A federal judge yesterday ruled in favor of the Cavalier Daily in the matter of accepting alcohol advertising, the AP reports. Both UVa and Virginia Tech’s Collegiate Times had been barred from accepting any advertising promoting alcohol under state law. The Virginia American Civil Liberties Union argued on their behalf, demonstrating that not only is the restriction unconstitutional, but that there was simply no evidence that it has any impact on alcohol consumption. Advertising revenue at the papers should climb accordingly.
News and meta-news about Charlottesville, VA, since 2001.
Author Archive for Waldo Jaquith
Page 156 of 549
Corner bar and pool hall Orbit has abruptly shut down after a 13-year run. A band scheduled to play there this week has been told that the establishment is no more, and that the building is going to be renovated over the next month or so. There’s no word on why this has happened, or what the future holds for that space. All is presumably well at Orbit’s sister restaurant, Rapture, and some of the gigs will end up there. Orbit was the first business venture of local restauranteur Andrew Vaughan, who had previously owned and operated the Java Hut coffee cart on the Downtown Mall. It quickly became a favorite among students, packed to the gills on weekends.
This is probably a good time to point out that Gravity Lounge remains very much (and very successfully) in business, despite the 2006 declaration that it was going out of business. In case anybody lives in a cave, it’s probably worth pointing out that, happily, that news hasn’t proven to be true.
Fellow local history buffs, albeit those a bit older than me, might be interested in this note from Sean Kotz:
Where were you on Saturday nights during the witching hour in the 1970s? Well, there is a good chance, like a lot of Virginians, you were watching your local horror host. This summer, Horse Archer Productions is brushing back the cobwebs as we film the new documentary, “Virginia Creepers: The Horror Host Tradition of the Old Dominion.” We will be charting more than 40 years of Virginia’s television history by talking with hosts (former and current) as well as fans to create this just in time for Halloween. In fact, we’re very interested in involving you, and are currently planning a Charlottesville area taping for fans, so if you remember Slime Theatre or Cobweb Theatre or any Virginia host or show, contact us at info@horsearcherproductions.com. And go to the website to learn how your stories, memorabilia, and memories can be part of this movie.
I’m always glad to see efforts to document recent local history. John Hammond Moore’s excellent “Albemarle: Jefferson’s County, 1727-1976” peters out in the 1950s, Moore presumably figuring then-recent history would interest few. Here’s hoping somebody takes on the task of updating it soon.
City staff want $750k for signage, and council is balking, Seth Rosen writes in today’s Daily Progress. It was just last year that council met staff’s $500k signage request with $200k in funding, so it’s hard to see why they’d support a request so large so soon. Councilors David Brown and Satyendra Huja are quoted as clearly opposing the proposal, Mayor Dave Norris doesn’t think it’s a great idea, and Julian Taliaferro supports it.
From the Progress and the Waynesboro News Virginian, some addition developments in the case of yesterday’s shootings on Route 64:
- Charges have now been filed against Slade Woodson and an unnamed 16-year-old in the case, “Dumb” in the “Dumb and Dumber” duo. Felony malicious wounding, using a firearm in the commission of a felony and maliciously shooting at an occupied vehicle are just the beginning of what will surely be a heaping serving of legal trouble for the pair. They’re facing twenty charges between the two of them.
- The house the duo shot up was the home of Woodson’s apparent nemesis, a fellow student whose questioning by police last year led to Woodson’s prior conviction. This is not the first time Woodson has made a scene at the household — he’s a regular there
- Not content to merely abandon his own laughably recognizable vehicle — a bright orange 1974 Gremlin — that he’d used for the crime spree, Woodson left the .22 shell casings in the vehicle, which were recovered by police. No doubt his fingerprints are all over them.
- The guy shot by police at the time of the arrest this morning is in stable condition, but his identity and specific condition hasn’t been revealed.
- The injuries sustained by the two occupants of vehicles were slight enough that police suspect they might have been caused by shards of glass from the shot-out windows rather than the bullet themselves.
For those of y’all who aren’t familiar with firearms, a .22 is the smallest caliber bullet you’re likely to come across. Both handguns and rifles commonly fire .22s. They have so little powder in them that there’s very little recoil, making it simple to aim a weapon that takes this cartridge. If you had to pick a caliber to be shot in the shoulder with, this would be the way to go. But though it might be small, it’ll punch right through the side of a car and, once it starts to tumble, tear up anybody in its way. Jackson Landers (disclosure: my brother) coincidentally explained this on his blog just two days ago.
Though it remains to be seen which law enforcement agency is responsible for this — Albemarle or state — somebody deserves a lot of credit for making an arrest within 30 hours of the first shot being fired. This could have been a source of a lot of fear and anger, but instead it was wrapped up immediately.
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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