Charlottesville Community Engagement Podcast Por Town Crier Productions arte de portada

Charlottesville Community Engagement

Charlottesville Community Engagement

De: Town Crier Productions
Escúchala gratis

Acerca de esta escucha

 Regular updates of what's happening in local and regional government in and around Charlottesville, Virginia from an award-winning journalist with nearly thirty years of experience.

communityengagement.substack.comSean Tubbs Ciencia Política Política y Gobierno
Episodios
  • Podcast for July 11, 2025: Five radio stories from Charlottesville and one from Albemarle

    Podcast for July 11, 2025: Five radio stories from Charlottesville and one from Albemarle
    Jul 11 2025
    What is the purpose of journalism? What is the purpose of the government? What makes up society? How did we get here? All the questions David Byrne asked in Once in a Lifetime? This is the audio edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement, a podcast that features audio versions of stories that have gone out in the written version. To add to the confusion, there’s also Information Charlottesville which is intended to capture all of these stories in one place for future people to look back toward.Now, what’s up this time?* Speakers seek answers on next steps for zoning in Charlottesville (learn more)* City Manager Sanders provides status report on various initiatives (learn more)* Charlottesville City Council gets update on ANCHOR program (learn more)* Applications being taken for Charlottesville Boards and Commissions (learn more)* Speakers tell Charlottesville City Council of what they say are threats to U.S. Constitution (must produce)* Albemarle Planning Commission recommends approval of more residential units at Brookhill (need to produce)Today’s experimental sponsor is Westwind Flowers. You can hear a more detailed description in the audio above, just after the show’s billboard. Why experimental? If you’re interested, respond to this email and I can share some information. An explanation of #895-AThis is coming out much earlier than usual, just as the Week Ahead for the period beginning July 14 will also be out earlier. I’m taking a road trip which means making adjustments. However, as a one-person operation, that doesn’t mean the work will stop. Hundreds of you are paying me to do this work, and so I do! I’m absolutely grateful. Sunday is also the fifth anniversary of the newsletter. I’ve not done anything too terribly special for it except decide to go on a road trip which will keep me away from the screen for most of the day. Instead I’ll see a good chunk of the country as I help out a friend. In any case, do take a listen if you’ve not heard one of these before. I got my professional start in public radio and realized fairly on that no public radio station in their right mind would hire me because in the early 2000’s I was quite critical of the shrinking amount of time available for local stories. So, stubborn old me created the Charlottesville Podcasting Network in 2005, a website I still maintain but won’t send you a link because I’ve not figured out how to fix something. And then I created a podcast called the Charlottesville Quarantine Report in March 2020 out of a desperate need to return to journalism. The podcast gets about a tenth of the audience, but I believe it’s the best version of the work I do. I love being able to mix in people’s voices, and there’s so much more to be done. However, I’m a one-person operation with many ideas to unfurl. Thanks to paid subscribers for helping to keep this thing sailing along and let’s hope I find the map. Charlottesville Community Engagement is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe
    Más Menos
    33 m
  • Podcast for July 5, 2025: Naturalization ceremony held at Monticello for 74 new citizens; Hundreds protest Ryan’s ouster at UVA

    Podcast for July 5, 2025: Naturalization ceremony held at Monticello for 74 new citizens; Hundreds protest Ryan’s ouster at UVA
    Jul 5 2025
    There are now 364 days to go until the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, a historic document that remains relevant as we approach the semiquincentennial. Eight days have passed since the executive branch of the federal government demanded the resignation of University of Virginia President Jim Ryan. There’s a lot happening, and Charlottesville Community Engagement is intended to document as much as possible. I’m Sean Tubbs.In this edition:* Five people were shot in the city’s Fifeville neighborhood late Friday night including two children* A Charlottesville Circuit Court judge has thrown the city’s zoning ordinance out after a legal deadline was not met (learn more) (learn even more)* President Jim Ryan has resigned from the University of Virginia and the path is known for his replacement (learn more) (learn even more)* Former Attorney Ken Cuccinelli continues to serve on the UVA Board of Visitors despite his confirmation being rejected by a Virginia Senate committee, prompting a legal case* Seventy-four new Americans were sworn in as citizens on the morning of July 4 at Monticello (not yet in print)* Hundreds of people were on hand for a protest at UVA just a few hours later to demand steps to prevent the public institution from more federal interference (not yet in print)* Greene Supervisors vote to move forward with smaller water supply (learn more)Thanks for reading Charlottesville Community Engagement ! This post is public so feel free to share it.A note before we beginThis edition should have gone out yesterday as soon as I finished the version for WTJU, but I chose to attend a social event instead. I’m glad I went but do wish I had stayed to complete the work.You will also note that this edition has written versions for three stories including the one about the shooting. I didn’t have a lot of audio to work with this week, and I wanted to document in audio the zoning code and the Ryan resignation. The headlines are sparse because those are slugs. The protest story and the naturalization story will be posted to Information Charlottesville before going out in Monday’s newsletter.No written shout-outs in this one because I want to get this posted, but I’m going to be experimenting as I go.Five people shot in Fifeville Friday nightAn Independence Day celebration in Fifeville turned tragic late Friday night when gunfire erupted, sending five people to the hospital including three children.A series of firework displays had begun after dark across the neighborhood causing many people to be outside to see and hear the explosions.According to an information release from Charlottesville Police Department, officers responded to multiple calls of a shooting on Orangedale around 11:23 p.m. The first officers arrived a couple of minutes later and found five people who had been shot.The victims were a 10-year-old girl, an 11-year-old boy, a 17-year-old male, an 18-year-old female, and a 52-year-old male.“Due to heavy foot and vehicle traffic, emergency medical units were initially unable to access the scene,” reads the release. “Officers and medics worked together to transport the victims on foot and in patrol vehicles, applying pressure to their wounds until additional EMS personnel arrived.”Everyone shot was reported to be in stable condition as of the release sent out at 11:13 a.m. this morning. The Criminal Investigations Division and Forensics Unit are investigating and police want to see video footage.The Fifeville Neighborhood Association is holding a community gathering at 6 p.m. at Abundant Life at 782 Prospect Avenue.Copy for UVA RYAN:Facing pressure from the United States Department of Justice, University of Virginia President Jim Ryan resigned from his position on June 27.The Cavalier Daily reports that the Civil Rights Division under the control of President Donald Trump sent seven letters to UVA between April 11 and June 17 insisting that not enough had been done to demonstrate that programs to encourage and promote Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion had not been sufficiently dismantled.In a statement, Ryan said he did not want to put federal grant funding at risk to save his job, a job he planned to leave in 2026. So he resigned and Executive Vice President J.J. Davis will serve as acting president.Many groups have condemned the pressure from the federal government including the Faculty Senate. The Virginia Conference of the American Association of University Professors sent a letter on June 30.Later on in the program we’ll have audio from a protest held at the University Avenue side of the Rotunda on July 4.The Board of Visitors had been scheduled to meet on July 1 for a personnel matter but canceled the virtual event before it began. The claim is that the meeting wasn’t needed, but on that same day former Rector Robert Hardie was served with a lawsuit arguing that one of the members of the Board of Visitors continued to sit in the position ...
    Más Menos
    32 m
  • Podcast for June 20, 2025: Several stories from Charlottesville City Council's second meeting in June

    Podcast for June 20, 2025: Several stories from Charlottesville City Council's second meeting in June
    Jun 20 2025

    In this edition:

    * There’s a new vote-counting system in Charlottesville City Council but this past week, Council had to take a series of voice votes because it wasn’t quite ready.

    * City Council briefed on Neighborhood Development Services work plan, forthcoming zoning changes (learn more)

    * City Council gets briefing on Human Rights work in Charlottesville (learn more) (2.75)

    * Charlottesville Police Chief Michael Kochis addresses recent shootings on the Downtown Mall as well as a decision to not use crime analysis software known as Peregrine (learn more)

    * Council takes a series of votes on items that I’ve not yet written for print!

    Shout-out to subscribers!

    On the days when I stop and wonder if what I’m doing has any value, I sit down and write people who have decided to contribute to the business. I thanked over a dozen people yesterday to let them know that their support fuels me. There have been around a thousand people who have done so in the past five years, and I’ve managed to do all of that without any assistance from a marketing staff.

    There are organizations out there that secure grant funds in order to hire people to secure more funding! I just want to cobble together enough of an income to be able to keep going. If I had not been here the past five years doing this work, there are many things that would not have gone reported.

    * I wrote at least 100,000 words on the creation of the Development Code and continue to monitor new projects every single week

    * I am covering Albemarle County’s enthusiastic push for economic development including the purchase of land for a future defense and intelligence sector

    * I track what the University of Virginia is purchasing, what they plan to build, and how they intend to grow

    I dislike selling myself. I’m a self-effacing journalist with leaky self-confidence. I’m fairly certain I am not employable in this community anymore. This is all I got, and I’m hopeful to keep going for a while.

    And thanks to the hundreds of people who believe in my work enough to pay me. One day I am hopeful I can help train more people. I know I’m passionate about this work and hopeful for the future. If you want to learn more about how you can support the work, check out this section on the Information Charlottesville website.



    This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe
    Más Menos
    33 m
Todavía no hay opiniones