Monthly Archive for October, 2008

Page 5 of 6

Half of Albemarle Supports a Road Tax

Published by Waldo Jaquith on October 10, 2008 in Taxes and Transportation. 10 Comments

The results from the county’s annual citizen satisfaction survey are in, Brandon Shulleeta wrote in yesterday’s Progress, and the surprising news is that 70% of those surveyed “somewhat” or “strongly” support spending more on roads, with 49% saying they’d pay more taxes to make that possible. In past years, this survey asked people what they’d like to see the county do more of, but didn’t also ask if they were willing to pay for those services, so this new approach marks an improvement. Other notable numbers include that 93% of citizens are satisfied with services and that 58% believe that real estate assessments are done fairly. The complete report won’t come out for another couple of months.

We’re #1! …For Gas Prices

Published by Waldo Jaquith on October 9, 2008 in Business. 55 Comments

WINA notes that we’ve got the most expensive gasoline in the state, with an average of $3.61, compared to a state average of $3.42. The cheapest fuel is in Richmond, at a $3.33 average. Not explained by WINA is why that’s so. I returned from week-long back-to-back trips today, and driving through Curricuck County, NC (just south of the VA border) I paid $2.99/gallon to fill up, which was a common price throughout the area. When I saw the price, I actually did a double-take, followed by a cartoon-style wwaaahhhh?

UVa Rescinds Sign Ban

Published by Waldo Jaquith on October 2, 2008 in In Brief. Closed

UVa has agreed to drop their ban on signs at athletic events in the face of a threatened wide-scale protest.  #

Lethal Wrecker=Cavalier Wrecker

Published by Waldo Jaquith on October 2, 2008 in In Brief. 1 Comment

Here’s a previously-promised PSA: Lethal Wrecker is now named “Cavalier Wrecker.”  #

Twenty Year Old Murdered on 2nd Street

Published by Waldo Jaquith on October 1, 2008 in Crime. 9 Comments

Twenty year old Joshua Lee Gibson was stabbed to death at the entrance to Friendship Court yesterday afternoon, Tasha Kates reports for the Daily Progress. Lamont Jermaine Blakey, aged 26, has confessed to the killing, and is in custody. Gibson was stabbed in the chest with what’s said to have been a foot-long knife. Also injured was 44-year-old James Edward Brown, though he’s in good condition with a knife wound to the thigh. It’s thought that the murder was sparked by an argument over a woman.

This is the second murder in the neighborhood in just over two months—19-year-old Joshua Anthony Magruder was shot to death two blocks away in July.