Monthly Archive for February, 2009

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What’s Your CSA?

Published by Waldo Jaquith on February 16, 2009 in Agriculture. 6 Comments

Erika Howsare at C-Ville Weekly points out that it’s that time of year to sign up for Community Supported Agriculture programs. So it’s time for that annual discussion topic: Will you be signing for a CSA this year? Which one, and why?

Last year my wife and I decided that we’d skip the CSA and buy directly from farmers, and became regulars at the Farmers Market. Though we were happy with that decision, we were also really happy with Horse and Buggy Produce, who we worked in in 2006 and 2007. I think we’ll go the same route this year. We’re establishing a few new beds this year, and we’ve already gotten seeds sprouted for broccoli, lettuce and basil, and we got the peppers and tomatoes started last weekend. But it’s hard to beat the convenience of a CSA.

School Board Member Takes Extended Leave

Published by Waldo Jaquith on February 15, 2009 in Education and Politics. 67 Comments

School Board member Alvin Edwards is taking a two-month sabbatical during the budgeting process, and he won’t say where he’s going, why he’s leaving now, or what he’s up to. Rachana Dixit writes in the Progress that the Democrat and former mayor says he’s staying in touch via e-mail, and that his colleagues don’t see that his absence is problematic. Rev. Edwards will be missing six meetings, two budget sessions, and a town hall meeting. He was elected in 2007 to the position that he was appointed to in 2005.

City Democrats Open Caucus

Published by Waldo Jaquith on February 14, 2009 in Politics. 6 Comments

Charlottesville Democrats have agreed to move to a firehouse primary, Rachana Dixit writes in the Daily Progress, which is hoped to result in significantly increased participation in their City Council nomination process. The idea is that there will be a single location on a single day where Democrats can show up, rank the candidates from their most to least favorite, and then go on with their day. Folks who can’t make it can vote absentee. And at the end of the day, the votes are tallied, and the most popular candidates will get the nod. Opponents worry that this process will be more expensive and time-consuming for candidates, while supporters hope that it will increase participation and result in stronger nominees with broader support.

Analog Stations Will Disappear on Monday

Published by Waldo Jaquith on February 14, 2009 in Business, Entertainment and Government. 10 Comments

Four of the five local TV stations will switch to broadcasting digital signals on Tuesday, Brian McNeill writes in the Progress. NBC-29, CBS-19, ABC-16, and FOX-27 will all cease to broadcast in analog, although NBC-29 is compelled by the FCC to broadcast 24/7 instructions on switching to digital for the next couple of months. WHTJ, the local PBS affiliate, will continue their low-power analog broadcast until June, when they’ll shut it off.

Study: Albemarle Co. is Pretty Efficient

Published by Waldo Jaquith on February 12, 2009 in Government. Closed

A third-party audit has found that Albemarle County is efficiently operated, but can improve, Brandon Shulleeta writes in today’s Daily Progress. The 112-page report (612K PDF) enumerates 140 ways that money can be saved, though a bunch of them require big up-front spending for long-term savings, which can be politically difficult. Interestingly, one recommendation is to hire more staff, since the county is apparently pretty lean in some departments, which sounds good, but actually results in inefficiencies. Shulleeta lists some of the more interesting recommendations, but it’s worth flipping through the report to see more of them. The study was conducted by VCU’s Commonwealth Educational Policy Institute.

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