Two weeks ago, City Council voted to turn over the downtown amphitheater to Coran Capshaw (DMB manager, local real estate guy, etc.), loaning him $3.4M to overhaul the current amphitheater layout and create a covered venue, as a part of the redesign of the east end of the Downtown Mall. Capshaw has agreed to hold 50 events there each year, which the city estimates will fatten city coffers by $150k-$200k each year. Notably, there is no requirement that the amphitheater continue to be available to the Charlottesville Downtown Foundation for Fridays After Five, but instead stipulates that some sort of a cheap or free weekly event take place each week. Finally, Capshaw has been given naming rights, so the downtown amphitheater could become “The MusicToday Pavilion,” if he saw fit. Lisa Provence has the story in the current Hook.
Monthly Archive for June, 2004
Page 2 of 2
Charlottesville native and football legend Roosevelt Brown died yesterday at his New Jersey home, apparently suffering a heart attack. Brown played for the Giants for 12 years, contributing to their spectacular success in the late 50s and early 60s. His offensive line play earned him a spot in the Hall of Fame. Brown was 71 years old.
When Elizabeth Clopton and Mary Bouldin got engaged recently, their engagement announcement was rejected by the Daily Progress. They were told that they couldn’t even buy advertising space, because their impending marriage would only be recognized by their church, not the state. (See last week’s Hook for the story.) Now Progress publisher Lawrence McConnell has backpedaled a little. Same-sex couples can promote their engagement or wedding, but only by paying for advertising space in a section of the paper other than the “Family Album” section in Sunday’s Lifestyle section. The setup is perhaps best described as separate but not quite equal. Lisa Provence has the story in this week’s Hook.
Judge Harry Michael, the senior judge of the federal court (on the corner of Water and McIntire), has denied the appeal by Henry Weinschenk in his suit against the city. Weinschenk’s Express Car Wash was prohibited from using water during the 2002 drought, causing him to bring a lawsuit against the city in June of 2003, citing equal protection claims and irrationality of the water rationing. After the case was dismissed in April, Weinschenk appealed. This affirmation of the lower court ruling is likely the end of the line for the case. The ruling in Express Carwash of Charlottesville, LLLP v. City of Charlottesville is available on-line (PDF). (Via SW Virginia Law blog.)
The Albemarle County Planning Commission has signed off on a new ordinance that requires the drilling of a well prior to receiving a building permit. The idea is to ensure the availability of a decent supply of water before building commences, with builders of full-blown developments being required to present a groundwater management plan for the same reason. The hope is that, as builders install monitoring wells, a network of sites will be available for the county to study the groundwater levels across the county. As wells started to dry up during the 2002 drought, requiring the RSWA to create “doomsday plans”, it became clear that the availability of water was not something to be taken for granted in the development process. The ordinance awaits approval by the Board of Supervisors, who will take it up in August. David Dadurka has the story in today’s Progress.
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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