Author Archive for Waldo Jaquith

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Bowers Firing Reverberates

Published by Waldo Jaquith on December 4, 2005 in Politics and UVa. 24 Comments

The story of UVa’s firing of Dena Bowers continues, with UVa saying Bowers wasn’t fired for what she said, but how she said it, dozens of people holding a rally for Bowers on Friday, and the Associated Press picking up on the story today. The document that she sent from her UVa account was an NAACP document reviewing some effects of the charter plan, but it was not labeled as being a non-university correspondence. When the e-mail was widely circulated by a recipient, some of the additional recipients apparently thought that the document reflected the views of the university.

The trouble with Bowers’ firing is that, in the minds of some charter critics, it confirms (rightly or wrongly) their fear that legitimate concerns about the landmark change in university autonomy were being swept under the rug or squelched. Worse still, some university staff have worried that their employment will be more tenuous than ever under the charter plan, with Bowers’ dismissal for a seemingly-minor violation being seen as a sign that that might just be so.

Racketeering Case Ends in Mistrial

Published by Waldo Jaquith on December 1, 2005 in Law and Justice. 1 Comment

A mistrial had to be declared in the racketeering and narcotics ring case today, after Judge Norman K. Moon discovered that three jurors were aware of the contents of yesterday’s Daily Progress article, “Man says RICO witnesses lying.” The jury was just about to begin deliberation. While the prosecutors wanted only the tainted jurors dismissed, the defense wanted the entire jury replaced; the defense won out, and the next trial will be held down in Lynchburg, where Judge Moon thinks the jury can be more isolated. Liesel Nowak has the story on the Progress website.

“A Recipe for Newspaper Survival”

Published by Waldo Jaquith on November 30, 2005 in Business and Meta News. 1 Comment

Slashdot, one of my favorite websites, has a rare editorial today, “A Recipe for Newspaper Survival in the Internet Age.” The author, Robin Miller, is one of the early contributors to Slashdot, the website that both helped to invent and popularized the collaborative, forum-based blog. Miller lays out a series of recommendations for how local newspapers can capitalize on the internet, using it as a tool for success, rather than allow themselves to be defeated by it.

I’ve never bought into this internet vs. the media thing, but it is a fact that newspaper circulation is declining while news-gathering on-line is increasing — I haven’t been shy about recommending that local press adopt new technologies. I don’t know jack about the newspaper business, but I know the internet business, and much of Miller’s advice should be heeded by local media outlets, print and otherwise.

Mets Sign Wagner

Published by Waldo Jaquith on November 30, 2005 in Sports. 12 Comments

Thirty-four year old Billy Wagner owns a pair of farms just outside of town, on which he raises a few dozen alpacas. Wagner’s had to pick up a second job, though: pitcher. The Mets signed him yesterday in a four-year, $43M deal, the Asbury Park Press reports. The Virginia native was with the Phillies, but the hotshot pitcher became interesting to a number of teams recently, with the Mets winning the bidding war. I don’t have any love for the Mets, but if the enemy of my enemy is my friend, they’re cool by me.

Former Progress Editor Dies

Published by Waldo Jaquith on November 30, 2005 in General News and Meta News. Closed

Bob Pratt, the editor of the Daily Progress in the 60s, died last week at the age of 79. He started as a reporter in the 50s before heading up the paper from 1960-67, when he moved down to Florida to work at the Miami News. His life took an interesting twist in 1975, when he was assigned to write a story about a UFO sighting in Wisconsin. After investigating what he assumed would be another nutcase, he thought there was something to it. He spent the rest of his life interviewing witnesses to sightings, writing UFO Danger Zone and assembling a vast website on the topic. Bryan McKenzie has the story in today’s Daily Progress.

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