbs, and I’ve got far too many things to investigate as it is.  On today’s program: * The developer...

There does not seem to be anything out of place with the concept of Tuesday the 13th though certainly someone has written a script pairing this ill-sounding day with a figure like Krampus. Rather than imagine how that would turn out, better instead to learn that the unlucky day of December is National Cocoa Day . So put the kettle on and grab a mug and settle in for the latest edition of Charlotte...

There’s something satisfying about saying the words “Twelve Twelve” to describe a date. The days are running out when saying “Twenty-Two” immediately afterward will describe the present or the future, rather than the past. How many more installments of Charlottesville Community Engagement will there be between the arrival of baby Twenty-Three? Follow along for the answer to that specific question....

There is perhaps nothing else to be said about December 9 except that it is National Llama Day . I am unaware of any way to celebrate this occasion except to tell as many people as possible. How many other animals have a national day? How much of this matters? There are no answers, only questions, and an increasing number of episodes in the archives of Charlottesville Community Engagement. I’m Sea...

Yesterday marked eighty-one years today since the bombing of Pearl Harbor. It has been nearly 60 years since President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Twenty-one years have passed since the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. In any lifetime there are pivotal events that change the landscape for everyone and remembered even by those not yet born.  Charlottesville Community Engage...

Perhaps there are those of you who are tired of the usual holidays. Perhaps you can find a way to celebrate December 6 as National Gazpacho Day , National Miners Day , Finnish Independence Day , or perhaps Mitten Tree Day ? Charlottesville Community Engagement does not have the resources to offer prizes to anyone who can compose a carol for any of these occasions, but I, Sean Tubbs, can certainly...

On today’s program: * Fluvanna County to hire a county attorney when the current contract person retires after 37 years  * Charlottesville’s draft capital improvement program for FY24 is out and ready for your thorough review  * Delegate Sally Hudson and Senator Creigh Deeds appear at a legislative forum at UVA weeks before the General Assembly and months before both will appear on the ballot in a...

Comes now December into the court of our current existence. What shall the tenor of this month be? Does this depend on the player and their ability to read the script? Every single episode of Charlottesville Community Engagement is written down in a fashion to serve as a way to communicate items of importance. I’m Sean Tubbs, producing these informational programs to describe as much of the stage...

On today’s program: * After facing a legal challenge, the City of Charlottesville will have to hold another public hearing before re-adopting its Comprehensive Plan * The latest updates on legislation filed for the 2023 General Assembly, including one proposal to create a Virginia Commission on Social Mead * The three candidates to be the next Charlottesville police chief appear at a city forum  T...

On today’s program:  * A veteran of the U.S. Navy and student at the University of Virginia School Law is seeking the Scottsville seat on the Albemarle Board of Supervisors * Ellen Osborne is seeking a second term to represent the Scottsville District on the School Board * Albemarle County Schools seek outside help to explain why achievement gaps remain persistent  * A look at legislation already...

On today’s program:  * Albemarle County Director of Elections Lauren Eddy explains the barriers to implementing ranked choice voting * The city puts out a list of resources to assist the unhoused in these colder times * Charlottesville responds to a lawsuit over a special use permit for a JPA apartment building * Full-time staff have begun to supplement fire rescue calls in the North Garden area *...

On today’s program: * Delegate Sally Hudson will seek the nomination for Senate District 11 prompting a primary with Senator Creigh Deeds * A nonprofit that seeks to funds scholarship at the University of Virginia has purchased the site where 64 apartments had been expected * The city of Charlottesville seeks people to join a committee to plan for the future of the Downtown Mall * Updates on Green...

For those individuals or entities who are time-shifted, why not celebrate today as Thanksgiving? The actual date for that holiday is one week from today, but there are those north of a certain parallel who have already celebrated. All I know is that it is November 17, 2022, and this is currently the latest installment of Charlottesville Community Engagement, a newsletter and podcast wrestling with...

We are now halfway through the month and the clock is definitely ticking. In fact, there is only 12.3 percent left for 2022 in the remaining month and a half. This is another regular installment of Charlottesville Community Engagement , a newsletter and podcast that seeks to be published as often as is necessary. I’m your host, Sean Tubbs, an award winning journalist and freelance member of the Vi...

University of Virginia President Jim Ryan said at a press conference that today is “an unimaginably sad day” for the community as he read the names of the three people killed in a shooting last night near Culbreth Garage on UVA Grounds. “They were: Devin Chandler, a second-year from Virginia Beach, Virginia, Lavel Davis Jr, a third-year student from Ridgeville, South Carolina, and D’Sean Perry, a...