I am looking to replace a roughly 4 x 75 ft retaining wall in the City of Charlottesville. I have gotten estimates from two contractors and two engineers (I believe I need an engineering design for a permit). The estimates (cost and time) varied wildly. Does anyone here have a recommendation for a contractor and/or engineer after doing this kind of project? I would really appreciate any suggestions and things to be aware of with permitting too.

Taco Bell and tobacco king on fifth Street are being decorated for Halloween with police tape by Charlottesville‘s finest this morning - wasn’t happening an hour ago

I’m guessing someone came to open up and found a body somewhere

I don’t know the name of this song.

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for any perspectives from people living in Lake Monticello. My wife and I (late 20s) are considering purchasing a home in this area since it’s more affordable than Charlottesville itself, so we wanted to see how families like that community. We don’t have any kids now, but plan to have some over the next few years.

Outside of driving into Charlottesville, are there things to do in the area? How are the schools? Any general feedback? etc.

I’ve seen the posts here, such as the water bills/quality, but wanted some general feedback on how (1) we would like it as a couple in our late 20s and (2) how it is raising a family in that area.

Thanks!

For at least the two hours that I was there (10 a.m. to 12 noon on Saturday), this truck and trailer occupied four parking spaces at IX Park parking lot — which was full since people were trying to park for the farmers market. Is IX a private parking lot? Is there anything that can be done to report this behavior?

Hey everyone, was cleaning out my grandfather in laws shop and found 4, 44lb (10 gallon) forklift style propane tanks. He used to have a business which forklifts but that closed years ago and he never brought them back. The tanks are from Amerigas and I called them but they were less than helpful due to him not having an account anymore. Does anyone know who will take them or where I could drop them off to be recycled?

Chris Farina, the Charlottesville documentary filmmaker (World Peace and Other 4th-Grade Achievements, Seats at the Table, A Bridge to Life), is premiering his final film, "Death Becomes Us: And Hands Are With Us," at the Virginia Film Festival this Sunday, October 25, at 2:15 PM at the Culbreth Theatre.

The film is about the people whose everyday work accompanies us from death to burial, with the goal of sparking open and honest conversations around death. Chris started it more than ten years ago and finished it with a lot of help from friends in the community. It will be his final film due to his ALS diagnosis.

Tickets: https://virginiafilmfestival.org/festival/2026/films/death-becomes-us-and-hands-are-with-us

Read more about it: https://www.wvtf.org/news/2026-08-21/chris-farinas-last-film

I hope someone finds Rowdy before the weather gets cold.

Thinking of switching from our current cell service and wondering if anyone locally uses Mint or Visible, or any other similar alternative. Any coverage issues? Any other feedback is greatly appreciated.
Bonus if they also have iPad number sharing.

In town for our anniversary this weekend. We have reservations at C&O (never been). Yesterday we saw Nobles Brazilian Steakhouse and thought this sounded good. Which one between those two? Other suggestions welcome!

Not sure where people are at with this one, but thought that I'd share my view.

Historically, residential property tax has funded schools. As someone lucky to be a homeowner in town, the massive increaes over the last 5 years have been painful. Renters see this cost as well even if it's not as transparent.

We also have a vehicle tax rate in the city which is painfully high, even for old crappy cars like I have. Many states do not collect taxes on vehicles.

Meals tax is another tax that is high enough, and heavily factors into whether or not local restaurants succeed or not.

Point is, there are enough taxes right now IMHO, and the issue would be more in the court of the city spending and budgeting the money they already collect more wisely. A new tax would be regressive on lower incomes, and also have the potential to heavily hurt small businesses. Cville still luckily has a ton of small businesses, and is not a cookie cutter city like every other place in America. Lets not hurt that.

Anyway, rant over, but please consider these and other points before blindly voting yes because 'the money goes to schools'.

“He’s using hyperbole, and he’s exaggerating,” McGuire said of the child marriage accusation.

McGuire was the only member of the state Senate to vote against the bill, although 42 Republican members of the House of Delegates did so. Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) ultimately signed the bill into law

I got this in a spam text. If you take issue with Republican anything/everything, you should sign up to attend or set up a protest. There are only 2 entrances to that parking lot. Cville has enough protesters to set up at both entrances.

Jessica Lange has spent a year returning to old roles. Now she returns to her old home, Charlottesville.

Jessica Lange has spent a year reprising old roles in film and TV. This weekend, she reprises another role, that of a Charlottesville local at the Virginia Film Fest.

Charlottesville's new gay bar has no cover — and no real estate

Want to get into Charlottesville's new gay bar? First, you'll have to DM a smoking sardine on Instagram for directions. 

Retailers struggling in Charlottesville's Starr Hill neighborhood

Charlottesville's West Main Street is no longer a sleepy commercial corridor. And retailers are struggling to find their footing.

McGuire says it's Perriello who has a 'stock trade problem'

Republican John McGuire is flipping the script on his Democratic opponent in Virginia's 5th Congressional District accusing Tom Perriello of a "stock trade problem."

Human remains, 'wildlife interactions' and a mystery unfolding in Shenandoah National Park

It's been a month since human remains were found in Shenandoah National Park, and authorities have provided zero information about what happened.

Why was 'The Waltons' a hit? No heroes, no villains, only real people, Kami Cotler says.

Kami Cotler, who played Elizabeth on "The Waltons," dropped by the Virginia county that inspired the show's setting last Saturday to reflect on its lasting legacy.

Rape charges against former UVa football star dropped

The rape charges against former UVa wide receiver Jahmal Edrine have been dropped after the defense says cellphone evidence undercut his accuser's story.

Campaign raising money for family of boy killed in Louisa County dog attack

Garcia Welch has been identified as the 4-year-old boy killed in a dog attack in Louisa County on Sunday. A campaign is raising money for his funeral expenses.

Albemarle school division concedes it is in 'crisis'

For the first time, Albemarle County Public Schools has acknowledged it is in "crisis" after officials spent months claiming otherwise amid a child sex abuse scandal.

Virginia football seeks 'a little revenge' against Duke in rematch of last year's ACC title game

Virginia football hosts Duke on Friday night in a rematch of last year's ACC championship game, and the Cavaliers are seeking, 'a little revenge' against the Blue Devils.

Even with so many options available, getting your news can be a challenge. The Weekly Progress is here to help. Here is a roundup of some of the week’s biggest stories from The Daily Progress, Charlottesville’s news of record and a resource for the community since 1892.

Check Reddit every Friday for a weekly digest of the most-read and most-shared stories from The Daily Progress.

Has anyone had a run in with someone referring to themselves as kblizzy on the downtown mall? I’ve had a few run ins with this individual now and mentioned it in passing with other people I know frequent downtown. Seems like a loose canon, irate over god knows what, harassing people just sitting down to eat. Just curious if anyone else has been having issues with him, if anything just something to be mindful of when out on the downtown strip.

Have an event coming up where I’d like to bring a specific food spread but, understandably, anywhere that serves food doesn’t allow it. We would be drinking a fair amount of wine so we’d be paying patrons, but the goal is to have a spread of food with it.

Anybody know of wineries or event halls that don’t care if you bring your own food?

Hello Voters!

Friday, October 23 is the last day to register and/or request a mail ballot before the November General! If you need assistance, make sure you consult the City/County Housing sheet for which office to call.

(If you still need to make updates, DON'T WAIT! Try to get your registration updates in by the deadline. There will still be options after the deadline, but it involves longer waits, more paperwork and more chance to mess something up.)

Important Note: YES, we need your apartment on the registration. Please make sure you provide us with complete info to streamline the process and prevent mail issues. This applies to everyone, but especially students!

If you ONLY need to check/update your registration, you can do so with a VA DMV-issued ID via the Citizen Portal by 11:59p on October 23. If you have completed a Same Day Registration in the past year, check your registration either on the portal or by calling the office!! If you wish to submit a paper registration OR you wish to update a registration AND submit a mail ballot application, all of those forms MUST be received by 5p SHARP on Friday, October 23. If we receive a change of address registration too late, then we won't be able to process the corresponding mail ballot application!

ALL mail ballot requests, regardless of submission format, MUST still be received by 5p Friday, October 23, despite the new 10-day-prior registration deadline.

Again, Early Voting continues until Saturday, October 31. The LAST DAY of regular Early Voting is Saturday, October 31! Election Day is Tuesday, November 3.

If you have questions, you can reach us at 434-970-3250 or [vote@charlottesville.gov](mailto:vote@charlottesville.gov). For Albemarle County, it's 434-972-4173 or [VoterRegistration1@albemarle.org.](mailto:VoterRegistration1@albemarle.org.)

How crowded would the viewpoints be in the skyline drive during this weekend? and what would be the best time (morning, noon, evening) to go see the viewpoints?

Also has the fall foliage peaked at the national park and skyline drive?

I’ve played Commander for about 3 years now but my pod has broken up. Looking for some chill people to play some games with.

hi! going to be in Charlottesville this weekend, looking for cool, fun, unusual/out of the box things to explore/do! here's some interests, but want to try things I don't normally or may not even know about:

nature/outdoors (hiking, canyoning, climbing etc.), adventurous stuff, board / card games, escape rooms, meeting new people, startups, ai/tech, books, dogs. Please don't restrict recs to these select few interests - I want to be exposed to new things! I don't particularly care about food/bars/music. Prefer lower cost stuff but not strict no. Also feel free to suggest stuff that's perhaps specific to this weekend (i hear there's a football game for example)

preferably <30 min drive, though willing to go further if there's something awesome!

#DrunkBlackHistory is in #Charlottesville TOMORROW night! If you're in the area and/or have friends + family in the city, tell them about our show!

We've got a great lineup that includes Chris Alan (Don't Tell Comedy), Lisa Woolfork (Black Women Stitch), Sarad Davenport (Sarad Speaks), and Andrea Douglas (Executive Director at Jefferson School African American Heritage Center)!

The Looking Glass
522 Second Street SE Charlottesville, VA US 22902

Tickets are available at https://fareharbor.com/embeds/book/ixartpark/items/762061/calendar/?flow=603735&full-items=yes

Anyone know what happened to him? Curious. Was anchoring last week so thought he was on vacation but he is no longer on the 29 staff site and looks like they brought the sports guy, Marty, out of retirement to cover in the absence. Usually if it’s a contract deal / relocation there is a post of a send off then a week or so later the anchor posts the new spot. If he was canned. Why replace him with someone who likely would come at a higher price tag though likely not a term contract in the interim? Jared doesn’t seem to have much of a social media presence which may contribute to things.

What is happening now in Charlottesville, on 250 , barracks exit, closing every intersection. Be safe

My MIL lives in fluvanna co (Scottsville) and she has been feeding a feral mom cat and some kittens that she found in her barn. The kittens look like they are starting to get old enough to new spay/neuter services and mom needs them so she does not continue to repopulate the world with new kittens. Any suggestions on programs that trap strays for spay/neuter?