Monthly Archive for August, 2003

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Owen Young Found?

Published by Waldo Jaquith on August 15, 2003 in Politics. 9 Comments

eattheyuppies writes: Back in January a well-known local professional, Owen Young, suddenly went missing. There was a flurry of media reports on his case, including some chatter on cvillenews. Some of the reports cited a claim that a suspicious black man was seen driving Mr. Young’s car. (It’s always the black male who gets blamed, ain’t it Shiflett?!) Members of Young’s church eventually held a memorial service for him and many gave him up for dead. Fast forward 7 months. Over a week ago, there was a small blurb in the Daily Progress saying that Young had turned up safe and sound in Tampa, FL. It seems odd that there has been no other public discussion of this rather remarkable turn of events, no chatter here on cvillenews, no follow-up articles in the Hook, no nothing. Isn’t anyone curious to know what this guy’s been up to these 7 months, why and how he disappeared and abandoned his life here and all of his commitments here, what the reaction of his family and friends has been to this news, etc., etc.? Is he a great swindler, did he have a fit of amnesia, or…? Inquiring minds want to know!

If somebody could provide a citation for this Progress blurb — or, better yet, a full quote — it’d be appreciated, since I didn’t see it and it’s not on their website.

Camblos: Shiflett Investigation Still Open

Published by Waldo Jaquith on August 13, 2003 in Law and Justice. 3 Comments

Commonweath’s Attorney Jim Camblos says that the investigation into former Deputy Stephen Shiflett’s alleged shooting by a black man is still open. Camblos says that he wants to see “appropriate charges brought against that person or persons who has broken the law.” Camblos has thus far refused to charge Shiflett, and there had not previously been any indication that the case remained open. The Progress filed a FOIA request with Albemarle for the investigative report that police had provided to Camblos Reed, but it was denied by the county. Williams had the story way back on the 9th. (Ntelos can’t installed my phone line/DSL at my new place in Blacksburg until this weekend at the earliest, so I have to steal bandwidth here and there. I don’t know the area very well yet, so it’s only every couple of days that I can get on-line.)

Court Square Renovations to Attract Tourists

Published by Waldo Jaquith on August 7, 2003 in Politics. 11 Comments

ColinC writes: Government officials broke ground yesterday on new renovations to the Court Square district of downtown Charlottesville. The area will take on a more historic look in order to attract tourists, with brick streets and sidewalks guiding visitors from the Downtown Mall to Court Square. Utility lines will be moved underground, and plaques will be set up at the sites of Charlottesville’s original buildings. The project is expected to cost around $3 million. WINA and the Daily Progress have the story. (From 91.9 WNRN.)

Officer Settles Suit with Albemarle

Published by Waldo Jaquith on August 6, 2003 in Law and Justice. 1 Comment

Albemarle County police officer Karl Mansoor has settled his lawsuit against Albemarle County, which alleged that his freedom of speech was violated. Mansoor filed the suit in 2000, claiming that Police Chief John Miller, then-Captain Doug Rhoads and deputy County Attorney Mark Trank violated his right to free speech by demanding that Mansoor refrain from criticizing the county in order to retain his job as a police officer. Mansoor, who had sought $633,000 in damages, has settled for an undisclosed sum. Mansoor claims that the county contines to bar him from speaking freely, and has filed another lawsuit for $250,000. Claudia Pinto has the story in today’s Progress.

Winkie to Leave WVIR

Published by Waldo Jaquith on August 6, 2003 in Politics. 14 Comments

WVIR veteran Robert Van Winkle will be leaving WVIR (and the area) on the 15th, according to Bob Gibson in today’s Progress. Van Winkle’s long time position as weatherman has made him well-known, but his hundreds of appearances at public events made him the face of NBC 29 for much of the community. Charlottesville being a small market, it’s difficult for a station like WVIR to retain talent for long, so a recognizable face is a rarity. Van Winkle intends to move up to a bigger market, but declined to provide further details. WVIR has not yet publicly announced Van Winkle’s departure.

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