As planned, seventy people showed up at the UVa Hospital on Friday to support the “University Nine,” hospital employees that were fired for past felony convictions. Those felonies included drug possession, writing bad checks and a firearm charge, according to the Progress. Even the executive director of Virginians Aligned Against Sexual Assault said that the firings were a bad idea. For more information, see George Loper’s coverage, which includes excerpts from newspaper articles and pictures of the event.
News and meta-news about Charlottesville, VA, since 2001.
Monthly Archive for June, 2001
Page 5 of 7
Both candidates for governor have found themselves in hot water over donations linked to Internet porn. Republican Mark Earley for receiving $47,000 from Bruce M. Waldack, who reportly marketed its online ad software to pornographic websites; and Democrat Mark Warner for receiving $75,000 from the chairman of CyberCash, one of the major on-line credit card processing companies, who has accepted credit card payments on behalf of pornographic websites. Earley is returning the money, but Warner’s spokesman says that CyberCash is a conduit for money, much like a bank. What’s a little more interesting is the fact that Bruce Waldack once owned hitleryouth.com, back in 1998. The AP has the story on the donations.
Democratic Attorney General candidate Whitt Clement has gained some support in Charlottesville. I got a piece of e-mail the other day from Beth Sutton and Leigh Middleditch, which had been CCd to dozens of other folks in town, encouraging me to vote for Clement. Janis Jaquith (Daily Progress columnist, essayist for WVTF and NPR’s Marketplace, and, conveniently, my mother) got a similar letter from Ms. Sutton, and she was surprised by one of Clements’ causes: prohibiting felons from working in nursing homes. Given the recent hospital firings, this topic is more relevant than ever. Keep reading to see the original letter and Janis’ reply, which she sent to everybody that had been CCd along with her.
The Original Letter
From: Beth Sutton
Date: 6/6/01 7:34 PM
Subject: FW: June 12
Dear Friend:
This Tuesday, June 12th Virginia voters will go to the polls to select the Democratic nominees for Governor, Lt. Governor and Attorney General. I just wanted to take a moment to tell you about my friend, Delegate Whitt Clement who is running for Attorney General. Whitt is a graduate of the University of Virginia, college and law school.
In 1987 Clement was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates, representing the citizens of Danville and part of Pittsylvania County. He is a past President of the Virginia Bar Association and has been rated as one of the top lawyers in Virginia. Now he is running for Attorney General and needs your vote this Tuesday on June 12th. Below is a short description of Whitt’s Senior Protection Plan. If you would like more information, click on the link below and remember to vote on Tuesday June 12th. The polls are open to any registered voter in Virginia, from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
http://www.clement2001.org/seniors.htm
Standing up for Seniors
Whitt Clement
Whitt Clement will stand up to the nursing home industry by prohibiting felons from working in retirement communities. Families deserve to know that nursing homes are safe and secure. As a member of the House of Delegates, Whitt Clement fought for tougher criminal background checks on individuals working in nursing homes. As Attorney General, he will create a special task force to seek out and crack down on fraudulent scam artists that prey upon the elderly. This Tuesday June 12th please remember to vote for Whitt Clement for Attorney General.
Janis Jaquith’s Reponse
From: Janis Jaquith
Date: 6/6/01 10:23 PM
Subject: FW: June 12
I’m all for background checks, but eliminating everyone with a felony conviction paints with too broad a brush.
Imagine if every employer refused to hire anyone with a felony conviction. Hell, if I were someone with a felony on my record, I’d have to consider putting bread on the table any way I could, which may involve returning to my old ways. Is this what we want to happen to people who are released back into society?
Given the choice between someone who was obviously creepy and belligerent and someone who had, say, a felony marijuana conviction from ten or twenty years ago on his or her record, I’ll take the person with the criminal record.
And calling human beings “felons” for the rest of their lives is cruel. These are human beings who have been caught breaking the law, and have already paid the price.
How easy it is to gather votes by promising to protect the elderly from predators. Well, duh, who doesn’t want that? Show me a candidate who will support keeping non-violent offenders out of prison in the first place, and that’s who I’ll vote for.
munk writes: Waldo’s always going on about the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library’s website, but I never really took a look until tonight. You can search the library’s holdings, put books on hold, see your acccount status, search periodicals, etc. For summertime fiction, children’s books, or just to learn something new, check out the public library.
cvilletimes.com has an extensive write-up on domestic violence and Charlottesville’s Shelter for Help in Emergency. The Shelter is the kind of thing that most people don’t know a whole lot about, and don’t really get why it’s valuable to the community. The Shelter is currently looking for volunteers to answer the hotline, staff the shelter, help with projects, etc. For more information, you can call them at 293.6155, or visit their website.
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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