How well do you know the Downtown Mall? Ready your eaglest eyes and dive into our annual scavenger hunt for fabulous prizes and big-time bragging rights. Find out how at c-ville.com/this-week-we...

Who will take home Oscar gold this weekend? Violet Crown Cinema staff has opinions. Read about it at c-ville.com/the-trio-tha...

On stands today: On the hunt: Look up. Look down. Look all around downtown! Enter our scavenger hunt at the #linkinbio.

Belly-up: In the wake of his restaurants’ sudden shutdown, we dig into the fascinating story of entrepreneur Stefan Friedman. Read about it at c-ville.com/the-strange-... 📸: @tristanwilliams

Fresh start: With three years of planning and community input, a new era dawns for Westhaven public housing. Read about it at c-ville.com/city-council...

What do defunct campaigns do with all those lonely donor dollars? We dig into election law to find out. Text STOP to end. Read about it at c-ville.com/what-candida...

Cash clash: The county’s proposed budget is in—and the schools, faced with an unexpected funding shift, are surprised. Read about it at c-ville.com/albemarle-co...

Independent tunesmith Joe Pug shares advice from peers through his long-running podcast. He performs at the Southern Cafe & Music Hall on 2/28. Read more at c-ville.com/joe-pug-hone...

Creeping chill: What will we do if ICE comes to Charlottesville? We asked local government, agencies, and activists how they’re preparing (or not). Read about it at c-ville.com/how-local-go...

David Vaughn Straughn plays August Wilson (pictured) in the one-man show, "How I Learned What I Learned" on February 20 at Live Arts. Read more at c-ville.com/david-vaughn...

Empty plates: After his restaurant empire went belly-up, what does Stefan Friedman have to say to the staff who lost their jobs? Read more online: c-ville.com/local-restau....

In her debut novel, She Made Herself a Monster, Anna Kovatcheva posits that what haunts us, guides our beliefs, and our choices. Read it at c-ville.com/anna-kovatch...

A band, a writer, a story, a song, a cat: Local author Bruce Holsinger and Americana supergroup The Golden Hours exchange inspiration at a podcast recording to benefit C-VILLE. Which author and band would you pair up? Read it at the #linkinbio. 📸: @tristanwilliams

Fill in the ______: With crucial positions vacant, when will UVA fill the _____ spaces on its school and hospital org charts? How would you change how UVA runs things? Read it at the #linkinbio. 📸: Dan Addison

Game of throws: Local disc golfers battle the elements to raise money for food banks in annual winter contest. What’s the worst weather in which you’ve played sports? Read it at the #linkinbio. 📸: Eze Amos

Death doula Darnell Lamont Walker explains why people of all ages need stories to better understand their lives. Read it at the #linkinbio.

Fresh injection: In the race to make antiviral vaccines faster and cheaper, UVA Health researchers enlist … bacteria? What disease would you like to see new vaccines against? Read it at the #linkinbio.

Jazz funk outfit Lettuce gets better with time, and wine, bottling a vino collab for new album Cook. Catch them at the Jefferson Theater on 2/3.

Taller dollars, neighbors holler: With both tax revenue and community friction increasing, West Main Street’s future remains up in the air. What would you change in that part of town? Read it at the #linkinbio. 📷: @tristanwilliams

Surprising lessons: To improve outcomes at city schools, says local nonprofit City of Promise, we should invest directly in students and their communities. How would you close achievement gaps? Read it at the #linkinbio. 📸: Eze Amos

A new luchador-labeled tequila from UVA alum Chad Walldorf and comedian Danny McBride is winning over local mixologists. What’s your favorite tequila-inclusive drink? (No one say “margaritas.”) Read it at the #linkinbio.

No crying over split milk: Pre-storm shopping left shelves bare at Trader Joe’s Friday as a significant snow event looms. 📸: @tristanwilliams.bsky.social

Board room: Five Youngkin-appointed members of UVA’s Board of Visitors, including the rector and vice rector, resign as Gov. Spanberger takes office. How would you change the Board’s composition or rules? Read it at the #linkinbio.

From world class red wine to piled-high Reubens, the new year brings us enticing new indulgences.

Fewer people are hunting in Virginia—but more of them are women, and the venison they’re harvesting is helping to fill food pantries and feed the hungry. Die, my deer

Caramont Farm founder Gail Hobbs-Page brings new cheesemaking ideas home from Italy. Read more: c-ville.com/cheesemaker-....

A nightmare for the Virginia Dream Act: Outgoing AG Jason Miyares, son of an immigrant, agrees with the DOJ that Virginia must deny in-state college tuition to immigrant students. Read more: www.c-ville.com/virginia-att....

Herons 2, developers 0. The Albemarle Planning Commission clips the wings of a second request to fill in floodplain for a Woolen Mills project. Read more: www.c-ville.com/developers-b....

Hampton Roads resident Akeylah Simone brings the AS IS | Black First Tour to The Front Porch on Saturday in a soul-stirring performance that celebrates Black identity, resilience, and artistry. Read more: www.c-ville.com/akeylah-simo....

Missing the Mark: Why the city’s architectural review board gave proposed new student housing a failing grade. Read more: www.c-ville.com/design-panel....

Olivier Award-winner Jack Lowden (“Slow Horses,” Dunkirk) and Emmy- and BAFTA-winner Martin Freeman (The Hobbit, “The Responder”) star in The Fifth Step the subversively funny play by David Ireland, directed by Finn den Hertog. Read more: www.c-ville.com/the-fifth-st....

What does 2026 hold for Charlottesville? We asked local experts for their predictions on politics, business, food, and more. Read more: www.c-ville.com/local-pros-p....

Local music luminary Michael Clem performs new tracks from his latest release, 60¢ A Gallon, Friday at The Front Porch. Read more: www.c-ville.com/michael-clem....

The line must be drawn here! … Or there. Or maybe over there. Local elected officials weigh in on the General Assembly’s plan for mid-decade redistricting. Read more: www.c-ville.com/from-perriel....

The fairest of them all just may be the Grand Kyiv Ballet’s gentler take on Snow White. Read more: www.c-ville.com/the-grand-ky....

Three Notch’d Road celebrates the season with Bethlehem: A Christmas Pilgrimage, which offers two regional performances by The Virginia Baroque Ensemble. Read more: www.c-ville.com/bethlehem-a-....

For the procrastinators (we see you)... Donate to Save the Free Word today for a tax-deductible gift that supports independent local journalism. Same mission tomorrow. Different tax year. Go here to give: us.commitchange.com/va/charlotte....

Forgo the ubiquitous best-of lists, and dig into our selection of authors with local ties. Read more: www.c-ville.com/books-that-l....

Fewer homes, more commercial space, same disagreements. The Albemarle Planning Commission narrowly OKs rezoning for 600 new housing units near US 29/I-64. Read more: www.c-ville.com/planning-com....

Slide into the New Year with Southern Culture on the Skids, the dynamic trio from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, that’s been raising hell with genre-collapsing rock ‘n’ roll for more than three decades. Read more: www.c-ville.com/southern-cul....

The immersive experience with retro-stellar sensibilities, where extraterrestrial costumes are encouraged, features three different DJs spinning high-energy celestial mixes—including Fancy K. Read more: www.c-ville.com/studio-51-at....

YIMBY: Yes In My Budget, Y’all? City Council gets a preview of next year’s requests to fund affordable housing. Read more: www.c-ville.com/charlottesvi....

Short-term rentals, long-term problems? Amid lively community debate, Charlottesville proposes (slightly) stricter rules on homestays. Read more: www.c-ville.com/city-officia....

Stacey Evans trains her camera on the Northeast Regional corridor in “Passenger: Riding the Rails” on view at Second Street Gallery. Read more: www.c-ville.com/stacey-evans....

Equipped with a “baby dragon,” our writer took on glass blowing at Studio 1050º. Read more: www.c-ville.com/tried-it-in-.... 📷: Tristan Williams

Warm your body and soul at the ninth annual Brew & Buddy Run and "Elf" screening, tomorrow afternoon at The Paramount Theater, with stops at Kardinal Hall and Three Notch’d Brewing Company. Read more: c-ville.com/brew-buddy-r....

Please take ticket, fleshbags. AI continues its creeping takeover with new camera- and app-based parking at Charlottesville’s public garages. Read more: www.c-ville.com/city-using-a....

Music Director Michael Slon leads more than 100 of Central Virginia’s finest voices in a festive concert at The Oratorio Society of Virginia's Christmas at The Paramount, an annual celebration of the season taking place tomorrow night. Read more: c-ville.com/christmas-at....

Actor singer-songwriter Shakey Graves (Alejandro Rose-Garcia) shakes off his bandmates to bring a bare bones blues set to the Jefferson on Saturday. Read more: www.c-ville.com/shakey-grave....

A bridge not far enough, actually: Infrastructure upgrades on Amtrak’s DC route mean delays on the rails for Charlottesville train riders. Read more: c-ville.com/amtrak-adjus....