Liz writes: “Well, Money Magazine has released the 2005 edition of “Best Places to Live”. Charlottesville ranked number 90 this year. Any thoughts on why? Have they been listening to us?”
I don’t think much of their ranking metric (ie, number of libraries vs. books per capita; or number of restaurants, vs. restaurants per capita), but I’m just as happy to see us way down on the list. Let unsustainable growth be Moorestown, New Jersey‘s problem.
According to the Fall River Herald News, former Charlottesville superintendent Scottie Griffin has been named as a finalist for the superintendent of the Fall River school system. There were 21 applications for the position — 12 were interviewed, and 5 remain in the running. Assuming that the Fall River school board and the Herald News are capable of using Google, apparently Griffin’s record doesn’t present a significant obstacle to hiring her.
Fall River has a population of 92,000, and is located along the Massachusetts/Rhode Island border, 50 miles south of Boston. It has two high schools, four middle schools, and 28 elementary schools.
Charlottesville just wrapped up an 11-month-long Scottie Griffin saga, ending by paying her $291,000 to please just go away. Griffin previously applied for a similar position in Arkansas, but the local paper got wise to her, and she was denied the position.
07/13 Update: NBC 29 picked up on the story.
At last night’s Albemarle Board of Supervisors meeting, they unanimously barred solicitations of contributions by anybody standing on public roads or in a highway median, Annie Johnson reports in today’s Daily Progress. After Charlottesville enacted such a ban a couple of years ago, beggars moved just outside of the city lines, working traffic on 29 N. and 250, on Pantops.
I wonder what this means for the fire department’s fundraising efforts? [Update: Turns out the firefighters can ask permission to carry on.]
Back in March, the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission took a survey of the 175 homeless people in Central Virginia, finding that only 5% had ever panhandled.
The talk around town is that the nasty storm that just pushed through town (which didn’t touch me, here in the Southwest Mountains, oddly) dropped a few tornadoes along the way. Sarah Barry has a story on the Progress‘ website about the storm which repeats the existence of tornado sightings.
In the past few years, C’ville has become tornado country. In 2003, 2002, and 2000, we had tornadoes, which is quite a difference from the years previous.
Did anybody spot anything?
07/06 Update: Via cvilleblogs.com, I see that Bill Emory has some great photos of the aftermath.
The Daily Progress reports that a mighty interesting fellow by the name of Thomas Rogers died at his home, here in Charlottesville, on June 24. Rogers was born in 1918 and worked at a speakeasy as a kid — he ended up working in advertising for the bulk of his adult life, in which time he invented Charlie the Tuna, the Keebler Elves, and Morris the Cat. He just moved to Charlottesville in 1997, but his obituary says that he became “a fixture on the downtown mall,” working out at ACAC, eating at Sal’s, and buying books at Read It Again, Sam.
We sure have some interesting characters here.
July 5 Update: Kate Andrews has a full-on story in today’s Progress.
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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