Police arrested 52 people at Foxfield this Saturday, WINA reports: “Roughly half of the arrests involved drinking or being drunk in public, or underage possession of alcohol. The related offenses included disorderly conduct, littering, and obstruction of justice. Eight people were charged with indecent exposure, and four were picked up for marijuana possession. Authorities also issued 22 traffic citations outside the Foxfield property.” Last year’s races were described by County Supervisor Charlotte Humphis as “a disaster”, which caused the president of the Foxfield Racing Association to accuse the Board of Supervisors of plotting to end the twice-annual horse races. By late August, Foxfield agreed to some new restrictions, and increased law enforcement was planned for this time around, which appears to have been effective.
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
four six 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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Archive for Sideblog »
It’s true; the event seemed calmer than last spring, and I applaud everyone’s (Foxfield’s and the police’s) in the interest of public safety. The traffic, however, was much, much worse than ever before! Free general admission parking seems to have encouraged more people to drive in separate vehicles. You’d think that in trying to cut down on drunk driving the event staff would want to discourage people from bringing cars!
I really try not to be an old fogey, but…
While driving from Free Union towards town at around 6:00 pm Saturday, I encountered one Foxfield vehicle driving backwards through the intersection in “downtown Free Union”. A half-mile down the road, another car approached me, on the wrong side of the yellow line.
Trash was all over the road-side. Beer cans and bottles. A broken styrofoam cooler. Lots of red and blue plastic cups. Cardboard 6-pack holders. And this was one week after the Free Union volunteer trash pick-up day.
Maybe the Foxfield committee will be out picking up the trash over the next few days?
Harry Landers
parades, horse races, blah blah blah
You rock, Harry. I saw the same stuff driving from Charlottesville to Free Union 20 hours after Foxfield. It must have been a good party, judging from the quality and quantity of the trash. It looked like the Ivy Landfill got drunk and spewed.
— bim
Did somebody not get invited to the big party???
I, too, have a crime to report.
This rather fey dude running the Sprint tent in the pink section ran me down as I crossed the horse track, grabbed the half-full bottle of champagne out of my hand, and poured it all over the ground! To quote the classic bildingsroman “Happy Gilmore”: “That’s assault, brotha!”
This monumental prick’s inspiration apparently came from his mistaken idea that I wasn’t 21. (I am 35, by the way). Well, sir, as a well-known executive of a a very successful online business that uses Sprint, I can assure you that we will have nothing to do with your bitch-ass company from now on.
To quote Michael Douglas in the classic early-’90s film “Disclosure”: “You can take that bottle home with you and fuck yourself!”
Listen, motherfucker: The Disclosure quote is “You take those two bottles home and go fuck yourself.”
Get your facts straight or get off the board!
JizzMasterZero,
You think I’m intimidated by your profanity, exclaimation point, and slightly impressive knowledge of Michael Creighton [sp, I know] adaptations? I bet there are gang bangers in Texas who are harder than you.
LNM
You are both tools.
Oh come on – Foxfield is great if you have a compelling need for public drunkeness, or a desire to observe same.
That’s all you need to do: taunt angry men with guns.
Legal Recruiter
It’s quite something that I even read your post –like many of the more enlightened site members, I generally keep my settings so high that I don’t even see postings from Anonymous Bitchez. (Don’t sweat it. It’s internet lingo. I swear.)
I just happened to hear about what you had said when my retarted cousin mentioned it over dinner tonight. I think you and he would get along.
As a site member, and one in good standing for nearly a week, I would ask that you refrain from ad hominem attacks, as well as ex post facto attacks and menage a trois attacks.
In conclusion, I would ask you to please, please rise above yourself and begin posting in a more civilized manner. Good day.
Sweet. You are the coolest. Please teach me more.
…damn kids….
I think LosNakedMariachi and JizzMasterZero are the same person. (three-part screen names with caps.)
Right, just like how Detective Gomez and Legal Recruiter are the same person because they both sign their postings with two-word names. It’s really extraordinary how much you all bitch about how cowardly it is to post anonymously, only to doubt the veracity of people’s identities once they register.
Just because you’re losing your hair doesn’t make you 35. Just because you’ve been arrested for vagrancy doesn’t make you “well-known.” What on earth were you doing with a half-opened bottle of champagne? Did you perhaps steal it from this effete gentleman? If so, doesn’t he have a right to ask you to pour it out?
Legal Recruiter
Maybe y’all need to get your own discussion board. It’s pretty obvious that you have no real interest in any legitimate on-topic interaction with the community here.
Had you considered ezboard?
Maybe y’all need to get your own discussion board. It’s pretty obvious that you have no real interest in any legitimate on-topic interaction with the community here.
Maybe “y’all” need to start maintaining your web site before you complain about the quality of other people’s posts. It’s pretty obvious that you’re too busy with French class to keep the site up to date without relying on that psycho “Belle.”
For example, I haven’t seen this story posted yet:
By ERIC SWENSEN
Daily Progress staff writer
Seeking more financial support and improved health insurance, about 50 University of Virginia graduate students have formed a union and plan to affiliate with an international labor union.
During a Monday rally on the Lawn, UVa’s Graduate Labor Union announced its intention to align with the 750,000-member Communications Workers of America, which also is affiliated with the recently formed Staff Union at the University of Virginia. The CWA has branches on about 100 college campuses.
CWA representative Richard Verlander said he believed the graduate student union is the first of its kind established in Virginia.
Along with UVa’s staff union, the student union faces large obstacles under state law, which prohibits public employees from striking and bars state agencies from collective bargaining with unions.
But the student organization can still have an impact with the help of the CWA, said student union President Daniela Bell, pointing to the international union’s experience in other states such as Texas with similar labor laws and its lobbying muscle in Richmond.
“We can put a lot of pressure on through the media and through lobbying, and unions are a strong way to do that,” she said. “Together with [the UVa staff union] and other union members, that creates a very powerful voice.”
Members of the staff union, together with faculty and undergraduate supporters at Monday’s gathering, described UVa’s 3,300 graduate students as central to the university’s mission.
“It’s clear that you guys do the foundational work that lays the ground for the research and teaching that goes on here,” said Scott Saul, an English professor who helped form a graduate student union while at Yale University.
Graduate students “teach the classes, grade the exams, grade the papers [and] advise the students” as part of their job descriptions, said student union member Ben Lee.
To demonstrate the point, union members unfurled four long sheets of white paper covered with letter grades, symbolizing the 9,441 grades that graduate instructors and teaching assistants working in eight departments will hand out this semester.
“But funding for graduate students continues to dwindle as our workloads go up,” Bell said.
A flier handed out at Monday’s rally noted next year’s tuition and fee hikes for UVa’s graduate students — equaling 9.6 percent for Virginians and 2.7 percent for out-of-state students — and that 26 vacant faculty positions and 20 graduate teaching positions will not be filled next year.
Graduate students also have said their financial support from UVa, including teaching stipends and tuition waivers, lags behind students at peer universities, a statement documented in a draft report released this month by a Faculty Senate committee.
For instance, a 2000 comparison of 23 departments in the College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences with similar departments at 13 peer institutions found that UVa’s average net stipend was 20 percent lower than the comparison group.
The report found that “chronic underfunding has placed UVa at a competitive disadvantage because it offers less compensation for tuition and smaller stipends than the leading programs nationally.”
UVa spokeswoman Louise Dudley said university administrators share the union’s concern about the need to provide better financial backing to graduate students.
“I don’t think there’s disagreement about the important role of graduate students or that they’re not supported as well as they should be,” she said.
Indeed, UVa President John T. Casteen III said in a recent report to the Board of Visitors that “the inadequacy of financial aid for graduate students working as graduate teaching/research assistants … has been a concern for many years.” He added that the issue “has now become a central University concern” that needs to be addressed several ways, such as through fund raising and more state money.
No need for me to sign this, right, Mr. Moderator?
This story (on grad students at UVa forming a union) is interesting, but why would you want to post it in the middle of a thread on the Foxfield Races? You can submit a story, if you want. Waldo’s pretty good about posting stories submitted by readers (in fact, he prefers that others submit them, rather than having to come up with them on his own).
He’s even pretty indulgent of people who want to take unwarranted pot-shots at him.
He’s even pretty indulgent of people who want to take unwarranted pot-shots at him.
Yeah, and warranted ones as well.
The point of posting that story wasn’t so much to submit it but to point out that it hadn’t been posted or submitted by anyone else. I don’t give a crap if anyone discusses stories.
On the other hand, if people are going to be complaining about some harmless sideline discussions, I think it’s worth noting that there has been very little story submission, story posting or discussion of any other kind anywhere else on the site in quite some time. Claudia Pinto’s Millmont story had like one post on it when last I checked, and that was a troll. The story about Meredith Richards running for Congress had — what? — nine posts? And it’s been there for — what? — five days?
If you’re going to make the argument that irrelevant posts are distracting, it’s important to answer the question: distracting from what ?
I don’t give a crap if anyone discusses stories.
Then, maybe you’d want to find a new hobby? The thing is, that’s pretty much what goes on here.
This is one of the thickest things I’ve yet seen on cvillenews. I believe the point of the previous posting, with its many examples, is that DESPITE THE STATED MISSION OF THIS SITE, NOBODY SEEMS TO ACTUALLY DO MUCH DISCUSSING OF STORIES HERE. Did you even read the comment before writing your post?
And none of those annoying Negro shopping-cart theives trying to sell you balloons! How gauche they are!
Maybe “y’all” need to start maintaining your web site before you complain about the quality of other people’s posts. It’s pretty obvious that you’re too busy with French class to keep the site up to date without relying on that psycho “Belle.”
For example, I haven’t seen this story posted yet:
This is just silly.
Firstly because, yes, I have a life outside of this website. This is not a job that I get paid to do. This is something that I do because, at least most of the time, I like it. Secondly because your logic is self-defeating: I’m forced to waste time moderating the boards rather that writing up news. Thirdly, I vastly prefer it when people submit news rather than when I write it. Why? Because then I know that the news is going up is what people want, and not just what I want. If you’re going to go to the time of pasting that story in here, why didn’t you just submit it?
Nonsense like these ridiculous threads make me wonder why I’m wasting my time maintaining this site when all that you really need is the chalkboard or some Yahoo message board to troll. A few weeks of this and I’d throw in the towel, no kidding. At the very least, I’d disable anonymous posting and put the domain name of every post (ie: [I’m making this up] gateway.nbc29.com, or mx1.gefanuc.com) so that people think twice about whether or not they want to be associated with their words.
Just knock it off. You’re making me hate that I run this site. I don’t come into your house and take a dump on your sofa; what makes you think that you have a right to do the same on my website? I made the chalkboard for a reason. Go troll that and leave us alone.
One of the few things in which I’d think I’d agree with most people from the ‘ville on (except for all those Foxfield stickers I see that might as well have “MONGOLOID” stamped on them)…Foxfield is an idiotic bourgeois bacchanalia that has about as much “tradition” as a microwaveable vegetarian dinner. “The sport of Kings” attracts those who would be our kings, champagne-drunk, red-faced and giggling; and their stupid children (either in truth or generationally), doing kegstands and trying to get laid. The whole thing is disgusting, the site should be nuked or at least turned into a new landfill, and turn the horses into dog food while you’re at it. I’ll admit I’m no big fan of horse racing. It’s like NASCAR for people who watch PBS.
Really, though, I wouldn’t have a problem with it except that people act like it’s some sort of high society thing, when really it’s no better than a minor league hockey game in a small Rust Belt city.
DESPITE THE STATED MISSION OF THIS SITE, NOBODY SEEMS TO ACTUALLY DO MUCH DISCUSSING OF STORIES HERE
That’s simply not true. Here’s a quick review of the most recent stories, not reading every post since I tend to remember threads, more or less:
The Dogwood story is pretty well-discussed (52 comments), save for the slightly-off-topic discussion about the “ask cvillenews.com” category. There are 11 comments between the two consecutive threads about Meredith Richards, all on-topic. Fridays After 5 — again, lots of comments, all on-topic until this group takes a half dozen posts off-topic. “Attacking Teens” – 6 comments, all on topic. Law School Discrimination: 13 comments, all on topic. C’ville Child Murderer: 8 comments, all on topic. RSWA Abandons Recycling Cut Proposal: 4 comments, all on topic. WINA’s Programming: 59 comments, about a dozen on an unrelated but intersting topic, Alvin Edwards comments on racism. VPTC Virtual Candidates’ Forum: 29 comments, all on topic but about a dozen are me and somebody else debating the merits of open source software in government, which is more or less on topic. C’ville in In Style Magazine, all on topic. (If you consider a discussion about In Style’s portrayal of Charlottesville to be on topic.) Strange Graffitti: 20, all on topic. Police Motorcylcle Brigade, 8 comments, all on topic. Danielson Sues Colin Rolph: 34 comments, on topic, 22 off topic, though about the interesting topic of legality liability as regards moderation.
And that’s all of the stories that currently have links on the front page. Anonymous, I’d say that “nobody seems to actually do much discussing of stories here” isn’t a claim that holds water.
You wrote, “I think it’s worth noting that there has been very little story submission, story posting or discussion of any other kind anywhere else on the site in quite some time.”
Go back and look at the last two weeks’ worth of postings. There are about 20 stories that have been submitted. You say that this is “very little”–relative to what? The measurement is meaningless without context.
And your claim regarding the amount of discussion lately on the board beggars credulity–all you have to do is go back and look at the number of posts on various stories.
So really, what the hell are you talking about? You’re inventing a whole alternate universe that bears little relation to reality.
And finally, you wrote, “If you’re going to make the argument that irrelevant posts are distracting, it’s important to answer the question: distracting from what?”
Who’s arguing that the off-topic posts are _distracting_? Waldo didn’t say that, and I can’t find anyone else who did. Instead of “distracting,” try idiotic. And that’s reason enough to keep them off the site.
“At the very least, I’d disable anonymous posting and put the domain name of every post (ie: [I’m making this up] gateway.nbc29.com, or mx1.gefanuc.com) so that people think twice about whether or not they want to be associated with their words.”
Do it, Waldo. About 2 weeks ago I was defending the practice of anonymous posting–though most of the posts were stupid, I said, it didn’t hurt the discussions and sometimes roused some posters to great heights of response. Now I think there are a couple of (or just one?) trolls who seem, on principle, determined to piss on everything. They’re drowning out the good stuff.
Waldo,
I’m offering you unsolicited, public advice again:
Ignore the troublesome folks beyond your need to moderate their off-topic posts down accordingly. Responding to their flamebait only encourages them to repeat, or increase the level of, their disruption. Responding to flamebait with your (or Cecil’s, or Harry Landers’s, or others’) reasoned explanations, and doing so with the expectation that they will then be able, or willing, to behave with similar maturity is (I think) naďve.
Perhaps when you do the long-awaited Impending Overhaul© you’ll first want to solicit reactions from users about the sort of prospective changes you mention above — but perhaps not; it is your site.
Perhaps when you do the long-awaited Impending Overhaul© you’ll first want to solicit reactions from users about the sort of prospective changes you mention above — but perhaps not; it is your site.
*Laugh* I was wondering how long it would be until people would start referring to the mythical impending overhaul like that. :)
I think the part that most bothers me is that I’ve been so pleased with the community here. Discussions have gotten better and better, so much of the news is now submitted, and people increasingly feel (as I’d like for everyone to) that cvillenews.com is not “Waldo’s site,” but “our site.” As long as it’s not necessary for me to play the role of the big, bad sysadmin, it can be “our site.” But when I’m forced to handle adverse situations, suddenly it becomes “Waldo’s site,” which I think, frankly, sucks.
I guess it only takes one person to piss in the pool and ruin it for everybody. You’d think I’d be used to it by now, running so many websites, but I guess I’d hoped that we’d be above that somehow.
Do it, Waldo.
Of course, as perhaps you’ve noticed, at least a couple of the troll-inclined users actually have accounts, so that’s of limited benefit.
But what I will do, however, is start moderating more vigorously, immediately. I’ll take trolls down to -1, so that people have to specify in their threshold that they want to read them. Let’s see if that doesn’t make a difference.
*Laugh* I was wondering how long it would be until people would start referring to the mythical impending overhaul like that.
To give credit where it’s due — Lafe registered the trademark.
The Dogwood story is pretty well-discussed (52 comments), save for the slightly-off-topic discussion about the “ask cvillenews.com” category. There are 11 comments between the two consecutive threads about Meredith Richards, all on-topic. Fridays After 5 — again, lots of comments, all on-topic until this group takes a half dozen posts off-topic. , etc.
If I — like you — wasn’t so busy with my real job, I’d go through your numbers and figure out the average number of on-topic posts per thread. Just off the top of my head, though, I’d say 12-15 is very generous. Then I’d count how many of those are from different posters. I’d say that would bring things down to about, say, eight.
OK, then. On average eight different people — again, being generous — discuss what’s posted. It seems to me that it does indeed “hold water” to claim that that there isn’t much discussing here.
At least not much discussing of news. The fact is that the only threads that get posts numbering in the double digits are a) stupid jokes or b) those “ask cvillenews” things, which, like them or not, can only very loosely be described as news-related. If anything, two of the last three “ask cvillenews” threads I can remember demonstrated people’s ignorance of local media. That is, answers to the questions about the police procession and the grafitti could have been found in a 10-second glance through the Daily Progress. Just WTF kind of meta-news site is it if people aren’t even reading (or watching or listening to or whatever) the news?
Another thought occurs to me as I read your post. I know it’s a reversal from what I’ve been arguing, but let’s just consider it as a sort of Hegelian thought experiment: if discussion on the site is so thriving, what’s the big deal about a few admittedly immature jokers? Couldn’t a healthy site just move on — as “Belle” has recommended — in spite of all that junk? You generally seem like a pretty chill guy, Waldo. Why are you letting this silliness get under your skin?
you’re right, you’re right, you’re right. i have to work on leaving the bait alone.
if discussion on the site is so thriving, what’s the big deal about a few admittedly immature jokers? Couldn’t a healthy site just move on — as “Belle” has recommended — in spite of all that junk? You generally seem like a pretty chill guy, Waldo. Why are you letting this silliness get under your skin?
Think of it as opening your home to strangers. People can come in, use your computer, read your books, etc., but you just ask that they bring some good food for the evening potluck. But then a few people show up that find it entertaining to show up sans food, insult the other guests, and steal the books. But, hey, you’re a chill guy. So everythiing’s OK, right? I mean, if this potluck/communal house thing is so successful, why would a few people be a problem? Why would you let a little urine on your floor get under your skin? Why would you shut your doors and live normally just because of some freeloaders making your other guests unhappy?
But back in reality, moving on isn’t a problem. There are stories. People post. All is well. But I’d be right disappointed if “moving on” involved banning IPs or having to alter the open system that comprises cvillenews.com.
Genius.
Thank you.