I’ve just realized that I completely forgot to write about the Progress‘ article about a local blog a couple of days ago. John Yellig had a nice piece about ScamperDude, John Dove’s cat-fostering blog. The blog regularly features ridiculously cute pictures of tiny kittens and exhortations to foster one of the little guys until they can find a home. It’s a great idea for a blog — generally awareness-raising blogs aren’t read by the very people among whom they’re trying to raise awareness, but who can pass up daily pictures of those little fuzzballs?
News and meta-news about Charlottesville, VA, since 2001.
Monthly Archive for May, 2006
Cecil writes: “According to today’s DP, cops broke up a party of underage drinkers early Sunday a.m. (probably a post-WAHS prom party). Teixeira said the parents were ‘on location’ (and I don’t think that means they were filming a movie). Sixteen teenagers were ticketed for underage possession of alcohol. As we all (probably) know, a local teen died about a week ago in an alcohol-related accident (Nolan Jenkins, AHS). And these circumstances sound remarkably similar to the circumstances several years ago when the cops broke up a party in Earlysville, at the home of Lisa Robinson, where underage kids were drinking–that party also took place within weeks of the deaths of two (?) girls in an alcohol-related accident. And we all recall the 8-year sentence that the Robinsons received (see the Hook story.)
Deja vu?”
The central branch of the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library has, in collaboration with the City of Charlottesville, expanded their wireless internet access presence beyond the walls of the library. Thanks to a new antenna pointing north, free WiFi is now available in Lee Park, Christina Tkacik reports in today’s Progress. Many laptops will be able to use the node for access as far away as Central Place and McGuffey. City Councilor Kevin Lynch worked with a friend and former co-worker who is in the WiFi hotspot business to obtain an access point at a significant discount.
Kevin — who gives props to the library for making this possible — asks where y’all would like to see this service expanded. Would a city-wide WiFi network be something that would interest you? If just some portions of the city, where?
And cvillenews.com user fdr, not having had great luck with the signal this morning, asks if people can report on the speed and signal strength that they’ve received in the area of the library.
I’m often surprised at the sort of topics that get conversation going here. Every so often something off-the-wall does it, particular K-12 topics. So–what the heck?–here’s a letter I received from a parent who is concerned about Walker eliminating their aquatics program.
Hello! My name is Melissa Bibb-Harris. I am a C-ville local born and raised. I have two children who attend C-ville schools, Greenbrier and Buford. I just heard that the aquatics department at Walker School has been dropped. I spoke with Mr. Bill Byers the head of that department who has confirmed he has opted for retirement since his aquatics program has been dropped.
I would like to know why the City School system has dropped the aquatics division from the P.E. program at Walker school? Was there a poll for parents? How do the school board and new Superintendent, Rosa Adkins, explain this decision? Do the American Red Cross water safety standard not fit into the SOL’s? With such a concern on childhood obesity in America how does swimming not benefit the students. What happens now? Do the P.E. classes double or triple in size since a third no longer rotate out for the swimming classes? How can we, a school system, afford to dismiss the advantages of an aquatics program when other school localities such as Fluvanna, Greene and Albemarle would KILL to have an aquatics division as part of their P.E. program?
The amazing thing is that they ever had an aquatics program in the first place. I had no idea.
I heard the news this weekend that two members of a CBS crew were killed in an IED attack in Iraq and that a reporter had been seriously injured. I was alarmed to read on Jennifer’s blog that the reporter, Kimberly Dozier, lived in Charlottesville for a time, attending UVa and working at St. Maartens. The Hook provides more detail.
The latest news is that she’s at a military hospital in Germany, having had shrapnel removed from her head. Though she has serious injuries to her lower body, doctors have dared utter the phrase “cautiously optimistic.”
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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