The I Love CVille Show With Jerry Miller! - 5/12 Correction: Salvation Army High Barrier Shelter; Arson Alleged In Rivanna River Encampment Fire

Episode Date: May 13, 2026

The I Love CVille Show headlines: 5/12 Correction: Salvation Army High Barrier Shelter Arson Alleged For Rivanna River Encampment Fire Homeless Claims Arson For 5/9 Free Bridge 911 Call Rivanna River Shanty Town, Arson & Heroin Needles “Equity Grading” Crippling Area Public School Families Is ACPS Superintendent Haas Pushing Equity Grading? CVille Area Median Family Household Income $139,800 Subscribe To iLoveCVille.com For Only $8 Per Month Read Viewer & Listener Comments Live On-Air The I Love CVille Show airs live Monday – Friday from 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm on The I Love CVille Network. Watch and listen to The I Love CVille Show on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, iTunes, Apple Podcast, YouTube, Spotify, Fountain, Amazon Music, Audible, Rumble and iLoveCVille.com.

Welcome to the I Love Seville Show, guys. Good Wednesday afternoon to you, and thank you kindly for joining us on the water cooler of content and conversation in Charlottesville across Central Virginia, the Commonwealth, the country, and the world. This is a show that's long-form content where we can take deep dives on topic matter that's important to our community. We encourage you, the viewer, and listener to shape the show. We encourage you, the viewer and listener, to send us ideas, content, crowdsource content for the show. We vet the ideas and the content before we air it. At least we try to. And we just want this to be a dynamic program where the community can gather almost in town hall capacity

to talk about stuff that matters to them. We're just trying to figure out what's going on. Today's program embodies that. We're going to talk academics and education and students and families as it pertains to our public schools with the focus on Albor County Public Schools, a school system that is without question under crossfire of late. Certainly a school system that's under crossfire coming out of COVID in the pandemic. Matthew Haas is the superintendent.

He is an embattled superintendent. undoubtedly. And a number of issues have festered within Alamara County public schools from the pandemic and then coming out of COVID. And they just cannot get out of their own way, the school system. It's a school system that per pupil spending is one of the top across the Commonwealth. So much money is spent on average per pupil within Almore County Public Schools. And right now, the term equity grading or grading for equity is being pushed, ramrodded, and fast-tracked by Matthew Haas and his lieutenants. I want to unpack this story on the show. I will commend the Croze Gazette for fantastic reporting. And then I'm

going to reference a number of viewers and listeners that are teachers within Amarral County public schools that have reached out to us in direct message, text message, or email capacities. We also have a sensational timeline which Judah has in front of them that we can relay to you that showcases Matthew Haas in his air quotes cabinet pushing equity grading. through and hoping it to slide it under the radar of Almore County parents, Amar County teachers, Amar County voters, Amar County taxpayers. I want to talk about that today. We'll discuss the pros and cons of equity grading.

I'll go in with the mindset. I'll go in with the mindset with equity grading that is it, is it okay? Is it right for students? Is it a way to navigate the resourced and non-resourced families and try to create a more equitable academic playing field? You know, just the word grading, the word grading, the word grade is antithesis or opposite of the word equity. to grade is to offer a performance review.

That performance review is based on how you produce. Equitable grading is an oxymoron by nature. I want to talk about that on the show today. I want to talk about an alleged arson. This is a very concerning storyline. Reporting in the Seville Weekly, excuse me. There's reporting in the Seville Weekly. from Nathan Alderman, that Saturday's fire under Freebridge at the Rivana River,

a homeless encampment, was allegedly due to arson. This is wild. An individual in this CIVO Weekly story who's got a checkered criminal past, Josh Ballou, aka the Joker, he spoke to a Sevo weekly weekly. reporter about his home air quotes under Freebridge. I mean, it's absolute ash and rubble right now. A 911 phone call on Saturday night at 1044 p.m. With a number of Charlottesville City fire trucks arriving on the scene about seven minutes later,

the incident took two hours to clear. This is under one of the most important, bridges in the region, a bridge that sees 25,000 vehicles, according to VDOT, pass through it on average every day. We have yet to receive any communications whatsoever from Charlottesville City Hall, from City Council, and from Sam Sanders and his department. Not an ounce of communication I have seen from City Hall on this Rivana River alleged arson. I'm going to to relay the reporting to you offer our analysis and commentary

on the show today if we, if this alleged arson is a reality and the Charlottesville Police Department and Fire Department are currently investigating this as an alleged arson, then boy oh boy, do we have a more significant problem on our hands

than used heroin needles all over the Rivana Trail, used heroin needles all over the banks of the Rivana River, the homeless commodeering in urban walking and hiking and running amenity, the trail, and the proliferation of human urine, feces, and other DNA within the Rivana River. Arson is much more significant problem than human DNA and feces and urine heroin needles along the Rivana Trail.

We're going to talk about that on the program today. I also want to unpack the Charlottesville Area Median Family and Household Income storyline some more. We were the first to report. The only one so far, I'm just absolutely dismayed, almost in disbelief that print, radio and television has yet to report the story about Charlottesville Area median family household income, The metric now released.

It's a startling metric. The median family household income, ladies and gentlemen, 139,800. The 139,800 is part of the story. I think the story that should be highlighted even more is the jump in the median family household income year over year. The 2025 number for median family household income in Charlottesville, was 125,800, the 2026 number, 139,800. I mean, that is a spike of $14,000, ladies and gentlemen. That right there is a story that I did not unpack and digest and analyze enough.

The year-over-year uptick of 14K, we're talking 10% plus right there. Ladies and gentlemen, I highlighted on yesterday's show the true spike, the true sticker shock, is going to happen in year 2028 when biotechnology comes online. A lot we're going to cover on the program. I want to highlight Charlottesville Sanitary Supply, Charlottesville Swimming Pool Company. I was walking down the downtown mall with some clients. Earlier this morning,

I had the fortune of securing a new lease for some commercial real estate with clients. And as I was walking down the downtown mall with my clients, a husband and wife who brought their daughter, who I believe is in fifth grade. I was greeted, you know, in opposite direction coming down to the downtown mall by John Vermillion. Enjoy seeing John Vermillion. We gave each other a handshake.

We offered some pleasantries to each other, and we both continued on our way in opposite direction of the downtown mall. It was this interaction where I saw John Vermillion, who's a client of my firm, our firm, who's become a friend over the two years of working alongside his family's business, Charlottesville Sanitary Supply and Charlestville's swimming pool company, I was reminded how special this community is. There was a time and place, and still there is,

where you would go anywhere in Charlottesville, the grocery store, the downtown mall, Fridays after five, the Farmers Market, the Monticello Trail, used to be the Rivana Trail. You won't see me step foot on the Rivana Trail now, at least not near the Free Bridge encampment. But there used to be a time where you would see people constantly, and it was the pleasantries and the greetings and the hallows and the passerby conversation that just made this community special. I was reminded of it again by interacting with John Vermilion with our clients. So it's been a good morning, a new lease for my clients, a new lease for a fantastic family. And here I get to spend the next hour with you, the viewer and listener. Thanks in part to Charlottesville Swimming Pool Company, which is who you contact for anything swimming pool related,

including above ground pool and in-ground pool construction, water testing, swimming pool covers, swimming pool robots, swimming pool shade, anything pool related. You call these guys and they're going to figure out for you. They're the concierge of the consultant for anything swimming pool. Studio camera, Judah Wickhauer, and then we'll two-shot you as we weave you into the conversation. I'm unfortunately, but it has to be done. My background is print, radio, and television. I can't believe I'm saying this now.

I am now old school when it comes to media. It's weird to say that as someone that still sees himself as this like, fresh out of college guy. I'm just not anymore. I have a wife. I have an eight-year-old. I have a three-year-old. My business turns 18.

years old on the 28th of May and I've been now working in a professional capacity you know since the year 2002 so we're talking 24 years of you know white collar

work if you may and as an old school content creator first trained and groomed as a print journalist then a syndicated radio personality and then a television

personality. It's been ingrained in me when a mistake happens. You own up to the mistake. You let the community know that you made a mistake. You run, you publish, you post a correction. And that's

what I'm doing here. It pains me to do this because I am anal, I am OCD, I am perfectionist, and I want output and production of the finest quality within the confines of this business,

whether it's 44 hours of output a week or 90 hours of output a week, depending on the week. We made a grave air on yesterday's program when talking about the Salvation Army shelter on Ridge Street. There was a reference in CBS 19's reporting yesterday probably was published the evening of Monday, May 11th,

that the homeless shelter on Ridge Street was going to be a low-barrier shelter. The reference to a low-barrier shelter on the CBS-19 website was in a cut line, C-U-T line, cut-line. That's a newspaper term. A cut-line is the copy that runs below a photo. A cut-line was very important when newspapers were printed.

You had a photo above the fold that captured your attention in a newsstand and compelled you to pump 50 cents or 75 cents into a newspaper stand. God, those don't exist anymore. You got that 50, 75 cents. You opened the newsstand and there you got your newspaper because you were compelled by a headline first, a photo second, and the cut line below the photo explained what the story was going to be about or what you were seeing in the picture. It's called a cut line. And in this CBS 19 cut line, there was reference that the Salvation Army shelter on Ridge Street was going to be a low-barrier shelter. In the first paragraph, or the nut graph, or the lead of the story, L-E-D-E is lead, not L-E-A-D-A-D, the L-E-D-E of the story lead, is to who, what, when, where, why.

In the lead of this story, it said high-barrier shelter. and the cut line under the photo above the headline and ahead of the lead of the story, it said low barrier shelter. And my team, this organization, my outfit, our team ran with low barrier instead of high barrier. And that's 100% my mistake, and I will fall in the sword for that.

My mistake, I'll fall in the sword for that. I have since been contacted by members of the Salvation Army Board of Drogate. and probably a dozen heavy hitters locally around this community. I've showed you some of that correspondence, Judah. I'm going to welcome the Salvation Army onto this program as a Mayacolpa. And what I'm doing on this program here for you, the viewer and listener, is admitting I made a mistake here.

The show made a mistake. The show was wrong. We're openly communicating to you, the viewer, and listener, that we screwed up. and we will put protocols in place moving forward to prevent other screw-ups of this nature from happening. And when you're the quarterback of the team and you're the manager of the team, and it's your outfit and organization, this is the responsibility that goes along with being in the position. Maybe it's heavy as the head that wears the crown.

But if you're going to reap the benefits of the outfit and the team, you're going to struggle with the spoils. Spoils? Not a perfect analogy. Struggle with the failures. And this is the kind of shit that keeps me up at night and drives me absolutely badass effing crazy. Like boils my blood and infuriates me.

And my wife would call it your biggest strength and your biggest weakness where you try to run through life in this tenacious 100 mile an hour approach to living that lacks empathy and EQ at times, but it's, again, a strength and a weakness. So I start the program with the correction. The lower third should be on screen, acknowledging our mistake.

I'm sorry. As am I. All right. Next headline, Judah Wickauer. Where do we go from here? The first headline. Next, we have the arson at Rivana River encampment. Reporting in the Seville Weekly that everyone in the community should read,

and clarity on the correction, it's a high barrier shelter and not a low barrier shelter the Salvation Army is doing on Ridge Street. And the high barrier shelter has standards where attendees of the shelter have to be sober, they have to be clean, drug and alcohol tested, and cannot be registered sex offenders or cannot be, you know, running amok. We characterize it as a low barrier shelter because of that CBS-19 cut line. No excuse paid. It's a high barrier shelter in the middle of a capital campaign, ladies and gentlemen.

And that capital campaign of late has been quite successful. $28 million capital campaign, 17 million raised toward the goal. So I'm sorry, Salvation Army. My sincerest apologies. The next headline is the reporting from the CIVO Weekly. One of the men from the homeless encampment who's got a documented checkered history with the law. His name is Joshua Ballou. He goes by the nickname The Joker.

He in a firsthand account of the Saturday Free Bridge fire that caused quite a few, Charlottesville fire department, fire and rescue personnel to arrive on the scene Saturday night at about 1044 p.m. 10.51 p.m. excuse me. It took them two hours to clear the scene. Literally a fire under Free Bridge where 25,000 vehicles on average per day utilize Free Bridge to get in and out of Charlottesville City. He claims his tent, someone burned it. He says that there were no active. heat sources inside the tent when he left it. He said that he had an eye on the tent and that it's very possible that the blaze on his tent and his home was started deliberately. His exact words. He also mentioned that he didn't see anyone near it. This is tough to say whether he's just

trying to, I don't know, I don't mean to make this pun, but take, heat off himself. The Charlottesville authorities are currently investigating it, Chief Conscious Police Department. We have not a single mention, not a single communication mention from City Hall. Nothing from Sam Sanders or Afton Schneider or City Council about this. Not even a press release acknowledging the fire,

acknowledging taxpayer resources were utilized and employed, that fire department personnel were on the scene Friday night for two hours, putting out a blaze at the Rivana River homeless encampment. The longer this goes, Sam Sanders and City Hall, without correspondence or communication from your office, the more it appears that you're hoping that this story flies under the radar, so more attention is not attracted to a homeless encampment that, basically you guys created. Yeah. Which is what makes the Michael Payne statement. So, foreshadowing?

Odd? I mean, it's not like... Michael Payne, two Mondays are going to be sunny. That's like saying it's going to be sunny sometime in the next year. Michael Payne on May 4th in a Charlottesville City Council meeting, May 4th, May 5th in a Charlottesville City Council meeting said someone's going to die

at this homeless encampment and that it was extremely dangerous. The fire chief in communication with counsel, we played those clips. Do we still have the clip? I've got them. The fire chief clip? Yeah. I mean, go ahead and play it. This was, let me figure out which one.

Seven or eight days ago, this is Joe Phillips, the fire chief, telling counsel. And then you have one where Michael Payne is saying people are going to die. and then the very next weekend a few days thereafter an alleged arson happened at the Rivana River and the homeless encampment. So now we're going from used heroin needles and intervedious drug use and DNA and excrement and feces and urine in the Rivana River

and in urban amenity, the Rivana River, the Rivana Trail and the Rivana River being cannibalized and damaged by this encampment, this homeless shelter, this shanty town to alleged arson is what's happening now. Yeah. I've got the, I've got the clips ready whenever you want. Which one do you think is most important that we lead with? Probably, probably the one with the police chief and the fire chief and the fire chief talking about what's going on down there. Okay. So what do we got? That's Joe Phillips. What is this? The Charlottesville City Council meeting from May 4th. Here's the fire chief telling counsel that this is an extremely dangerous site. Three, two, one. I know this is like kind of a difficult question to answer,

but I've been out there myself just kind of on my own. And if anybody has not been there in recent weeks, I strongly encourage you to. There's a lot of propane tank distribution, and that's understandable for both heating and food cooking as a necessity. But, I mean, I observe a lot of unsafe use around open flames. We're in currently a drought. It's not just a thing to say. I mean, there's a house and outmodal that burnt down from a propane tank last year. And that's combined with a lot of the things.

Given the location that we're in a drought, I mean, what is the level of fire risk you're observing? fire risk is very high we go down there and try and educate the residents explain to them that having a propane heater inside the tent that they have now insulated with blankets or tarps

to limit the amount of air change that's happening in that tent that it's a carbon dioxide problem but there's no code against it in a tent it's not a building I don't have fire code against having a heater in a tent tent. It is creating an unsafe situation.

And so we've talked to them about that. We've worked with some of them to educate them in having it be, you know, open the tent up more to allow more air exchange and talk to them. Like you're saying, I've been down there at least twice a week since before the encampment myself. I walk the area, even off duty. And just for exercise, and I try and walk that area and say hi to now people that I know they recognize me, whether I'm in uniform or not, and try and educate them and try and work with them. I will say, you know, the campfires, we've eliminated, we've just gone and said, hey, you can't do this during this drought. You can't have a campfire. some of the propane tanks that they're using for cooking

it's no different than anyone else I cook with my gas grill on my deck and so we've tried to educate them don't have it right in the grass have it in a way as safe as possible and utilize things that they're meant to be propane cooking on there's a couple down there that have taken

what I would call backyard propane fire pits and converted it into a cooking appliance and that's not what it's intended for and so we've tried to help them understand the risks of that we still see a lot of

they're not using wood to cook with they're burning plastic and it's just putting carcinogens in their food and trying to to help and understand that burning trash and cooking on it is an increased risk. And look, there's the fire chief saying that the Ribana River encampment is an extreme danger to the community. And a few days after, the fire chief told us to city council and alleged arson took place during conditions that are the definition of a drought because of a lack of rain.

You have people that we empathize for. I empathize for people down on their luck. I am all for a hand up, not a handout, but a hand up and empathy do not forgive heroin needles in rivers, on walking trails and on riverbanks. Empathy and a hand up do not forgive or encourage human feces, urine, excrement, and DNA, and rivers. And human empathy and forgiveness and compassion do not yield or translate to alleged arsons.

It's to the point where the clowns are leading and running and running. the everyday Joe's and the everyday Jennifer's. And I'm going to pick up my pace and tempo on this. It was until recently that Michael Payne, who is approaching middle-aged, was living at home with his parents. It was until recently that Make Magic Money Fleischer had zero political experience whatsoever, not even on planning commissions or other civically engaged boards. It was until recently that Natalie Oshran was working at Pippin Hill Vineyards in Almaro County while trying to pimp Charlottesville Road diets and Charlestville Housing Affordability

and what was best for Charlestville City from an environmental standpoint, despite her commute from the city to North Garden in a vehicle. She is now taking a job. It's been brought to my attention, which she started in March of this year as a project coordinator at Harvest Moon Catering and is no longer employed by Easton Porter Group as the wedding sales manager at Pippin Hill Vineyard.

And a quick double check of her LinkedIn, which I did prior to this show, confirms the information that was passed along to me from an insider within City Hall. This insider within City Hall highlighted to me I'm protecting this person's anonymity because this person passes me valuable information from literally inside City Hall on an often and frequent basis. This individual passed along that Natalie Oshran is no longer at Pippin Hill, that she's at Harvest Moon. I confirmed his information on LinkedIn. in this individual passed along to me the rumourings and whisperings that Natalie Oshran

is considering quitting her term on counsel before the term expires. And this individual was willing to make a proposition bet with me. First asked for some odds that Natalie Oshran would not finish her term. I gave this person four to one odds, asked them to name the dollar amount that he wanted to bet. He said, okay, you're 25 against my 100. My 100 says that Natalie Osharing quits before her term expires, which would be 2027. Wow. Close of business 2027. My 25, excuse me, my 100 against his 25. I say she works, she finishes her term. I on council.

So, passing on to you the rumblings and grumblings that are happening in City Hall, we're told that her partner in life has moved out of the community and that she's receiving incredible amounts of hatred from Charlottesville City because of her vote where she led the charge on the mark.

Oceanomics? Orchernomics, I'm just amazed by the hatred that I see coming out of a group of people that claim to be against hate. Oshronomics pushed the mark, the student housing luxury UVA tower built by a private developer landmark properties in the heartbeat of Fifeville, which will, without question, eviscerate a black community, gentrify it even more rapid. than it's experiencing already. She was the leader of that vote, Oshronomics, and now she's being attacked by every Tom, Dick, and Harry in this community, except for livable Seaville,

who wanted this tower, but Livable Seaville realizes Matthew Gilligan and Stephen Johnson, the co-chairs, that if it offers public support of Oshran's vote, along with Juan Diego Wade and Lloyd Snook's vote, that it will be casted as the I Love Seville show is trying to do as the wolf in sheep's clothing. Livable Seville is the puppeteer behind the mark in Fifeville.

Matthew Gilligan and Stephen Johnson are the wolves that are in the henhouse that are gobbling up the homes, the houses in the communities of our black and brown community, period, bar none. and they're doing it through new zoning ordinances and through behind the scenes influence utilize on Natalie Oshrin, Juan Diego Wade, and Lloyd Snook in a three-two contentious vote that will, with the benefit of hindsight,

eviscerate, destroy absolutely ramrod, historically black Fifeville forever. But livable Seaville cannot issue a newsletter or a social media post or a dreaded dregs of society blue sky post, because they know if they do that, the community will see them as nothing more than in the hip pocket of white, rich, and wealthy developers. Facts on, facts on facts. So Natalie Oström, the poster girl of this hatred and will forever have her digital legacy as the

o'sronomics of black neighborhood, Fifeville's evisceration. And our insider, one of our many, willing to put up $25 of hard-earned money against my 100. I said, name your price. I thought it was the reverse. $100. I have $100 that I can lose. This person has $25 they can lose with four to one odds that Oshran will not finish their term. And for me, losing $100 on this bet and this particular individual has insider connections. And this particular circumstance may be even more significant than mine.

Why I win so many prop bets is because I'm thinking quickly. I set the parameters up efficiently that leaned my way. inside knowledge on a lot of stuff that I'm betting. In this particular circumstance, my adversary in this bet, and I use that word loosely, has as much, if not more knowledge than I do. But I'm willing to lose $100 for the content and the rush for this show and for me to watch closely to see what happens through 2026 and into 2027 and to Christmas of 2027. Comments put them in the feed, we'll relay them live on air. And I want to dot the eyes and cross the and offer Judah Wickhara an opportunity to speak on anything he wants.

Arson, anything he wants that we've covered on this program so far. Oh, man. Let's see. In regards to the arson, I mean, just reading the article, it sounds like this guy is, I'm not attacking the guy. It sounds like he has no clue what happened at his tent, and he was just giving every possibility to the, the fire the fireman

all right i'll push back on that respectfully the article clearly says that the burn happened at his home and it encompassed his tent all his possessions or almost all his possessions including a sofa that was also there yeah that the only thing left is like the springs to the sofa right and some framing

some metal framing that held his tent up so what are you saying the article clearly says that the areas around his tent were safe and unburnt. And the article clearly says that the possessions and the homes around his air quotes home were safe and protected. So explain to me how in drought-like conditions, his home, his sofa, his tent, and all his possessions go up in a blaze that took the fire department two hours to put out. But all of the tents, the homes, and the possessions that were near and around his air quotes home are safe, fine, and unburnt. Explain to me how that happens if it is not for intent and criminality, allegedly.

Because none of that points specifically to arson. If Judah's now a backdraft expert. Bruce Willis over here. Well, you just mentioned, you just mentioned super dry conditions. Wouldn't it have spread? outside of just his campsite? Wouldn't it have spread outside of just his campsite whether or not it was arson?

This is the most basic. This is the most basic one, ready? Here's the most basic one. Ready? He says there's no fire starter stuff in his tent. Exact words that he offers in the reporting. Well, so now you're... Exact words in the reporting.

There was no incendiary materials in my tent. exact words in the reporting the fire seemingly didn't touch any nearby brush or structures i mean that just means that his was the only thing burning it doesn't matter if uh that's the least i think that's the the thing that speaks the least to it being arson but lu says there had been no active heat sources inside it around the tent when he left he also said he didn't see anyone near his tent. Okay. I'm not saying you're wrong.

I'm just saying that... No, it's a great talk show. This guy doesn't have... This guy doesn't know. And to your point, and to your point, Charlott's full and the subreddit posted this.

April 2025, OAR noncompliance, Charlottesville General District Court. 2025 April failure to repeal out of moral court. April 2025, shoplifting, merchandise.

August 2024, failure to appear in court. May, May 24, OAR noncompliance. October 23, trespass after forbidden. Failure to appear, October 2023, Charlestville General District Court. Failure to pay restitution, October 223. Speeding, 74 and a 55 on a laser. Larsony, October 22, assault and battery, family member. 2020, September, assault and battery, another circumstance, 2010, assault and battery 2008. I mean, this is a rap sheet right here. I'm not going to say that this rap sheet is one to get Lenny Briscoe chasing the streets of Charlottesville City a law and order with Jack McCoy trying to close the slammer.

And we know that the law is extremely forgiving on a lot of lighter infractions. locally here, but we have a laundry list of criminal offenses. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, it's not proof of anything, but I don't know. Who knows what it is? Hopefully the fire department will figure it out. We'll figure out what caused it, whether it was arson.

It sounds like both the police department and the fire department are investigating. Well, if it was arson, then. Yeah, I mean, there's potential, potential, what, a homicide? It's a felony. Yeah. We do know, we do know that the fire chief has said that this homeless encampment is using plastic and trash for open air fires for folks to cook their food.

And there's propane heaters used inside zipped and closed tents next to sleeping bags and blankets. Yeah. And there's drought conditions. And this was what, at 10 o'clock at night? Yeah. So there's a chance that somebody had a fire going. There's a chance that an unburned piece of trash caught an updraft, floated across to this guy's tent, and set it on fire.

I mean, that's just obviously just a theory. I have no idea. And there's a chance that I could walk out of this studio, cross Market Street. See that piece of trash next to the mailbox, next to the UPS mailbox? Look at that trash and realize it's a $10 million. winning lottery ticket. Are you saying that my suggestion is

absurd? I'm saying I'm saying where there's highly surred. I'm saying whether there's smoke, there's fire. That's definitely the case. Pun intended. And I'm going to close by saying this. I'll close by saying this. If anyone thinks

that used heroin needles and human DNA and feces and urine in the Rivana River and a Ivana Trail that cannot be safely utilized by average Joe's and Jennifer's and alleged arsons are the are the end all of this shanty town you are poorly you have very poor judgment I don't know why they don't invite them to the grass surrounding their purchase of 2000 holiday drive because we know the answer

to that what this shanty town is under a bridge so you You literally have to look, you have to look hard to see and find the shanty town. If they had 500 people living in the grassy knoll next to 2000 holiday drive, you would see, you would see this shanty town. This is what's happening. Sam Sanders and City Hall. This is what Sam Sanders and City Hall are having to navigate. The most hidden and recluse spot in the entire.

city is under this bridge. Are they under the bridge? Name another spot Judah and Charlottesville City that is more hidden where you can hide 300 people. Is it 300 people now? We were just told by the, you, why do you do this? Because. You just nitpick. No, but five seconds ago, you said 500 people. The Blue Ridge Area Coalition for the Homeless says there's 33 documented homeless people. We have 33 documented homeless people. Blue Ridge Area Coalition of the Homeless where they have their names.

And there's more than 700 homeless where we don't have them. I'm not saying they're all there. We know the Shanty Town is growing. Tell me a spot in the city, please, respectfully. Is there a spot in the city that you can find where you can hide a shanty town better than under Freebridge? Name one spot. I'm sure one exists. Okay, name one spot.

I can't. Exactly. You'd rather nitpick, name one spot. I'm not trying to nitpick, Jerry. I'm trying, okay. I'm sorry I'm sorry I questioned anything. No, that's not what's happening here. You have City Hall that literally is hiding these,

knows that the spot that these folks have picked is under a bridge. And they see subconsciously direct, you can roll your eyes if you want. It's not under the bridge. Oh, my God. I've stood. We literally. We literally had a conversation with John Vermillion yesterday, which you were a part of, and he indicated, you can't really see it. His exact words. You drive down High Street. Can you see it? If you're on Free Bridge and you're looking on Free Bridge, you have to try to see it. Can you see it? Do we want to take a field trip and look?

If you want to. I don't have a problem with it. I mean, the last time I was there, it was clearly not under the bridge. I'm sorry that I'm saying that, and you don't want to hear it, but I've never seen it under the bridge. And so maybe by now it has expanded and a large portion of it is under the bridge. I could be wrong. You are wrong. That's what I am saying. I literally went there this weekend. Why didn't you say that five minutes ago?

We had a conversation yesterday morning that you were a part of you being John Vermillion, where I said. said yesterday morning, I went there this weekend to look at it and you have to try to find it. And he responded in the conversation where you're a part of, yeah, it's really hard to see. You have to try to look for it when you're crossing Free Bridge. This was 24 hours ago that you were a part of this conversation. Okay, but nothing he said, said anything about it being under the bridge. I don't want to keep arguing about this. It's meaningless.

Let's move on. I'm trying to. No, you're not. I'm literally trying to. talking about it. This is the Salvation Army issue from yesterday right here. Is it? This is. Okay. I'm going to stop talking and let you talk. So the city hall clearly has a homeless encampment that is under a bridge that no one can see. And if they put this homeless encampment on the grassy knoll that is 2000 Holiday Drive, you would see 50,000 cars

that go by the bypass would see it. And Sam Sanders and City Hall realized, that if a homeless encampment is on the grassy knoll next to 2000 holiday drive, it is not out of sight and out of mind. And where they've chosen to live right now under a bridge is out of sight and out of mind. I would think that that would be something we should discuss. I'm willing to discuss it. Why is the strategy, if you're a city manager, having a homeless encampment that is out of sight and out of mind,

whether it's intentional or unintentional, or the best of a terrible situation, not the path he should pursue. And you're saying why should they allow them to move away from where they currently are? Why do you think having it on the grassy knoll next to Holiday Drive

by the Aberdeen Barn, by three hotels that are driving tax revenue, and a bypass that has tens of thousands of cars, a significantly more important transportory artery, the 250 bypass, is a better spot, the grassy knoll,

than under a bridge. Easy. I mean, A, we don't get alligator tears from city council members being worried that the consequences of their own actions are going to cause potentially the deaths of homeless people. We've got...

We don't have to worry about the potential of a fire down by Ravana. Okay, the first thing, that you should lead with was this. It's not next to a river that can flood and people can drown. The second thing that you should lead with, it's not under a bridge that can catch fire where 25,000 cars go by and use every day. I'm not worried about that. The third thing that you should lead with, it's not next to the Rivana Trail in urban amenity that people literally utilize every day next to a river, an urban amenity that people use every day that's home to a company,

Rivana River Company, and is a gateway into Charlestville for Malmour County. succinctly, that's the argument to be made on why it should not be put under Freebridge and the banks of the Rivana. I get it. That's a viable argument. The counter to putting the homeless encampment on the grassy knoll next to Holiday Drive is this. 25,000 cars go on the free bridge every day. V-dot, that's a V-dot number shared to us by deep throat, 25,000 cars on average. How many do you think go by the bypass every day?

two the grassy knoll next to holiday drive that is not hidden at all that will be seen by good god how many people three that would be literally next to three hotels that drive tax revenue and the aberdeen barn an iconic and institutional business at least under the bridge it's hidden and not really impeding any business except for the Rivana River Company. If I'm the Rivana River Company, I would some kind of lawsuit against the city for this. There's a company that literally makes its living on a river that has human feces, urine, and heroin needles in it, and a shanty town next to it. I mean, how is the Rivana River Company not law suiting some capacity the city? Okay. And the reality is, and you and I are splitting hairs here, the reality is, there's no, there's

no place in Charlestonville or Almoreal County, period bar none for this shanty town. There's no place for it. And I'm going to be really clear about this. And some people are going to say, I lack emotional intelligence and EQ and empathy. That's bullshit. Okay? A hand out for people. Excuse me.

A hand up for people. Hand up. Helping people does not mean that you can concede public parks and public spaces with trash, fire risk, alleged arsons, heroin needles, feces, urine, and DNA. That is not empathy. And I'll be ripped to shreds of the Charlottesville subreddit. And every mention of me on the Charlottesville subreddit in any capacity is just helping my bar to get stocked with McCallon 12 bottles with a bet that I have of the proposition

variety with a well-endowed viewer and listener that says, any mentions that you have to a certain threshold means you would in McCallin 12th. And he doesn't care, he's filthy rich. So rip me and put me on the subreddit and let me go from nine bottles to 18. And I'm not, we're both frustrated with this thing. And I can't even imagine the frustration

of living around High Street or running a business around High Street. I can't even imagine the frustration of the Mother's Day kayaking. trip that had a family, father, son, and kids kayaking the Rivana River, and the daughter pulls off to rest for a little bit and sees dirty needles. If I was utilizing your argument, instead of using the grassy knoll next to Holiday Drive, just put a past policy that bans outdoor camping and storage of possessions and says if you're

homeless, then you have an opportunity to sleep in holiday drive as is. They're years away from any remodeling or construction. Tape off five by five squares inside Holiday Drive with painters tape and say each of these squares, six by six, seven by seven, I don't care what it is. However many can be utilized in Holiday Drive. Squares with painters tape and say, this This is where you can camp. We're enforcing no camping or storage of possessions in public now. Because you couldn't do it correctly without burning trash and peeing and pooping in the river and shooting white China next to the trail and now alleged arsons.

You dislike that idea? It's a wonderful idea. You've cut me off. You've stopped me from explaining why my idea is different, but yeah. I explain your idea. exactly and more succinct capacity. Cool. Yeah, get them hotel rooms.

There's occupancy issue with hotels around here, outside of Monday through Thursday. Well, they can camp on the weekends. Okay. Should we go to equity grading? Sure. One hour into this, we haven't even talked about equity grading.

You're the foundation for equity grading. equity grading here. I am. Grading for equity. I can certainly talk about it. It's got some serious problems. I'm not sure why the Albemarle County School System seems to think that grading inhibits learning. That seems to be a backward take on things, considering the fact that the learning happens before the grading.

And the grading gives us an idea of how well the learning has taken. The fact that they have disallowed engagement on this subject, the facts of the actual policy are nuts. I mean, what? No zeros for work not done, which apparently is not true, but it is true. So apparently you can, it's supposed to be barked not done if it was not turned in. However, the way the system works is that it will automatically give a grade no matter what. So if something wasn't turned in and there is no grade for it, it will still give a student 50% for that nothing. As one teacher noted, though, the fact of the matter is that the system doesn't act the same way towards grading in relation to PBCC.

So what you'll end up having oftentimes is if a student is also going to PVCC, you'll have a grade that can't accurately transfer over because there's sometimes a two or three letter, I believe a two-letter difference between what the school has is giving a student who has missed or zeroed or done below 50% and is still getting the 50% grade. that they are trying to send grades to PBCC, and the grades don't match. Because a terrible grade coming from the school, going to PBCC shows up as a much lower grade than it shows up for a passing student who's doing no work. Here are some tenets of equity grading, straight from the Crozegh Gazette reporting,

which I think is pretty damn good. No grading of homework or practice work. Yeah. No awarding of extra credit. Right. No grade of zero for work that has not turned in. Instead, you get a 50%. Yeah.

Even if you don't turn in the work, you get a 50%. Yeah. Multiple test retakes. No penalties for later incomplete work. No points given for class participation. No points given for attendance. No points given for being prepared. No points given for behaving in class.

Can I stop us? Allow multiple retakes of tests. multiple retakes of tests if you struggle on a test. Collect multiple pieces of student data to show learning and use only an individual achievement evidence, not group work rates. This is the biggest pile of crap I've ever seen in my entire life. This is basically what this means succinctly.

You don't have to show up. You don't have to do the work. If you do choose to show up, you don't have to participate, and you don't have to behave. You don't have to take the tests. If you do take the test, you'll have multiple times to retake the test

until you're ready to pass the test at the time and choice, a day and time of your choice, to pass the test. Alamara County Public Schools says that equity grading is a way to even the playing field between resourced families

and non-resourced families. That's what this is all about. This is the biggest pile of crap I've ever seen in my entire life. And the biggest travesty of this all is Dr. Haas and Almore County Public Schools were trying to push this through under the noses of Almore County parents, Almore County administrators, teachers, support staff, even school board members. You have the timeline that was shared with us, Judah. Yeah, I also have the fact that school board member, Jim

Dylan Beck had concerns and mentioned in talking to a number of veteran teachers, they have some pretty serious concerns about the unintended consequences of, for example, the test retake policy, which in their opinion creates a lot of work for them and doesn't really address the underlying issues. And he wanted to know if they would have an opportunity to discuss what they were hearing from parents and teachers regarding the specifics of the policy. And this was just before the board subsequently pulled the policy approval. from the consent agenda for further review.

And I actually have the grading timeline up on the screen right now so that people can see it. If you're an Almore County Public School parent, and if you're a parent of a kid in public schools in Central Virginia, you should be asking immediate questions about equity grading, attending school board meetings, because I'm going to tell you right now, This is not prevalent in private schools, and this is not prevalent in homeschools.

This is legitimately an educational gap that's being formed and established and reared in real time. Public school students are learning in scenarios, in settings, and in formats that prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion, equity, instead of actual performance and results. the real world does not prioritize equity over performance. In the real world, you have to show up to work on time. In the real world, you have to show up to work and actually work. In the real world, if you show up to work, don't work, don't participate, and act poorly, you get fired. In the real world, if you don't perform at work, you get fired. if you take men and women, young men and women, children, kids, middle schoolers, teenagers,

high schoolers, in their most impressionable years when their brain and their mind are still developing and you explain to them, you teach them, you train them, that life will give you second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seven chances for you to perform. You are literally taking a German shepherd puppy and you're showing him, you're showing the German Shepherd puppy that I attacking people or going into the neighbor's yard to defecate, or going into the neighbor's flower bed and chewing up the flowers, or going into mom and dad's bed and sleeping in the bed and ripping the covers off, or chewing all the shoes is okay because you don't correct the behavior with the puppy.

Same thing with kids. And Matthew Haas is pushing this through. It is bogus. It stinks. It literally is the definition of, moronic. In the words, equity and grading are oxymorons. They're opposite. Grading is not equitable. You have A's, B's, C's, Ds, and apps. And that right there is why private school enrollment is booming locally and homeschool enrollment is booming locally. And that's part of the reason why

Weldon Cooper is projecting public school enrollment to drop. Ladies and gentlemen, where we've been contacted by nearly two dozen Alamara County Public School teachers, including some who are looking to come on the show to talk about equity grading and why it's absolutely horrible. One message me this today. I saw your covering the Almero County Public School grading policy. I want to come on your show to talk about this and give my evolved thoughts on the issue. To be absolutely clear, I think the policy is a joke.

I cannot do it next week. I have work conflicts, obviously, but I'm free to do it in early June. Please let me know if you're interested. Almore County Public School Educator. Joke. And the biggest stink of it all is Matthew Haas trying to push this through because equity grading nationally is gaining,

is getting radar attention of being a pile, a stinking, steaming pile of you know what. All right. Next topics, what do you got at the 140 marker? I think all we've got left is... The median family household income? Median income. It's 139,800.

Is that right? Yep. The median family household income in 2025 was 125,000,800. a jump 14K. You're talking a jump of, what, 11%? 11% year over year. 139,800 for a median family household income.

Yes, that could be two earners. Clearly, you can see that's high. I think the story that I didn't do well enough covering yesterday was the 11% spike year over year 25 to 26. And the story that I don't think I did a good enough job of covering yesterday is the fact that the median family household income in 2022 was 111,200. And in 2026 was 139,800. So one, two, three, four, and a five-year period of time, we're talking a spike of $28,000, $28,600. A $28,600,000 spike in a six-year period of time.

I did not do a good enough job of covering that yesterday. I covered yesterday that in 2028 is when we will see the true sticker shock for this community. Biotechnology and AstraZeneca Paul Manning Biotech Institute. This is not a 60-hour workweek town anymore. I'm going to call it a 70-hour work-week town. You want to live in Charlottesville, Almore County, and you don't have a job of University of Virginia finance, medical professional, engineer law. You're looking at 70 hours of work.

You're going to have to clock if you're a one-income earner for your household. You don't want to hear it? I get it. You don't want to do it? I get it. Where you're going to be looking at a 45-minute commute to Charlottesville, if you want to own something and live here. And that's tough to swallow, but that's life.

Stanley Martin Holmes is a partner of this program. Honest and communicative, they've built more than 600 homes in this community, Stanley Martin Holmes. Stanley Martin Holmes is building a boatload of homes in Green County that it's going to cater to the biotechnology demand. And Stanley Martin Holmes is bringing roughly 80 or so homes to Keswick at Breezy Hill, right outside the gates of Glenmore. They have condos in townhomes and single-family detached houses that are designed and constructed with innovative techniques. that ensure exceptional efficiency and quality living. We didn't get to a lot of comments today. I'll try to get to some of them now.

Let's go to number one in the family, deep throat. He's convinced that the bridge is going to get injured or damaged by the next fire. It's going to get damaged by the next fire at the Rivana River encampment. I'm also convinced that that bridge is going to get damaged. He also stands up for Michael Payne often deep throat that we should give credit to Pade and Joe Phillips for flagging this and it turned out to be that they were right.

I pushed back on Deep Throat by saying pain caused this or at least allowed it. Pain allowed it. Better terminology. Deep Throat says, what a pity if Natalie Osheron resigns but we could just replace her with an actual Nat GBT.

Would be easy to program an LLM called NatGBT. I'm not touching that one. Deep Throat also says, Natalie Oshran watches this program, by the way. Deep Throat also says Natalie Oshran effed up. She trusted the activist from Livable Seville. They asked for a new zoning ordinance.

She supported it. She supported the natural consequences, the new student housing, and now she is confused that they are unhappy. She didn't realize that livable Seville is not about protecting vulnerable neighborhoods or helping people at the bottom of the economic ladder, rather, one, pushing a national anti-zoning movement, and two, which they are a part of, and two, making housing a little cheaper for young professionals. Yeah, I think that is true right there. That is well said. The livable Seville nonprofit is about pushing a national anti-zoning movement,

which they are a part of, but more specifically making housing cheaper for young professionals. Livable Seville is not about black and brown and poor people. Most of these organizations are not about that. They're about pushing an agenda. They're not about putting their money where their mouth is. They're just about mouth. And he goes, Osharing now finds herself in crosshairs of neighborhood activists

because she didn't realize there was a difference between real neighborhood people and a national, yes in my backyard, YIMB puppeteer movement. Liverpool Seville not offering us an ounce, an ounce of champion or accolades or support or kudos or love for Natalie Osharene or Wade or Lloyd Snook. Have you noticed that? Of course not. They don't want the hate mail.

They haven't given a single of social media or newsletter. Thank you for the support, Juan Wade, Lloyd Snook, and Natalie Osharing. Not a single one. That's called week. I doubt when he wasn't surprised, though. That's called spineless. Carly Wagner does some math.

Carly Wagner smart. 70 hours for 52 weeks a year, at $38 an hour, get you to the $139,000 per year median family household income. 70 hours a week. You say it's a 70 hour work week town. 52 weeks, $38 an hour, 139,000 median family household income.

Carly Wager make the program better. Handsome Hank Martin, how telling it is that as AstraZeneca and the Manning Center of Biotechnology are spooling up, ACPS is dumbing down at only $21,000 per student. Multiple people are saying or giving you grief, judo, with you splitting hairs and then choosing not to talk to her in the first segment. I'll show that. to you. Anything you want to add, closing

thoughts? No. Tomorrow's program is Thursday. Are you surprised there's no communication from City Hall on a fire under Freebridge that required the fire department two hours to put out

that is now an alleged arson? Yeah, I'm surprised that they haven't come out with any statement whatsoever. What are you doing over there? What are you doing? The longer you put this out, the more you're hoping this flies under the radar, and the more it smells stinky.

Judah Wickhauer, you're truly Jerry Miller, Wednesday afternoon. That is 77 minutes of straight content that you get nowhere else. Thank you. Hold on.