Monthly Archive for November, 2010

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CHO Sticking with Standard Security Measures

Published by Waldo Jaquith on November 24, 2010 in Government and Transportation. 13 Comments

The Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport isn’t interested in seeing you naked or fondling you, Brandon Shulleeta writes in the Progress. They don’t have the full-body scanning devices that permit TSA agents to see you naked—just a standard metal detector. If the metal detectors gets to beeping, and after a few tries it keeps going off, they’ll perform a pat-down search, but it’s a reasonable one, not one that’s liable to bring about a panic attack in a survivor of sexual assault. CHO hasn’t been told by the TSA that they’re going to have to install the strip-search technology, and the airport’s director points out that it’d be tough to fit the equipment into the small airport, anyhow.

So I’m still willing to fly out of CHO—the trick is finding a similar airport to fly back from, one where they’re not going to molest me. Easier? Drive or take Amtrak.

Former Mayor Charged with Assault

Published by Waldo Jaquith on November 17, 2010 in Crime. Closed

Former mayor Frank Buck has charged with choking a legal client while in court, Courteney Stuart writes for The Hook. The attorney was arrested last week and charged with assault, in response to a complaint by his (presumably now-former) client, Milton Leo John. John says that he was complaining that Buck hadn’t done an adequate job representing him when Buck suddenly grabbed him around the neck and squeezed. Buck admits that he lost his temper in the face of unreasonable requests from his client, and that he put his hands on John’s neck, but that he stopped there, realizing that he was making a big mistake. Although the judge and bailiff had left the room, a surveillance camera was running, which will presumably settle any question as to what actually transpired. There’s a court hearing in the matter tomorrow.

Frank Buck was mayor from 1980–1988, and has long been a practicing attorney—his partner in his practice is Del. David Toscano.

Disclaimer: Frank Buck served as my attorney in a personal injury case a decade ago.

Council OKs Meadowcreek Parkway

Published by Waldo Jaquith on November 16, 2010 in Development, Government and Transportation. 25 Comments

By a one-vote margin, City Council has signed off on the Meadowcreek Parkway, Rachana Dixit reports for the Progress. Although specifically they’ve just OKd a relatively small thing—allowing the city manager to sign a draft memorandum of agreement—that basically allows the whole road to happen, since that MoA is required to get a permit from the Army Corps of Engineers, which is required for the state to award the bid for construction. That said,, Council had already given the city manager the go-ahead on signing that agreement, back in 2006…they just wanted to do it again. Mayor Dave Norris and Holly Edwards were the two dissenting votes.

City Schools Moving to Healthful, Local Foods

Published by Waldo Jaquith on November 15, 2010 in Agriculture and Education. 11 Comments

There’s a movement afoot to improve Charlottesville school food, Rachana Dixit writes in today’s Daily Progress, and it’s picking up steam. The city has long employed a dietician in the form of Alicia Cost to feed its 4,000 students, and recently hired allowed Rachel Williamson to manage a food garden at Buford. The national movement in support of local food and the strengthening local food network are making it possible to feed kids more healthful foods than the standard fast-food fare (Domino’s pizza was a major daily offering when I went to WAHS in the early nineties), with the caveat that it’s got to be a) cheap and b) something that the kids are willing to eat. Martha Stafford, owner of the Charlottesville Cooking School, has been hired to come up with some new recipes within those parameters, and has recently been having luck with a black bean and rice taco.

It’s embarrassing how excited I am by this.

11/18 Update: Guinevere Higgins points out that Buford doesn’t employ Williamson—an independent organization does.

City Post $3.6M Budget Surplus

Published by Waldo Jaquith on November 11, 2010 in Government and Taxes. 7 Comments

The city has posted a $3.6M budget surplus, Rachana Dixit reports for the Daily Progress, a result of spending $4.8M less than planned and taking in $1.2M less than planned. (That’s out of a $126M budget, or a 2.8% overrun.) The city plans to use $2M of that towards capital improvements, with the balance going to a bunch of programs, including $750 bonuses to employees who have been at their jobs for at least a year. (Virginia is doing the same thing—state employees all get a bonus of 3% of their salary this month.) Council will vote on that on Monday. This is the fourth consecutive year of budget surpluses.

The city’s budget is available online, for those who care for the details.

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