Sometimes, the parody just writes itself. A year and a half before the election, Kenneth Jackson has declared his candidacy for City Council as an independent. Jackson, along with Ann Reinicke, ran as a Republican in the last election, but both were soundly defeated by the Democrats, with Jackson receiving just 10% of the vote. Helping nothing was the Daily Progress‘ February ’04 revelation that then-candidate Jackson had been convicted of assault and battery four times over the course of a decade, three times with a knife. The best thing that he had going for him in the race was a bizarre endorsement by the very newspaper that revealed his penchant for stabbings, who asked, hilariously, “What other candidate has seen the law enforcement system, the court system, the social services system from the perspective of somebody in trouble?” Jackson intends to use the leftover money from his ’04 race to start off his ’06 race. The Charlottesville Republicans, who have the cash, will likely beg to differ. John Yellig had the story in yesterday’s Progress.
Monthly Archive for February, 2005
Ryo_Road writes: Today (February 22, 2005) the Albemarle County planning comminssion plans to discuss the plans of the newest shopping center destined for the Charlottesville area. According to the planning agenda the center has plans for a bank, resturaunt, and several retail stores. The developers will face a hurtle, however. Neighbors in two subdivisions, Woodbrook and Carsbrook, plan to attend the meeting to fight the project. If, or better yet when, the project is approved it will continue the historical trend of building up 29 solid all the way to Ruckersville. Commission notes can be found at albemarle.org.
From the northern end of town up through northern Albemarle (and perhaps farther?), I can pick up a radio station that I’ve never heard of before, 101.1FM, WBAG. It is the greatest radio station ever. In a total of perhaps two hours of listening, I’ve heard The Doors, Jem, Dave Matthews, Kid Koala, Dizzy Gillespie, Soul Coughing, Mike Doughty, Lyle Lovett, Loretta Lynn….a bit of everything that is good and right about music. Three out of four songs that they play, I know and love; the rest I’ve never heard and love anyway. There are no commercials, no PSAs, no no breaks for song identification. The only station ID comes at the top of the hour, and says, only, that it’s WBAG. But WBAG is in North Carolina, and it’s a commercial station. The FCC knows nothing of a 101.1FM in the area. Their LPFM (low power FM) database lists only one 101.1FM in the state, and that’s way down in Hillsville. The station’s signal strength drops so sharply — from perfect to gone in the span of a couple of miles — that it’s almost certainly some sort of LPFM, though presumably one not licensed by the FCC. Has anybody else heard this wonderful station? Anybody know who runs this unauthorized station? When it came into being? I’d love the story behind this.
cornelious writes: A school that focuses on assisting underachieving students and not on test preparation could be coming to Charlottesville’s school system. A proposal for a charter middle school was submitted to the city School Board last week. Chairwoman of the School Board says it’s “interesting and would like to hear more about it,” or something to that effect. Seems to me this is an opportune time to bring this proposal forward.
UVa Dean Rick Turner, head of the local chapter of the NAACP, has called for increased involvement on the part of black families in the Charlottesville schools. Not willing to stop there, though, he went on to claim that the problem is “a slave-like mentality on the part of too many black people,” that teachers are racist, and that Mayor David Brown should resign for meeting with school principals without Superintendent Scottie Griffin present. That ought to settle the whole matter, eh? The increasingly-busy James Fernald 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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