Before I can write the new set of stories, I must first process all of the ones written in the past week or so. That means producing the audio for the WTJU radio version of Charlottesville Community Engagement which airs every Saturday at 6 a.m. as well as posting as many as possible to the Information Charlottesville website. These are habits that have emerged from the last four years of being an independent journalist seeking to build audience as I can. I’m Sean Tubbs and I am the host of Charlottesville Community Engagement and these are the audio versions of six pieces of information that have previously gone out in the written newsletter.
And no, Jerry, you don’t have to pay attention to this one. There’s no material except for whatever commentary and other sonic mayhem may appear in the audio version.
But if you want to check out the stories:
Charlottesville budget staff brief Council on development of FY26 budget (learn more)
Albemarle County’s Places29-North group gets updates on the High School Center II and new elementary school (learn more)
Albemarle staff continues work on Comprehensive Plan update (learn more)
UVA fundraising continues to set new records and the School of Data Science gets a $10 million gift for scholarships (learn more)
A new director hired in Charlottesville to oversee planning and zoning while a legal challenge to the new zoning code remains pending (learn more)
UVA Office of Sustainability briefs Board of Visitors’ panel (learn more)
First shout-out: Celebrating the community’s other information organizations!
In today’s first shout-out in the form of a house ad, I want to make sure everyone knows that every edition of the regular newsletter (not the podcast ones) ends with a section called Reading Material. Charlottesville Community Engagement is just one offering in a landscape that includes the Charlottesville Daily Progress, C-Ville Weekly, Charlottesville Tomorrow, and Cville Right Now, I curate links from these sources because I believe a truly informed community needs multiple perspectives.
There’s also the Cavalier Daily, Vinegar Hill Magazine, the Fluvanna Review, the Crozet Gazette, NBC29, CBS19, and other sources. But if you look every day, you’ll find links to articles in national publications, all linked to give you more perspectives on some of the issues of our times.
Today’s second shout-out: Town Crier Productions
In today’s second shout-out, once again I’m taking the owner’s prerogative to state a little about the business that operates Charlottesville Community Engagement as well as Information Charlottesville. I am cutting and pasting this because I’m really ready to be done with the work week. But, also maybe you’re new and you’re seeing this for the first time.
Town Crier Productions was created in 2020 after I felt a calling to return to local journalism. I’ve been able to cobble together a living for over 1,500 days in this manner, and I’m still learning how to create this entity.
I am in the process of re-evaluating some of the previous ways things have worked and I’m starting with these shout-outs. The system you see is one that is wholly improvised and one that can be improved over time. In the weeks to come I will be asking readers and businesses questions about shout-outs, sponsorships, advertising, underwriting, and other ways to put information out in front of an audience that receives about 3,000 views per newsletter.
Town Crier Productions is not a non-profit and so far lacks a dedicated operations team. But, there is at least one dedicated reporter determined to build an organization that will support the community’s information needs for time to come. Questions? Send them my way, and stay tuned as we all find out how some of these stories turn out!
Podcast for September 20, 2024: Charlottesville budget prep, new Albemarle schools, an AC44 update, UVA fundraising, and a new NDS director in the city