The I Love CVille Show With Jerry Miller! - CVille Public Schools Support Staff To Get 10.5%; Union, School Board & Superintendent Broker Deal

Episode Date: February 10, 2026

The I Love CVille Show headlines: CVille Public Schools Support Staff To Get 10.5% Raise Union, School Board & Superintendent Broker Deal Relationship W/ Union & Board/Superintendent Fractured? CVille High Students Organize ICE Protest Walkout Travis Wilburn Issues Statement On Stefan Friedman Chef Laura Fonner Also Issues Statement On Friedman Sources Say Vitae Spirits, Omakase Obscura Impacted The Most Important 3 Minutes Of News Today (2/10/26) 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. #cville #ICE #publicschools

Welcome to the I Love Seville Show, guys. My name is Jerry Miller. Thank you kindly for joining us on a Tuesday afternoon in downtown Charlottesville, where there is a lot of moving parts and a lot of things changing in the heartbeat of a 300,000-person region. There's no question whether you want to admit this or not. I'm going to be very frank to you, the viewer and listener. Whether you want to admit this or not, Central Virginia and a region of 300,000 people,

moves as the downtown mall moves. The heartbeat of Charlottesville, of Al Morrow, of the University of Virginia, of orange, of green, of fluvana, of Nelson, of Gordonsville, of Scottsville, of Barbersville, of you name it, as these eight blocks.

You've got the two most prominent court systems. You got the police department. You got the hedge funds and the finance firms. You got City Hall. You got the epicenter for tourism. You got the epicenter for nightlife, food and beverage, dining, entertainment. You got the music venues. Most importantly, the home to the I Love Seville Network.

I kid. I kid. These eight blocks, the most important for the region. And the moving parts or the change that's upon us, is something that should concern anyone that lives in central Virginia, something that you should be mindful of. We have followed closely, the first to talk about. In fact, I haven't seen a media.

Does it not surprise you viewers and listeners that there is not a single media platform locally that's highlighted, covered, reported upon the collapsing, collapsed house of cards of Stefan Freeman? It is not in the daily progress. It's not on the TV stations. It's not on the Charlottesville Radio Group. Old media has not touched this.

Why is that? You have an organization that employs countless individuals in food and beverage. What do we say it was? Seven vacant storefronts and eight businesses? And no one's touched on this except for the I Love Seville Network. Our sources are indicating these are two sources.

I would love to hear it from the horse's mouth. Stefan Freeman, you yourself. What is happening with Vite spirits and Omakasi, the sushi joint within Vite spirits? Our sources indicate in a message from someone close to the operation that I'm reading verbatim from a direct message that I received yesterday at 3.10 p.m. that Omicasi is halting business immediately

and it appears that everyone has been laid off. I want clear communication from someone willing to associate their name with this. Please. We're the water cooler of content and conversation. The community deserves to know. We have a statement we will relay to you breaking news on the I Love Seville Network

from Travis Wilburn. Travis Wilburne is the serial entrepreneur that focuses on tourism and short-term rentals and hospitality. He's an evangelist. He's a successful entrepreneur. He's an asset to the community. I hope Travis Wilburne hears this. He's issued a statement to the I Love Seville Network on how it applies to Old Metropolitan Hall, the event space in a building owned by Woodard properties, Keith and Anthony Woodard.

He sold Old Metropolitan Hall in a seller finance deal to Stefan Friedman. Travis Wilburton is now taking over that business because he does not want a vacancy in downtown Charlestville yet another one. So he will assume the business again and continue operation of Old Metropolitan Hall as he pursues a new partner. and potentially a second sale of Old Met to someone that would like to be in this line of work. We're going to unpack that statement today. We'll also talk Laura Foner's statement. She issued that yesterday on social media. Laura Foner was the poster child, the poster woman, the face of the Hunter Smith collapsed House of Cards.

She had an interview here on the I Love Seville Network during the Hunter Smith soap opera that unfortunately quicksand her restaurant Siren, which is now Vision Barbecue, the former Shabine location at Vinegar Hill. Laura Foner poured money, blood, sweat, and tears, years of her life, pain, love, and lost it all because of Hunter Smith's financial malpractice. She issues a statement yesterday on the nostalgia, the deja vu, the similarities, the comparisons of Hunter Smith and Stefan Freeman. I will relay that statement to you, the viewer, and listener on the program today.

We're going to discuss on the show as well the bottom of the ninth inning, last-minute deal that was brokered between the Charlottesville Education Association. That's a union of teachers and the Charlottesville City School Board and Charlottesville Superintendent Dr. Royale Gurley. This deal literally materialized minutes prior to yesterday's 5 p.m. public meeting with school board and city counselors where the teacher union was encouraging anyone that would listen and who could attend to protest the school board and city council. joint session at Walker Elementary yesterday. Because the deal was brokered, the teacher union called off the proverbial dogs, and there was peace at a copacetic meeting yesterday between counselors and school board members. I'm glad a deal was brokered. The support staff that work within Charlottesville public schools are extremely underpaid. They cannot afford to live in Charlottesville. They cannot

afford to live in Almorel County. They're commuting significant distances to work jobs that are very low paying. They have a secured now a 10.5% raise for three consecutive years, 10.5% year one, 10.5% year two, 10.5% year two, 10.5% year three, these are compound raises. Significant raise here. Still not enough money. Regardless, I ask this question. The Teacher Union, can it ever trust the Charlottesville school board members ever again. The teacher union, the support staff, can it ever trust Dr. Royale Gurley, the superintendent ever again? What the school board and the superintendent did to support staff and the teacher union at Charlottesville Public Schools was without question throwing the support staff and the teachers under the bus issuing a statement this past Friday that went viral in central Virginia

that basically put every single iota or ounce of blame on teachers and support staff for a missed deadline, which resulted at the time this past Friday in support staff not getting a 10.5% raise, instead getting a 3% raise. Gurley and the school board literally through the teachers under the bus. How can the teachers ever trust the school board or Dr. Royal Gurley ever again? We'll have that topic on today's show. I want to talk about the Charlottesville High School protests yesterday. Hundreds of students at Charlottesville High School left school early.

When I was growing up, that was called skipping school. It was called truancy. That was called smoking some weed behind the dumpsters or getting in your family's 1989 gray Volvo and driving around. the city of Williamsburg as your puff, puff passing. In Charleston, Virginia, we call that a protest of ICE, immigration and customs enforcement. What did you make parents of this protest? Ginny, who has some questions that I'm going to relay live on air on this protest that shut down some of downtown yesterday?

There was police everywhere. And speaking of the police, Mike Kachis, the police chief, we're not yet live on my Twitter feed. Really? Yep. I've seen it. I'm just passing that on to you. Mike Kachis, the police chief, will be on the I Love Seville show on Friday. Chief Mike Kachis on Friday at 12.30 p.m.

And ladies and gentlemen, I'm not going to say what day, but I am going to promote the interview. Next week, United States Congressman John McGuire on the I Love Seville Show. John McGuire on the I Love Seville Show next week. Two big time interviews line up with John McGuire and Mike Cottges. Judah, if we can go to the studio camera, I would like to then two-shot you as we welcome you to the broadcast. We'll highlight Conan Owen. If you're watching the program, I just signed a new lease in downtown Charlottesville with a client. We will be doing a group text message introduction with you and the new tenant.

As the Miller organization passes on to your forum some incremental business, some new business, for this new tenant who has signage needs and needs that are immediate. New business coming your way for Conan Owen, a partner of the I Love Seville Show, courtesy of the Miller organization. They did the banner directly behind us, the window decals of our storefront. They handled the signage needs for our 24-door real estate portfolio and our clients who are pursuing commercial spaces around Charlestville, Almore, and Central Virginia. Sir Speedy is locally owned and operated by a Darden graduate name Conan Owen. Be on the lookout for a text message intro with you and my client in this lease that was secured at about 12, 20.

20 p.m. nine minutes before this show started. The headline, Judah, that most intrigues you and why on the water cooler of content and conversation, the I Live Seville Network. Well, I'm certainly glad that the union has gotten back in the game and secured the 10.5% raise for the support staff. It's a shame they didn't get some of the other things that they were originally bargaining for. And you're right. I don't know if the relationship will ever be

fixed between the Charlottesville schools and the union. Bow tie wearing Dr. Royale Gurley, the superintendent, always sharply dressed. Always, or usually with a bow tie. Starts the joint session as you're putting lower thirds on screen. yesterday with city council, one that was streamed live on Charlottesville government platforms,

by highlighting the last-minute broker deal with the teacher union, the school board, and his office. Support staff will get 10.5% raise in year one, 10.5% raise in year two, and 10.5% raise in year three. The next three years, they get compound raises to the tune of, you know, 30, 40 points. It's not just 10.5%. It's a compound raise. Okay? This is the response that I've heard from viewers and listeners

after we've covered it on the I Love Seville Show. A common response from viewers and listeners was, well, God, our employer doesn't give us 10.5% raises, and our employer certainly doesn't give us 10.5% raises for three straight years. But if they were severely underpaying you, you would definitely want them to. My response to the nearly, what, 100, 150 DMs, emails and text messages from viewers and listeners with that common denominator, I try to respond to as many as possible, is if you were paid absolute peanuts, could not afford to live here. We're commuting 30, 40, one hour, one way to work at a public school system where you are neglected, where you were forgotten and marginalized.

The 10.5% raise year over, year over year, probably doesn't even get. you close to living wage. The HUD family median household income and the Charlottesville metro area, 125,900. The new metric is about to be released in the next 30 to 60 days. I can assure you that $125,900 HUD family median household income is only going to uptick. And wait, wait, wait to you see the impact of AstraZeneca, Merck, Eli Lilly, the Paul Manning Biotech Institute, and the University of Virginia's data science once it's fully online. You will wax nostalgic of 125,900. The family median household income is going to increase so quickly. Okay? This is the main story. The main story besides the last-minute broker deal,

where Royal Girlie, the superintendent, had to basically eat some crow. Walk back their decision. Walk back threats. The true story is this, as you're rotating lower thirds on screen. How can the teachers of Charlottesville Public Schools, the support staff of Charlottesville Public Schools,

ever trust the school board or the superintendent ever again? It's going to be rough. This past Friday, Royal Girlie and the school board through the teacher union under the bus for a missed deadline. Which we call it a missed deadline, but it was a deadline that the teachers union was unaware of. Ignorance is never an excuse. I say it in this firm all the time with staff. Ignorance is never an excuse.

It's an easy thing to say. It's not an easy thing to say it's facts. When you're negotiating on behalf of hundreds of other people in a school system, ignorance is not an excuse. If you're Shannon Gilliken, you can. not say the president of the teacher union, I didn't know it was that deadline. I didn't know was so firm. Ignorance is not an excuse. It's not a legitimate answer. I'm sorry, it just does not fly for me. Now, I got to give Gilliken and the teacher union some props. They in the end got what

they wanted. Some of what they were. 95% of what they wanted. What, did they not get the mental days, the paid mental recovery days? They didn't get everybody on the same, the same page. with that. What business in the world offers employees time off paid for mental recovery? That's called effing vacation. Now you're being... No, what? Being frank and realistic and straightforward. Or you think I'm... What would you call it? I don't mean to be argumentative. You're in a lot of ways my metronome for consistency and morality. You're a very good person. The people beloved you on this program. So I think the sticking point here is that the whether you whether their mental days, whatever it is, they wanted everybody on the same page. Some of the, some of the staff already have that as call it a benefit, call it a perk.

A perk, benefit, absolutely. Whatever you want. Yeah. But it's part of the deal. And not all of the staff have that same deal. Can I play devil's advocate with you? Yeah. May I please?

I expect you to. May I please? You've worked at this firm for going on 16 years. If you had the same, the identical perks and benefits of someone that's worked at this firm for one year, would that piss you off? If you who's worked at this firm for 16 years has the same compensation benefits and perks as someone that was least credentialed or not as educated, degree-wise, or experience-rise, or resume-wise, would, Wouldn't that give you some sour grapes? Life is not fair or equitable. I'm tired of the teacher union saying the teacher's aid or the janitorial staff or the cafeteria worker

should have the same compensatory benefits and perks and pomp in circumstance as a 25-year teacher with a master's degree from the University of Virginia. Life does not work that way. Some of the stuff the teacher union was negotiating, I love it. Reach for the stars that if you don't get the same. stars, you're settling for the moon. My parents used to say that to me all the time. Whatever the effing saying was. Basically, it says, go for as much as possible. The teacher union was literally trying to get janitorial workers and cafeteria workers and support staff mental health

recovery paid days that did not fall under federal holidays or vacation days. I would challenge any viewer and listener that's watching this program to give me an example in the for-profit world where staffers are giving mental health recovery days paid. On top of their vacation time and federal holidays, which we know schools have the most federal holidays and vacation time, certainly federal holidays of any. The story that needs to be covered by legacy media that's watching the program, print radio and television,

is the fractured relationship with Dr. Gurley and the school board. there is not a school system in central virginia where the relationship with rank and file and c suite is more damaged or concern than this not even superintendent dr matthew hoss and rank and file within almore county public schools have a have a damaged relationship like this dr girlie is a fiasco or two away from literally losing rank and file it's synonymous to Dr. Roshal Brackney when she was the police chief at the Charlottesville Police Department, when she had a vacancy rate of more than 25%. She was legitimately hiring men and women within the police force of Charlottesville,

and the men and women that she hired were quitting her. Gurley's on that cusp in this public school system. And I would hope that the school board and or Gurley issue a statement of how this relationship can be repaired or recovered and they can move forward. I would hope, and time will tell. As someone who works in consultation, my advice to the school board and superintendent, Royale Gurley, is to issue a statement that shows a plan of attack

of how you're going to repair this damage relationship with the meat and potatoes of your school division, the teachers, and their support staff. Anything I'm missing on that? Anything you want to add, my friend. And I don't want to interrupt. Your opinion's valued. I'd love to hear anything that you want to add

to that topic. I don't think I have anything more to add. Viewers and listeners, what are we missing? Bill McChesney is watching the program. His photo on screen. I've seen various support staff interact with students in very positive ways. Vanessa Parkill says, define underpaid.

A janitor making market wage for a janitor is not underpaid. A janitor that is vastly underpaid to a janitor in the private sector, that's a benchmark. If a public schools, if a janitor that works at Charlottesville Public Schools is significantly underpaid

versus a janitor that works in a private commercial building, other line of work, that right there is a benchmark that I find viable. I don't think someone that's a janitor should be paid at compensatory levels of, an architect or an engineer or a CPA or a financier, it's a different line of work. But the public school system janitor should be in the same conversation with compensation

as other janitors in Charlottesville and Almaro and Central Virginia. Because if you don't do that, then the Charlottesville public school system will not have janitors or the staff that does fill those positions will be the dregs of janitorial. Next topic on the program, what is it, Judah Wickhauer? Next, we have the Seville walkout. Ginny Who asked these questions. She's a smart lady, Ginny Who. Smart lady, Ginny Who.

First, I'll get to Deep Throat. Deep Throat's comments. Put Deep Throats photo on screen, number one in the family. Deep Throat says this. I don't want everyone to miss force for the trees here. I believe that frontline staff in Charlottesville City schools are not paid as well as they should be. And it is weird that salary scales in Charleston City schools are sort of middle of the pack in Virginia. But Seville has the third or fourth highest per pupil spending in the state and the highest all in per pupil.

So I think it is not at all inconsistent to say I support paying staff better. And at the same time, why is the budget so damn high? great comments. Tie to Almore County Public Schools. Why are we spending so much per pupil for Almore County Public Schools? One of the highest spends per pupils in the Commonwealth of Virginia, Almore County Public Schools. Charlottesville's there as well.

And why is performance struggling and going in the wrong direction? How are we spending all this money, one of the highest in the Commonwealth, but performance is deteriorating? Where's the disconnect? The next topic is the walkout. Downtown Charlottesville was interrupted yesterday by hundreds of Charlottesville high school students skipping,

what is the difference between protesting and skipping? What is the difference between protesting and activism and truancy? Everyone's doing it. Seriously, viewers and listeners, how fine is the line of protesting and activism versus truancy and skipping. I'm downtown yesterday,

early afternoon, and I'm like, there's teenagers everywhere. Some of them are holding signs. They appear to be saying something, but really there's just chilling and hanging out. You know what was wild to me yesterday? Is Tommy Perrello,

the Democratic candidate for the 5th District? Tom Perrello, one-time Congressman Tom Perrello, was out there with the team, teenagers like slapping them on the back, giving them fist bumps, high fives, championing their truancy, they're skipping, sorry, they're protesting and their activism. Tom Perrello. Literally.

There were adults walking around with the kids who were skipping and truant, sorry, protesting and activating, as opposed to saying, what are you doing here? It's AP history time. Soca towing in geometry. Go get the erasers and run the shuttle run, damn it. Don't you have some pull-ups to do for presidential fitness? Questions that Ginny has that I think are very viable, her photo on screen. Did parents know their children left school grounds?

Were adults there for safety of minors? Is it truancy if you leave school property without permission? why not peacefully assemble after school hours to voice your opinion? How much did this cost taxpayers? I know the Charlottesville Police Department responded and engaged because of the protest. Yeah. They asked people to be careful driving around town. There were police officers all over downtown.

Engaged in policing this truancy skipping. activism protesting. She adds these questions, Ginny Who. I want to know about safety protocol. Are these students signed out and signed back in? And signed back in? Who is responsible if someone gets hurt or, God forbid, goes missing during school hours? She says that ties into several of my questions.

They absolutely have a right to peaceful assemble and speak their opinions, but they can also be held responsible for not being in school during school hours. freedom to assemble does not mean freedom from consequences. I'll tell you who did not protest yesterday? The private schools. I'll tell you who did not protest yesterday, the homeschoolers. I want to add this level of dynamic to the ice protest. They missed half a day of school on the heels of missing eight or ten days of school with snowpocalypse,

which was on the heels of winter break. Since winter and Christmas break, Charlottesville public school students, how much school have they actually been to? Snowpocalypse and two-hour delays. And now heading to the max to drink a milkshake with Kelly Kapowski and Zach Morris and A.C. Slater and Jesse Spano and Lisa Turtle and dancing to the jukebox. What's the max in this scenario in downtown Charleston? Is that chap? Is that Citizen Burger Bar? Is that a Steakhouse Burger Bar and a milkshake?

You know what the Max is in this scenario, the Save by the Bell reference? Is it Timberlake's drugstore going to the back and having a chocolate malt by the fireplace and a grilled cheese? They don't have any live music, though. They can't do the sprain, the dance that Lisa Turtle did when she hurt her ankle in conjunction with A.C. Slater, abnormally cruel, absolutely charming Albert Clifford, A.C. Slater. you then. What's the max in downtown Charlestville for kids? It was the place, the greasy spoon over there next Barracks Road. Cookout? You go to kickout on a Thursday night or a Friday night or a Saturday night. You just walk by there and you breathe and you're high as a kite.

Goodness gracious. Our colleague owns the car wash next door some of the stuff that he's seen on video from the cookout parking lot. It's enough to create a talk show. a documentary from. Parents, how do you feel about seeing... This is what I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall. A public school parent, mom or dad, that just happened to be watching the news yesterday and saw their son or daughter in the middle of the school day

walking around town protesting ice. It was all white kids from what I could tell. Barbara Becker-Tilly watching the program. Because you were allowing walkout days after missing days of educational time. It's nuts. Did the school system allow this? Did Dr. Royal Gurley, the superintendent, allow this?

Did the teacher union allow this? Did the school board allow this? How significant does the protest go? Will we see future protests? Once you've opened the Pandora's box of protests, will there be additional protests? I'm sure they will. Kate Sharks, the Queen of Ivy, highlights the mental health days.

She says, my friend moved to Copenhagen, and they give six months for mental health leave. Her husband is a higher-up in the company, and it kills him because they can't give the job away, so others have to keep up with the work of the person on the break. He works for a clothing company. He's not a teacher. Man, that must be a nice job. Six months for mental health leave? No doubt.

Chuda's been here 16 years. The mental health leave that he needs is fairly. significant, would you say? 100%. I think it's better, though, right? What? It's better, though, right? Yeah, it's been better.

Carol Thorpe watching the program, her photo on screen. Tom Perry, she tags Tom Perrello. Tom Perrello wants to be re-elected as a leader, and he's out there cheering on truancy. What sort of message does this send? Do you think that's fair to throw Periello into this? Yeah, I think that's fair. Me too. He's an elected official.

He's... Why is he slapping the back of teenagers who are skipping school and Ferris Buelling? Because... Because of the optics in progressive and activist Charlottesville. Yeah. It's the John McGuire, Brooks Brothers, two tight suit, cowboy boots, shovel photo op, clearing the ice that we talked about last week on the show. If we give John McGuire grief and John McGuire's coming out,

on the program. We gave him grief. He responded to my grief and said, Jerry, those aren't Italian loafers. Those are cowboy boots. They're not Italian loafers. I want to, and I try to help these kids by shoveling with my garden shovel, the ice so their car could get out. And I said, Congressman McGuire, I stand corrected. Would you like to come on the program? And to John McGuire, the congressman's credit, he's coming on the show next week. I'm hesitant to say which day, because we might have 200 Truant Charlottesville High School students in front of the I Love Seville studio on their way to

the max and a chocolate malt protesting outside the storefront here. Maybe they can help clear the ice in the courtyard. Bring your shovels and your hose and your spades over here and help us clear this courtyard, please. If you're not going to be working at school,

come do some work over here. Thank you, Judah Wickhauer. Should you put the Market Street camera on so they can see what we're dealing with? Vanessa Parkhill's says those are great questions, Ginny Who. Ginny Who says via the Twitter account Seville Bubble, CBS19 interviewed one of those students at Charlottesville High School,

and the student's principal supports them in their activism and protests of leaving school during the school day. It's effing wild. You have principals that are supporting students to skip school? It's effing wild. That is pretty wild. Am I reading this wrong? You often tell me what I do.

I think this is a... I think it's a bit insane that this is getting support from teachers and staff and you're right. And what... And Ginny is right. What happens if somebody is... What happens if somebody's hit by a car? What happens if somebody doesn't show up at home when they should be showing up at home and come to find their parents find out that their

kid left the school to protest ICE and staff didn't have any problem with that. I mean, that's a lawsuit waiting to happen. Good, good Lord. Lauren and Ivy watching the program. Radio Neal, Vicki Musselman watching the program. Literally print and radio and television watching the program. Tom Perriello. You're welcome Tom Perryiello to come on the program anytime you want.

John McGuire is coming on the show next week. Mike Hatchez on Friday. Travis Hackworth is watching in Danville. Everyone should have a basic benefit package and additional benefits such as pay time off, tiered based on years of service. That's how it works. Mental health days are typically thrown under the umbrella of PTO or FTO, which a person accrues not in addition to.

Travis Hackworth is a man of common sense. All right, we got a boatload of the food and beverage community watching the show right now, as we should. Why are we the only media platform that's covering the Stefan Freeman collapse? No, no, no. Like, can you help me understand this? There's a man that has seven Charlottesville storefronts. Let's see if I can rattle them off, okay? Help me.

I'm going to go geographical territory by geographical territory. Little Johns. I want to know if he has the lease on the. the old Michael's bistro spot above Little Johns. I'm not going to include Michael's Bistro on this list, but my instinct suggests that he has the Michael's bistrole's as well. I don't know that for certain. So I'm only going to call Little Johns.

You write this down for me, okay? All right. Little Johns. Let's go downtown. Bonnie and Reed. Old Metropolitan Hall, do we have the right lower third on screen? Not yet.

Can we put the Stefan Freeman, lower third on screen? What would be the lower third that you have on screen there? Still the ice. All right. Little Johns, Bonnie and Reed, Old Met, got... Little Johns, Bonnie and Reed, Old Matt,

draft tap room, Vite Spirits, that's five. Ace Biscuit and Barbecue, six, Wine Guild, from all. I can tell Wine Guild, seven, and then the sushi joint that's in vita.

In vita spirits. So you're talking seven storefronts and eight businesses. How is no one talking about this legacy old media wise? This is like the UVA health system thing again. You can't bury your head in the sand old media, legacy media, or all you're going to become is old media and legacy media and nothing else. That's why no one's watching and listening to you. Travis Wilburn issues a statement to the I Love Seville Network. This should be reported. Put the Travis Wilburn lowered third on screen. He says, stay Charlottesville, which is Travis's

company. Stay Charlottesville sold Old Metropolitan Hall to a new operator with a shared vision of strengthening hospitality services that contribute to a vibrant downtown Charlottesville. From the outset, it was understood that Old Metropolitan Hall and the restaurant at 1-1-1-East Main Street, formerly Brasery-Saison. What a stupid name. B.S. Breserie-Saison. Brezre-Res-A-Zan. What a stupid name?

Formerly Brasery-Saison and now Bonnie and Reed would collaborate to efficiently and cost-effectively served guests at Old Met. That commitment to high-quality service and to health of the downtown mall remains unchanged. Following recent announcements regarding the operator, including reports of other ventures that did not move forward as planned, St. St. Charlottesville has assumed full operational control of Old Metropolitan Hall effective immediately. This temporary transition ensures uninterrupted operations with no impact on scheduled events, weddings, or guest experiences. All existing bookings, services, and vendor partnerships will continue.

continue exactly as planned. Woodard properties, the building owner is fully supportive of this transition and is working closely with State Charlottesville to ensure stability and continuity. Guests, couples, and event partners can expect the same professionalism, hospitality, and operational excellence that have long defined Old Metropolitan Hall. As a Charlestville-based hospitality group operating since 2010, State Charlottesville remains deeply committed to the long-term vitality of the downtown mall. During this transition period, stay Charlottesville will actively seek a strong community-minded owner-operator who is the best long-term fit for both Old Metropolitan Hall and Downtown Charlestville. Our goal is to safeguard

the venue, support downtown businesses, and ensure continuity while identifying the right partner to carry Old Met forward. We look forward to continuing to serve guests and contributing to a thriving, welcoming, and resilient downtown. That's Travis Wilburn. in an exclusive statement that he sent to the I Love Seville Network at approximately, at exactly 11.05 a.m. today via text message. That statement got my wheels turning. You know what my wheels turned in what direction? Here's the direction they turned. Did Stefan Freeman an old Metropolitan Hall, which is an event space, did they book events that are upcoming in the future,

take security deposit money from those booked events? knowing that they couldn't. Knowing that the business would not stay in operation. If so, that's fraud. Yeah. Stefan Freeman, you watch and listen to the show. I'm going to pepper the trail with this. We have Commonwealth's attorneys that watch and listen to the show,

police that watch and listen to the show, legacy media watching and listening to the show. Was money taken from events, booked gigs at Old Metropolitan Hall that included security. security deposit or upfront money as all these events do. And then the towel was thrown, the locks were changed because they were so far behind on the rent, and evictions were issued. And he's basically like, hey, peace, piece I'm out.

Sayanara sucker. As my three-year-old would say, say Sayanara, sucker. As he runs out of the living room, is, you know what, slapping against his legs as he sprint into his room to try to avoid bedtime. That's our three-year-old every single night as we're going through potty training. We're trying to potty train a three-year-old terrorist right now. And the only reason he's pooping and peeing in the potty is because he gets a Hershey kiss every time. You've never seen a kid pee in the potty more than this three-year-old who literally dribbles three or four dribblets, pinches, walks away, comes back five minutes later, does the same thing at the little kitty potty

that's on the carpet floor in our living room, says, give me a Hershey kiss, gets a Hershey kiss, comes back two minutes later, does the same thing again, gets a Hershey kiss, then he gets the sugar high in the sugar rush, and he's even more of a terrorist. My wife and I are at,

Or Witsen. Stefan Freeman is pulling a three-year-old Sayonara sucker, but instead of being adorable and cute, he's on the cusp of perhaps criminality. Did he take deposit, money from folks that booked events in 2026.

Because Travis's statement suggests this. State Charlesville has assumed full operational control of old metropolitan hall effective immediately. This temporary transition ensures uninterrupted operations with no impact on scheduled events,

weddings, or guest experiences. Scheduled events. I'll add a little more colored to this. When he sold old Metropolitan Hall to Stefan Friedman, I've mentioned this on previous shows. It was a seller finance deal, a percentage up front. And then incremental payments made over a set term period of time. He obviously screwed Travis. If history is an indication, which he screwed employees owes them money,

He screwed vendors owes them money. He screwed landlords owes them money. That history would seem to be precedent for me on what he's willing to do to his customers and the people booking the venue. No doubt. Right? Yeah.

Travis, thank you for the statement. And how about the statement from Laura Foner? Yeah. Poor Laura. Laura Foner is the poster woman of this kind of behavior with what happened to her with Hunter Smith. Am I wrong?

Well, it makes... Hunter Smith... Sank she's the poster woman makes it sound like she was in charge of something that happened. Okay, then what should I suggest? How would I phrase it other? Laura Foner took it

where the sun don't shine from Hunter Smith. Yeah. Am I right? I think so. Okay? She had her first restaurant. Now, if you remember, Laura Foner,

who I have tremendous respect for. Bad-ass chef. One time Laura Foner brought us homemade dumplings, which is one of her specialty recipes. And we, Judah and I and Lauren and the team were eating Laura Foner dumplings. Delicious. While drinking bourbon and beer and scotch in the middle of the afternoon on a workday. It was magical.

I'm getting hungry now. It was magical. Literally a Tupperware container. her full of Foner's dumplings. She had a truck called dumpling in conjunction with Hunter Smith before she opened Siren. If you remember, Laura Foner

was the executive chef of Dooners. And she was on the cusp of having duners pass to her because of the sweat equity and time invested in the institutional IV eatery. Then

COVID and the pandemic hit, no one saw it coming. And the owner of Duna's at the time said, I can't give this to you now. I have to go back on my word. And Laura was like, dude, the plan all along was for me to take over Duneers. What the F? And that's when she pieced out of Duneers and hitched her wagon to Hunter. Because Hunter at the time was seen as having the Midas Touch. She initially, I believe, started at Champion Grill, the old Rock Salt location in Stonefield. what's in there now a Korean

barbecue joint I believe I haven't been in Stonefield I think it's a Korean barbecue joint it's a beautiful restaurant stuff struggles to survive there then from that champion grill location she opened a food trawl called dumpling

where you would see her at like King Family vineyards and other prominent high traffic places and then somehow she took it a step further with a lease with her name on it, her credit, her reputation, her finances, her sweat equity to rebuild the place. Siren.

The Shabine closed at Vindiger Hill became siren. Kind of like, how would you characterize it? Seafood-centric? Yeah, I think so. Great bar. Great music. Literally her first restaurant. I love to give some love to Sharfurt.

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Charlottesville Sanitary Supply. She's at Siren Restaurant and things are going great. And then she starts getting notices in the mail at Siren about being behind on bills. then realizes that Hunter, who's running the business side of Siren, his collapsing house of cards is reminiscent of what Stefan Freeman did. She issues this statement yesterday. I'll read verbatim.

This is Laura Foner's words. Okay, I have been trying to keep my thoughts to myself, but I cannot. That would be the real true, that would not be the real true me. So here it is. Dear Charlottesville restaurant industry, what is unfolding with the Stefan situation is duct. I said duct for the moms out there with my wife. Not normally I would use the F word.

Love the F word. I said duck, though, because I got in trouble last week on Friday for using the F word too many times. My wife chastised me, and I heard from other mothers as well. I'm sorry. I sincerely apologize.

What is unfolding with the Stefan situation is ducked. I am a loud-ass voice. I can say ask there. I'm a loud-ass voice who protects the working class always, because I am forever one paycheck away from not financially surviving, and I chose this life when I committed to my career. We don't make money doing this. We make memories for our guests. We provide nourishment on some of the most important moments of their lives, but sacrifice our own in order to do that. So once again, you, Stefan, Freeman, duck you for taking advantage of your situation and power and disregarding any ounce of respect for your staff all across your restaurant umbrella.

Duck you for ripping off a band-aid of trauma I have been holding my life together with. Duck you for taking the easy way out while everyone else is left trying to survive because you will survive and probably not lose an ounce of sleep because you stole everyone else's dreams to satisfy your own selfishness. I am sick with the sadness that this is bringing into my world when I hoped we had all had learned a lesson a few years ago. And that's all I have to say about that. That's from Laura Foner.

That's news. This is what legacy media should be reporting upon. Print, radio, and television, if you want to be relevant, you cover this story as we are covering it in real time with the voices of men and women of influence, with the perspectives of men and women that have spent, generations grinding and sweating and bleeding and dying within the industry. And you tell the story from the landlord's angle, from the dishwasher's angle, from the chef's angle, from the angle of the

operator, from the vendor's angle. And you try to get the guy that is gutless Stefan Freeman to give you a quote on the record, but you know he won't, but he will most certainly be drinking a 20-plus dollar cocktail at the bar at Marygold sometime this week. So if I was still in my reporting days, when I was at the University of Virginia, I got a job at the Daily Progress as a reporter, as a part-time reporter. They called it a stringer, making $30 a story. I finished my career at the Daily Progress as one of the youngest editors in the history of the newspaper, multiple Virginia Press awards, and parlayed that into syndicated radio six days a week, and two television shows that bared our name. If I was still

in that line of work, I would be camped out at Marygold, drinking a beer at the bar until I saw Stefan Freeman walk in, and I would ask him on the record what was happening. He would probably cuss me out or give me no comment, but that is a story. If the man says no comment or F-U-M-M-F-er, or maybe he just happens to open up that day, that's called reporting. That's reporting. That's what they're supposed to do. They're not doing it. It's to the benefit of the I Love Seville Network.

I'll be straightforward. Now, the next lower third, I've had two sources indicate that the sushi joint is closed. It's a shame. the sushi joint is owned by a husband and wife that speak broken English. The sushi joint's name, Omicasse. Omicasse. The husband and wife make and serve sushi that is the fish that they source that day. It's a fluid menu.

They're like, there's no set menu. This is fish. We need to serve what's fresh that day. We will make something we think you will like. like in a limited seat setting in the back of a distillery and hope you will like it. And goodness gracious, goodness gracious, Judah, goodness gracious, Judah, we liked it. Yeah. We kept those half a dozen to a dozen seats full.

And we saw an immigrant. We saw an entrepreneur. We saw an hardworking husband and wife. pursue one of the most special of dreams possible, and that's the American dream. And we saw them source the fish and caught the fish and prepared the fish and serve it in the most beautiful and special and time-consuming fashion. And we knew that they were making peanuts for money, but they were pursuing. a dream of owning a business in America.

This is the lowest of the low. If this brand in this business falls on the sword of financial malpractice or negligence, if not criminality. A husband and wife on the back end of their time on earth in a pursuit of the American dream fall victim to the collateral damage of greed and self-centeredness, of disregard, of the type of nauseating behavior that you hope to see and read or watch in documentaries on Netflix and never, ever, ever, ever, experience.

on the cobblestone streets of downtown Charlottesville. And that right there is the story that should be reported upon by print, radio, and television if they were doing this community a service. And it's low-hanging fruit. It's so easy to do. This isn't even what we do full-time and we're doing it. that as someone as someone

whose grandparents were Cuban fresh from Cuba migrated from Cuba days before Castro's communist guerrilla warfare overthrow of a once safe and democratic

country as someone whose mother has a two-year associates degree and at the time the most educated in her family family's family, most educated in her lineage and family tree. As someone that watched his grandfather, Poppy, dig ditches, and when his back gave out, cut people's hair as a barber, and watched his grandma, Mima, clean people's homes,

because that's the only job she could get as a Spanish-speaking woman. When in Cuba, the family was upper class and wealthy in homeownership and friends and influence to come to South Florida, Miami, and Naples under the cloak of darkness, instructed my mom, you can only carry what's important to you in this little bag, and we've got to go right now, and we're going to couch surf until we save up some money to get a rental, one-bedroom apartment of our own, and you're going to be put in the third grade without being able to speak any English, and you're going to get ridiculed mercilessly by third.

third graders because they know you can't understand what they're saying, but still as a third grader, as a nine-year-old, little girl, you know they're making fun of you. You may not know the words exactly, but you know they're making fun of you. As someone who is, what, a generation removed from what my mom had to go through leaving Cuba as a nine-year-old with a knapsack on her shoulder under the cloak of darkness on a barge to watch her parents go from affluence to ditch digging and barbershopping and hotel maid cleating to hear a story of a husband and wife that are trying to build something special with their own bare hands pursuing the best fish and freshest fish possible in the back of a vitae, a back of a distillery to be treated like

that, that's the lowest of the low. Yeah. The lowest of the low. That's the lowest of the low. the lowest of the low. And he should be heckled at Mary Gold when he's drinking his $24 cocktail. Do that.

People that go there. Google his photo. Daily Progress did a story on him. Highlight partner Stanley Martin Holmes. Stanley Martin Holmes is dedicated to building homes that cater to each person's unique needs and lifestyles. Stanley Martin Holmes is a trusted partner in this home building and development experience. High quality, single-family homes,

townhomes, condominiums, design and constructed with innovative techniques that ensure exceptional efficiency and aesthetic appeal. Stanley Martin Holmes, trusted. I want to finish the program with the three most important minutes of news for you, the viewer, and listener today. Let us know when we're ready to rock and roll on that. We're good to go. My name is Jerry Miller, and it's Tuesday, February 10th, and these are the three most important minutes of news for. you in Charlottesville, Almarl County, and across the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Charlottesville Education Association, aka the teacher union, brokered a.mitted a.

last-minute deal yesterday with the Charlottesville School Board and the Charlottesville superintendent's office. This last-minute brokered deal secures a 10.5% raise for three consecutive of years for support staff within the Charlottesville Public School system. I give props and praise to all parties involved for them to see the force through the trees that support staff and teachers are underpaid and they deserve more money. They deserve all the money and accolades, teachers and support staff possible because they are heroes. The significance of this story, however, is the brokered, and fractured relationship between the school board, the superintendent's office, and the teacher union.

This past Friday, the superintendent and the school board threw the teacher union under the bus and said it was their leadership negligence that cost the support staff this race. The teacher said, teacher union said, what are you talking about? And they saved the deal, but the trust, I assure you, has been eroded. and is diminished. I want to highlight on a different story, the Charlottesville High School protest that transpired during the school day yesterday.

Hundreds of Charlottesville high school students left school early, and they started walking downtown. They were holding posters in some cases, and they were protesting, activating against ice. immigration, customs, and enforcement. And I'm all for teenagers pursuing passions and their right to protest and free speech. However, what I'm not in favor of is danger and negligence in

adults encouraging students to skip school or be truant. We're told principals at Charlottesville High School and within the Charlottesville Public School system, told the kids it was okay to skip school and be truant. Goodness gracious, Tom Perry Yellow was giving props to the students and was seen mingling with the teenagers for a photo opportunity. I very much caution the adults that are involved in this story because when you open the Pandora's box of skipping school and truancy, that's a Pandora's box that can gain momentum very quickly. on the I Love Seville show on Tuesday, February 10th, we read a statement from entrepreneur Travis Wilburn

as it applies to Old Metropolitan Hall, a business and brand that he sold to fallen restaurateur, Stefan Freeman. Travis Wilburn, in an exclusive with the I Love Seville Network, explains to us that he has taken over ownership for now of Old Metropolitan Hall and will run the business, including all the bookings that are on the calendar. That leads me to believe that Stefan Freeman potentially took deposit money for events that were on the calendar at Old Metropolitan Hall and then close the business. If that's the case, it would seem there is potentially, allegedly, some criminality here.

I also encourage you on this topic to read the statement that Laura Foner issued on her Facebook page. I thought it was a statement that was one from the heart that really showcased the pain involved with everything with this collapsing house of cards. Laura Foner took it where the sun don't shine by Hunter Smith with her restaurant Siren. As Smith did, many of the same tactics Stefan Freeman has done today. And lastly, on this topic, I am quite concerned that is it omacasi? Omicasse obscure. Omicasse obscure, the sushi joint in the back of Fite spirits,

run by a husband and wife who are pursuing the American dream may be caught up in the collateral damage that is Stefan Freeman. I'm Jerry Miller, and it's Tuesday, February 10th, and those are the three, call it five most important, minutes of news for you today.