Local cases of COVID-19 are now so high that the health district said it’s unable to complete contact tracing for all positive cases — and it’s struggling to keep up with the burgeoning demand for tests. The Blue Ridge Health District announced on Friday that its investigators may be unable to contact “every positive individual […]
Author Archives: Jessie Higgins
I'm Charlottesville Tomorrow's managing editor and health and safety reporter. If there’s something you think we should be investigating, please email me at jhiggins@cvilletomorrow.org! And you can follow all the work we do by subscribing to our free newsletter! Hablo español, y quiero mantener a la comunidad hispanohablante informada. Si tienes preguntas o información que debo saber, por favor, envíame un correo electrónico a jhiggins@cvilletomorrow.org.
Posted inHow we learn
Meet Charlottesville City Schools new superintendent — he promises transparency and to focus on equity
Charlottesville City Schools has named its new superintendent. Royal A. Gurley will take the helm Oct. 4. “There’s a lot of great work happening here,” Gurley told a group of reporters Thursday afternoon. “I just felt strongly when I saw this search … that a lot of my values were aligned closely to the things […]
Posted inGovernment and public institutions
Charlottesville city manager fires police chief
Charlottesville Police Chief RaShall Brackney has been fired. City Manager Chip Boyles announced Wednesday evening that he had terminated Brackney’s employment contract in a brief statement, saying only that he is looking for “new leadership direction in the department.” “We will start the search for our next Chief immediately,” said Boyles in the statement. “We […]
Posted inHealth and safety
UVA Health mandates its 2,000 unvaccinated employees to receive COVID vaccines as local community transmission levels become ‘high’
UVA Health plans to require its nearly 2,000 unvaccinated employees to receive a COVID-19 vaccine by Nov. 1, or face possible termination. The health system announced its new vaccine mandate last week, just days after the Food and Drug Administration granted full approval for the Pfizer vaccine and local COVID transmission levels rose from “substantial” […]
Posted inHealth and safety
Health Department ramping up to offer COVID-19 booster shots
Local health officials are postponing the release of plans for how they intend to provide booster shots to the nearly 150,000 fully vaccinated people in the Blue Ridge Health District until it receives final federal authorization. Last week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced it’s recommending all vaccinated individuals receive booster shots […]
Posted inGovernment and public institutions
Albemarle joins Charlottesville in banning guns in parks, government buildings
It is now illegal to carry a gun on property owned or managed by Albemarle County. The county’s Board of Supervisors on Wednesday unanimously passed its hotly debated firearms ban — making it a Class 1 misdemeanor to carry a gun in any of the county’s parks, community centers or buildings. The Charlottesville City Council […]
Posted inHealth and safety
Health officials urge everyone to again mask-up as Charlottesville-area experiences another ‘surge’ in COVID cases
They’re no longer required, but local health officials are urging everyone to again wear masks when in public — even fully vaccinated people. COVID-19 cases are surging in the Charlottesville area, and beyond, due to the rapid spread of the highly contagious Delta variant. Last week, the seven-day moving average of positive cases in the […]
Posted inHealth and safety, How we learn
Albemarle schools will require all teachers and staff either be vaccinated or submit weekly negative COVID tests
All Albemarle County Public School employees will be required this year to either show proof they have received a COVID-19 vaccination or submit to weekly testing. The county School Board passed an ordinance Thursday evening giving Superintendent Matt Haas the go-ahead to collect vaccination records for all staff — something that the district did not […]
Posted inHow we learn
Albemarle school board enacts state-mandated transgender policy
The Albemarle County School Board passed a new policy Thursday evening that gives transgender and gender-expansive students more rights and protections in the school district despite some confusion over when parents would be notified.
Posted inHealth and safety
Wildlife biologists are trying to understand why deadly mange is suddenly spreading through the region’s black bears
Severe — and sometimes deadly — cases of mange have quietly spread through the region’s black bear population during the last couple years. The disease’s sudden and rapid appearance has wildlife biologists puzzled. “Why all of a sudden we’re seeing bears picking up and retaining and being infested by these mites, we don’t really know,” […]
