Sandy Hausman

On January first, the Dean of UVA’s graduate school of business will be sworn in as the 10th president of the university, but some say Scott Beardsley's tenure will not last long.

One hundred 95 years ago today, Mary Ann Macham was living her first day as a free woman. Born on a plantation in Virginia, sold for $450 when she was 12, Macham endured 17 years of abuse before prying open a window, hiding on a farm and in woods near the coast and stowing away on a British ship. Now, thanks to the BBC and historians here in Virginia, we’re learning more about her life as Sandy Hausman reports.

The University of Virginia was chartered more than 200 years ago. Today it’s home to many historic collections – 13 million manuscripts, 325,000 rare books, 5,000 maps and 250,000 photographs. But few people know about one of the school’s most colorful collections.

This is the busiest week for America’s postal service, but officials say they’re ready thanks to about 600 high-tech package sorters installed over the last five years.

A kind-hearted couple recently spotted a kitten lying by a road. On closer inspection, they wondered if this might be something other than a house cat. A phone call and a photo later, it was confirmed. They had found a baby bobcat.

Despite calls for a pause in the drive to hire a new president, members of the UVA Board of Visitors have hired the Dean of the school’s graduate school of business to lead the university for the next five years.

Scott Beardsley has been the dean of UVA’s Darden School of Business since 2015. He will assume the president's duties on January 1st.

In spite of the horrific attack on a Hanukkah party in Australia, dozens of people turned out for a celebration in Charlottesville Wednesday night.

In September there were more than 58,000 people in U.S. immigration detention centers, up by more than 20,000 from the same time last year. About 90% of those facilities are run by private, for-profit companies. They’re not subject to state requirements or inspections.Sandy Hausman spoke with one person held at the facility in Farmville, in Central Virginia.

Last month, a 40-year-old corrections officer at the River North Correctional Center was killed, allegedly by an inmate. The union representing corrections officers blamed understaffing at the prison. Weeks earlier, Sandy Hausman spoke with a person incarcerated there. His concerns also shed light on policies and tensions at River North.