What I love most about these weeks at the end of the year is the chance we have to ground ourselves in our communities and families. Things seem more possible, problems more manageable, when we have time together.
Working at Charlottesville Tomorrow with our amazing team has given me the privilege of learning about many people in our community. Some people have their “out of office” messages on, some are seeking shelter and some are separated from their families. Some I see here around the newsroom everyday, continuing to work, building, cooking, cleaning and keeping these downtown blocks going. The role of our newsroom is to help bridge communities, help us know each other better and have the understanding we need to participate in our civic and cultural lives together.
So today, with gratitude to Charlottesville Tomorrow’s staff and board, and especially to our central Virginia community that opens up to our newsroom, I’d like to share a few reports from 2025 that I hope you’ll spend some time with if you missed them the first time around. These are stories that will help you know your neighbors better and illuminate how people are coming together. The challenges are sometimes hard, even heartbreaking, but by knowing each other, we take a step toward lifting each other up…