Details of Jim Baldi’s life on the run are coming out, thanks to some digging by The Hook’s Dave McNair, and they’re not glamorous. Claiming to be “Dario DiSovana,” he’d grown his hair long and was managing a crappy pizza place in San Francisco’s Chinatown. He and a Charlottesville woman were posing as husband and wife, from Canada, with Baldi claiming to be Italian-Vietnamese. Apparently he couldn’t keep his story straight, which may have something to do with getting caught. Baldi is still in California, awaiting extradition to Virginia.
News and meta-news about Charlottesville, VA, since 2001.
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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Waldo, your view of the restaurant Baldi worked seems at great variance with the linked reviews. Top 10% in San Francisco is not easy work…
If one was going to pretend to be of even partial vietnamese descent, I imagine it would be unwise to do so in a city with one of, if not the, largest vietnamese populations in america.
And also, the border between North Beach and Chinatown does not have even one “crappy pizza place”. You cant make that kinda rent on crappy pizza. Just sayin, culinarily, that zone is posh.
Not my view—that’s from The Hook, which describes it as “a classic ‘hole-in-the-wall’ place.”
‘Hole in the wall’ and ‘crappy’ are not synonymous. In many big cities, the best food is to be had at hole in the wall establishments.
Not to split hairs, but I think the distinction is between the quality of the space and the food. As I know the figure of speech—and I’m no linguist—it serves to diminish the physical restaurant, indicating that it might be unclean, decrepit, or otherwise headed towards ruin. As any reader of the Lonely Planet series will eagerly volunteer, these are the places to go when traveling to have food that is, if not amazing, at least authentic. Anyhow, that’s what I took away from “hole in the wall,” and what I intended to convey. The photos on the review site are too low quality for me to judge.
…and I think I’ve beat this dead horse pretty thoroughly now. :)
If you’re using an Italian accent, what if somebody speaks to you in Italian? Also, no long hair in the Yelp picture.
Not to revive the dead horse just to shoot it again, but looking at a map, this restaurant, of whatever quality, isn’t even close to North Beach, at least in relation to ChinaTown. It’s on the block south of 555 California, which is the Bank of America’s HQ. If anything it is between the financial district and Union Square.
The hook really should consult a map before displaying its ignorance…
Classic and crappy are two different things to me. To any foodie, hearing about a “classic hole in the wall” is considered hearing something good. And the chalk board menu looks far from crappy stuff.
I consider Ruby Tuesday crappy. Little Serows in DC, which is in a dark basement with no sign on the door I consider a classic hole in the wall. Only one I would pay money to eat at. A pic of the entrance… http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/little-serow-washington?select=OZb4FubbL-nNZglmWM_bxg#OZb4FubbL-nNZglmWM_bxg And the food was amazing.
Spot on with this write-up, I actually feel this web
site needs far more attention. I’ll probably be back again to read more, thanks for the advice!
Yes, Waldo, this site needs far more attention! Spam-bots need something to talk about, too!
(actually, I’ve been pleased that there’s been more conversation on here of late, so Spam-bot is wrong!)