Monthly Archive for September, 2001

Page 9 of 9

Hospital Fails Inspection

The Health Care Financing Administration, which oversees Medicare and Medicaid services, found problems during their July 12th full-hospital inspection of the UVa Medical Center. UVa has until Friday to provide a plan for correction of these problems. After this step, HFCA will release a report providing a list of the hospital’s deficiencies. The Daily Progress has the story in today’s paper.

Free Bike Program Scaled Down

The Charlottesville Area Bicycling Alliance has simplified their free-bike plan for the town, asking the city for $5,000 to start it up. They plan to sprinkle 30 bright yellow bikes along East and West Main (their original plan was to have them in more locations around the city) for anybody to hop on and ride around. There are a number of similar programs around the country, though perhaps the most well-known programs are Portland’s Yellow Bike Project and Copenhagen Free City Cycle. If CHABA gets the funding that they need from City Council tonight, bicycles will be out there by next month. Jake Mooney has the story in today’s Progress.

CHO US Airways Strike

Folk musician and noted union activist John McCutcheon just gave me a call from the Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport. He tells me that the US Airways flight attendants are picketing, and intend to go on strike in eleven days. The Association of Flight Attendants have been negotiating with Piedmont Airlines (a corporation wholly owned by US Airways, serving the Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport) for 15 months in an attempt to even up their pay and work hours with US Airways flight attendants. The AFA has been warning that strikes are possible anytime after 12:01am on September 16th. Piedmont Airlines provides the bulk of the flights in and out of CHO, including the daily nonstop runs to Pittsburgh, Charlotte, Philadelphia and New York. A strike would likely severely cripple CHO’s ability to function. For more information, see the AFA’s recent press release.

Gibson on Republican Campaigns

In Bob Gibson’s Sunday “Political Notebook,” he expresses a rare partisan opinion in criticizing the Virginia Republicans’ anti-homosexual advertising campaign. “The Old Dominion,” writes Gibson, “allows its politicians to engage in gay bashing, gay baiting and the somewhat queer habit of kissing off the gay vote while conveniently cleaving the rest of the electorate.” This is the first major public reaction to the GOP’s anti-gay campaign, based around the “Virginia is not Vermont” slogan. If you can get ahold of Sunday’s Progress, be sure to check this out.

C’ville Cop Misconduct Alleged

An Albemarle police officer is under investigation by Charlottesville Commonwealth’s Attorney Dave Chapman after charges that he beat a detainee. 21-year-old Corey Faison (who was arrested on a bizarre sexual assault charge) was taken to the hospital with three broken ribs after an attack that was apparently captured on videotape. The Daily Progress has the story in today’s paper, but you can read a brief version on WINA’s site.

Sideblog