All articles tagged with #charlottesville
Noah Kahan kicked off the North American leg of The Great Divide Tour at Citizens Bank Park and urged fans to use the bathroom instead of defecating in seats, joking about past mishaps after a viral Reddit post described a seat-pooping incident.
Bluegrass star Billy Strings broke his left leg backstage while skateboarding after a Charlottesville show, prompting him to postpone several tour dates; he underwent surgery at UVA and shared updates on Instagram, ultimately rescheduling Charleston, WV and Fishers, IN shows to August, with July 2 ACL taping and Willie Nelson’s Fourth of July Picnic still on the schedule.
Judd Blevins, an Enid, Oklahoma City Council member facing a recall election, defended his past involvement with white nationalist groups, including marching in the Charlottesville Unite the Right rally in 2017. He declined to provide details of his prior activism and denied being a white nationalist or supremacist. His challenger, Cheryl Patterson, expressed concerns about his ties to hate groups and their potential impact on the city's reputation and growth. Blevins' past has sparked a campaign to unseat him, with national white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups voicing support for him. The recall election is set to take place next week.
The statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee in Charlottesville, Virginia, was secretly melted down in a symbolic ceremony to create a new piece of inclusive public art. The project, called "Swords Into Plowshares," led by a professor and the executive director of Charlottesville's Black history museum, aims to transform the controversial statue into a sculpture that the community can be proud of. Due to past threats and legal concerns, the project was kept secret until now. The destruction of the statue was compared to putting down a rabid dog, and the act of melting it down was seen as a way to remove the trauma associated with Confederate symbols.
The bronze statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, which sparked the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, has been secretly melted down by the city's black history museum. The statue was removed in July 2021 and was cut into fragments before being dissolved in a furnace at a secret location. The black history museum plans to use the bronze ingots to create a piece of public artwork. The removal of Confederate statues has been a contentious issue, with opponents arguing that they represent white supremacy, while supporters claim it erases history. The Unite the Right rally in 2017 resulted in violence and the death of Heather Heyer.
The statue of Confederate general Robert E. Lee, which was at the center of the deadly "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville in 2017, has been melted down into fragments and turned into a new piece of public artwork. The statue's defenders had sought to block the city from repurposing the metal, suggesting it should remain intact or be turned into Civil War cannons. However, the Charlottesville Black history museum went ahead with its plan to melt down the statue in secret at a foundry in the American South. The melted bronze will be transformed into a new sculpture to be displayed in Charlottesville.
"For the Taking," the first feature film by Charlottesville native Danny Wagner, will have its world premiere at the Virginia Film Festival. The film combines the genres of a heist caper and pandemic money struggles, with a soundtrack featuring local rap music. Wagner, who assembled a team of friends and local talent, aimed to create a fun caper with high stakes while allowing the cast to ad lib for realism. The film's score, composed by Shaun Couture, incorporates 1990s hip-hop, 1960s jams, drum bands, and trap beats. "For the Taking" explores financial pressures and dramatic choices faced during the pandemic.
James Robert Allen, the man accused of abducting and strangling a UVA student, appeared in Charlottesville General District Court via video. He is being held without bond on charges of abduction by force and strangulation. The victim was able to escape after being forced into a vehicle that crashed, and was found by a UVA professor who called the police. Allen fled the scene but was apprehended the next day. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for December 14.
A suspect, identified as James Allen, has been arrested in connection with the attempted abduction and strangulation of a University of Virginia student. The incident occurred after a car crash near the campus, and the suspect fled the scene. Following an extensive search involving local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, Allen was apprehended in Louisa County, about 40 miles away from the university. The student is in stable condition, and authorities believe she did not know the suspect prior to the incident.
Charlottesville Police Chief Michael Kochis held a press conference to address allegations that city police were targeting Black and unhoused individuals with violence in Market Street Park. Kochis stated that the allegations were unfounded and showed body camera footage of the encounters. He acknowledged the complexity of responding to calls involving the unhoused and ordered a review of training protocols. City Manager Sam Sanders plans to address the unhoused community at the next City Council meeting.
Several historical homes in the Charlottesville area are available for purchase, including a stately Greek Revival-style manor home on 753 acres of picturesque countryside, a restored Miller's House on the banks of Totier Creek, a diamond in the rough with income potential in Southern Albemarle County, and Arrowhead Farm with seclusion and multiple historic estates nearby. These properties offer a range of features such as equestrian facilities, open fields, wooded land, and modern-day amenities.
Tyler Bradley Dykes, who carried a tiki torch during the "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville in 2017, has been arrested and charged in connection with the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Referred to as #graygoose online, Dykes allegedly entered the Capitol while other rioters were assaulting officers and stole a riot shield. He faces multiple misdemeanors and felonies, including obstructing officers, and has been ordered temporarily detained pending a detention hearing.
Charlottesville police believe that the fatal shooting of 72-year-old William Barksdale III on South Street was self-inflicted and are not searching for any suspects. Officers responded to the scene on Sunday afternoon and found Barksdale deceased.
Charlottesville police are investigating a suspicious death after a man was found dead with an apparent gunshot wound to the upper part of his body in the South Street area. The investigation is ongoing.
A grand jury in Virginia has indicted multiple people on felony charges for carrying flaming torches with the intent to intimidate during a gathering of white nationalists in Charlottesville in 2017. The indictments come almost six years after the largest gathering of white nationalists in a decade, which resulted in violent clashes with counter-protesters. The three individuals indicted are charged with a single count of burning an object with the intent of intimidating a person or group of people. The charge carries a maximum penalty of up to five years in prison. The indictments were issued as part of an active and ongoing criminal investigation.