Author Archive for Waldo Jaquith

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City Recycling Paper at Curbside

Published by Waldo Jaquith on August 29, 2007 in General News. 16 Comments

Sean McCord writes:

According to an announcement posted today in the City website, residents can now curbside recycle paper products such as catalogues, magazines, junk mail, etc. This is big! For many years, I trotted glass, metal, and newspaper out to the curb, but visited the Recycling Center regularly with my bins of plastic, cardboard, and paper. Then, several months ago, curbside recycling began accepting the plastic and cardboard, so my trips to the center with just boxes of recyclable paper were less frequent. Now, with the city also accepting curbside paper, I can safely dispose of everything on a weekly schedule and save the gasoline I would use to travel to the Recycling Center. It’s brilliant! The City does ask that we place our loose paper recyclables in paper bags and to not put them out during inclement weather, which seems fair.

You can request a recycling bin from the city if you don’t already have one. Since I live out in the county in a small house, the trunk of my Volvo has become the household recycling bin. I visit the recycling center when it gets full. Heck of a system.

“Secret Agent Ken Boyd”

Published by Waldo Jaquith on August 28, 2007 in Development, Politics and Satire. 9 Comments

A friend just turned me on to the brilliant, satirical, and local Beta Carotene Show. Their brand-new installment of the old-time-style radio show is an episode entitled “Secret Agent Ken Boyd.” The show is credited to Steve Ashby, Alex Davis, Bill Davis, and Robert LaRue, who play characters including Wendell Wood, all of the BoS, and God.

I’m so happy to have a chance to use the “Satire” category. This town needs satire, and it needs it badly.

WNRN vs. WCNR

Published by Waldo Jaquith on August 26, 2007 in Business, Meta News and Music. 43 Comments

Speaking of meta-media coverage, Lindsay Barnes looks at the rise of WCNR “The Corner” in local radio in this week’s Hook, focusing on the station’s program director, Brad Savage, and his counterpart at WNRN, Mike Friend. The formats of the two stations are very similar, but WCNR is owned by media conglomerate Saga Communications while WNRN is is a locally-founded non-profit. Barnes explores the degree to which that difference in business approaches ultimately matters, and how it affects the two stations. There’s some good discussion about the story on The Hook‘s website, and over at CE Conversations Ralph offers some thoughtful analysis of WNRN’s ban on the phrase “The Corner”

Camblos Drops BB Gun Charges

Published by Waldo Jaquith on August 24, 2007 in Law and Justice and Politics. 19 Comments

Remember the BS charges brought against four UVa students after they filmed a scene that involved a BB gun for a class assignment? Albemarle commonwealth’s attorney Jim Camblos actually charged them each with “brandishing a firearm.” Well, four months later Camblos was forced to accept that the charges were just goofy — Brian McNeill reports in the Daily Progress that Camblos has dropped the charges against the kids.

The whole thing smacked of his equally ludicrous charges in the “smoke bombers” case this time last year, when he charged those middle school students with conspiring to “blow up” their school. After the case led to an acquittal, Camblos showed no interest in his universal condemnation, even pointing to the fact that one of the accused kids’ birthdays was also the anniversary of Columbine as evidence against him. This time around, Camblos realized that he’d have to drop the charges, since no judge or jury would rule against these kids, and managed to keep himself from threatening the media for violating a non-existent gag order. Those who need to get caught up can look at my year-old compilation of the most outrageous things that Camblos has ever done.

It’s well worth noting that Camblos is running for reelection this year — he’s seeking a third term. I sent $50 to his challenger, Denise Lunsford, via her website a few days ago. There’s not much I know about Lunsford, other than that she’s not Camblos. That’s good enough for me. On the other hand, if Lunsford wins, what in the world would I write about for the next four years? I’d be like Jon Stewart without Bush as president.

One if by Land, Two if by Sea

Published by Waldo Jaquith on August 24, 2007 in UVa. 8 Comments

When a convertible full of four blondes nearly mowed me down on McCormick this afternoon, I knew it was on: the students are coming. Tomorrow is the big day, though the all of The Corner, 14th Street and 29N is bound to be a mess through Sunday.

And there’s your annual day-before warning.

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