The planned interchange at the corner of 250 and McIntire will likely pave right over the Dogwood Vietnam Memorial, Seth Rosen explains in today’s Daily Progress, and some veterans are upset about it. The memorial was the first such Vietnam memorial in the nation, established in 1966. The city has offered to move the memorial, but some Vietnam vets aren’t buying it. Also in the path of the interchange are the skate park and the rescue squad. For more about the planned construction, see the city’s interchange website.
News and meta-news about Charlottesville, VA, since 2001.
Author Archive for Waldo Jaquith
Page 195 of 549
Dr. Barbara Haskins has filed to run for City Council as an independent. Charlottesville Tomorrow reports that the 26-year city resident is running because she was “outraged” with the last budget process, while Democratic Central reports that she’s a Democrat. Satyendra Huja, Holly Edwards and Mayor David Brown are the Democratic nominees for the three seats, and Democrat Peter Kleeman is also running as an independent.
Both Brian Wheeler and Lloyd Snook reported this on their respective blogs three days ago, but I’ve been on vacation, so I’m a little behind the times.
In today’s Daily Progress, Brian McNeill looks at traffic data and finds that high housing costs are putting enormous pressure on a few roads that lead to the surrounding counties. VDOT’s numbers on travel time (516k PDF), comparing 2005 to 2001, show that traffic from the west on 250 increased by 25%, traffic from the north on 29 increased by 33%, and traffic on 53 doubled from 3,300 to 6,600 trips per day.
City Democrats chose Satyendra Huja, Holly Edwards and Mayor David Brown as their nominees for Council, Bob Gibson writes in today’s Progress. The really surprising thing was how the numbers came in: Huja received 304 votes, Edwards 279, and Brown 261. Linda Seaman and Jennifer McKeever came in with 188 and 149, respectively.
Huja as top voter getter is particularly surprising because he has absolutely no history with the local Democratic Party which, I think, speaks very well of those who showed up to vote. Traditionally, the party wouldn’t give the time of day to a candidate who hadn’t “paid their dues.” I have to speculate that he was the first choice of few, but second or third choice for an enormous number of people, which paid off handsomely. This remarkably diverse ticket will make a formidable team for the general election, although it looks like local Republicans can’t even muster a single candidate to go up against them. If they’re not going to field candidates, maybe it’s time to give a thirty party a default place on the ticket (the Green Party?) and make Republicans gather signatures on a petition in order to secure a place on the ballot. Peter Kleeman, who is basically a Green, has secured enough signatures to appear on the ballot, so this may well just be a four-person race.
Five people have applied for an interim appointment to the school board, Matt Deegan reports in the Progress, a number one greater than the people who have filed to run for the four open seats. One of those applicant is Grant Brownrigg, who is simultaneously seeking election to the school board. That maneuver is not prohibited, but the five and a half month head start would seem to give an unfair advantage to an applicant who is also a candidate. Of the other four candidates, two (Susan Lewis and Charles Kollmansperger) have said they’re not interesting in running, and the other two (former board members Byron Brown and Muriel Wiggins) couldn’t be reached by the paper.
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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