Our eight-month grace period is over: it’s time to start dialing 434 on Tuesday. Anybody trying to reach us at 804 will now start getting a recording indicating that we have a new area code. Those of you that give out the number to your phones, though, have until late this year to make the switch. Reed Williams has the story in today’s Progress.
News and meta-news about Charlottesville, VA, since 2001.
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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ive been trying to call cville from the west coast recently, and ive run into a few problems. it seems a lot of phone-card services wont recognize 434 yet. lets hope they get things straightened out soon.
Today all of a sudden we here in my office can’t call one of our sales guys on the road using 434, despite the fact that he has service and full signal strength. We’ve never had any trouble getting in touch with him before, so we suspect it’s something to do with the area code change, though maybe it’s coincidence.
We haven’t had complaints in recent days, but up until the turn of the year we repeatedly got calls (to 804) complaining that the area code on my office’s new letterhead didn’t work. From all over the country, too, though the southwest seemed to be especially problematic.
I appreciate the generous grace period, but it’s pointless to give us such an early date if the new system isn’t fully working yet.
Some people with cell phones need to make sure that their phones have been reprogrammed to accepte 434 area codes. I had to take mine in to Alltel and it only took about 10 minutes (minus the wait for a sales clerk). Maybe that’s one of the problems.