UVA Dean of Admissions Jack Blackburn has succumbed to liver cancer. The 67-year-old held the position since 1985, and was popular and respected enough that $1.5M was just raised to establish scholarships in his name, the university points out in a statement on his death. He’d planned to retire in June.
The memorial service will be held at Westminster Presbyterian at 11 AM on Saturday, followed by a reception at Alumni Hall.
A reader who wishes to remain anonymous writes:
The hotel is coming to a stop again. All the workers came by a store at break today for munchies and said it was on hold for at least three months and the crane was actually coming down. Drove by Mid-AM and everyone was loading equipment on a truck.
The story is that the new developer will take three months to get up to speed before they can start again.
The saga of the Landmark Hotel has been tough to keep up with. Here’s hoping that they open up that lane on Water Street during this work stoppage. And I don’t know what the deal is with 2nd St. SE being closed between Water and South, but if that’s got anything to do with the Landmark, it sure would be helpful if that would open again, too.
It looks like the Albemarle Planning Commission is going to maintain their prohibition on windmills at their meeting on Tuesday. County staff has recommended that the county revisit the topic in two years and, in the meantime, study how other localities in Virginia have handled any problems that they might present. Sean Tubbs covered the PC meeting on this topic in May, and found that there was significant disagreement among commission members about how to move forward. So the solution that the county has come up with is to continue to prohibit this form of renewable energy.
JMU conducted a study of wind energy on Buck’s Elbow a few years ago and found that it’s a great source of wind energy. The Southwest Mountains and the whole eastern slope of the Blue Ridge are excellent locations for windmills. My latest power bill was breathtaking, a result of Dominion’s latest price hike. I’ve looking hard at installing a Skystream, since I live in up in the Southwest Mountains, though I guess that’s not going to happen. If you’re interested in relying less on coal and foreign oil, and want to consider small wind, check out JMU’s Virginia Wind Energy Collaborative. But that’s about all you’ll be able to do, I guess. (Unless you’ve got an in with your representative on the Planning Commission.)
A third-party efficiency review has recommended some ways to cut costs in city schools, Rachana Dixit writes in today’s Daily Progress. The 331-page report recommends $17M in savings, coming from closing an elementary school and eliminating six of its assistant principals (about half of them), thirteen teachers, and 62 of the instructional assistants (again, about half), among dozens of other recommendations. Interestingly, the report makes no recommendation for eliminating staff at the school system’s central office, suggesting only a “restructing” that would be “revenue neutral.”
Much of the Downtown Mall redevelopment work is being done by out-of-town firm, Dave McNair writes in this week’s Hook. Local firms bid on the work, but they were beat out by companies in Norfolk, Maryland, and Michigan. Only two of the seven contracts went to local businesses. One of the owners of those local businesses complains that while they pay reasonable wages, the out of town companies are trucking in guys for $8/hour. The city seems to be in an awkward position here, not least of which is that state procurement laws (which the city has to function under) only allow them to prefer local firms when there’s a tie between two bidders. But more than that, the city’s got to get this job done as inexpensively as possible…but they’ve also got to keep local businesses happy. And those two things are, as we can see here, often at odds.
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 four six 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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