The 53 free yellow bicycles are getting tough to find, reports Jake Mooney in today’s Daily Progress. The free-useage bicycles, which were released to the public just 10 days ago, are difficult to find along the West Main Street corridor. It’s unclear whether this indicates the theft of the bicycles, that they’ve been left at places other than the bus stops, or that they’re simply in use. Says Stephen Bach, who runs the program, “we aren’t making any promises here. These are bikes that are going to be available by chance.”
Archive for April, 2002
writes: Charlottesville’s City Council on Monday moved one step closer to approving a spending plan that now includes $1.5 million over the next three years for repairs to the Jefferson School, with half of that allocation planned for the coming fiscal year. This story, and other City budget news, are in Jake Mooney’s article in today’s Daily Progress.
writes: Rob Schilling, the sole Republican running for City Council, criticized City councilors yesterday for sending a “confusing signal” to city residents by not going far enough to condemn a series of attacks on local college students as inexcusable violence. This story, and Schilling’s comments on related justice and police matters, are to be found in today’s Daily Progress article by Reed Williams and a WINA news story.
writes: Dave Matthews teams up with Vermont Ice Cream Company Ben and Jerry’s in a campaign against Global Warming. Check out 16 Comments
In yesterday’s Richmond Times-Dispatch, writer A. Barton Hinkle has an editorial entitled “Town vs. Gown: In Charlottesville, Respect for Principle Takes a Beating.” Hinkle says that “reaction to the attacks and the revelations about the stated motive epitomize a soft-headed, morally muddled double standard,” going on to say that “if Virginia’s hate-crime statute would be invoked in whites-on-blacks assaults, then shrinking from invoking it - shrinking from even raising the question - in blacks-on-whites assaults amounts to a rejection of equal treatment.” The piece is the strongest criticism to date of the city’s handling of the recent attacks.
writes: This isn’t exactly news, but I’ve stumbled upon an excellent site for tracking the finances of our national elected officials. Here is a link for the finances of our 22902 politicians. Looks like Virgil Goode’s top contributing industry is none other than ‘automobile’.
Come May’s Charlottesville City Council election, we’ll be testing out a new voting technology. The election will be a test case for the use of Hart InterCivic’s eSlate Electronic Voting System. It’s sort of like an overgrown Palm Pilot, only a little more unusual looking. The highly-portaable devices are entirely ADA-compliant, store and tabulate votes electronically, and are extremely simple to use. They’re available for test use at the Registrar’s Office in the City Hall Annex. The story is from Jake Mooney’s piece in today’s Progress.
Two developers are planning a 14-neighborhood, 1,400-unit housing complex just south of town in Albemarle. Developers Percy Montague IV and Gaylon Beights will submit an application for the development in May. It’s described as a Columbia- or Reston-styled planned community, with a “village center,” man-made lake, and a shopping area. Kate Andrews has the story in today’s Progress.
Fifty protesters gathered at the Rotunda at UVa on Saturday to demand that the University pay subcontracted workers a living wage of $8.65/hour. To accomplish this, UVa would have to require of all contractors (such as Aramark, Morrisons and ServiceMaster) that they increase the pay of their employees at UVa. In Sunday’s Progress, UVa Board of Visitors member Terence Ross said that the living wage would be on the agenda for the next BOV meeting, but the Board Secretary says that isn’t true. Josh Goodman has the story in today’s Cavalier Daily.
79-year-old Harold Tuel was killed Friday afternoon at his home in Leon, at Prince Michel Vineyards, where he was employed as the security chief. Madison County police suspect foul play, and have confirmed that there is a suspect in the case. No information is available about how he was killed, though more information on the case should be released this afternoon. Peter Savodnik has the story in today’s Progress. 04/09/02 Update: Police have charged Billy Dean Martin, 40, with capital murder and issued a warrant for his arrest. Keri Schwab has the story in today’s Progress.
Albemarle County Police Detective K.W. Robinson is back at his old job. Robinson was accused of beating detainee Corey Faison in August, an allegation that was shored up by the release of a video of the entire incident. Robinson was formally charged in December, and suspended from the force simultaneously. In January he was sent back to work, though in a limited capacity pending the outcome of the trial. In spite of that, Chief Miller has placed Robinson back on active duty. There is no policy in place that requires that Robinson’s duties be limited until the outcome of the trial. Detective Robinson has a history of misconduct: he was fired ten years ago by Chief Miller for kicking a man in the face while arresting him, though his job was reinstated by an appeals board. WVIR had the story on their 11pm broadcast last night.
Belle writes: WINA is reporting that felony assault charges against one of the CHS-UVa attackers have been deferred for a year while the Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court takes her behavior under advisement. The judge ordered the teenager to talk with her victims about the assault’s impact on them. This represents an attempt at restorative justice.
Belle writes:
Six CHS students — five black and one white — pleaded guilty yesterday to charges stemming from a series of assaults on UVa students. David Dadurka has a story in today’s Daily Progress, and Michael Loatman has a story in today’s Cavalier Daily.
Sentencing will take place in May.
Belle writes: WINA is reporting that a federal grand jury in Charlottesville has indicted a Maryland man for the murder of two hikers in Shenandoah Natioanal Park. 34 year old Darrell Rice is charged in deaths of Julianne Williams and Lollie Winans who were murdered in May, 1996. The charges against Rice are classified as hate crimes. The investigation has been of particular interest to gay-rights groups.
This case was also of particular interest to those of us hiking the Appalachian Trail in 1996.
At a Tuesday auction, developers Lee Danielson and Colin Rolph split up the properties once owned by their company, D&R Development. Danielson purchased the vacant block in the middle of the Mall, the former Central Fidelity Bank building and their ice park in Fredericksburg. Rolph bought the Charlottesville Ice Park, the Regal Cinema and the Exchange Center. Says Danielson, “Downtown Charlottesville has so much promise, and I’m pleased to be a part of its future.” Jake Mooney has the story in today’s Progress.
The Orange County Board of Supervisors have approved a permit requested by General Shale Brick to strip mine 89 acres in Barboursville. The 3-1 vote came despite a tremendous outcry from concerned citizens, who intend to file a lawsuit against the county for their decision. The proposed site for the shale mine is within 1,000 feet of 30 homes, in the Madison-Barbour Historic District. The Friends of Barboursville, an organization created to oppose the mining operation, has an excellent website with lots of details. Keri Schwab has the story in today’s Progress.
fdr writes: No more recycling of glass or plastic in Albemarle County? A $1 charge for every trip to the McIntire Road Recycling Center? If the Rivanna Solid Waste Authority’s proposed FY 2003 changes are approved, it could all come true very soon. Download this press release from RSWA for more information. A public hearing on the proposal will take place at the RSWA’s next board meeting on April 22. You can also e-mail comments to the Board in advance of the meeting at info@rivanna.org.
bim tells us that City Council moved toward tighter parking regulations around UVa at their meeting last night, looking to pass a law that would leave parking regulations up the residents of each street and extend the restricted hours to 12am-7pm. Council also approved the $88.8M budget for the 2002-2003 fiscal year and raised the cost of trash stickers by 25%, to $1 per 32-gallon container. Jake Mooney has the story in today’s Progress.
Last night, the Board of Architectural Review voted to allow the partial demolition Holsinger warehouse on West Main, the erection of a 3.5′ fence around the planned carousel in front of the Virginia Discovery Museum, the demolition of the former Merchants Tire and Peyton Pontiac buildings next to the bridge, and the demolition of the old Strawberry’s building next to the Paramount theater. Jake Mooney has the story in today’s Progress.
Belle writes: A Monticello Association committee has issued a report recommending that the descendants ofSally Hemings NOT be allowed full membership in the association. The vote to accept or reject the recommendation will take place May 4 at the association’s annual meeting at Monticello. Carlos Santos has the story is today’s Times-Dispatch.
toby writes: This Monday, April 22nd, at 7:00 p.m. there will be a city council candidate forum on issues relating to the environment. The forum will follow a question and answer format, with a majority of the time set aside for questions from the public. The event takes place in Clark Hall, Room 147. Clark Hall is on McCormick Road on the UVa Grounds. If you have any questions, please contact Toby Reiter at 295-2050 or by email at toby@breezing.com.
Formerly development partners Lee Danielson and Colin Rolph are continuing their public feuding: this time it’s Lee Danielson suing Colin Rolph. Danielson is accusing Rolph of mismanaging assets, particularly the Charlottesville Ice Park, and is demanding $4.6M to make up for it. Jake Mooney has the story in today’s Progress.
Cecil writes: This is not news, but rather a question: what is _up_ with some of the graffiti appearing just north of town? Read on for the terrifying details…
I’ve seen graffiti-style references to Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan (I am not making this up) in the following places: on a parked trailer near the intersection of Greenbrier and East Rio and on the side of that small strip mall just north of Kmart on 29 (the mall with the Mailboxes etc. in it).
I have also seen spray-painted renditions of Charles Bronson’s face (I am not making this up) on the backs of street signs that can be seen as you drive southbound past Albemarle High School.
I have to think that these phenomena are related. Please, for the love of God, can anyone enlighten?
miss_tori writes: On WNRN’s Sunday Morning WakeUp Call, host Rick Moore will talk with Council candidates. It’s a call in show, so feel free to chime in. 979-0919 or 877-967-6762. Sunday (4/21) at 11 a.m. on 91.9 in town, 88.1 in Staunton/Waynesboro, 89.9 in Sweetbriar/Amherst area or streaming in Windows Media Format on the web.
writes: Charlottesville is featured in this month’s issue of InStyle Magazine, whose circulation nationally is 1.6 million. They focus on such local favorite hangouts as the Blue Light Grill, Spudnuts, the Mudhouse, and Fridays After Five. UVA, Monticello, and downtown mall shops are also highlighted. Of course, InStyle couldn’t have gotten away without mentioning the DMB. The feature starts on page 417 in the May 2002 issue with actress Sela Ward on the cover…
See the three blurry shadowy people in the photo of Fleurie? One of those is me. :)
Colin writes: The Virginia Piedmont Technology Council has published its Virtual Candidate’s Forum for the upcoming Charlottesville city council election. Unfortunately, despite a two week allotment for response and a weeks extension, only two candidates provided responses. Any responses that are received past this publication will be posted as an addendum. The document and any addendums can be found here: http://leg.vptc.org/article.php?sid=69
Democratic Mayor Blake Caravati and Republican Rob Schilling were the two who replied.
Anonymous writes: I had been a great admirer of WINA news. However, I’m curious about the support that WINA has for their afternoon programming. Clark Howard is interesting and educational. But the rest of the afternoon programming is really one long hateful outpour (I’m thinking particularly of Neal Boortz). I keep accidentally having to hear him when all I want is the weather. So what’s up with the afternoon programming? I’m told that this is what people want. How do they know this? The station manager says it’s ratings and that’s why advertisers sign on. But do they listen to this stuff and how hateful it is? Is there any way to talk to advertisers and say that contrary to rating books, the programming stinks and makes me want to send a note to the advertisers?
The Rivanna Solid Waste Authority told an overflow crowd at yesterday’s public hearing that they would not be making the proposed cutabacks, including as a $1/visit fee, elimination of some currently-accepted recyclables, and a cutback in hours. However, RSWA still needs to meet their budget for FY2003, which begins July 1st. Another hearing will be scheduled before then to propose another solution to the financial problems that doesn’t involve these sorts of cutbacks. Jake Mooney has the story in today’s Progress.
The conservative Center for Equal Opportunity, a Virginia group opposed to affirmative action, has released a report concluding that UVa’s law school is the most discriminatory school in the country, preferring blacks applicants over whites at a rate of 730:1 in 1999. “At UVA, with an LSAT score of 160 and a GPA of 3.25, a black in-state male applicant in 1998 would have had a 96 percent chance of admission, versus only a 3 percent chance for identical Hispanic and white applicants, and a 7 percent chance for an identical Asian applicant.” Says the dean of UVa’s law school, “You can always find a statistic to make a point, and that’s what they’ve done.” The full study is available as a PDF. Eric Swensen has the story in today’s Progress.
Belle writes:
Previously unheard voices of dissent within the City’s black community are now speaking out about how private groups and public officials have conducted themselves in the wake of the attacks by CHS students. Lisa Provence has the story in The Hook. Note: Provence’s last, related story, concerning media coverage of the attacks, created at lot of discussion at cvillenews.com.
Tonight is the first Fridays After 5 of the season, featuring latin band Majahkamo. The free weekly concerts (for those of you that are new in these parts) are held in the amphitheater at the end of the Downtown Mall, running from around 5:30pm until around 8:00pm. The line up for the season, which runs until October, includes dozens of artists such as Terri Allard, Crenshaw, Sweetwater, The Corvairs, HavanaSon, Wanda and the White Boys and plenty more. 3:32pm Update: Sorry, Majahkamo is rock and funk. Not Latin.
City Councilor Meredith Richards is considering running against newly-Republican 5th District Rep. Virgil Goode, of Rocky Mount. Goode, who has served three terms in Congress, is widely seen as virtually unbeatable, but Democrats are going to select a nominee on May 18th, and Richards might just be it. Bob Gibson has the story in today’s Progress.
As expected, City Councilor Meredith Richards has thrown her hat into the ring for the 5th District race. She filed the paperwork yesterday to seek the Democratic nomination. Her opponent for the nomination is George D. Shropshire III, a Campbell County truck driver and Teamster. The winner of that nominating convention will be pitted against newly-Republican incumbent Virgil Goode, of Rocky Mount. Bob Gibson has the story in today’s Progress.
writes: Being new to Charlottesville, I attended my first parade here Saturday. I was impressed by the floats and many other sights, but was extremely bothered by the vendors patrolling up and down the streets with overloaded (and probably stolen!) shopping carts. Is this a common practice for the City to allow these vendors to “interfere” with citizens being able to enjoy a parade without dangling flashy “toys” in front of childrens faces to get them all wound up to have us produce the almighty dollar? This is a poor practice that I certainly hope City management will take into consideration for the next parade. Is the money the City gets for the temporary vendor permits really worth pissing off the citizens that are already agitated by not being able to find a place to park? Advice, comments, please!
Police arrested 52 people at Foxfield this Saturday, WINA reports: “Roughly half of the arrests involved drinking or being drunk in public, or underage possession of alcohol. The related offenses included disorderly conduct, littering, and obstruction of justice. Eight people were charged with indecent exposure, and four were picked up for marijuana possession. Authorities also issued 22 traffic citations outside the Foxfield property.” Last year’s races were described by County Supervisor Charlotte Humphis as “a disaster”, which caused the president of the Foxfield Racing Association to accuse the Board of Supervisors of plotting to end the twice-annual horse races. By late August, Foxfield agreed to some new restrictions, and increased law enforcement was planned for this time around, which appears to have been effective.
The Millmont Center mental health facility has been charged with 91 human rights and licensing violations. Writes Claudia Pinto in today’s Daily Progress, “the facility failed to prevent residents from engaging in sexual relations, that a male staffer engaged in oral sex with a 15-year-old resident, and that a month after the center opened a full 50 percent of its staff was made up of untrained workers hired from a temporary-employment agency.” Said the director of state licensing services, “they’ve had more violations than we have ever seen.” The sanctions against Millmont require that they improve staffing and patient monitoring, at risk of being fined or losing their license.
Belle writes: This week’s Chronicle of Higher Ed. has a cover story about strains on UVa’s honor code. The Chronicle’s response section (or “colloquy”) for this article even boasts a contribution from Terry Holland.
Belle writes: DNA sampling taken from Darrell David Rice [shown here in a photo from The Hook], the man charged in the 1996 slayings of two women in Shenandoah National Park, does not match evidence in the unsolved slayings of three Spotsylvania County girls. Kiran Krishnamurthy has the story in today’s Times-Dispatch.
Fifty UVa graduate students have formed a union, and will align with the national Communication Workers of America. UVa has 3,300 graduate students, many of whom work as graduate instructors and teaching assistants. Says a student union member, graduate students “teach the classes, grade the exams, grade the papers [and] advise the students.” Eric Swensen has the story in today’s Progress.
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