In 2000, the Daily Progress endorsed George Bush for president. Four years later, Bush has failed to live up to a single one of the promises on which they based their endorsement. Yet the Progress endorsed him again yesterday, in their biggest stretch of an endorsement since their endorsement of Ann Reineke and Kenneth Jackson for Council earlier this year. Why did they do this? And what does it say for the Progress’ editorial staff and our ability, as readers, to divine meaning or guidance from their positions on matters local and national?
Continue reading ‘Progress Endorses Bush: Why?’
Archive for November, 2004
President George Bush has eked out a 51/48 victory over Senator John Kerry nationally, while Rep. Virgil Goode trounced challenger Al Weed, of Nelson County, in Virginia’s 5th District. Locally, however, the results weren’t always so strong. In Albemarle, Kerry beat Bush with 50.5% of the vote, and predictably dominated in Charlottesville with 71.66% (not including the to-be-counted absentee ballots). Weed didn’t fare so well. In Albemarle, he lost to Goode with 49.7%, and while the Charlottesville results aren’t yet being reported to the State Board of Elections, oddly, but Bob Gibson reports that he won the city by 5,638 votes. Charlottesville was the only district won by Weed, including his home of Nelson County. That leaves Weed with a hair over 36% of the vote, a little less than former Charlottesville City Councilor Meredith Richards got two years ago.
22blitz writes: This is not a dupicate story. Gray Television, who owns WCAV CBS19 and WVAW, will bring a Fox station to the area. Gray will be taking over WADA, the PAX station here in Charlottesville. I found this out by visiting VARTV.com
I’m sure we’ll all somehow make do without a local PAX affiliate. Note that both WADA and WVAW are low-power stations, so they’re under the FCC’s radar, which is how Gray is even allowed to have so many stations in one place. If I may return to the theme of the Great Hook/C-Ville Wars of 2002, is there room enough in this market for four local TV stations and news broadcasts?
BoTalks writes: Did anyone see the Daily Progress article on the exceptionally ugly building that apparently will be built on 10th St NW? (See “Center’s Look New for City“). The web article doesn’t have a picture of the building, but it is butt ugly! It looks like some kind of bank building built on U.S. 1 in Fort Lauderdale back in the ’80s. The developer is calling it a “little taste of Florida”. Apparently it was allowed by right, meaning the city didn’t have any leverage on the design. I’m all for increasing density in the city, but isn’t there any standard to which we can hold bad architecture accountable?
ragnar writes: A Daily Progress article summarizes a study that recommends further light rail support in Charlottesville over the coming decade. The study in particular calls for rail along route 29 to Washington and along route 250 to Richmond. What are the prospects for encouraging such public transportation in Virginia? Is there an opportunity to mobilize support for the study?
Former UVa student Andrew Alston, charged in the murder of Walter Sisk, of Free Union, is claiming in his defense that Sisk died because he stabbed himself, 18 times. John Correa, with whom Alston studied aikido in 2002, testified that each of the wounds on Sisk’s body are consistent with the use of standard aikido defense measures against an individual armed with a knife. The Nelson Muntz (“Why are you hitting yourself?”) Defense, if successful, could keep Alston from up to 40 years in prison. Liesel Nowak the story. in today’s Progress. 11/10 Update: The Cav. Daily reports that a jury found Alston guilty of voluntary manslaughter late last night.
This afternoon, the Albemarle Board of Zoning Appeals held the long-discussed public hearing about revoking Planned Parenthood’s occupancy permit for their new office on Hydraulic Road and, in a 3-1-1 ruling (one abstaining), they ruled against the appellant, Renae Townsend. The debate was over whether the R-10 zoning permitted Planned Parenthood to perform medical services there — the majority held that they qualified as a professional office (in the manner of a physician or dentist), and not as a medical center (such as a hospital), while the minority disagreed. The 1pm meeting ran for over 4 hours, with testimony coming from dozens in the overflowing auditorium. Hundreds of people filled the room, the lobby, and even the steps of the building, with pro-choice members (identified by Planned Parenthood stickers) far, far outnumbering those opposed to the organization. There is still the matter of the lawsuit brought against the county by six residents of the nearby Garden Court, who allege that permitting Planned Parenthood to locate there amounts to an unlawful taking of their property rights, through devaluation of their property. The case isn’t likely to go very far.
At tonight’s City Council meeting, council will take up the matter of whether to issue a resolution asking the General Assembly to repeal HB 751, Del. Bob Marshall’s (R-Manassas) bill that was signed into law earlier this year that prohibits any “arrangement between persons of the same sex purporting to bestow the privileges or obligations of marriage.” The law has resulted in much protest, notably because the law seems to ban any contract between two people of the same sex that provides a benefit of marriage (tenancy by the entirety, living wills, joint adoption, etc.) Del. Marshall, when asked by Del. Brian Moran (D-Alexandria) to explain precisely what contracts that he intended to outlaw, said only “I am not accountable for the gentleman’s lack of enlightenment or understanding.” It’s a safe assumption that this resolution will pass. Neither Rob Schilling nor Charlottesville Republican Committee Bob Hodous would talk to the Progress about the resolution. John Yellig has the story in today’s Progress. 11/16 Update: They did it.
The Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star has a nice overview of the Alliance for Community Choice in Transportation’s Safe Routes to School program and their Walking Wednesday program. They’ve established standard, safe routes for students to walk to Greenbrier Elementary, Buford Middle School, and Greenbrier has all of their students walk to school on Wednesday. With childhood obesity on the rise and traffic (and related environmental problems) only getting worse, ACCT’s program is helping with a host of problems.
silkyzephyr writes: I write from the Jefferson Madison Regional Library (Main Branch on Market Street) using WiFi to connect to CvilleNews. As of this week, the basement reading room just became a wireless hotspot. Waldo had championed wireless access when he was on the JMRL Board and I am glad to report they finally got around to it. Unlike U. Va., or commercial hotspots like the Mudhouse on the Downtown Mall, you need no password or ISP account. In fact you don’t even need a library card. All you need is 802.11b or 802.11g wireless and a willingness to sit in an open library room where anybody can see what you’re browsing. BYOC (bring your own computer). Jeff. Mad. does not have laptops available to lend. U.Va. libraries do, but the students have dibs and they are usually all lent out. Connection on my Apple laptop was instantaneous, trouble free, and the connection is super-fast. Makes me want to hug a librarian (though that is discouraged.)
Woo-hoo! Gotta love the library. No, seriously. I insist that you love JMRL.
Attorney and downtown resident Jock Yellott chalked up a victory for the parking public this week, with City Council’s passage of an amendment to the parking ordinance which will involve the public in changes made to on-street parking. A year ago, the sheriff’s office took over some parking in Court Square, in a manner that appeared illegal, so Yellott gathered the legal ammunition to convince Council to require much more obvious public notice and citizen involvement before any removal of or modification of any on-street parking in the city. John Yellig has the story in today’s Progress.
Twenty-year-old Bradley Thomas Arms, a 2002 graduate of Covenant, was killed during the invasion of Fallujah, Iraq on Friday. Arms was a University of Georgia student and a Marine. He shipped out to Iraq in August, and was a part of the first group of forces to enter the city of Fallujah. Julie Stavitski has the story in the Progress.
Just like two years ago, assessments of Albemarle County real estate value are going up again sharply, likely around the level of the 18.7% increase in ‘03, WINA reports. The biannual assessments are based on the actual value of homes, and do not reflect any action or decision on the part of the county; they are a product of the free market. Still, reassessments piss people off, and as the notices begin to go out, there’s no reason to expect otherwise this time around.
In today’s Cavalier Daily, columnist Nick Chapin devotes his column space to attacking The Hook (”Bad journalism at its worst“), saying that, in their recent coverage of UVa-related issues, they “cast aside the most basic journalistic principle, objectivity, in favor of viciously slanted reporting.” Chapin picks out three recent Hook stories — “The verdict: Sisk’s family speaks out,” “Gags off: Students speak out on rape,” and “How UVA turns its back on rape” — and says that in the case of all three stories, the weekly “marred coverage of serious topics with manipulation and blatant invective.” Two of the articles in question are by staff writer Lisa Provence, and one is by senior editor Courtney Stuart. Is this just a case of an upstart college student upset to find his school on the wrong end of the news cycle? Or are the accusations true, and has The Hook failed to live up to basic journalistic standards?
Cecil writes: Apparently a UVa 2nd-year student committed suicide on 11/23; the Cav Daily reports on the story here. Here’s my question: as far as I can tell, the Daily Progress has not yet reported this story. I knew of the suicide on 11/24, from an email I received as a UVa employee. But I could find no mention of it in the DP from 11/24 on. (I could be wrong, though I did check every day.) So I guess I’m baffled by what appears to be a show of restraint? by a for-profit news organization. Someone with formal journalism experience, enlighten me–would the DP be holding off on reporting the story out of respect for the parents/friends? on the request of UVa, not to have a downer story circulate right before Thanksgiving? (I’ve ruled out the idea that the DP would not find this newsworthy, and I would hope that the DP would have known about it….)
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