Portico Publications is shutting down Metro Spirit, their Augusta, GA alt weekly. Portico, the local business that publishes C-Ville Weekly, bought Metro Spirit six years ago, a year after they bought the Free Times, a Columbia, SC weekly. (The Free Times appears to be alive and well, still owned by Portico.) They’re also folding Metro Parent, a monthly parenting publication that they bought along with the Spirit. That leaves Portico with just the Free Times and C-Ville Weekly. This news comes within hours of word of the resignation of C-Ville Weekly editor Cathy Harding.
News and meta-news about Charlottesville, VA, since 2001.
Sideblog
Police announced this afternoon that their investigation into what was initially believed to be a fatal fire on Rugby Avenue is now a homicide investigation. #
The Virginia Supreme Court has denied George Huguely’s appeal. His second-degree murder conviction will stand, WRIC reports. #
In a carefully worded story, and not citing specific sources, WTVR reports that forensic evidence belonging to Jesse Matthew Jr., the main suspect in the disappearance of Hannah Graham, matches forensic evidence collected during the investigation of Morgan Harrington’s 2009 murder. #
In the wake of Hannah Graham’s disappearance, and the evidence that came from private security footage, city officials are revisiting the question of installing security cameras on the downtown mall. #
Both Charlottesville Registrar Sheri Iachetta and former Electoral Board member Stephanie Commander have turned themselves in to the police on
foursix and four felony counts of embezzlement, respectively. #Ten years ago, the National Institutes of Health budget doubled and schools like the University of Virginia built massive new research facilities. A decade later, those buildings remain largely underutilized. NPR visits UVA in this story on the effect of federal binge and spurge spending in the sciences. #
In 2012, Council approved a new student housing complex on West Main—now some council members are questioning whether what they were shown matches what was built. #
The Architectural Review Board has approved a bike-themed mural on West Market, below the McGuffey Art Center, although at least one member expressed concerns that it might look like the bicyclists were riding away from Charlottesville’s downtown. #
City Police Chief Tim Longo is meeting with city leaders to work on protocols regarding the use of military surplus police weapons in Charlottesville. #
A 100-year-old Colonnades resident received military honors for her service in the WWII Women’s Army Corps #
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Maybe Hawes will wind up being the last man standing.
Two too few.
Both papers seem to be struggling big-time. The C-VILLE rarely clocks in at over 50 pages now. Used to be 100 . I imagine a lot of advertisers are just running ads in 1 paper now as opposed to both (or not running them at all).
I’m not sure it is true that the C-Ville ever regularly clocked in at 100 pages.
A certain amount of their advertising revenue now comes from advertising on the website. Thinness of the papers doesn’t necessarily mean thinness of advertising dollars.