Author Archive for Waldo Jaquith

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USPS Considering Shuttering Processing Facility

Published by Waldo Jaquith on August 8, 2009 in Government. 38 Comments
USPS Distribution Facility
The USPS Distribution Facility on Airport Rd.

It was just a few years ago that the USPS built their processing facility on Airport Road, but they’re already looking at shutting it down, Jason Bacaj reports in today’s Daily Progress. A study of their operations will be running for the next few weeks, which will determine whether they’re going to keep it open, move all of the operations to their new facility in Richmond, or do something between those two. The results of the study are due to be announced late next month. If they were to shut down this facility, my understanding is that all mail sent within Charlottesville would have to be routed through Richmond, though I certainly hope that’s not right. Charlottesville’s original mail sorting facility is now the home to the central branch of the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library, which took it over in 1977; if abandoned, I wonder what the future holds for their current facility.

County Wants Developers to Cover Mud Expanses

Published by Waldo Jaquith on August 5, 2009 in Development, Government and Law and Justice. 4 Comments

The county is looking to stop developers from razing the land and then leaving a field of mud, Sharon Fitzgerald writes in today’s Daily Progress. The proposal is to require that cleared land be covered up within nine months, whether with grass, a structure, or some kind of paving. Developers who can’t get that done in nine months can apply for a three-month extension.

After land is graded, the denuded land can lead to terrible runoff problems, clogging storm drains and filling stream beds with silt. (Recall Hollymead Town Center, which was a sea of red earth for years, the runoff from which reduced Hollymead Lake to a mud puddle.) It’s in a developer’s best interest not to let that happen—dirt isn’t as cheap as the expression would have you believe, and if you let dirt start flowing around on your property, there’s no telling where it’ll move to, and that can make a mess. Wendell Wood, the developer of Hollymead Town Center, blames the multi-year moonscape on the county, for delaying his permits, but that doesn’t explain why he’d grade acre upon acre of land without the permits to do anything with it. Jay Willer of the Blue Ridge Home Builders Association opposes the proposal.

Disclosure: I’m in the awkward position of writing about this during the same week—the very day, I think—on which the county is going to consider whether I have to renew the bond for the swath of land that I had cleared last year, which is contingent in part on whether I have adequately covered the land in question. Though having gone through that process, I do think I’m in a good position to say that nine months ought to be enough time, especially if those nine months don’t include winter. (Mine did, which meant I couldn’t grow a blade of grass until March, despite my best efforts.) Anyhow, knowing that folks from that office read this blog, and wanting very much to be released from that bond, the assumption that I’m sucking up is, while incorrect, totally warranted.

White Supremacist Arrested for Harassing Police

Published by Waldo Jaquith on July 29, 2009 in Crime. 93 Comments

Elisha Strom has been arrested for stalking undercover Jefferson Area Drug Enforcement detectives, WSLS reports. She’s been maintaining a blog dedicated to making public the identities of JADE members, where she describes stakeouts of their stakeouts, posts photos of the officers leaving their homes, provides dozens of surveillance photos of the detectives, and relates stories about how she goes about stalking them. It’s obsessive and creepy. It’s the photo of the officer leaving his home that’s gotten her charged.

Strom argues that the information that she’s provided is all a matter of public record, which is true, but stalking is itself a crime, and that’s because the components of stalking are all otherwise legal. None of this explains what Strom’s deal is with JADE members—it’s clear she’s trying to intimidate them, but there’s no telling why.

You’ll remember Strom for her husband, Kevin Strom, the pedophile, white supremacist and erstwhile cvillenews.com troll. He was arrested in early 2007, sentenced to two years in prison in April of last year, and released just a few months later. It was his wife who turned him into the police, accusing him of physically assaulting her to keep her from testifying against him.

07/30 Update: Lisa Provence provides a whole lot more information and analysis in The Hook.

Albemarle Fair Doubles in Awesomeness

Published by Waldo Jaquith on July 28, 2009 in General News. 13 Comments

Grandfather and Grandson on the Scrambler
I adore the Albemarle County Fair. It’s my favorite time of year, which is to say this time of year—its six-day run started this evening. There are livestock displays, dozens of competitions, rides, loads of wildly unhealthy foods, and musical acts. (Plus great people watching opportunities.) A short drive south of town on 29, it’s open from 4 PM-11 PM during the week, 10 AM-11 PM on Saturday, and 1 PM-6 PM on its closing day, Sunday. Admission is $7 for adults and $3 for kids (free for kids aged six and under).

My only complaint about the fair is that they somehow fail to attract the very people who would enjoy it the most—basically the folks who shop at farmers markets, want to raise chickens in their backyards, and are just starting to reap the benefits of this year’s tomato crop. My fellow Tech alumni appear to outnumber UVA grads, if clothing is any indicator. If accents are any indicator, attendees are mostly local. This is the year in which that audience should expand. A group named Backyard Revolution is providing free (with admission) classes in all sorts of Virginia homesteading skills: rainwater harvesting, orienteering, urban chicken keeping, arrowsmithing, seed saving, blacksmithing, building a batteau, knitting, composting, spinning, cider making, wall building, log cabin making, and dozens and dozens of other deeply cool things. I want to go to all of these things. There’s a dedicated area in the fair set aside for these things, with both classes (first come, first served) and displays that will remain up for the duration of the fair.

Visit the fair, check them out on Facebook, tell us about the highlights here, and take pictures & post them to Flickr

Mike Comer Arrested at Wintergreen

Published by Waldo Jaquith on July 27, 2009 in Crime. 12 Comments

Accused embezzler Mike Comer was arrested at Wintergreen this afternoon, NBC 29 reports. He was found in their lodge, a literal stone’s throw from where search crews were looking for him a month ago. There’s no word on how long he’s been there, how he was found, or even what he’s been charged with, but presumably the whole sordid affair will all come out in the months ahead.

Michael Comer07/28 Update: From the “Terrible Ideas” category, Comer—accused of stealing $666,000—had to part with just $50,000 in order to post bond. I don’t care how you do the math, that’s just a sound financial move on Comer’s part. There’s no question the guy’s a flight risk, so the logic here escapes me. Commonwealth Attorney Denise Lunsford places the odds of him slowing up at “slim at best.” Apparently it was Comer’s wife who turned him in—he called her from a pay phone at Wintergreen, and she contacted police. Comer is now cooling his heels in his $1.35M home, where he may be, at the moment, having a “World’s Best Dad” badge pinned to his cardigan. (God help him if he’d stolen $600k from Glenmore via any method other than white-collar crime—he’d be held on $1M bail and facing thirty years, I guarantee it.) At right is his sharp new post-flight look, rocking an appearance not dissimilar to Jeffrey Shifflett at the time of his post-flight 2006 arrest.

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