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.

Amtrak Paving Crazy Expensive

Published by Waldo Jaquith on November 20, 2010 in In Brief. 25 Comments

The soil under the Amtrak parking lot simply can’t support paving, making it a $300k proposition.  #

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.

Famed Szechuan Chef Opening Barracks Road Restaurant

Published by Waldo Jaquith on November 17, 2010 in In Brief. 1 Comment

Peter Chang has signed a lease on the old Wild Greens space  #

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.