Mayor Blake Caravati has announced that he is not going to run for Senate in the upcoming 25th district elections. That leaves Meredith Richards as the only City Councilor that intends to run for the seat. Interestingly, Caravati intends to lend his support to Nancy O’Brien (who was Charlottesville’s first female mayor, back in 1976) rather than Richards. WVIR reported on this during their 11 o’clock broadcast.
Archive for November, 2001
writes: Bad news folks…’Comdial Corp., once one of Albemarle County’s largest employers, announced Friday it is contracting out its remaining local work and laying off a total of 200 people.’
The story is in today’s Progress. Bummer.
In a long-awaited vote, City Council has approved the much-debated living wage. The $8/hour minimum wage applies only to businesses contracting with the City. Tim Hulbert of the Chamber of Commerce continues his opposition, even suggesting in an interview with WVIR this evening that it may not be within the City’s power to enact this new law. Also, Council voted in a small raise for themselves, though it doesn’t take effect until the next term.
Will writes: It’s that time of year when we all get to exercise our right to vote! Elections for governor, leutenant governor, attorney general, and a smorgasbord of other positions are underway right now, so mosey on over to your local voting center and cast your votes.
I just know I’m going to get into that booth and be faced with elections that I’ve never even heard of. It happens every year.
Democrat Mark Warner has won the governor’s race, Republican Jerry Kilgore has won the race for attorney general, Republican Rob Bell got the 58th district seat in the House, and Democrat Timothy Kaine was elected to lieutenant governor. Bell and Kilgore’s victories were particularly spectacular, each getting 60% of the vote. WVIR has detailed results.
Janis Jaquith, regular essayist for the Daily Progress and NPR’s Marketplace (and my mother), has contributed a brief essay on Channel 29 and their habit of personally thanking their “Washington correspondent.” Writes Janis, “Oh, right. Like Jim Hanchett will be at the WVIR Christmas party. I don’t think so.” Read on for her essay.
It’s so embarrassing to watch Channel 29 news these days. Whenever it’s time for the Washington report from Jim Hanchett (obviously some kind of franchise deal - Jim Hanchett is “our man in Washington” for tons of NBC affiliates) you know that the Charlottesville anchor is going to pretend to be in direct contact with ol’ Jim, and say, “Thanks, Jim.”
Oh, right. Like Jim Hanchett will be at the WVIR Christmas party. I don’t think so.
How stupid does WVIR think we are? This kind of thing has been going on for years with a variety of “McReporters”. The reason I can remember Jim Hanchett’s name is that he’s been doing this for several months now.
Whenever I’m watching the Channel 29 news and see Jim Hanchett come on the screen, I start muttering, “Don’t do it Stacey - don’t thank him! It makes you look ridiculous!”
And then I cringe as Jim Hanchett says, “Back to you” and I squeeze my eyes shut as Stacey Horst says, “Thanks, Jim.”
I don’t object to WVIR using other news sources - it’s pretending that the reporter is part of the local news staff that I find insulting.
It makes the whole operation look so rinky-dink…and deceptive. And who wants their news to come from a deceptive source? Think about it.
UVa’s Medical Center is paying the federal government $3M as a result of a Department of Justice probe of their billing practices. Turns out that throughout the last decade they’ve misbilled the government for outpatient clinic costs, though not necessarily intentionally. WINA has the story.
Last night, about 150 people (by my count) showed up at Buford Middle School for the candidate’s forum of the four hopefuls vying for the 25th District seat, to fill out Emily Couric’s term. Candidates Creigh Deeds, Nancy O’Brien, Meredith Richards and Al Weeds answered a series of questions from the moderator and from the audience during the two-hour event. As always, a tremendous amount of information on the candidates can be found on George Loper’s website. The Democrats’ nominating convention is Saturday at 11am tomorrow at the County Office Building. Given that it’s highly like that a Democrat will win the election, this convention is when our next senator will be selected. If you want to have a say in this process (and you’re a Democrat), be certain to show up. Though the elections aren’t held until December 18th, the winner will be chosen tomorrow.
Will writes: Creigh Deeds swept the Democrat nomination, with over 50% of the votes on the first ballot, thus making a second ballot unnecessary which came as a suprise. Runner up was Nancy O’Brien, followed by Meredith Richards and Al Weed.
It was an interesting event. Very…um…white. I guess this ends the problem of what City Council would do if one of their own got elected.
Charlottesville has created a quarter-million-dollar scholarship fund for Charlottesvillians that can’t afford higher education. The program, which Council approved in August, requires matching funding from the private sector, which is being headed up by a steering committee. Jake Mooney has the story in today’s Progress.
From 7-9 this evening in City Council chambers at City Hall, there will be an informational meeting about moving Council elections from May to November. It is recommended that all interested parties attend.
Residents of the Westhaven public housing project are fighting to keep several of their sycamore trees. City residents including City Councilor Maurice Cox and housing authority board member Joy Johnson have been working through channels both political and practical to prevent the trees from being cut down. The city wants to remove them because they’re destroying nearby sidewalks; Westhaven residents admire the large trees, and don’t want them to go. The story is in today’s Progress.
Jefferson Area Drug Enforcement (JADE) task force officers have arrested seventeen people in “Operation: Fall Round-Up,” an undercover operation intended to snare low-level crack and marijuana dealers. Said C’ville Lt. Robert Frazier, they got people that weren’t big dealers, but that sell drugs to maintain their habit. The Cav Daily has the story.
The video for Dave Matthews Band’s new single, “Everyday,” hits the airwaves today. It was filmed just three weeks ago, right here in C’ville on the Downtown Mall. You can give it a watch on DMB’s website. Is it just me, or is it really weird to see the Mall in a video and those shots of NYC interspersed with shots of C’ville?
Charlottesville resident Robert Shiflett has donated a 22-foot Norway spruce to serve as the city’s Christmas tree this year. This may be the start of a new tradition: after last year’s $22,000 fake tree was destoyed by vandals, a county couple donated a replacement. After the heat that the city took for the cost of the 2000 Christmas tree, getting somebody to donate the tree every year would like prove to be an excellent public image move. Jake Mooney has the story in today’s Progress.
The airport wants us to know that they’re running a secure facility, presumably to reassure us that they’d never let terrorists through their metal detectors or hire anybody with evil intentions. Rey Barry noticed that, but found that the image just doesn’t fit with the reality. Keep reading for Rey’s letter on the topic, which originally appeared on George Loper’s website.
Have you been seeing the TV ads for the Charl-Alb Airport stressing stressing stressing “security?” The Help Wanted ads in the Daily Progress are a bit more instructive than those TV ads. The ad below appeared Wednesday the 14th:
“Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport - Full time Airport Community Service Officer. Fulltime, assigned to 1 of 3 shifts: 6 am-2 pm, 2 pm-10 pm, 10 pm-6 am with two permanent days off. Starting pay range $8.50/hour.
“Performs routine security patrols of airport to protect property & equipment from unauthorized use or theft. Controls movement of personnel and vehicles within the facility & enforces security access control system to identify and control all employees, visitors, & vehicles.
“Counts overnight vehicles in the parking lots & prepares shift checklists. Assists Public Safety Officers with airport operations. May assist with snow removal.
“Requirements include good powers of memory & observation, ability to operate motor vehicles, good physical condition & ability to act calmly & quickly in emergencies & other critical situations,
“High school education or GED preferred. Successful applicant must supply copy of driving record prior to hire.”
That is our vaunted airport security. $8.50 an hour entry-level employees. It matters not at all if the head of the security department is an over-qualified James Bond at $150,000 a year, backed up by $3 million in state-of-the-art hardware. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link and our airport chain of security relies on unskilled, untrained, entry-level help. So do all other US airports. Ads like that appear all over the country.
Wednesday morning the vile Sen. Phil Gramm was on CNBC defending this as entirely adequate for the nation’s airport security. He raised hell about people wanting the government to take over security functions at airports. He sank to a level of rabble ignorance seldom heard beyond Rush Limbaugh, calling federalizing airport security a Democrat plot to create big government.
Nice to be reminded who the enemies are.
Dave Matthews Band has donated $114,576 to Madison House, UVa’s volunteerism clearinghouse. That sum is a percentage of the proceeds from their sold-out show at Scott Stadium in April. That $114k represents a significant chunk of Madison House’s $200k annual operating budget. They’re normally funded 30/70 by private donors and UVa. This money will be invested to ensure Madison House’s long-term financial security. The Cavalier Daily has the story.
George Loper has assembled an extremely informative piece on his site, “HB718, HB2309 and the Decriminalizaation of Sodomy.” He provides an overview of recent efforts in the Virginia General Assembly to overhaul our “Crimes Against Nature” statute, and what the upcoming 25th District election has to do with it. Without being too presumptious, I’ll say that it seems likely that this law affects you, so you may want to give this a read.
City Council has refused to endorse any changes to the Council election dates. They are currently held in May on even-numbered years, but many people believe that November would be a more logical time to hold the elections to ensure greater turn-out, consolidating efforts, lowering costs, and more. Richmond and Virginia Beach are making the change to November to match the schedule that is used by most of the state. Some Democrats believe that holding a special election results a better-informed electorate; Republicans point out that holding a special election helps Democrats maintain their long-standing hold on all five Council seats. WINA has the story.
Two CHS students called in a bomb threat to their school last week. At 2:20 in the afternoon, two students — a male and a female, both 14 — called from a cell phone, resulting in a search of the school that, of course, revealed no bomb. In addition to school punishment, charges have been filed. WINA has the story.
For the first time in something like 40 days, it’s raining. Though the 1/3″ of an inch that’s fallen thus far isn’t sufficient to affect the forest fires in the western part of the county, raise our shockingly-low reservoirs, or even do much more than dampen the dry soil, it’s certainly a start. The drizzle made for a rather depressing shopping day, and business on this biggest of shopping weekends was slow on the Downtown Mall as a result. The rain is forecast to last through tomorrow, and perhaps pick up again on Wednesday or Thursday.
The public housing authority has decided not to cut down four sycamores at Westhaven, today’s Progress reports. Residents of the public housing project were fighting to keep the trees for asthetic reasons, but the city believed that their cracking of the sidewalk presented a hazard. As housing authority board member and Westhaven resident Joy Johnson points out, this has been a good lesson for Westhaven residents. “I think it shows them that if there’s something that they really believe in and they stand up for it, then they can make a difference.”
The Water Street parking garage expansion is now open, and just in time for holiday shopping. The add-on to the existing garage creates another 300-odd much-needed parking spaces. The city’s parking study concludes that we have a 4,416 space deficit, but, hey, we’ve got to start somewhere. NBC 29 had the story on their 11pm broadcast.
Area power plant lawsuit #3 has been rejected by the courts: a judge has upheld the Louisa Supervisors‘ decision to allow Old Dominion Electric Cooperative to build a natural gas power plant near Gordonsville. WINA has the story.
Circuit Court Judge Paul Peatross has ruled that the Virginia Department of Agriculture’s 1999 attempt to search Christine Solem & John Coles’ small farming business without a warrant was unconstitutional. Solem and Cole run Satyrfield Farms, just north of town, manufacturing goat cheese that they sell from their home and at the Charlottesville farmer’s market. WINA has the story.
Nelson resident James Holden has been indicted by a grand jury for fraud. Last year, his eight year old daughter was lost in the woods for several days before searchers found her body. He held a raffle to raise money in memory of his daughter, cancelled the raffle, and kept the money. WINA has the story. 11/28/01, 3:20pm Update: Turns out that he was the girl’s grandfather, not father. The Progress has a detailed story today.
Four former UVa students have been fined $500,000 in total for their 1997 attack on fellow student Alexander Kory. Richard W. Smith (son of FedEx Chairman Fredrick Smith) was ordered to pay $200,000 in punitive damanges, and Harrison Tigrett (brother of the founder of the Hard Rock Cafe), Bradley Kintz and Wesley McCluney were each ordered to pay $60,000 in punitive damanges. The four men attacked and beat the victim four years ago this week, laughing as they kicked and hit him, breaking his jaw in the process. The attack and the subsequent legal wrangling was a major issue among UVa students that year; it was widely believed that the school was going easy on the attackers due to their family’s wealth. Adrienne Schwisow has the full story in today’s Progress.
Last night, Charlottesville’s Democrats for Change held their first meeting in almost two years, hoping to redefine who they are, what their agenda is, and establish new goals. About 50 people attended, including a lot of new faces. George Loper, of course, has the skinny on his website.
Greene County Sheriff Willie Morris, who declared in October that he’s no longer willing to write tickets to motorists lacking a county sticker, has won his day in court. The Greene County Board of Supervisors took him to court to try and force him to write the tickets, but a judge has ruled that Sheriff Morris is right: he does not have an obligation to serve as a tax collector for the county. WINA has a brief story.
cvillenews.com reader Diane tells us something interesting: “I just got a taped call from the cville police saying an armed prisoner is
loose in ‘my’ area. It seemed to be real but I’m not finding any breaking news on any websites.” If anybody knows anything more, please post about it. 1:24pm Update: WINA reports that he escaped from Nelson sheriff’s deputies this morning, is 5′10″, with dark blonde hair, blue eyes, tatoos on his neck and arms, and is known to be dangerous, having taken hostages before.
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