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Karen Van Lengen's latest says listening is a political act P.27 JANUARY 14 – 20, 2026

INTENTIONAL HUNT

JEFF MORGAN

A growing number of women hunters are turning harvest into hope for food-insecure Virginians

January 14 – 20, 2026

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Disagree. Discuss. Understand. A Conversation with Dr. Cornel West & Dr. Robert P. George

Thursday, January 15, 2026 Old Cabell Hall Auditorium UVA's Central Grounds 6:00–7:30 p.m. Sponsored by: The Office of the President, UVA250, The College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, The Office of Engagement, The Karsh Institute of Democracy, and The Miller Center

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January 14 – 20, 2026

Hello, Charlottesville.

1.14.26

Thank you for reading C-VILLE Weekly. “We are each other’s harvest; we are each other’s business.” When life feels heavier than my own words can carry, I look to those with far greater mastery of language to help make sense of it. This past week, as the country has reckoned with the violence and lack of empathy laid bare by the murder of Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother and American citizen (who was trying to move away from a law enforcement officer brandishing a gun, which of course does not entitle said officer to make a unilateral decision to end her life), I found this line from a poem by Gwendolyn Brooks. She wrote it in a piece about singer/actor/activist Paul Robeson, but it seems prescient here too: When harm feels casual—when a life can be erased and then flattened further by indifference or spectacle—it’s tempting to look away. But Brooks’ assertion is plain: What happens to one of us happens to all of us. This week’s cover story (p.18) follows women hunters in Virginia, tracking a tradition in decline even as women increasingly shape its future. Beneath the camouflage and statistics is a story about reverence, patience, responsibility. It’s about understanding one’s place in a larger system. The women who author Christine Phelan Kueter writes about hunt with intention, not waste. Many donate their harvest to feed neighbors through Hunters for the Hungry, at a moment when food insecurity is rising and safety nets are strained. In a week when humanity has felt thin, that ethic matters. Brooks’ line offers no easy comfort, but it does offer guidance: We are each other’s business. What we do with that truth is up to us.

This week’s contributors

Christine Phelan Kueter, a native Midwesterner, has worked in book publishing, as a newspaper reporter and columnist, and as a writer and editor in higher education. A correspondent for WVTF/Radio IQ since 2020, her monthly series, “Meet Virginia,” aired on Virginia Public Radio in 2024. Read her work on page 18.

James Sanford is a graduate of Western Michigan University and taught journalism there for seven years. He’s been an arts writer, film critic, reporter, restaurant critic, and section coordinator, winning three awards from the Society for Features Journalism. Read his work on page 29.

Hey, thanks! These generous benefactors of C-VILLE have supported our work through our (now tax-deductible!) Save the Free Word campaign. To contribute, follow the QR code. Towns Ackerman Susan Albert Mary Allen Catherine Anninos Jim and Gwen Baber Lori Balaban Timothy Bambury Catherine Barnes Julie Basic Susan Battani John and Nancy Baum Josh Baumann Jennifer Beachley Mayanna Bean Susan Bender Denise Benson Anne Bergamesca Rebecca Berlin Kim Biasiolli Patrick Bird Paddy Bowman Olivia Branch Paul Brewer Susan Brickman Claudia Murray Brindle Colette Brown David Brown Jack Brown Sumner Brown Kate Buford Cathleen Burgess

Carol Burger Patricia Burkett David Calhoun Michael Callahan Linda and Pat Canzanelli-Dantona Brian Carlton Helen Cathro Janelle Catlett James Clark Jr. Diane Cluck Karen Collins Lorraine Collins Beth Croghan Margaret Crone Emily Currier Genny Dalton Maria-Eugenia Dalton Charles Dassance Pam and Peter Dennison Nancy Dettor Martha Donnelly Helene Downs Vincent Draddy Charlotte Drummond Louise Dudley Lee Elberson Jane Elmore Karen Emmitt Ken Engebretson Elizabeth Engle

January 14 – 20, 2026

Rosa Ellen English Gail Esterman Joe Ethier Tom & Anna Ferrell M. Fife Jon Fink Lavonne Fitts Kevin Foley Barbara Fornoff Joan Forrest Amy Gardner Georgia Garrett Thomas Garrison Greg Gelburd Gerald Giammatteo David and Janna Gies Donna Goings Stephanie Goodwin Trice Gravatte Andrew Greeley Jennifer Grover Cara Hall Kendra Hall Jeremy HarrisMcDonnell Wiliam Harvey Madeleine Hawks Ann Marie Haynes Mary Haynes Elain Heffelfinger Chris Hellings Stephen Herrick

John Heyser Ezra Hitzeman Katherine Hoffman JoAnn Hofheimer Lisa Hogan Gina Hogue Laura Horn Christina Horton Robert Inlow Deb Jackson Garth Jensen Nina Johnston Nicole Jones Diane Jones Janet Jospe Jane Kamensky Brian Kelly Trish Kenney Tom and Sue Kirk Kathryn Kluge Julie Lacy Marcia Langsam Jacalyn LaPierre Aaron Lawrence Eric and Diane Lawson Elizabeth Lawson Frances Lee-Vandell David Lemon Linda Lester Sean Libberton Angeline Lillard Peppy Linden

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Jessica Lino D. Little Phillip Long Rob Lynch Catherine Maguire Greg Mallard Jeff Martin Virginia Masterson Jeanne and Bob Maushammer Erin Mayer Kieran Mcdowell Mary McIntyre Gretchen McKee Ruth McWilliams James Mernin Nicolas Mestre Tim Michel Parthy Monagan Linda Monahan Vic Monti Hilary Moorman Michael Morency Harold E. Morgan Michael Moriarty Catherine Moynihan Jim Mummery Karen Myers Monica Newby Sandy Newhouse Kathy O’Connell Dennis O’Connor Diane Ober

Cynthia Van Osch Annette Osso Laila Ouhamou Annette Owens Timothy Palmer Michael Pantano Dashton Parham Susan Payne Amanda Peacock Joe Peacock Elizabeth Perdue Joann Peters James Peterson Damon Pettitt Andrew Pevsner Elayne Phillips Sandra Pollock Robin Powell Anne Price Ernest Pugh Harry Purkey Leslie Quenichet Frances Racette T. Radsky Scott Ransom Sarah Ratcliffe Stots Reele Marjorie Rein Jonathan Rice Cindy Richards Kevin Richardson David Robinson

Diane Rosin Julia Rubarth Tim Ryan Carol Gilbert Sacks Audrey Sarate Claudia Scenna Joan Schatzman Sandra Schmidt Eric Schultz Karen Schuyler Wendy Seay James Seitz Angilee Shah Elaine Shaw Chuck Shelton Paul Shettel Vaden Shields John Smith Kristina Smith Rod Smith Meredith Smoot Mickey Speck Maria Spence Jim Spencer David Stackhouse Mariah Steele Rod Stoner Robert Strickland Deborah Strong Nichole Taylor William Terrell Emily Thiede Reid Thompson

W. McIlwaine Thompson Jr. Prue Thorner John Titus Jessica Tobin Erica Toy Rose Trapnell Jill Trischman-Marks Susan Uland Rick Vergot Christina Walker Steven Ward David Waters Chris Waugaman Phoebe Weseley Kelly West Gary and Anne Westmoreland Richard Wiedemann John Whitlow Jay Wildermann Marcia Wilds Andrew Wolf Natalie Yancey Suzanne Yeaman Nura Yingling Kelly Zalewski Kathleen Zenker

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January 14 – 20, 2026

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Early to Mid-January 2026, C-VILLE The game is afoot Are women the future of hunting in Central Virginia?

NEWS 9

29 Small Bites: Barboursville Vineyards wins big, plus new eateries.

Local legislators on their General Assembly priorities. 13 New book examines U.S. Capitol uprising. 14 Clarification on data collection at downtown garages. 15 Real Estate: City Council discusses Wertland Street project.

Pen &Ink

5 Weeks @ SVAC Wednesdays, 1:30-4:00 pm Starts on February 18th

FOR FUN 32 32 Sudoku 33 Crossword 35 Free Will Astrology

CLASSIFIEDS 36 P.S. 38

CULTURE 25 27 Pages: Soundscape Architecture looks at the art of listening.

other winter & Drawing & Sketching w/Graphite (Crozet Arts, Mar. 1st) spring classes: Intro to the Basics of Watercolor (McG, Mar. 7th) Watercolor Sketching (McG, May 2nd)

V.38, No. 2

C-VILLE or C-VILE

Correction We gave up before completing last week’s crossword puzzle, which is why we didn’t notice that the clues for 56, 57, and 58 Down were missing. As our loyal puzzlers will see on pg. 33, we tried harder this week.

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C-VILLE HOLDINGS, LLC Bill Chapman, Blair Kelly

C-VILLE Weekly is Charlottesville, Virginia's award-winning alternative newspaper. Through our distinctive coverage, we work to spark curiosity and enable readers to engage meaningfully with their community. CONTACT US: P.O. Box 119, Charlottesville, Virginia 22902 facebook.com/cville.weekly |

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January 14 – 20, 2026

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January 14 – 20, 2026

A PERFORMANCE & CONVERSATION WITH

LILI ROSEN

Lili Rosen (she/they) is a trans actress, writer, producer and cultural consultant raised in a Yiddish-speaking he in Hasidic Brooklyn. Dubbed by Air Mail magazine “Hollywood’s Yiddish Consultant,” her TV/film credits include the Emmy-winning Unorthodox (Netflix), Amazon’s Undone, Apple’s Little America, and the Ukrainian Yiddish film Shttl. Lili is also the director of the award-winning short film The Binding of Itzik (2020), and last managing director of New Yiddish Rep Theater, where she translated, produced and starred in numerous Yiddish productions, including the NYTimes Critic’s Pick God of Vengeance.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 20TH OLD CABELL HALL 6:00 PM Reception to Follow

Supported by UVA Arts & the Office of the Provost & the Vice Provost for the Arts and the Department of Women, Gender, & Sexuality

Gain Momentum! pvcc.edu/spring-momentum

I’m building momentum at PVCC—degree in progress, four-year college on the horizon! Spring Semester Starts January 14 —REGISTER NOW NONDISCRIMINATION STATEMENT: Piedmont Virginia Community College (PVCC) is an equal opportunity institution providing educational and employment opportunities, programs, services and activities. PVCC does not discriminate on the basis of age, color, disability, family medical history or genetic information, military service, national origin, parental status, political affiliation, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), sexual orientation or any other non-meritbased factor. Learn more and read the full statement at pvcc.edu/content-disclaimer-nondiscrimination-statement-privacy-policy-ferpa-and-foia.

January 14 – 20, 2026

C-VILLE.COM

NEWS Bills past due Local legislators lay out their priorities as General Assembly session kicks off BY NATHAN ALDERMAN

EZE AMOS

C-VILLE.COM

January 14 – 20, 2026

NEWS POLITICS

he 2026 session of the Virginia General Assembly begins January 14. For the next 60 days or more, a legislature dramatically tilted toward Democrats by last fall’s elections will send bills through a procedural meat grinder. C-VILLE asked local representatives about what they’re proposing this year.

Sen. Creigh Deeds “I never put in bills till the very end,” Deeds says. And with senators limited to proposing 30 bills this year, “I’m trying very hard to make sure that I’ve got the right bills.” Deeds’ priorities include strengthening the independence of the Board of Visitors at the University of Virginia and other state schools. He’s proposing faculty and student board representatives and six-year terms for members, meaning no future governor will appoint more than half of the board. “I want to build a wall between higher education and partisan politics, if I can,” Deeds says. After the 2022 UVA shooting, he’s again proposing firearms bans on state university or college campuses, with Del. Katrina Callsen sponsoring a sibling bill in the House. Deeds also wants to fortify Virginia’s red flag laws, letting family members and community service workers ask courts to temporarily remove guns from at-risk people.

Deeds says the legislature’s greatest challenge waits in its budget. “We are in really choppy waters because of the federal action with the One Big Beautiful Bill that was signed into law in July,” he says. Virginia will need to offset billions in impending cuts to federal matching funds for Medicaid, and replace more than $234 million in lost tax credits for Affordable Care Act insurance plans and $352 million in federal cuts to SNAP funding. The state also needs more than $800 million in new school funding, on top of the more than $1 billion education funding shortfall identified in a 2023 state report. A new tax on high earners could raise $1.4 billion annually, according to The Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis. “The millionaire tax is the easy thing to do, and I think we can get that done,” Deeds says. “I think the harder work is to figure out what structure your tax system is going to have over the long haul. I think we’re too dependent on sales tax. A progressive income tax is a fairer way to collect revenue.”

“We have tremendous challenges this time around, and it’s a lot of work,” says Deeds, “but I’m excited to get started.”

Del. Amy Laufer (Albemarle County) Laufer says her top personal priorities are the proposed constitutional amendments establishing marriage equality, reproductive rights, temporary mid-decade redistricting, and restored voting rights for ex-felons. In the Assembly at large, “I know the top priority is going to be to maintain Medicaid benefits for as many Virginians as possible, and hopefully deter some of the results of the [One Big Beautiful Bill],” she says. As many officials propose Board-of-Visitors reforms, Laufer wants to add representatives for faculty and university staff. “We know that staff can sometimes be up to 70 percent of who’s employed by these universities, so having their voices at the table talking about what’s going on is really critical,” Laufer says.

She’s also reintroducing bills that failed or were vetoed under Youngkin, including misdemeanor penalties for leaving a gun unsecured and visible in a parked car, and new constraints on the state’s ability to purge voter rolls. “It can’t just be arbitrary,” Laufer says of the latter bill. “There has to be some evidence of why someone should be taken off the voter rolls.” Laufer is struck by “how much goes into each word that is chosen for these bills,” she says. “I’m going back and forth with everybody to make sure the language adequately describes the intention of the bill. It’s kind of amazing.”

Del. Katrina Callsen (Charlottesville) “I think this would be the year of the constitutional amendments,” Callsen says, echoing Laufer’s top priorities. “We know what has driven voters to the polls, and

On your marks On the second Wednesday of every January, Virginia’s General Assembly starts sprinting. Each year, the state’s 40 senators and 100 delegates must race through thousands of potential bills on a very short schedule. Virginia’s constitution limits General Assembly sessions to 60

days in even-numbered years, and 30 days in odd-numbered years. The Senate and House of Delegates can vote to extend those sessions if needed—but only by a maximum of 30 days. That’s not much time to tackle an often lengthy list of legislation. In the 2025 regular session,

members of both houses filed more than 2,300 potential changes to Virginia code, according to the state’s Legislative Information System. Only 721 were signed into law. With time so short, most bills fail before they ever reach their body’s floor for a vote. After filing,

each bill must pass through at least one subcommittee, then at least one regular committee, before reaching the full legislative body. Once there, the bill must survive two more rounds of voting to pass that half of the Assembly. Even then, the bill’s not quite halfway to its finish line.

The state Senate and House of Delegates only have half of any session to consider their own bills. At the midway point, known as “crossover,” any bills that survive one house get passed to the other, where they must navigate the same hurdles—from subcommittee on up—all over again. When the

IN BRIEF

All the news you missed last week (in one sentence or less) Bad medicine A newly released report on testimony from UVA medical professionals details allegations against former UVA Health CEO Craig Kent and former School of Medicine dean Melina Kibbe. Peace increase Albemarle County Police say early figures suggest violent crime dropped 23 percent in 2025. Resume revision An Augusta Free Press op-ed suggests new UVA President Scott Beardsley strategically pruned diversity programs from his resume before Jim Ryan’s ouster, and padded his CV with non-academic “peer-reviewed papers” he wrote as a McKinsey consultant. Tall dollars VA-5 Congressional candidate Tom Perriello (D) raises $700K in his first three weeks in the race. For Good Indivisible Charlottesville holds vigil at Market Street Park for Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother shot to death by ICE agent in Minneapolis. Chairs seated Albemarle supes elect Ned Gallaway as new chair, and Fred Missel co-chair. Siren call Albemarle names 27-year department veteran David Puckett its new Fire & Rescue chief. Snow day Orange County Sheriff’s deputies stop driver going 70 in a 55, on a DUI-revoked license, and find alleged cocaine on a dollar bill folded inside his sock. 10

January 14 – 20, 2026

C-VILLE.COM

POLITICS NEWS Official scrutiny

Creigh Deeds

Amy Laufer

those [issues] are the things, and we need to pass them this year.” Callsen shares her colleagues’ interest in Board-of-Visitors reforms. But she’s also working on tougher regulations for pharmacy benefit managers, the large middlemen between drugmakers and pharmacies. “They are a huge black hole that drives up our costs with very little accountability,” she says. By naming a single benefit manager for Vir-

ginia’s Medicaid program, Callsen hopes to boost transparency while cutting costs and consumer prices. Callsen’s slate also includes strengthening defendants’ access to lawyers while in jail or at initial bail hearings. She says most people are surprised to hear that defendants can’t always see a lawyer in those circumstances. “When we think about how the criminal justice system works, the way that we think

Senate and House can’t agree on the shape a bill should take, they must convene a conference committee to hash out their differences. If they fail, the bill dies, even if it previously passed both houses. Bills that pass both houses go to the governor, who can sign

SUPPLIED PHOTOS

the bill (it passes), ignore the bill (still passes!), send it back to the assembly with suggested changes (more voting), or veto the bill (probably dead, unless two-thirds of both houses vote to override). Six Wednesdays after each regular session ends, the General Assembly recon-

Katrina Callsen

it works is the way it probably should work,” she says. “And when that doesn’t align, that’s where I try to fix it.” With no bill limits for delegates this year, Callsen says it’s tough to figure out which bills to advance. “I want to carry them all, but every additional one you carry lowers your ability to work the ones that you have,” she says. “You start putting them at risk the C more you stack your plate.”

venes to vote on the governor’s recommendations and vetoes. To engage in further lawmaking during that year, either the governor must call a special session, or two-thirds of both houses must vote to do so. Unlike regular sessions, special sessions can run

indefinitely; per the state’s Legislative Information System website, the first of two special sessions called in 2024 remains ongoing as of press time. In exchange for their efforts, Virginia pays delegates $17,640 per year, while senators earn $18,000.—NA

C-VILLE.COM

WHETHER YOU’RE FOLLOWING AN issue you care about, or just want to keep an eye on a given legislator, Virginia’s online Legislative Information System lets you follow bills as they move and change during the rapid General Assembly session. Visit the Cumulative Index at index.lis. virginia.gov/—your one-stop shop for every bill filed. Look beneath the LIS logo at the upper right to make sure you’re searching the correct session, currently 2026. Start your search. In boxes along the top of the page’s list of bills, you can search by subject (what’s the bill about?), patron (which legislator’s sponsoring it?), bill type (which house is it from, and is it a non-binding resolution or a potential law?), and status (what’s happening to the bill now?). Start typing into the subject or patron boxes to see suggested options; use pulldown menus to select options for bill type and status. These search categories stack, meaning you can filter your search, for example, for all bills about firearms filed by Del. Amy Laufer that are currently assigned to a subcommittee. Select a bill. Click on the Bill # in the leftmost column (i.e., HB110) to see more information about it. Get the details. The Summary as Introduced section quickly describes the original bill. Look under History to read the bill’s full text. The bill’s additions to current Virginia law are italicized, while text it removes from the law is struck through. Follow the bill. The History section logs every step of the bill’s journey through the assembly. If the bill’s text changes, you’ll find updates here. If it’s voted on, you can see which legislators voted, and how. Monitor a member. Go to lis.virginia. gov/ and click Delegates & Senators in the central column. From there, you can search for a legislator to see all the legislation they’ve proposed in a given session, plus a daily summary of their votes on various bills.—NA

January 14 – 20, 2026

JANUARY 26 THROUGH FEBRUARY 1

C-V I L L E R E S TAU RA N T WEEK

PRICES:

25 35 45

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C-VILLERESTAURANTWEEK.COM 12

January 14 – 20, 2026

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$1 per meal benefits the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank

JOURNALISM NEWS

New subjects

At its first meeting of 2026, the Albemarle County School Board swore in two new members: Bob Beard and Jim Dillenbeck. While Beard ran uncontested for the Samuel Miller District seat, Dillenbeck’s election to the Rio District has been a years-long effort. He successfully unseated Board appointee Leslie Pryor last November with 51.3 percent of the vote. Pryor was appointed to the Board in early 2025 after the death of Chuck Pace, who defeated Dillenbeck in the 2024 general election. “Public education plays a vital role in our community, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to contribute to that work,” said Dillenbeck in a press release from Albemarle County Public Schools. “I’m eager to collaborate with fellow board members and hear from families and staff.” Kate Acuff, former chair of the Board, was also sworn in for another term at the January 8 meeting. White Hall District representative Rebecca Berlin was elected as chair, and at-large representative Allison Spillman as vice-chair for 2026. The Albemarle County School Board’s next meeting is at 6pm on January 22.— Catie Ratliff

Bob Beard, Kate Acuff, and Jim Dillenbeck were sworn in at the January 8 Albemarle County School Board meeting.

In text

A January 9 report from The Washington Post revealed almost 1,000 pages of texts between current and former University of Virginia Board of Visitors members. The texts—obtained by Richmond writer Jeff Thomas—include messages with, and referring to, members of the outgoing Youngkin administration regarding the Board’s efforts to steer university policy. The trove of messages include Board members’ attacks on each other, as well as on diversity, equity, and inclusion programming and care for trans youth at UVA Health. Thomas submitted a Freedom of Information Act request for the texts in November, and successfully sued the university for their timely release. An archive of all the texts can be found online.—CR SUPPLIED PHOTOS

Living history

Nora Neus on her new book—and the novel experience of publishing during Trump 2.0 BY CATIE RATLIFF

ive years after the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, former Charlottesville reporter and University of Virginia alum Nora Neus has released 24 Hours at the Capitol: An Oral History of the January 6 Insurrection. But the re-election of the president once indicted for inciting the attack seems to have chilled local institutions’ interest in helping Neus promote it. Independent bookstores and major institutions alike have been hesitant to host events for Neus’ new book. Beyond the author’s personal connection to Charlottesville, 24 Hours at the Capitol highlights parallels between the August 12, 2017, Unite the Right rally and the insurrection. “The most obvious connection is that there were some of the same men in the streets of Charlottesville and on the steps of the Capitol building,” says Neus. “But in a lot of ways, it goes even deeper than that. January 6, the way that it happened, probably wouldn’t have developed exactly as it did without Charlottesville.” The white nationalist movement has regained momentum after waning in the aftermath of August 12, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. Viewpoints once confined to extremist groups have spread into the mainstream political right, contributing to the public planning of both A12 and January 6. “There’s so many different narratives, even within different people who went to the event,” says Neus of the January 6 attack. “That means that it’s really easy to just make these really big generalized statements where some people would say, ‘Oh, it was mostly peaceful,’ or ‘Oh, I didn’t see any of X, Y and Z.’ But in both Charlottesville and D.C., there were … extremely violent, brutal street battle tactics being used.” Similarities between A12 and J6 continue to emerge, most recently in the form of historical revisionism championed by President Donald Trump. On the fifth anniversary of the January 6 attack, the White House updated its official account of the insurrection. It describes rioters as “unfairly targeted, overcharged, and used as political examples,” and claims many were “mere trespassers or peaceful protesters.” The same page further says that “Democrats … staged the real insurrection by certifying a fraud-ridden election.” Claims of mass voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election have been repeatedly and decisively disproven. Trump’s claims of fraud were among the inciting factors on January 6.

In her latest oral history project, former Charlottesville reporter Nora Neus offers a multiperspective look at the January 6 insurrection and its ties to A12.

“President Trump, of course, called the rioters in Charlottesville ‘very fine people on both sides,’ and he has continued to essentially make that assertion about the January 6 rioters, including pardoning all of them,” says Neus. “There is no accountability, there is no consequence. And the president has learned that he can do what he wants, and we see that in play now in other parts of his policy. We see this week the American strike on Venezuela. That is an illegal attack and a violation of the U.S. Constitution. But so was the attack on January 6, and he got reelected.” Promoting 24 Hours at the Capitol has been an uphill battle characterized by quiet censorship amid a turbulent political moment. Neus has few written exchanges with UVA about potential events for the book, but she says her personal contacts at the university tell a different story. “I was told by people who work at the University of Virginia, and who previously had been supporters of my work, that there was not appetite or willingness for the university to host an event with me given the political climate,” says Neus. “I still then went and requested with multiple different departments and schools. In a lot of cases, I didn’t even get a response from people who C-VILLE.COM

I have personal relationships with. And I can see with my mail tracker that they opened the email and read it, in some cases multiple times, and intentionally chose not to respond. In other cases I was just told ‘no.’” Reticence about potential events is not unique to UVA, or to Neus’ book, says publicist Leann Webb. But getting an on-therecord explanation for why usually interested parties aren’t biting is rare. “It is very murky, but I do believe that there was a real reticence for our normal partners to want to get involved in this book, because there’s so much fear around unfortunately the very real violence that is going on unchecked because of Donald Trump,” says Webb. “It’s a very nuanced book, it’s a wonderfully reported book, and it is the truth—but something that Donald Trump might take issue with.” “I think it is important that the January 6 story doesn’t become hidden and downplayed over time,” says Neus. “Our current president once, five years ago, incited an insurrection against his own country and tried to dismantle our democracy, and just the sheer fact of that is stunning. We’ve already moved on, and I think it’s important C that we don’t move on.” January 14 – 20, 2026

A Growing Response to Climate Change

NEWS DOWNTOWN Automated answers Charlottesville’s economic development director addresses AI-powered parking BY SEAN TUBBS

Share strategies with growers, producers and consumers to fight climate change and create a resilient local food system. Regenerative/Carbon farming Composting Sustainable Farmers Markets and your ideas! Participating Groups include:

For more information go to marketcentral.org

Saturday, January 17, 2:30-5:00pm Jefferson School African American Heritage Center Auditorium Free Event and Free Parking Sponsored by Market Central, IRC New Roots, the Foodustice Network, The City of Charlottesville, and Albemarle Co

For a deeper dive into Food Access in a Resilient Community, the City of Charlottesville is hosting

Everyone Eats: A Climate Café on Food Justice and Access Friday, Jan 16, 9:30-11 am at the Bradbury Cafe.

January 14 – 20, 2026

C-VILLE.COM

he company that now operates both municipal downtown parking garages only collects data in order to make it easier for vehicles to get in and out, Charlottesville’s economic development director told City Council on January 5. “The system involves a camera, optical character recognition, and/or license plate recognition to start and end a parking session,” said Chris Engel. “In the previous system, you had to stop, put down your window, grab a ticket, and the ticket started your session.” A national company called Metropolis has the contract to operate both garages after acquiring the vendor the city had been using. Last November, Metropolis announced the receipt of $1.6 billion in venture capital to advance its work in what it calls “the recognition economy,” where more and more transactions are automated. The city began using the new system in mid-December. Engel said the company does not collect any biometric information and uses no facial recognition. He said any data collected is used only to facilitate a parking session. “It’s literally only like 6 inches around the rear license plate,” Engel said. “It’s not even the front. There’s no side views. There’s nothing like that. Some companies are doing biometrics, but we are not. Metropolis is probably experimenting with it, but it’s not part of their contract here and it’s not in place here.” Engel said Metropolis has to comply with all federal, state, and local laws. He said the company does not sell any of the data it collects, and that people can opt to have their data deleted. He said that class-action lawsuits against the company apply to situations where Metropolis provides enforcement functions. City Councilor Michael Payne said he did not like the Metropolis’ Computer Vision system in the same way he did not like the now-retired Flock system of license plate readers intended to assist law enforcement track suspects. “I think it’s a system that just makes people’s lives marginally worse, sacrifices their data, and doesn’t provide them a benefit,” Payne said. “It is just advanced private equity profit. And the business model is very new and explicit of establishing a na-

The city’s new license plate readers do not collect any biometric data, says Economic Development Director Chris Engel.

tionwide monopoly in parking management, using AI to mass surveil customers and then monetizing it.” Payne pointed to the company’s data policy, which indicates that biometric information can be collected, as well as other data the company says it has the right to sell. Engel acknowledged Metropolis’ policy was hard to decipher. “I haven’t been through the whole thing word for word, but I’ve asked the specific questions that we’ve heard of, which you’re reflecting in your concern, and they’ve shared the link again where you go to opt out,” Engel said. Customers who wish to forbid Metropolis from ever selling their data can do so at metropolis.io/do-not-sellopt-out-request. Engel said about 8,000 people have signed up since the new system went operational. He added that two kiosks are on order to satisfy concerns from many who want to be able to opt out of the system for payment. “You still have to enter your license plate, but you don’t have to register with a system, so to speak, and do it on a QR code,” Engel said. City Councilor Lloyd Snook said he had concerns about the collection of data. “If we assume that the only purpose for which data will ever be used is to try to figure out how to charge somebody for parking, I think that’s hopelessly naive,” Snook said. Metropolis’ contract will not expire C until 2029. STAFF PHOTO

REAL ESTATE NEWS

Annie Gould Gallery

Affordable ask City Council majority wants further negotiation with UVA on housing project BY SEAN TUBBS

n 2019, former University of Virginia president Jim Ryan announced an affordable housing initiative in which the public institution or its real estate foundation would provide land to help bring down the overall cost of a given project. So far, no such developments have broken ground. The one furthest along in the process, at 1000 Wertland St., would include 180 units priced at 60 percent of the area median income. A group called Preservation of Affordable Housing is overseeing the project. Last year, the Board of Architectural Review declined to approve the building’s design, and the project failed to qualify for low-income tax credits issued by Virginia Housing. POAH wants to try again this year and has formally asked the city for $3 million. On January 5, City Manager Sam Sanders asked for direction on this project, which Council balked at providing funding for last year, and two other requests for major capital investment. The Wertland Street project would be built on land donated by the University of Virginia Foundation, but so far UVA is not providing any direct funding. New City Councilor Jen Fleisher said perhaps the university could be persuaded to contribute. “I think that location of that building is ideal for close living,” Fleisher said. “You don’t need a car to live there.” Councilor Michael Payne said he does not support the Wertland Street project. He said city funding should first go to housing projects for households between zero and 30 percent of AMI and then to projects that serve 50 percent and below.

“Those are people who are working in public works, parks and recreation, teachers, and firefighters,” Payne said. “The median Black household in Charlottesville is at 50 percent AMI. For white households, that number is over 100 percent AMI.” Councilor Natalie Oschrin said she would also be open to negotiations with UVA on the Wertland project because it would create a lot of affordable units in the heart of the city. Mayor Juandiego Wade agreed that there should be further negotiations with UVA. “UVA doesn’t get punished if we don’t support this project,” Oschrin said. “The people who would be able to live there get punished if we don’t support this project.” A second project in the Piedmont section of Grounds, is being overseen by the Piedmont Housing Alliance. A nonprofit partner has not been named yet for a third location within the UVA Foundation’s North Fork Discovery Park. Oschrin was also supportive of a request from Brick Lane Properties for $1.75 million to help finance the conversion of the Holiday Inn on Emmet Street into 192 apartment units, even though only 10 percent of them would be reserved for households below 60 percent AMI. “It is a lot of units and we need those units,” Oschrin said. “It’s an all types of housing for all types of people kind of situation.” In addition, councilors all seemed to support a $900,000 request from Community Services Housing to rehabilitate 40 existing units. No final decisions were made at the January 5 meeting. Sanders will present a budget C to Council and the public on March 2.

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January 14 – 20, 2026

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Hunting

By Christine Phelan Kueter | Photography by Jeff Morgan

C-VILLE.COM

January 14 – 20, 2026

Women hunters give

chase to give back

and gathering

W ith eyes closed and mouth open, I hear deer everywhere. It’s just before sundown on the day after Christmas, and we’re clustered in a hunter’s blind beside an old privy in a field flanked by woods, waiting for a deer to tiptoe into view. The forest floor, littered with dry autumn leaves, is crackling. The blind belongs to Emily Beasley, 47, of Scottsville, a hunter since age 8, who, with her husband, Allen, owns this field and 100 acres of land lined by the Hardware River, which feeds the James, to its north and west. Beasley—a toss of long, dark hair and blue jeancolored eyes—is impossible not to immediately like. Trained as an educator, she learned to hunt as a child, when she’d tag along with the late Bill Haislip, a Fluvanna County neighbor and family friend. It was Haislip who taught Beasley, whose parents divorced when she was 3, about gun safety and animal tracking and encouraged her bloom from an animal lover to a student of nature, capable of the patience, skill, and strength needed to spot, track, kill, and process everything from turkeys to bear, pheasant, chucker, and deer. Lots of deer. Lesson No. 1 for our first hunt? “Don’t slam the door,” Beasley says. We—that’s me and Jeff Morgan, a Charlottesville photographer—worm out of Beasley’s red pickup truck, which she cloaks between her barns, and gently nudge the doors closed. We wear mostly black; Beasley’s dressed head to toe in camouflage, and has given us each a hunter’s blaze orange hat. We slip across the gravel driveway and into the grass, and, one by one, fold our bodies into the blind to straddle three camping chairs, which, when we’re seated, give us a horizon-slatted, eye-level view into the field and wood’s edge. Beasley, her .308 caliber shotgun at her right, zips us in. Lesson No. 2? Wait. It’s twilight quiet, but, as the sun dips, our senses adjust. There’s life all around. We whisper to decode “deer, not deer” sounds as squirrels spasm over the leaves and throw warning scolds at who-knows-what. Deer, Beasley tells us, are quieter, slower, more paced in their steps. We squint as background noise becomes foreground. You don’t realize how loud the world is until you don’t hear it anymore, Beasley says. “Nuthatch,” Morgan, a birdwatcher, breathes to us minutes later in the blind. A moment goes by. “Pileated woodpecker,” Beasley mouths. The wind carries the sound of a train chugging along the James as the sun slants deeper. Gunshots and barking echo up from the damp hollow, and a miles-away four-wheeler churns uphill. The second hand on my watch pounds out seconds. I lick my lips because my mouth’s gone dry. I hadn’t realized it was hanging open.

January 14 – 20, 2026

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A growing portion of a declining practice In many ways, hunting in Virginia is on the decline. Between 2022 and 2025, there were about 10,000 fewer licensed hunters in the state overall, according to the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, reflecting national trends. In 2026 so far, the number of hunters in the Commonwealth has continued its slide, down by 36,000 compared to three years ago, to 297,000. But there is a small sliver of heat. Women are making up a growing proportion of American hunters, both veteran and novice. Twenty-five years ago, there were 1.8 million women hunting in the U.S., but, by 2013, the number had risen by 85 percent, to 3.3 million. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, women today comprise 17 percent of all active hunters but make up one-third of new hunters. They also account for a growing proportion of huntingrelated spending on gear (as brands like SHE, Orvis, Under Armour, and KUIU can attest), travel, and taxidermy. Founded in 2017, Artemis, a group of sportswomen-conservationists affiliated with the National Wildlife Federation, already has 11,000 community members, according to Outside magazine, and most are between the ages of 25 and 45. Since 2022, nearly 1,000 more Virginia women have taken up hunting, bringing the state’s

total number of female hunters to just above 25,000. Last February, DWR launched new women’s programs offering hunting, fishing, and outdoor fluency, including mastery certifications, social events, and single-day skills events with a mentor. Professional hunting associations and affiliate groups are making room for ladies, too. Central Virginia realtor and outdoorsman Jeff Phillips’ Star City Whitetails Facebook page, with nearly 130,000 followers, began its women-only “big buck” contest in 2020. Each summer, Phillips presents awards at Antlerstock, an annual event that draws thousands. The Virginia Peninsula Sportsmen’s Association also created a women’s division for its annual “big buck” contest in 2023. Beasley has taken home prizes from both. “As a sportsman, I enjoy seeing that inclusiveness,” Phillips said. “The tremendous presence of women hunters on our page helps our tradition.”

Harvesting for the hungry “Desperately.” That’s how much hunter Gary Arrington wants to eat red meat again. Arrington, a longtime Bedford County game warden and now director of Hunters for the Hungry hasn’t eaten red meat since 2020— the year he contracted alpha gal syndrome from a tick bite—and says he’s eaten enough chicken, turkey, and fish to “grow fins and feathers.”

The allergy—which causes him terrible stomach pain if he eats red meat, anything from beef to pork to venison—hasn’t slowed his hunting, however. In 2025, Arrington killed eight deer, and gave all but two away to the organization he directs, a group that raises money to pay local processors to glean meat from donated kill to distribute at food pantries, churches, and food banks across the state. Last year, Hunters for the Hungry distributed more than 222,000 pounds of lean protein to hungry Virginians. Since its founding in 1991, the group has provided more than 32.6 million quarter-pound servings of lean meat to people in need. Food banks, stretched thin by last year’s government shutdown and the freeze in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, are particularly grateful for this year’s donations, Arrington says, given that the typical cost of meat in a grocery store remains high. “The average price of meat right now is about $8.25 a pound,” says Arrington, “and we’re doing venison for $1.63 a pound. Even when you figure in our expenses—our salaries, operating costs, budget—we’re doing venison for $3.05 a pound. We’re extremely proud of that.” It’s been a busy feeding season. Since last September, Arrington has received requests for meat from 30 additional feeding programs, adding to his organization’s distribution roster of 65 major food banks across the state. These 90 entities, he explains, distribute hunters’ donations to nearly a thousand smaller entities, like

the South Covington United Methodist Church, where Arrington recently dropped off part of a 2,500-pound donation of venison to be distributed to a line of cars queued up at its food pantry that “wrapped up all the way up the driveway and around the back of the church and then down again into the road.” “We even came back an hour later,” Arrington says, “and the line was still just as long. It’s heartbreaking, but they’re all doing their best to take care of people.”

The thrill of the huntress Finding credibility as a female hunter has occasionally been an uphill battle for Beasley. “But you don’t look like a hunter!” people admonish. “I never met a woman hunter who knew what she was talking about,” others say. Last Halloween, as she was filling up her pickup with gas in full camouflage, someone asked if she was “going as a hunter.” “No,” she replied. “I am a hunter.” “I feel like I’ve had to earn credibility among hunters,” Beasley says. “I’m okay with that. That’s what’s driven me.” Experiences in the field have also tested her mettle, including one in which she mortally wounded a 10-point buck only to have it ultimately claimed by a nearby hunter, a man. She keeps to the high road.

Emily Beasley, who’s been hunting since she was 8 years old, has reverence and respect for the animals she kills. “You don’t sit on them, you don’t take pictures with blood on them; you make it nice,” she says.

“‘No, you keep it,’” Beasley recalls telling him, before muttering, “‘I’m going to get way more than you anyway.’ And I do.” As she runs into more women in the field, she compliments and chats with them. A veteran volunteer with Virginia Wheelin’ Sportsmen, she recently helped a woman without legs harvest her first deer. Beasley’s also taken her 17-year-old daughter, Ryllen, a Fluvanna County High School senior, hunting four or five times a year since she was 6. They share “hunting’s highs and lows,” Beasley says, as well as a reverence and respect for the animals they kill. “She knows you don’t sit on them, you don’t take pictures with blood on them; you make it nice,” Beasley says. “You make it pretty.” Now entering her fourth decade as a hunter, the thrill of a well-executed harvest hasn’t diminished, Beasley says. Her hunting spoils lie throughout the family’s home, including, recently, a snowy-white European mount skull of a 5-point buck Ryllen recently killed that sports two tiny vestigial fangs. The Beasley’s freezer is full of meat they’ve harvested and processed themselves— mostly venison, but also goose turkey, duck, and a little bit of bear. They eat meat most days. While she admits there’s a dissonance in being both an animal lover and a hunter, Beasley maintains she’s tapping into something “everyone has.” “It’s weird to explain,” she says. “Most hunters do love animals. It starts with the desire to be in CONTINUED ON PAGE 23

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January 14 – 20, 2026

Beasley says most hunters love animals. “It starts with the desire to be in nature ... I feel like I want to help something that’s hurt, but maybe outsmart something that’s not.”

January 14 – 20, 2026

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21

nature. All the ones I know would help a wounded animal. I feel like I want to help something that’s hurt, but maybe outsmart something that’s not.” And the kill itself? Well, Beasley says, it’s magical. “If you could bottle that feeling up, you’d be a millionaire,” she says. “Ask someone who’s harvested something they’re really proud of, or put a lot of time into, and it’s just amazing. That’s the feeling. That’s what hooks people. It’s release. And afterwards, ‘Oh, God, that just happened.’ It’s very emotional, if you care. And I do.” Female hunters are no monolith. But as hunting demographics shift, and women play a growing role in its evolution, organizations like Hunters for the Hungry may ultimately benefit, in terms of donated kill, volunteerism, and philanthropic support. “Women are the future of hunting—women and youth,” says Beasley. “Eight to 10 years ago, that wasn’t the case. It’s almost become the norm. It’s good!”

Hunter and gatherer The button buck—a lean, maybe 60-pound creature with antler nubbins atop its head and a tiny gunshot wound in its left flank—was harvested in the morning. But it’s dark by the time Beasley slits the stretch of delicate skin on the buck’s rear legs and hoists it onto a hook inside a walkin cooler at Appleberry Mountain in Schuyler. The young buck will hang there with several others until the morning when processor Adam Johnson returns to do his work, skinning the creatures and cutting the lean muscle into the requested cuts and grinds: some for local hunters who pay for the service, and some, like Beasley’s, with processing’s cost covered by Hunt-

ers for the Hungry, which will become coveted offerings at food banks across the state. Several nights later, Beasley drops off another donation, this time a 75-pound doe that she figures will yield maybe 25 pounds of meat. After quickly field-dressing it in the Keswick backyard where she killed it (“Never call it ‘catch,’” Beasley says), she drops the doe at the Hunters for the Hungry cooler at the Louisa County Fire Station where it awaits transformation. “Field to table,” Beasley says plainly. “No waste.” There are coolers like these all over rural Virginia—including 24-hour drop-off locations at the Louisa County Resource Council, Eppard’s Processing in Barboursville, and Hidden Pines Meat Processing in Madison. Hunters can donate their kill by giving away the entire animal, marking their legally harvested, field-dressed deer for Hunters

Hunting resources for women and beginners Virginia Outdoor Women

dwr.virginia.gov/events/category/virginia-outdoor-women

Hunter education courses and apprentice licenses

dwr.virginia.gov/hunting/help-for-new-hunters

American Daughters of Conservation Virginia Chapter facebook.com/groups/450336393078986

Women in the Outdoors, the National Wild Turkey Federation nwtf.org/programs/women-in-the-outdoors

for the Hungry, which pays the $70-80 processing fee; by sharing a portion of their processed harvest with Hunters for the Hungry; or by donating both the animal and the processing costs. While most meat donations are frozen until they’re ready to be consumed, a new effort led by Hunters for the Hungry is producing shelfstable canned venison chili, which, for foodinsecure community members who lack a refrigerator or freezer, is a game-changer. Evolving needs, Arrington says, require new kinds of thinking. And female hunters will be key no matter what. Between 2021 and 2024, the number of female hunters who donated at least one deer to Hunters for the Hungry increased by 44 percent, Arrington says, adding, “We look forward to these numbers continuing to increase.” While Virginia’s official hunting season ended January 3, in some urban municipalities, antler-less deer may be hunted by bow between January 4 and March 29, 2026. In its semi-final tally for 2025, Hunters for the Hungry expects to distribute more than 200,000 pounds of venison in a moment when grocery costs remain high, economic confidence is shaky, and new changes to federal feeding programs are set to take effect. Arrington expects his organization, and the dwindling number of processors across the state, to continue to lean in. Beasley will, too. She first donated to Hunters for the Hungry when hired to thin Farmington Country Club’s deer herd as a bow hunter. Her latest donations marked the end of the 2025 hunting season. And next season, she’ll be back: for the chase, the craft, even the uncertainty. “That’s why it’s called hunting,” Beasley says. “Because you never know what’s coming.” C

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CULTURE MUSIC | ART | BOOKS | FOOD | DRINK

SATURDAY 1/17

NET POSITIVE Washington, D.C.-born rapper and former U.S. Peace Corps volunteer Cullen “Fellowman” Wade kicks off the 2026 Third Rail music series with a performance of his recent album No Safety Net, backed by DJ Blade Relic. The Charlottesville-based musician, producer, promoter, poet, and educator returns to the aggressive directness of his earlier material with new tracks tackling ripped-from-the-headlines subject matter in the tradition of emcees like KRS-One, Immortal Technique, and Brother Ali. Expect sharp social critiques, intricate wordplay, and raw, sample-laden sounds. Free, 8pm. The Stage at WTJU, 2244 Ivy Rd. wtju.net

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January 14 – 20, 2026

CULTURE TO-DO LIST Wednesday 1/14 dance Weekly Swing Dance. Beginner-friendly swing dance lessons teaching the Lindy Hop, Charleston, Balboa, and blues. No partner needed. Stay for social dancing after the class. $10, 7pm. The Front Porch, 221 E. Water St. frontporchcville.com

classes Paint + Sip: Blazing Winter Sunrise. Paint the supplied design in a step-by-step format, no experience necessary. All materials and first drink included. $44, 6pm. Starr Hill Brewery Tap Room, 5391 Three Notched Rd, Crozet. blueridgebrushes.com

etc. Rapture Karaoke. Hosted by Thunder Music. Free, 9pm. Rapture, 303 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. rapturerestaurant.com

Thursday 1/15 music Berto Sales & Vincent Zorn. Lively flamenco rumba. Free, 7pm. The Bebedero, 201 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. thebebedero.com

Lenny Burridge. Playing a wide variety of musical styles, ranging from blues and jazz standards to current radio hits and alternative. Free, 5pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. eastwoodfarmandwinery.com Patrick Coman. Hard-working rock ‘n’ roll from C’ville. Free, 8pm. Dürty Nelly’s, 2200 Jefferson Park Ave. durtynellyscharlottesville.com Songwriter’s Open Mic. A space for all levels, styles, and ages. Performances limited to one original song. Amps and mics provided. Free, 7pm. Potter’s Craft Cider, 1350 Arrowhead Valley Rd. potterscraftcider.com

words A Perfect Frenzy: Andrew Lawler and Dr. Shelley Murphy in Dialogue. Author Andrew Lawler and curator Dr. Shelley Murphy discuss the history and legacy of the Revolutionary War. Free, 6pm. Jefferson School African American Heritage Center, 233 Fourth St. NW. jeffschool heritagecenter.org Artists in Conversation: Courtney Coker + Suzanne Tanner Chitwood. Artist Courtney Coker discusses her current exhibition, “Possibility,” with another Charlottesville-based artist, Suzanne Tanner Chitwood. Reservations requested. Free, 5:30pm. Second Street Gallery, 115 Second St SE. secondstreetgallery.org

SUNDAY 1/18

MASQUE OFF Originating as a form of festive courtly entertainment in 16th-century Europe, masques contain music, dancing, singing, acting, and allegory. The Death of Dido: An English Masque features an Italianate musical score by Johann Pepusch with an English libretto by Barton Booth, employing the same section of Virgil’s Aeneid as Henry Purcell’s famous 1689 opera Dido and Aeneas. Arias and instrumental music from English theatrical works by Purcell and his contemporaries precede the masque, introducing the audience to the characters and setting the scene for the infamous tale to unfold. Advance registration required. Free, 7:30pm. The Rotunda at UVA, 1826 University Ave. earlymusiccville.org

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SUPPLIED PHOTO

PAGES CULTURE etc. Brewery Puzzle Hunt. An escape room meets a pub crawl. Visit the Preston Avenue breweries, crack codes, unravel riddles, and sample Charlottesville’s best brews. Players get $1 off pints at each brewery. $15, noon. Starr Hill Brewery, Dairy Market. puzzledbee.com Crafters Cinema. A relaxed evening of crafting while enjoying a movie with other makers. This month’s movie is The Bookshop and the rotating craft is collaging a reading journal or vision board. Ages 16+. Free, 5:30pm. Central Library, 201 E. Market St. jmrl.org Vineyard Puzzle Hunt. Like an escape room but at a winery. Crack codes and unravel riddles while sampling Charlottesville’s best wine, beer, and cider. Play when you want and go at your own pace. $15, 5pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. puzzledbee.com

Friday 1/16 music Eli Cook Band. Music from the crossroads of blues, the highways of rock, and the backroads of country. Free, 9pm. Holly’s Diner, 1221 E. Market St. Fonville x Fribush. New funk, jazz, soul, and dance vibez from members of Butcher Brown and Hiss Golden Messenger. Free, 8pm. Dürty Nelly’s, 2200 Jefferson Park Ave. durtynellyscharlottesville.com Ken Farmer & the Authenticators. A priceless night of rockin’ good fun. Free, 6pm. Glass House Winery, 5898 Free Union Rd., Free Union. glass housewinery.com Koda & Marie of Chamomile & Whiskey. Hometown duo plays an intimate acoustic showcase. With special guest Peter Stringer-Hye. $20–25, 7:30pm. The Front Porch, 221 E. Water St. frontporchcville.com Matthew O’Donnell. A traditional folk musician and singer based in Central Virginia shares songs and tunes for all people and all places. Free, 5pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. eastwoodfarmandwinery.com Open Mic Night. Nicole Giordano hosts an evening introducing various singers, songwriters, and performers. Free, 5:30pm. Albemarle CiderWorks, 2545 Rural Ridge Ln., North Garden. albemarle ciderworks.com Travis Elliott. Legendary acoustic music. Free, 5:30pm. Potter’s Craft Cider, 1350 Arrowhead Valley Rd. potterscraftcider.com

dance SOS: The Recession Pop Party. Top-tier DJs help you put the world on pause with all the bangers, anthems, and sing-alongs to keep your body moving and the vibes high all night long. Ages 18+. $20–24, 9pm. The Jefferson Theater, 110 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. jeffersontheater.com

words Author Event: Karen Van Lengen and Jim Welty. Van Lengen and Welty speak about their new book, Soundscape Architecture. An audience Q&A follows. Free, 7pm. New Dominion Bookshop, 404 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. new dominionbookshop.com

classes Paint + Sip: Glowing Spruce Sunset. Paint the supplied design in a step-by-step format. No experience necessary, all materials included. $40, 6pm. Potter’s Craft Cider, 1350 Arrowhead Valley Rd. potterscraftcider.com CONTINUED ON PAGE 28 SUPPLIED PHOTO (TOP), DAN ADDISON (BOTTOM)

Listen up Soundscape Architecture explores listening as a social and political act BY SARAH LAWSON

oundscape Architecture, a new book co-authored by former UVA School of Architecture Dean Karen Van Lengen, explores how architecture and art can enhance listening as a social and political act. “When we listen, we begin the first act of engagement and communication with others,” writes Van Lengen. “Listening is also critical when we consider our local natural habitats, and it can remind us, in a particularly visceral way, of the fragility of our lived environments, increasingly stressed by climate change. We ask, therefore, how the act of intentional listening can prompt us to engage more fully in the world and with the people in it; and how architecture and urban design can encourage this type of engagement.” The book features Van Lengen’s own writing and collaborative work, as well as installations and work by others. Van Lengen recently spoke to C-VILLE about Soundscape Architecture, co-authored with her partner, Jim Welty, and designed by their daughter, Kiri Van Lengen-Welty. C-VILLE: In the book, you write about the “songs of architecture.” For those new to your work, how long have soundscapes and the acoustics of place been a focus and how did you center that within your architectural practice? Karen Van Lengen: I have long been attentive to the sounds that inhabit spaces. They are the sonic architectures that enhance the visible ones. For example, when I think of my childhood home, I remember it not only in images and spaces but also as a sequence of sounds, layered and precise, that are preserved in my memory. Sound, as a design factor, entered my architectural practice during the AmerikaGedenkbibliothek International design competition, which I won in 1990. This was an invited competition to create proposals for a 150,000-square-foot addition to West Berlin’s main public library. In my first studies of the site, I observed the original library from the cemetery across the street, a pocket of stillness south of the city’s historic southern gate. Guided by that peaceful landscape, in my design I oriented the principal reading room toward the cemetery, assuming silence would follow the view. It was only later, through the acoustician’s analysis, that I learned how the street

between the two would act as a conduit for noise. That discovery clarified an essential aspect of architectural analysis; for any site one should consider not only visual attributes such as light, geography, and context, but also clearly understand the sounds that penetrate and activate the site. Sound—elusive, migratory, and persistent—must be understood as carefully as the visual forms we typically emphasize in the design process.

ticipate in the Academical Village. Their sounds remind us of the many visitors and participants that energize the heart of this university. But beyond this, the gate sounds, diverse and unique, form a soundtrack of these spaces where engagement is inevitable. This is an architecture of unintended encounters, of listening—not just to words, but to the very atmosphere of the place. It is as though the buildings themselves conspire in this act of openness, allowing us to hear the presence of others sometimes before we even see them. These sounds do not offer a precise historical narrative; they do not tell us the complex story of the university’s origins in the way an archive might. Instead, they evoke something more subtle—an impulse to learn, to question, to imagine what has been. And in this, there is an inextricable link between the present and the past, a continuous echo of all that came before, whispering through the spaces we now inhabit while allowing us to dream of our futures, separately and together.

Reflecting on the activation of public spaces through art and architecture, you write, “Sound has the emotive potential to invite us to feel a place, a memory, or an event in a new way.” Connecting this with your work in spaces on UVA Grounds, how do you think your sonic inquiries open up possibilities for renegotiating or reinterpreting local historic spaces? Our family lived in Pavilion IX on the Lawn for 10 years, and it is the memory of the sounds of the garden gates, their openings and closings, that is most present for Jim and me. These sounds, simple as they may seem, are imbued with meanings that extend far beyond their literal nature. The gates, in their perpetual rhythm, speak of an openness, a kind of invitation to visit and par-

The book closes with a selection of digital paintings created from sonic engagements, accompanied by text about this being, “the final chapter of our exploration.” What’s next for you? Jim and I have been working on this Soundscape Architecture project for many years and plan to continue developing it and expanding to new spaces. Currently, we are making new animations related to Central Park, in New York City. Matt Wyatt, a local musician and composer, worked with us to produce the sonic composition for this part of the project, using a hybrid of my recorded sounds and his musical interventions. This is a new process for us as we explore the soundscape, not only as recorded information but also as a musical C interpretation of those recordings.

Karen Van Lengen (pictured) and Jim Welty will discuss Soundscape Architecture at New Dominion Bookshop on January 16.

Sound—elusive, migratory, and persistent—must be understood as carefully as the visual forms we typically emphasize in the design process. C-VILLE.COM

January 14 – 20, 2026

CULTURE TO-DO LIST Sunday 1/18

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 27

Friday 1/16

music

etc.

Dave Goodrich. A rock-based repertoire including flavors of blues, rock, pop, Motown, and original music. Free, 2pm. DuCard Vineyards, 40 Gibson Hollow Ln., Etlan. ducardvineyards.com

Brewery Puzzle Hunt. See listing for Thursday, January 15. $15, noon. Starr Hill Brewery, Dairy Market. puzzledbee.com

Fortresses. A multi-part instrumental band directed by Zachary Hines, II focusing on original jazz, funk, soul, Afro-beat, and hip-hop compositions. Free, 2pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. eastwoodfarmandwinery.com

Moms Lit Society: Books After Bedtime. A quarterly gathering for moms to relax, connect, and discuss powerful books by women authors. This session: Johanna Porter Is Not Sorry by Sara Read. Free, 6:30pm. Starr Hill Brewery, Dairy Market. charlottesvillefamily.com

LUA Project. A cultural pollinator, bridging musical styles from different continents and different centuries. Free, 2:30pm. Albemarle CiderWorks, 2545 Rural Ridge Ln., North Garden. albemarleciderworks.com

Trivia with Olivia. Get the weekend started with beers and trivia. Free, 6pm. SuperFly Brewing Co., 943 Preston Ave. superflybrewing.com

Neko Case: Neon Grey Midnight Green Tour. Singer, songwriter, music producer, visual artist, and writer Neko Case is the consummate career artist—fearless and versatile. $47–84, 7:30pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net

Vineyard Puzzle Hunt. See listing for Thursday, January 15. $15, 5pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. puzzledbee.com

Saturday 1/17

The Bluegrass Destroyers. Shake off the cold and settle in for Sunday bluegrass. Free, 1pm. Potter’s Craft Cider, 1350 Arrowhead Valley Rd. potterscraftcider.com

music Acoustic Aubrey. Covers of classic R&B, jazz, acoustic rock, and more. Free, 2pm. DuCard Vineyards, 40 Gibson Hollow Ln., Etlan. ducard vineyards.com

The Wavelength Trio. Vintage rock and jazzy blues vibrations. Free, 2pm. Glass House Winery, 5898 Free Union Rd., Free Union. glasshousewinery.com

Brian Franke. Relaxing vibes from an independent award-winning singer-songwriter and cover artist. Free, 12:30pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. eastwoodfarmandwinery.com

classes Fabric Mosaics: Create Your Own Kinusaiga Art. Bring your imagination and a love for color to this cozy, no-sew fabric art class. Ages 16+. $30, 11am. The Scrappy Elephant, 1745 Allied St. scrappyelephant.com

Chris Leggett & The Copper Line. Roots rock sounds from Richmond. Free, 8pm. Dürty Nelly’s, 2200 Jefferson Park Ave. durtynellys charlottesville.com

Oil Painting for Everybody: Floral Edition. Learn to render a floral composition oil painting in an approachable and organized format. Beginner oriented, but open to all levels. Ages 14+. $45, 2pm. The Scrappy Elephant, 1745 Allied St. scrappyelephant.com

The Death of Dido: An English Masque. A delightfully Italianate musical score by Johann Pepush with an English libretto by Barton Booth relays the tale of Dido and Aeneas. $10–25, 7:30pm. Blackfriars Playhouse, 10 S. Market St., Staunton. earlymusiccville.org Fellowman. A special performance of the C’ville rapper’s album No Safety Net, backed by DJ Blade Relic. Free, 8pm. The Stage at WTJU, 2244 Ivy Rd. wtju.net Jackson, Pendergrass, & Townsend. Upbeat music to dance to. Free, 5pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. eastwoodfarmand winery.com The Psycodelics. Embodying and glorifying Black American music, with elements from funk, blues, gospel, and R&B. $19, 8pm. The Southern Café & Music Hall, 103 S. First St. thesoutherncville.com Sarah White & the New Band. Original rock tunes plus covers from a band of local legends. $10, 7pm. Batesville Market, 6624 Plank Rd., Batesville. batesvillemarket.com The Wavelength. Vintage rock, blues, originals, and more. Free, 2:30pm. Albemarle CiderWorks, 2545 Rural Ridge Ln., North Garden. albemarle ciderworks.com

words New Dominion Storytime. Featuring readings from both recent storybooks and the classics kids know and love. Rain or shine. All ages welcome. Free, 11am. New Dominion Bookshop, 404 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. newdominionbookshop.com

classes Botanical Mini Art Workshop: Winter Wonder. An afternoon with Gail Goodrich Harwood, botanical artist and instructor, exploring drawing techniques and heirloom histories. All experience levels welcome. $40, 9am. Albemarle CiderWorks, 2545 Rural Ridge Ln., North Garden. albemarle ciderworks.com

January 14 – 20, 2026

Paint + Sip: White Winter Wineglasses. Paint the supplied design on glassware in a step-by-step format. No experience necessary, all materials included. $40–44, noon. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. blueridgebrushes.com

SATURDAY 1/17

etc.

SHE’S BACK Sarah White returns to town with the New Band. A talented singersongwriter with an impressive catalog of releases, White got her start playing locally while attending UVA. She elevated her career in the late ’90s with two albums of mysterious, lo-fi, experimental folk-rock on the Jagjaguwar imprint, and her recent performances draw equally from rock, punk, folk, and the deep well of American roots music. White has shared gigs with Hall & Oates, Earl Scruggs, and played in Dave Matthews Band’s concert festival series Caravan. She won best singer-songwriter in 2013’s Best of C-VILLE readers’ poll. $10, 7pm. Batesville Market, 6624 Plank Rd., Batesville. batesvillemarket.com Crochet for Beginners. Learn the basics of crochet. Leave with a crochet hook and a small crocheted washcloth. Ages 12+. $25, 3:30pm. The Scrappy Elephant, 1745 Allied St. scrappy elephant.com

etc.

Needle Felted Opossums. Learn how to make a soft little opossum figure using a specialized notched needle to sculpt dyed wool. Ages 12+. $35, 10am. The Scrappy Elephant, 1745 Allied St. scrappyelephant.com

Drag Bingo. The popular pairing of a drag show and bingo returns. $21.05, 6:30pm. Bar Botanical, 2025 Library Ave., Rooftop 4R, Crozet. botanicalfare.com

Needle Felted Veggies. Learn how to make soft and colorful veggie decorations using a specialized barbed needle to sculpt dyed wool. Ages 12+. $35, 1pm. The Scrappy Elephant, 1745 Allied St. scrappy elephant.com

C-VILLE.COM

Brewery Puzzle Hunt. See listing for Thursday, January 15. $15, noon. Starr Hill Brewery, Dairy Market. puzzledbee.com

Met Live in HD: I Puritani. For gorgeous melody, spellbinding coloratura, and virtuoso vocals, I Puritani has few equals. $27–32, 1pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net Vineyard Puzzle Hunt. See listing for Thursday, January 15. $15, 5pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. puzzledbee.com

Brewery Puzzle Hunt. See listing for Thursday, January 15. $15, noon. Starr Hill Brewery, Dairy Market. puzzledbee.com Vineyard Puzzle Hunt. See listing for Thursday, January 15. $15, 5pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. eastwoodfarmandwinery.com

Monday 1/19 No events

Tuesday 1/20 music Rapture Open Mic Night. An opportunity for beginners to test the waters, for veterans to showcase what they’ve been working on, or for anyone who loves music to do what they love. Hosted by Nicole Giordano. Free, 9:30pm. Rapture, 303 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. rapturerestaurant.com Vincent Zorn. Lively flamenco rumba with a unique percussive technique that incorporates a diverse range of strumming styles, rhythms, and taps. Free, 7pm. The Bebedero, 201 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. thebebedero.com

classes Paint + Sip: Sunset Palms. Paint the design in a step-by-step format. No experience necessary, all materials and first drink included. $44, 6pm. Ellie’s Country Club, 16 Elliewood Ave. blueridgebrushes.com SUPPLIED PHOTO

Stems up

SMALL BITES CULTURE

Barboursville Vineyards gets global props while we wait for the dirty horchata glazed donut BY JAMES SANFORD

he British wine periodical Decanter is raising a glass to Barboursville Vineyards’ Octagon 2017, which was named one of its top 50 U.S. wines of 2025. The Bordeaux-style blend of merlot, cabernet franc, and petit verdot is the first Virginia wine to make the list. “It’s a great confirmation from a very important international wine review magazine,” says Barboursville General Manager and Winemaker Luca Paschina. Barboursville has been producing Octagon since the late ’90s. “It’s great news, not only for us, it was for Virginia as a whole,” Paschina says. “Thirty-five years ago, there were very few places where you could have a great meal in Charlottesville. And very few, very few decent wines. … But it really has become a food and wine mecca.” Paschina gives much of the credit for that to winemakers and growers moving in from other regions: Italy, France, South Africa, the Finger Lakes, and the West Coast. “This is the type of business where we have one chance per year to make a wine,” he says. “We’re not manufacturing wine every week, or whatever. You get one shot, you put money in the ground, you wait three years to get your first crop. … It’s really a lot of work, and you have to be very patient.”

Moore chicken, please Sure, you’ve had chicken salad before. But with jalapeños? With Kalamata olives? Or perhaps a chicken salad BLT? All these and more are on the menu at Chicken Salad Chick, which opened December 17 in The Shops at Stonefield. It’s a national chain with 12 locations in the state, and the first Charlottesville shop is run by Darden School of Business grad Josh Moore, his wife Tricia, and his brother Jared, who’s currently the general manager. The Moores were such fans of the brand they decided to open a franchise. “We have 12 different chicken salad flavors that are on our menu at all times and have one that rotates every two to three months,” says Jared. If you’re in a rush, grab-n-go Quick Chicks are available for takeout. And Jared says they plan to start catering very soon: “We kinda just wanted to get our feet under us and get the doors open, and a feel for the customer base and for Charlottesville.” TRISTAN WILLIAMS

MORE TO CHEW ON THURSDAY 1/22 Wine Tasting with Sommelier Erin Scala. Delight your senses through a wine tasting conducted in the Main Gallery, where the exhibition “Stacey Evans: Passenger: Riding the Rails” provides an immersive, cultivated ambiance. This is a casual, seated event for adults ages 21+. Light snacks will be provided, reservations required. $20–25, 6pm. Second Street Gallery, 115 Second St. SE. second streetgallery.org

SATURDAY 1/24 & SUNDAY 1/25 Princess Tea. A charming afternoon tea for little royals and their grownups, featuring a preset tier of sweet and savory bites with tea or hot cocoa. Arrive in costume or borrow from our collection. Optional treats and upgrades available. Reservations encouraged. Limited walk-in availability. $22, times vary. Ethos Wine & Tea, 817 W. Main St., ethoswineandtea.com

ONGOING EVENTS

Among the offerings at Chicken Salad Chick, which recently opened in The Shops at Stonefield, is the bacon cheddar melt, served on a toasted croissant.

Baking her way The new year brings new opportunities for Chris Martin, founder of bakernobakery, who recently learned she was selected for the James Beard Foundation’s 2026 Winter Legacy Network cohort, a leadership seminar that pairs up-and-coming chefs with culinary experts. The virtual program will assist Martin as she develops her new brick-and-mortar bakery, Florosa, in 2026. Martin admits she’s actually had a bakery in the basement of her home, but “I wasn’t quite ready to let go of the [bakernobakery] branding yet.” Details are still coming together, but soon she’ll be “in some place seven days a week that’s available to the public.” Among the menu items is the dirty horchata glazed donut she’s currently working on, and a plan to bring back her popular apple fritters. “I took them away from the public—super mean of me,” Martin jokes.

The name Florosa “really threw my Spanishspeaking family for a loop,” says the baker (with a bakery) who likes the Latin root of flora and osa—as it alludes to “full of flowers.” “Considering I’m not quite American, not quite Nicaraguan, it’s kind of fun to exist in this wordplay space that enables me to create something new,” Martin says. “That’s what my flavor profile is, versus fitting into the tradition of Latin American technique, or the expectation of more French-driven, American-style flavors.”

Lunch launch Juke’s Kitchen is a new lunch option from longtime Dairy Market employee Niwan Lamborn, who saw an opportunity to take over the open space between Dino’s Pizza and Currylicious. The comfort food counter serves Reuben sandwiches, Italian subs, and daily soups like lentil, cream of mushroom, and loaded potato from chef Rafael Portillo. C C-VILLE.COM

Downtown C-ville Food Tour + Charcuterie Mini Class. Explore the city’s vibrant food scene, enjoy savory bites, handcrafted cocktails, and a hands-on charcuterie-making class where you’ll build your own box to take home. January 18 and February 1 and 8. $125, 1:20pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. c-villebites.com Low-Country Shrimp Boil. Bringing the best of Southern tradition to your plate with shrimp, sausage, corn on the cob, and potatoes in a fun atmosphere with live music from Matthew O’Donnell. January 16, 23, and 30, and February 6. Free entry, 4pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. eastwood farmandwinery.com The Yellow Mug After Dark. A fresh mix of zero-proof drinks, Hello Again Consignment’s pop-up shop, rotating local vendors, and family-friendly activities. Free parking. Campfire if it’s not brutally cold. Bring your own snacks. January 16, 23, and 30. Free entry, 4pm. The Yellow Mug, 1260 Crozet Ave., Crozet. helloagaincrozet.com Winemaker Pop-Ups. Enjoy free samples and tour the facility with independent winemakers on Fridays at the Virginia Wine Collective. January 16 and February 6: Jake Busching of Jake Busching Wines. January 30: Josh Cataldo of Cataldo’s Perfezione. Free, 6pm. Virginia Wine Collective, 1585 Avon St. Ext. eastwood farmandwinery.com

January 14 – 20, 2026

CHARLOTTESVILLE’S FARE-FREE

TRANSIT SYSTEM All 12 CAT routes, including the Downtown Trolley, are FARE-FREE with most connecting at the Downtown Transit Station. From there, hop on the free Trolley to explore shops, dining, and attractions along the Downtown Mall and UVA.

CatchtheCAT.org

Use ETA Spot app, Google Maps, Apple Maps, or visit our website to view live routes and plan your trip.

VIEW ALL ROUTES & INFORMATION ONLINE AT CATCHTHECAT.ORG

Drive Their Dreams,

Fuel Your Future! Join the Charlottesville City School Bus Team

Hiring School Bus Drivers & Aides Excellent City Benefits Paid CDL Training Flexible Schedule Drivers - $23.50+/hr Aides - $20.50+/hr

CatchtheCAT.org 30

January 14 – 20, 2026

Learn More and Apply Today at CatchtheCAT.org The City of Charlottesville is an Equal-Opportunity Employer C-VILLE.COM

UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES

FACULTY CHAMBER ENSEMBLES Featured Faculty Kelly Sulick, Flute Daniel Sender, Violin Ayn Balija, Viola Adam Carter, Cello Jiyeon Choi, Clarinet Edmond Wang, Trumpet Nathaniel Lee, Trombone Peter Spaar, Contrabass

Works by Mozart

Schulhoff

Busch

SUNDAY, JANUARY 25TH OLD CABELL HALL

3:30PM

$15 GENERAL / $13 UVA FACULTY & STAFF / $5 STUDENTS / FREE FOR UVA STUDENTS WHO RESERVE IN ADVANCE / FREE FOR STUDENTS UNDER 18

Department of Music

TICKETS

Jan 23 - Feb 15, 2026

stage kiss

by Sarah Ruhl livearts.org

Directed by Robert Chapel

sponsored by Janet & Charles Cheeseman C-VILLE.COM

January 14 – 20, 2026

FOR FUN PUZZLES SUDOKU

#1 solution

January 14 – 20, 2026

#2 solution

C-VILLE.COM

#3 solution

#4 solution

PUZZLES FOR FUN CROSSWORD BY MATT JONES

Family matters ACROSS 1. “Jeopardy!” creator Griffin 5. A-list notable 10. Cellar, in apt. ads 14. Summer camp setting 15. Grande’s costar in 2024 and 2025 films 16. “Fine by me” 17. Dow Jones Industrial Average, e.g. 19. 2007 NBA MVP Nowitzki 20. ___ contendere (no contest plea) 21. Half of the green Trivial Pursuit category 23. Hot green paste 26. Forever ___ day 27. Dramatic division 28. Puts under a spell 32. Ballpark figure? 35. Rage ___ (2025’s Oxford Word of the Year) 37. Suffix dropped from 22-Down’s full name 38. Add up to 40. Ghana’s capital 42. “Family” found in the four long theme answers 43. “America” singer in “West Side Story” 44. “Oliver Twist” burglar Bill 45. Short opening letter? 47. Distant lead-in 48. “Bali ___” (“South Pacific” tune) 49. Turntable part 52. Coffee dispenser 53. First-time gamer 55. They run the show

57. Dryer by the sink 60. “The Grapes of Wrath” itinerant 61. Follow 62. Japanese cat figurine with one paw raised 67. “That’s pretty cool” 68. Solo 69. Dually packaged candy bar 70. Ultrafast fliers, once 71. Really enjoy 72. Provocative

DOWN 1. Portland Timbers’ org. 2. Get takeout, perhaps 3. “Citizen Kane” film studio 4. D&D villain, or a “Stranger Things” antagonist 5. Top 6. Puzzle cube creator Rubik 7. Top 8. Nights before 9. Freight train unit 10. Foreshadowed 11. Boat brand designed for a certain water activity 12. “Double Dare” host Summers 13. Little kid 18. Japanese beef city 22. Pic-based social media site, for short 23. Illinois-Indiana border river 24. Small tree that’s a source of gum arabic 25. Long, thin bug that camouflages well with leaves 29. “Little Miss Sunshine” Oscar winner Alan 5

T S S O P U P Z I T I T A T O N E H I K E N O R M A O P E N L O L O F T H E A C R O S S P E A S E A L I P A D B A C K R I P A C L U E S A R E P A G O D A B O S S A A R I D E A R L A R R A N G E D S T U B B Y A M O R A R I A L S U S W U H L D E C A L P H A B E T I C A L L Y L I N U S R O U E W H O A A N D R E O T T O W O O D L I O N S B R E W I T S

38 42

47 51

52 56

#6 solution 57

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Welcome to ‘26 A N L A K I A L

ANSWERS 1/7/26

30. L.L. Bean’s home state 31. “___ vincit amor”: Virgil 33. Past adolescence 34. Jimmy Carter’s Georgia hometown 36. Three, in Italian 39. Lowest roll on a D20 41. John Jacob on the Titanic 46. Fan of Capt. Kirk and crew, as some (including Leonard Nimoy) prefer 50. Late-2000s first family 51. Year of Super Bowl XXXVI 54. “For sure!” 56. The part after the decimal point, sometimes 57. Puts on 58. Nile wading bird 59. Fundraising event 60. Prefix meaning “wine” 63. 11th mo. 64. Flock mother 65. Cereal with a puffed ball shape 66. Acne-treating brand

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January 14 – 20, 2026

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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY FOR FUN By Rob Brezsny

Aquarius

(Jan. 20-Feb. 18): During World War II, the United States faced a natural rubber shortage and funded research into synthetic substitutes. The effort was partly successful, but there were also failed experiments. Among these was a substance that later became a popular toy named Silly Putty. It sold millions of units and made its marketer wealthy. I suspect a metaphorically similar breakthrough is looming for you, Aquarius: an unplanned discovery that holds unforeseen value. You may soon have your own “Silly Putty moment”—an invention, idea, or situation that is technically a detour from your original goal but still delivers a gift. So keep your curiosity loose and your judgment soft. Don’t dismiss the byproducts of your efforts. Some diversions may reveal themselves to be the magic you didn’t realize you needed.

Pisces

(Feb. 19-March 20): I suggest you try an “asif” exercise, Pisces. Here’s what I propose: Enjoy a five-day period visualizing what your life would be like if you stopped saving yourself for a mythical future—including both the positive and negative aspects. Instead, envision yourself spending the coming months doing exactly what you yearn to do most, gleefully and intensely pursuing your sweetest dreams and prime mission. During this sabbatical, you will refrain from invoking excuses about why you can’t follow your bliss. You will assume that you are attuned with the heart of creation. You will act as if you are a joy specialist who adores your life.

Aries

(March 21-April 19): Japanese Zen master Hakuin painted with astonishing vigor well into his 80s. When asked his secret, he said he treated each brushstroke as if it were his first. He approached the ink and paper with a beginner’s inspired innocence. I propose that you adopt a version of Hakuin’s practice. Dive into your familiar routines with virgin eyes. Allow your expertise to be influenced by surprise. As for the mastery you have earned, may I suggest you use it as a launching pad for enthusiastic amateurism? Being skilled is wonderful. Being skilled and willing to experiment like a newcomer? That’s the high art of perpetual combustion, an Aries specialty.

Taurus

(April 20-May 20): In 1971, NASA’s Apollo 15 mission delivered a new asset to the moon: the Lunar Roving Vehicle. This batterypowered “moon buggy” enabled astronauts to explore farther from their landing site than ever before. They gathered a record haul of rock and soil samples and a deeper understanding of the lunar surface. I think you Bulls would be wise to get your own equivalent of that moon buggy. The apt metaphor here is enhancing your ability to

(Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Sandcastles are good reminders of how temporary everything is. We build them on the damp edge of the shore after the tide recedes, and then they crumble when the sea rolls back a CAPRICORN few hours later. Let’s make the sandcastle your power symbol for the months ahead. In doing so, I don’t mean to imply that your certainties will be demolished. Rather, it’s my way of urging you to enjoy and capitalize on the ever-changing nature of all things. In fact, I believe that knack should be one of your specialties in the coming months. As the Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh told us, we should be grateful for impermanence, because it keeps every possibility alive. extend your reach and explore beyond the familiar. In the coming weeks, I hope you will seek access to tools, allies, and freedoms that expand your range. Use them to push into new territory and scout around for intriguing valuables.

Gemini

(May 21-June 20): Are you ready to unveil the half-hidden, half-beautiful truths you have been keeping tucked away? I think you are. You might shake, sweat, and second-guess yourself right up until the moment the pivotal moment arrives. But then, I predict, you will zone in on how best to carry out your sublime assignment. The perilous blessings or radiant burdens you’ve been hoarding like secret treasures will finally spill out of you in just the right ways.

Cancer

(June 21-July 22): A hermit crab finds a new shell not because the old one was bad, but because the creature grew. A similar urge stirs in you now: an instinct to relocate your sensitivity and tenderness into roomier housing. You don’t have to abandon your favorite people or situations. Just ripen and update your containers so your emotional intelligence can flourish even more. Maybe revise your work rhythms. Dream up new bedtime stories. Be braver in declaring your needs. Your ongoing transformations could be a bit bumpy, but mostly healing and cherished. Give them the spaciousness they require.

Leo

(July 23-Aug. 22): Poet Jack Gilbert wrote, “We must risk delight. We can do without pleasure but not delight.” Here’s what I think he

meant: Pleasure is easy to access, available in many transactions. But delight requires courage. We must be undefended enough to be astonished and elated. Here’s the potential glitch for you Leos: You sometimes feel inclined to perform your joy; you make your happiness into entertainment for others to be inspired by. But true delight is riskier and more real. It comes when you forget to curate yourself because you’re too enchanted to remember you’re being watched. Your next assignment: Conjure up three moments of private delight that no one but you will see.

Virgo

(Aug. 22-Sept. 22): Many of you are renowned for your precision, but that’s just half the story. The more complete truth is that when you are most robust, you’re a connoisseur of refinement. Your careful edits can transmute muddles into medicines. Your subtle fixes may catalyze major corrections. Here’s my bold declaration: You are now at the height of your Virgo powers. I hope you wield them with utter flair and finesse. Make everything you touch better than it was before you touched it.

Libra

(Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Some astrologers work without ever glancing at the night sky. Their bond with the planets lives mostly through abstract ideas. To balance that approach, Daniel Giamario developed a more hands-on approach to astrology. In his retreats, students trek into wild country, far from city lights, and spend the dark hours watching the dance of the heavenly bodies. He teaches that cosmic energies can be sensed through our beautiful bodies as much as they C-VILLE.COM

can be understood by our fine minds. In the weeks ahead, I invite you to infuse all your explorations with that spirit. Learn through direct encounters, not just through concepts and recycled reports.

Scorpio

(Oct. 23-Nov. 21): English is my first language. I love how its wild, hybrid, restless qualities enable me to express myself. I never grow weary of exploring its limits and discovering new ways to use it with flair and care. But I am also very grateful that my horoscopes are translated into Italian, French, Japanese, and Spanish. I am supremely blessed to have editors who turn my idiosyncratic prose into language that non-English speakers can enjoy. It’s one of the great gifts that life has given me. In the coming months, Scorpio, I will be wishing and expecting a similar bonus for you: help and support in expanding your ability to reach further in your self-expression.

Sagittarius

(Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Your intrepid spirit is most likely to find exciting adventures if it’s exquisitely prepared. While I love your daring spontaneity and experimental expansiveness, I hope that in the coming weeks, you will work hard to support them with good planning and rigorous foresight. Be imaginative and disciplined, wild and calculating, irrepressible and solidly responsible. If you heed my advice, you could break your previous records for making marvelous discoveries in the frontiers. P.S.: Treat wonder like a C muscle. Flex it daily—with gratitude. Expanded weekly audio horoscopes and daily text message horoscopes: RealAstrology.com, (877) 873-4888

January 14 – 20, 2026

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January 14 – 20, 2026

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C-VILLE

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville is one of the world’s top producers. New JSAAHC app takes you on a selfguided journey through 11 audio-narrated stories that bring to life more than a century and a half of the city’s Black community-building. Skyline Drive reopens after strong winds brought down trees. With new coach and team, UVA men’s basketball ranked in top 25 nationally. Three snow days in a row in early December. Tom Perriello announces run for 5th District Democratic nomination. IX Arts Foundation announces a full 360-degree virtual tour of The Looking Glass. New sensory gym opens at UVA Children’s Hospital.

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Respiratory illnesses rampant in Charlottesville. Fewer customers at local bars thanks to dry January. Three snow days in a row in early December. AG Jason Miyares agrees with the DOJ to deny UVA in-state tuition to immigrant students. Darden Dean Scott Beardsley named new UVA president over objections from faculty and students. Wind gusts cause United Express plane to hit wing tip on runway while landing at CHO. Dramatic temp changes cause some plants to break dormancy prematurely. Fifeville grocery store development put on hold. Christmas Eve water-boil advisory causes problems for northern Albemarle shops and restaurants. Post-holiday blues. Calling all singles for a fun, first-date

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