Today we’re going to zoom in on evictions. In the first half of the show, we talk to attorney Caroline Klosko from the Legal Aid Justice Center. She specializes in representing low-income tenants. And in the second half of the show, we’re going to look at the local policy side of things with City Councilor Michael Payne.

Today we’re going to hear the latest about COVID-19 and the delta variant from the Blue Ridge Health District. They discussed vaccination rates, vaccine locations, and what back-to-school will look like. They also reviewed the new CDC guidelines, which were updated after the highly contagious Delta variant became the dominant strain circulating in the US. And stay tuned in the second half of the show for a conversation looking back on August 11th and 12th and what the ripple effects have been over the past four years.

Today we’re going to talk about evictions. Evictions happen when renters are unable to pay their rent or violate their lease. For the past year, the courts have been closed and renters have had extra protections from the CDC against eviction if they were behind on their rent. However, those protections expire next week. So we sat down with Erin O’Hare at Charlottesville Tomorrow to talk about what this means for our already very housing cost-burdened city. And in the second half of the show, we’re going to take a look at what it’s like to try and get around the city on foot, bicycle or with a mobility challenge. Learn more about the Legal Aid Justice Center and their resources: https://www.justice4all.org/  City & County Housing Offices: https://www.cvillerha.com/ & https://www.albemarle.org/government/social-services/housing

Here in Charlottesville, it’s starting to feel like the threat of COVID-19 is subsiding. People are out and about, sometimes unmasked, maybe you’re starting to travel again… Well today we’re going to touch base with Jessie Higgins to hear about the vaccination process here in the Blue Ridge Health District and the differences between State COVID policy and Local COVID policy. And in the second half of the show, we go on a little field trip to a new interactive, outdoor sculpture garden at the Kluge-Ruhe.  Make a reservation for “Breathe With Me” https://kluge-ruhe.org/exhibition/breathe-wandering-sculpture-trail/

This week we’re continuing some conversations we’ve been having over the course of the year. We’ll get some updates on the local elections season, the comprehensive plan and affordable housing, and the fate of our confederate monuments. And in the second half of the show, we give you a sneak peak of a new exhibit opening this week at the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection.  Charlotte’s Articles:  https://www.cvilletomorrow.org/articles/what-will-happen-to-property-sales-with-higher-density-the-answer-isnt-so-simple/  https://www.cvilletomorrow.org/articles/wade-pinkston-win-charlottesville-city-council-democratic-primary/  https://www.cvilletomorrow.org/articles/charlottesville-city-council-formally-resolves-to-remove-confederate-statues/  Visit Irrititja Kuwarri Tjungu (Past & Present Together): 50 Years of Papunya Tula Artists:  https://kluge-ruhe.org

Episode Notes This week we’re catching up on the Charlottesville Comprehensive planning process with Erin O’Hare. We’ll talk about what the current draft would mean for affordable housing and life in the city and the region. Then we’re going to hear from an Albemarle family about their efforts to support anti-racism work in the county schools. Stay tuned in the second half of the episode for a conversation with Sam Gleaves. He’s a musician, educator, and activist from Wytheville, Virginia who uses his talents in bluegrass and old time music to tell the unsung histories of Appalachia’s LGBTQ+ community. https://cvilleplanstogether.com  http://www.samgleaves.com

The June 8th primary elections are only eleven days away, so I sat down with Charlotte Rene Woods and Ali Sullivan at Charlottesville Tomorrow for a run-down on all the races, the candidates and what you need to know about how to vote this cycle.  And stay tuned for stories from teachers about their experience as an educator during the civil rights movement.  Bold Dominion episodes with Gubernatorial Candidates: https://bolddominion.org/episodes/whos-running-for-governor-and-what-do-they-stand-for  https://bolddominion.org/episodes/whos-running-for-governor-and-what-do-they-stand-for-part-2  Check your voter registration: https://www.elections.virginia.gov Teachers in the Movement Podcast: https://virginiaaudio.org/#/teachers-in-the-movement/

This week we’re talking with the people behind two local women-centered organizations. First up we’re going to hear from Sri Kodakalla and Meesha Goldberg. They’re two artists at the Feminist Union of Charlottesville Creatives who just edited a new issue of their zine, Mala Leche. This edition of Mala Leche is called “Fever Dreams of Mother Earth” and it features all kinds of art about our planet and climate change. And in the second half of the show, we talk to Andrea Mayfield and Elizabeth Irvin of the  Women’s Initiative, about mental health in Charlottesville and their mission to radically increase people’s access to it.  MALA LECHE #2: Fever Dreams of Mother Earth https://www.heyfucc.com/mala-leche-2  The Women’s Initiative Virtual Groups and Social Support: https://thewomensinitiative.org/groups-social-support/

You may have heard that a bunch of local affordable housing non-profits recently came together to buy the Red Carpet Inn on 29. Today we’re going to talk about that project and how it plans to reduce area homelessness and create 140 new low-income housing units. Plus, the residents at Crescent Halls affordable housing complex in downtown Charlottesville have been protesting substandard building conditions for over 20 years and last week the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority began extensive renovations to respond to those concerns. We’ll talk about both these projects and what it means in the broader conversation about inequality, racism, and housing here in Charlottesville. In the second half of the show, we’ll hear about a new oral history project in Louisa County.  Erin’s Premier Circle project article: https://www.cvilletomorrow.org/articles/area-nonprofits-resort-to-buying-a-hotel-to-address-local-housing-and-homelessness-crisis/ Erin’s Crescent Halls article: https://www.cvilletomorrow.org/articles/after-years-of-advocating-for-redevelopment-crescent-hall-residents-break-ground-on-renovation/ Louisa County Historical Society: https://louisahistory.org

Enslaved people have been part of the story of the University of Virginia and Charlottesville since their very beginnings. And this week, on Saturday, UVA will dedicate a major physical marker and memorial to the enslaved people who built the University and were an integral part of its founding and early years. So we sat down with Kirt von Daacke, he’s a UVA professor and served as Co-Chair of the President’s Commission on Slavery and the University, to ask him about the design and hsitory of the memorial and the people it honors.  In the second segment, we share an interview with Delegate Sally Hudson about some of the new laws they passed in the Virginia General Assembly this year.  Read the President’s Commission on Slavery and the University’s research: https://slavery.virginia.edu Attend the Memorial Dedication: https://majorevents.virginia.edu/mel/schedule