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The way people receive information has changed so much over the centuries but the progression of change has sped up rapidly in the last century. Let’s take August 6 as a core sample.
The first public screening using the Vitaphone sound technology took place in 1926 with a special version of the silent film Don Juan with a score and sound effects
The Dumont Television Network showed a boxing match in New York as its final broadcast today in 1954
The World Wide Web became a publicly available service in 1991 as Tim Berners-Lee released the first files describing and implementing the idea
Charlottesville Community Engagement hopes to be part of continued changes for some time to come but will most likely never pivot to video.
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In this edition:
The stage is set for the Fifth District Congressional race of Perriello v. McGuire
The Charlottesville Area Association of Realtors reports an increase in sales volumes in the second quarter of the year
Charlottesville City Manager Sam Sanders presents more details on how 2000 Holiday fits into the city’s efforts to provide homes to people who need them
I often look longingly at the Plant Virginia Natives to inspire my dreams of a tidy yard. Plant Virginia Natives is part of a partnership with ten regional campaigns for ten different ecosystems across Virginia, from the Northern Piedmont to the Eastern Shore.
Take a look at the full map below for the campaign for native species where you are in the Commonwealth. For the Charlottesville area, download a free copy of the handbook: Piedmont Native Plants: A Guide for Landscapes and Garden
The incumbent United States Representatives in Virginia’s Fifth Congressional District will face a man who was elected to one term in the same position back in 2009.
According to unofficial results from the Virginia Department of Elections, Republicans selected John McGuire to be their candidate for a second time while Democrats selected Tom Perriello for the third time.
Turnout was lower in the Democratic primary. Perriello won 29,653 of the ballot compared to 5,387 for Suzanne Krzyzanowski and 2,134 for Rob W. Tracinski.
“For months, I’ve visited every corner of the district to hear from thousands of local families,” Perriello said in a statement. “Folks are struggling to make it to the next paycheck, and they are fed with this Congress making everything more expensive, more corrupt, and just plain stupid.”
As of Wednesday afternoon, a total of 9,940 people cast a Democratic ballot in the Fifth District with 91.05 percent going for Perriello. In Charlottesville there were a total of 3,926 votes with the former Congressman receiving 90.55 percent.
Perriello’s margin of victory was lower in Danville and Lynchburg, two other cities in the Fifth District. Periello had 75.22 percent of the 2,155 ballots cast in Danville. In Lynchburg, Perrielo received 70.85 percent of the 3,122 votes.
Incumbent McGuire easily defeated challenger Melanie Lucero with 42,057 votes compared to 7,853 votes. That’s a margin of 84.27 percent.
As of Wednesday afternoon, a total of 3,535 Republicans in Albemarle participated with 77.79 percent favoring McGuire. A total of 401 Republicans took part in Charlottesville with 66.08 percent choosing the incumbent.
In a statement, McGuire thanked Lucero for taking part and immediately set the tone for the general election.
“Tom Perriello is a communist who wants to hike your taxes, explode federal spending, and wage war on affordable American energy plan to chase a radical climate agenda that kills jobs and drives up your bills,” McGuire said. “His work for the George Soros during the worst immigration crisis in the history of our nation at the Open Society Foundation beside the Biden administration cost too many lives.”
McGuire’s statement said Perriello was wrong for the district in his first term.
The victory release from the Perriello campaign referenced his support from the Affordable Care Act in 2010.
“In Congress, he cast the deciding vote to protect people with pre-existing conditions, knowing it would cost him his seat,” reads the release.
On November 2, 2010, Republican Robert Hurt defeated Perriello with 50.8 percent of the vote according to the Virginia Department of Elections.
Through July 15, 2026, Perriello had raised $2,140,401 compared to $1,735,151 for McGuire.
Two independent candidates in the race have not raised any funds according to the Virginia Public Access Project. They are Cooke Costa Harvey and Chris Register.
There was also a primary for the Republican slot for the U.S. Senate currently held by Mark Warner.
Retired U.S. Army General Bert Mizusawa placed third in a three-way race for the Republican nomination with 51.43 votes of the vote. He defeated Kim Farrington and David E. Williams and will face Democratic incumbent Mark Warner. Warner is seeking a fourth term.
In Albemarle, 3,328 Republicans cast a vote in this race and 50.03 chose Mizusawa. In Charlottesville, 381 Republicans participated and 38.06 voted for the winner.
While the number of homes sold in the Thomas Jefferson Planning District increased this spring over the years before, prices remained relatively flat. The Charlottesville Albemarle Association of Realtors has compiled data for the second quarter of 2026 and shared the info.
“There were 1,241 closed sales across the CAAR footprint in the second quarter, a 14 percent surge from a year ago,” reads a summary in the report released on August 4. “The regionwide median sold price in the second quarter was $486,500, inching up less than 1 percent from a year ago.”
You can find the snapshot on the CAAR website.
Sales volumes were up in all six localities with Louisa County experiencing the greatest increase with 256 closed sales in April, May, and June of this year compared to 199 the year before. That’s a 28.6 percent increase over the same period in 2025.
In Fluvanna County, 145 homes sold in the second quarter, a 20.8 percent increase over 2025. Albemarle’s growth rate was 11.6 percent with 521 transactions in 2026 compared to 467 last year.
The increase in Nelson County was 9 percent. This provides a good illustration of the locality’s small population as the actual numbers are 67 homes sold in the second quarter of 2025 compared to 73 this year.
Charlottesville saw more modest growth with a 6.7 percent increase to 159 homes sold in 2026. Greene County only had a slight increase going from 85 sold in the second quarter of 2025 to 87 this year.
“The 2026 housing market is outpacing the 2025 market so far in the CAAR region, and it’s been the strongest first half of the year in terms of sales since 2022,” the report continues. “This reflects strong pent-up demand that is absorbing the surge in active listings in the market.”
Medan sales prices dropped slightly across the region compared to 2025. Fluvanna County is the most affordable with $418,980, a 3.1 percent drop. Albemarle is the most expensive with a median sales price of $570,000, down 0.9 percent. Charlottesville is next at $500,000, a decrease from $509,000 in 2025.
That last statistic is one to watch looking ahead to next year’s real property assessments.
Charlottesville Community Bikes turns 25 this year and is celebrating a quarter century of getting people the wheels they need to get around.
This summer, they need your help and want to know if you have bikes for kids to replenish their inventory. If you have any bicycles you’re no longer using, the organization could use them!
To follow along with their efforts, follow along on Facebook!
Charlottesville City Council’s decision on August 3 to approve $4 million “for homeless intervention services to include emergency sheltering and direct to housing supports” is the latest in a series of steps orchestrated by Charlottesville City Manager Sam Sanders.
“Almost three years ago, I stood before Council and stated that we need to do two things. Set a new standard and manage expectations as it related to homelessness in our city,” Sanders said. “And while that in and of itself is not a plan, it was accompanied by what I refer to as community interventions.”
That has included the hiring of the Block by Block team to clean the Downtown Mall on a regular basis, designating a city staff member to serve as “Downtown Strategy Manager,” and renting a bathroom at York Place for a public bathroom. The Downtown Transit Center has also been reopened and Sanders said negotiations are underway with the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority to open a permanent public restroom at the building CRHA owns in the 300 block of East Main.
The city now pays the Blue Ridge Area Coalition for the Homeless $250,000 a year as a fundamental agency and the city paid for that entity to conduct a Point in Time count in late July.
Sanders said the city has provided a storage space in the parking lot of the Salvation Army on Ridge Street that is used by many to store belongings and the city has provided bags for both the Haven and the Blue Ridge Coalition for the Homeless to distribute for that purpose.
But many have continued asking the city to do more. There have also been complaints about people in an impaired state on the mall. Sanders said the city is working with Region 10 to find out how to get assistance to more people.
“Sleeping on the mall was a regular complaint,” Sanders said. “An ordinance was presented. Council deferred in favor of an alternate place so that we could get an opportunity for people to have a place to go. And we’ve been working diligently on that ever since.”
Sanders said 2000 Holiday Drive was purchased to provide a low-barrier shelter but the community needs more transitional housing that allows more privacy to individuals.
“We do recognize that a congregate shelter is not the preferred option,” Sanders said. “It is an option for us to have available as soon as we possibly can and then we can grow from that and that is the intention.”
The Salvation Army’s Center for Hope is part of the overall solution to add more transitional housing. The entity has plans to expand from 55 beds to 114 beds and double the size of a community dining room to 120 seats. Charlottesville has already contributed $3 million and Council will be asked to allocate another $3 million on August 17.
“Seven million was awarded from the state of Virginia through the support of Senator Creigh Deeds,” Sanders said. “That money is to be split between the city and the Salvation Army.”
The remaining $4 million will go toward transitional housing and is not the same $4 million that is being used for the encampment transition and the upfit of 2000 Holiday Drive in the short-term. In all there are three different groups that will receive some of those funds.
Central Arizona Shelter Services - will operate the emergency shelter
Clutch Consulting Group - will provide direct-to-housing services
“These three partner organizations are working with the city and the Continuum of Care to broaden our efforts and to fill present gaps to ensure a better opportunity to make homelessness rare, brief and non occurring because that is the goal for all of us,” Sanders said.
Sanders said a scope of work for each is still in development and he said he hoped that would be complete within 30 days. He said the budget submitted by CASS was $3 million to serve 120 people for a 12-month period, a situation deemed to be the worst case scenario.
The future of 2000 Holiday Drive
In recent years, Charlottesville has experienced large budget surpluses with $21.7 million in FY23, $22.4 million in FY24 and $8.5 million in FY25. The results for FY2026 will become known in December when an audit of the accounts has been completed.
Sanders told Council there’s a balance left of about $16 million in the fund and about $10 million has been set aside for property acquisitions. He said in the near term there is a need to move forward with the permanent plan for 2000 Holiday Drive.
“So the plan is to open a centralized One Stop Homeless Services center at 2000 Holiday Drive featuring an overnight shelter, eventually a day shelter, comprehensive set of on site wraparound services, connection to off site services, transitional housing options for 18 months to 24 months, longer term stays after we get this facility open, and continued efforts to access permanent affordable housing,” Sanders said.
Sanders said in the short-term there would be storage space for residents as there is enough room in the building. A building permit has been issued for minor construction work to get it ready for habitation.
“We’re finalizing those details, ” Sanders said. “And that is not being paid for by this $4 million. That is being paid for by local philanthropy.”
City Councilor Michael Payne advanced the concerns of several speakers who appeared during the public comment period.
“One of the other questions we’ve gotten is about pets,” Payne said. “Is it known at this point what the approach would be in terms of how they staff the facility?”
Sanders said CASS accepts those with pets and has procedures in place.
“We have to look at their procedures to determine how that is done,” Sanders said. “That has not been a practice here, so we are adding to that benefit. So hopefully we can help individuals who have historically not been able to come inside for that reason.”
Sanders said CASS has been in operation since 1984 and operates across the state of Arizona. He said one of their employees had a family connection to Charlottesville and contact with the city was made.
“And from that we were able to dig deep into this conversation and we have become satisfied with what we’ve learned,” Sanders said. “We still have questions. It’s not to say that it’s a done deal. That’s why there’s no contract being presented tonight. This is just asking for the resources to commit that. The invitation was extended, their board accepted.
What about other places?
Albemarle County will open up a waiting list for housing vouchers on August 17 including Vista29, an 80-unit single-room occupancy facility under construction by the group Support Works Housing.
Sanders said those units are expected to come online at the end of the year and it is possible some who decide to live temporarily at 2000 Holiday Drive might be able to get a space there.
“The folks at Support Works have indicated a desire to be on site at Holiday Drive once the doors open so that they can directly do that work and we have intended to make sure that that is possible for them to do,” Sanders said.
As for other transitional housing sites, Sanders said one option is at a site on Levy Avenue that the city purchased from the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority for $4 million in early 2024 using proceeds from the American Rescue Plan Act. (learn more)
Sanders said he is hopeful that a way can be found to provide a different kind of transitional housing than currently exists. He described this as a place where rent is held low to provide a “mid step.”
“The mid step would be a property that is owned, that is depressed in cost because it’s covered by the city, any other entity, and it makes it possible for the rent that is attainable,” Sanders said. “The individual can make that rent payment and they can stay there 18, 24 months while they figure out other things, work with case managers, work through wraparound services, and eventually move into a permanent rental situation.”
City Councilor Michael Payne pointed out that the solutions are going to be expensive such as Vista29 costing a little less than $30 million put together with multiple partnerships. He said the city cannot do it alone and encouraged people in the audience who want to help solve the problem to think like builders.
“If you’re interested in it on your own, look through property listings in the community, see what’s for sale, look at what it would look like to be able to acquire that site,” Payne said. “If there are renovations needed on that site, what is the amount of money and work, volunteer labor that would need to go into renovating it.”
At one point, the city had approached the Salvation Army about using their thrift store on Cherry Avenue. Sanders suggested that the city might purchase the property from them in order to help them close out their capital campaign for the Center for Hope.
Articles by other journalists you are encouraged to read next:
Some Albemarle students will begin school year at temporary location Elli Jones, WVIR 29NBC, August 3, 2026
Perriello clinches Democratic nomination in the 5th District; Powers wins in the 9th, Elizabeth Beyer, Cardinal News, August 4, 2026
Perriello wins Democratic race for 5th Congressional District, Elli Jones, WVIR 29NBC, August 4, 2026
Result: It’s McGuire vs. Perriello in Virginia’s 5th District, Jahd Khalil, VPM, August 4, 2026
It may be a first for this newsletter that one story spans three different editions, but here we are. The podcast edition this week will stitch a lot of it together. I’ll do that work tomorrow. Today I want to get through Albemarle County’s discussion on housing from yesterday.
We live in a strange political time made stranger by less and less detailed coverage about social issues. Social media has given many a license to argue without a need to provide citation. Legacy media may or may not decide something is going to generate enough clicks to make it worth it.
And then there’s whatever this newsletter is. For six years now I’ve sought to document as much as I can but the audience is small in comparison to everyone else. I’ve been told my whole career that the masses aren’t interested in details, and I’ve pushed back on that notion. So far I’ve been able to sustain myself doing this work over six years.
I do have a sense that what I am doing is not enough. I have a sense that most people want solutions but the way our political culture works at the moment seems more about scoring points and protecting territory.
But what do I know? I know how to put together this newsletter and do hope you will share it others if you found it to be useful. I would venture to guess that you won’t find as many details anywhere else. My goal is to share information I feel is relevant and give you access to primary sources.
In return, I hope that those of you who are not yet paying might decide to take out a paid subscription. That is the way I make my living. The unwritten contract boils down to this: I’ll make content and tell people how they can pay if they want it to keep going. The choice is up to you.
Let’s keep Thee Oh Sees kick going.
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