Saga Communications (which bought the locally-owned Eure Communications in 2004) has launched a new radio station in town: 106.1 FM “The Corner”. Their website refuses to divulge what sort of music that they play, describing it only as “different.” A quick listen in the car revealed that “boring” might be a better term, but YMMV.
News and meta-news about Charlottesville, VA, since 2001.
Author Archive for Waldo Jaquith
Page 237 of 549
The Board of Supervisors is evenly split on the topics of phasing and clustering, so they decided to not even hold a vote, reports the latest addition to the Progress lineup, Jeremy Borden. The two growth tools have been under discussion for years now, and would slow and focus growth in the rural-designated portions of the county. Dennis Rooker, David Slutzky and Sally Thomas supported them, while Kenneth Boyd, Lindsay Dorrier and David Wyant opposed them. It’s not clear what can or will happen from here, but Thomas wisely points out that “the public will have something to say about that in the next elections.”
A Wal-Mart is opening right in the middle of downtown Louisa, WCAV reports, and Mayor Jim Artz couldn’t be happier. He describes it as being “like Santa Claus…coming to town.” Just one person interviewed seems to have any sense, the grandmother of James Grooms, who points out that Wal-Mart will put out of business every local establishment still hanging on. The mayor says, simply, “if you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.”
Wal-Mart’s business strategy is, famously, to move into economically hurting areas like Louisa, make their prices so low that they shut down the mom-and-pop businesses, and then they raise their prices again when they don’t have any competition. In exchange, locals get minimum wage jobs. I’m mostly blogging about this so that I’ll be able to link to my “I told you so” when the mayor gets run out of town on a rail in a few years.
Several area environmental organizations have appealed to the Board of Supervisors for a growth target, Bob Gibson writes in today’s Progress. Representatives from Advocates for a Sustainable Albemarle Population, The Sierra Club, and Citizens for Albemarle asked the Board of Supervisors to simply set a number so that we know when we’re done growing: 150,000, 200,000, 500,000, whatever.
They say — and I agree — that we should simply pick a target so we can plan ahead. If what we love about Albemarle that it’s so rural, then we’ll want a lower target. But if we agree that Albemarle should eventually resemble Manhattan, we’ll want a higher number. We’ve been planning the size of families for a couple of generations now. Can’t we plan the size of our cities?
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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