Tonight is the 20th annual First Night Virginia New Year’s Eve celebration on the Downtown Mall. The usual impressive line-up of events are scheduled from 3pm until 12am, including concerts and puppet shows, ice skating and face painting, theater and, of course, fireworks at midnight. An all-admission pass is just $10 for adults, $5 for kids, and toddlers are free. City buses will run until 1am, and they’re free to anybody with a First Night pass. For those of you too cheap to spend $10, or with an urge to volunteer, First Night is desperate for dozens more volunteers. Give them two hours, they’ll give you a pass for the night. Call 434-975-8269 for more information.
News and meta-news about Charlottesville, VA, since 2001.
Monthly Archive for December, 2001
Rodney Pough of Pensacola, FL, has been arrested and charged with attempted capital murder. A state policeman attempted to stop Pough in Henrico for speeding, but the suspect fled west on 64 at over 100 mph. He drove over a tire-deflation strip and continued to drive on his rims, so two police cars got ahead of him and created a “rolling roadblock” by driving slowly in both lanes. As Pough approached, he shot twice through his front windshield at the cars, injuring one of the officers. The suspect crashed his vehicle in Louisa and ran into the woods, leading to a manhunt involving state police, dogs and a couple of helicopters. He was tracked down by a pair of bloodhounds at 3:40am, and his now in custody. Today’s Progress has the story.
Oscar Junior McCauley IV, a convicted felon who who esacaped from a Nelson County sheriff’s deputy three weeks ago, has been captured in West Virginia. At 4:30am yesterday morning, Albemarle police responded to a report of a stabbing and the abduction of 29-year-old Christian Brooke McCauley, and another report of a stabbing of 29-year-old Anthony Ray Shifflett. Though today’s story in the Progress gets quite muddled from there, one can only assume that Oscar McCauley was accused of these stabbings, though it’s quite impossible to determine at what point the abducted Christian McCauley was released, or what the details of that are. No matter, Oscar McCauley was arrested in Ranson, WV and is being held in Martinsburg on $1M bail. The story also explains the circumstances surrounding his escape: he somehow unlocked his handcuffs while in the back of the deputy’s car, and asked the deputy for a cigarrette. He obliged, and McCauley hit the deputy in the head, took his handgun, and took off running. Today’s Progress has the details. Kind of.
Two unoccupied Orange homes and a barn in Madison were all destroyed last night in fires that occurred within a half-hour span. All were within ten miles of one another. Jack Fray, chief of the Madison County Volunteer Fire Department, notes that the barn fire was quite similar to the six arsons all reported on October 20th. Reed Williams has the story in today’s Progress.
Charlottesville’s Broadslate Networks is closing down. According to a post on the Neon Guild mailing list this afternoon (below), they have laid off 150 of their employees, and are keeping a few on to maintain things until they can sell the company. It’s impressive that they burned through $60M in venture capital in just six months. The company owns a tremendous amount of fiber optics, which they’re in the business of leasing the use of. 4:47pm Update: An anonymous poster has pointed out that they do not, in fact, own much in the way of fiber optics, despite misleading press to the contrary. 12/22/01, 1:18pm Update: Today’s Progress reports that not all 150 were laid off, but 120 were; apparently, the few dozen employees remaining are local folks.
To: Neon Guild Mailing List
From: Tracey Linkous
Subject: Broadslate closing its doors
Date: Fri, 21 Dec 2001 14:37:54 -0500
My friend Katie Van Sciver called to let me know that Broadslate closed their doors this morning. From what I was told, they laid off 150 or so people and have only a skeleton crew to maintain their current clients until they can sell the company. Several folks we all know were laid off today including Katie Van Sciver, Paula Gunter, and Chuck Moran. Morgan Allen’s position was phased out a few weeks ago. I’m sure there are many others you will know, but this is who I am aware of currently. I have encouraged Katie and others to network as much as possible perhaps becoming more involved and active in some of the many wonderful networking groups our town hosts including: the Neon Guild (http://www.neoneguild.com), Charlottesville Company of Friends (http://www.fastcompany.com/cof), the Charlottesville Young Professionals (mailto:Tracey@caar.com or 817-2394); and the Communication Arts Guild (http://lists.waldo.net/mailman/listinfo/comartguild).
Please reach out to as many people as you can in this tough economy and Holiday season to nurture one another.
Your fellow community catalyst,
Tracey
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 #
-
Archive for Sideblog »
Recent Comments