At a forum on the topic last night, the merits of red light cameras were debated among a crowd that included the chiefs of police of Charlottesville and Albemarle, both 25th District Senate candidates and Delegate Mitch Van Yahres. Proponents argue that it would make busy intersections (think Rio and 29) safer, but opponents fear 1984-style government. Van Yahres intends to support a bill in the upcoming General Assembly session that would permit localities to install the cameras, a move that was supported by both chiefs of police. Jane Maddux said that she didn’t know enough about it to have an opinion, and Creigh Deeds expressed reservations of the assumed-guilty-style policing that is inherent with automated ticketing systems. The story is in today’s Progress.
Monthly Archive for December, 2001
Page 4 of 5
Entergy Wholesale Operations, the power plant company that applied to construct a natural-gas plant in Louisa last July, appears to have withdrawn their application, the Progress reports. It’s unclear as to whether or not the project is dead, though an Entergy executive says they do still plan to have a plant there at some point. The plant was the fifth to be proposed for our area in the past 24 months, and is the only one that is not underway.
Philadelphia architectural firm Wallace Roberts & Todd has been signed to design the east end of the Downtown Mall and the 2nd and 4th Street improvements. The biggest portion of the project will be designing the transit station, which has to fit in with City Hall, the Fridays After 5 amphitheater and the yet-to-be-built Community Chalkboard. The $360,000 plan should be completed in a year, permitting construction to start in 2003. The international firm is known for their urban space work, having won awards for their designs for Miami’s pedestrian mall, Baltimore’s inner habor and San Jose’s light rail system. WINA has the story.
Albemarle Police Detective K. W. Robinson has been suspended from the force after being served with a warrant for assaulting a suspect during questioning. In August, Robinson and three other detectives were questioning 21-year-old Corey Faison when they provoked him to grab at a camera that they had. That prompted them to throw Faison to the ground and beat him, punching him dozens of times, resulting in Faison’s being brought to the hospital with several broken ribs. The entire affair was captured on videotape, but county police said that it didn’t matter: they pointed out that they could have beaten him with nightsticks if they’d wanted to. 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. WINA has the story, though the Progress is likely to have extensive coverage in today’s paper.
The county fire marshal has arrested eight Stony Point Fire Company volunteers, including three adults and five minors, on charges of arson, conspiracy to commit arson, and contributing to the deliquency of a minor. A fire marshal investigator said that they did it because “they were bored.” They’d set three fires thus far, and planned to burn down an empty home in the Key West subdivision. The Daily Progress has the full story in today’s paper, or you can read a quickie on-line from WINA.
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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