silkyzephyr writes: The police blocked off I-64 westbound (Friday 2:30pm). The resulting detoured traffic backed up Route 250 for six miles. I know this because I drove that far east looking for an alternative route back into C’ville, after shopping at Giant on Pantops. Ended up almost at Zion Xroads, turning south and then coming back past Monticello. What happened today on I-64?
News and meta-news about Charlottesville, VA, since 2001.
Monthly Archive for January, 2003
City Council has proposed a $0.02 real estate tax rate cut, simultaneous with the announcement that property values in Charlottesville have increased, on average, 12.8%. Said Mayor Cox, “The council has grown increasingly concerned about those who struggle with the unfortunate side effect of high assessments – high taxes. We understand that most people in Charlottesville have not seen a comparable increase in their earnings.” This approach will presumably prevent a reaction like the anger in Albemarle over their assessment increases earlier this month. To afford the rate reduction, Council intends to cut operating costs by 5%. The last time that real estate taxes were cut was in 1990, when they went from $1.13 to $1.11. Elizabeth Nelson has the story in today’s Progress.
Indie writes: The civil eviction case against former public housing resident Joy Johnson has been dismissed, according to The Daily Progress. Johnson was evicted by the Charlottesville Public Housing Authority after drug raids at her public housing apartment resulted in the arrests of her two sons, who were not allowed to be on the property. Has Johson been given a raw deal, and should the public housing authority give her a second chance? Or was the housing authority’s decision fair and even-handed and she should be responsible for what goes on within her apartment?
There’s a debate in Albemarle County over vending machines, and whether or not schools ought to be selling candy and soda to children. On the one side, people point to the revenue raised by the sales. On the other, people point out that soda has absolutely no health benefits, and contribute to a variety of long- and short-term health problems. Braxton Williams has the story in today’s Progress. The school board intends to make a decision in February.
JizzMasterZero writes: According to a story on the web site of the trade magazine Editor & Publisher, more and more newspapers are moving to require registration for their web sites. Apparently, papers that have started requiring registration haven’t seen a decline in visitors, and now they can even make money by selling users’ demographic information! Aren’t newspaper publishers great?! Here’s the operative paragraph for Charlottesville readers: “In a report to Wall Street analysts in December, executives from Media General Inc. of Richmond, Va., said: ‘The standard metric for successful Web operations is becoming registered users. We have increased the number of opportunities for our users to identify themselves,’ including registration for e-mail services. A spokesman says the chain plans to step up both registration and paid content this year.” Those are the only specifics for the company, and there’s no word on which papers — the Progress? — it’ll apply to.
Requiring registration to read a website is horrible in so many ways, not the least of which is that it presents a major obstacle to easy use, and therefore drastically devalues links to that site. Worse yet, it’s one more login and password to remember, something that we could all do without. Let’s hope that the Progress doesn’t make this blunder.
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