cvillenewser asks: “What’s the best cell phone carrier for the Central
Virginia/Charlottesville area in terms of reception and value (minutes/cost)? I’m currently with Nextel, and while I haven’t had any problems, I’m wondering if I’m missing out on a better deal out there.”
By my math, there’s no beating Ntelos, which has the bonus of being local, but I’m sure others will weigh in.
The simmering dispute between Republican Rob Schilling and Democrats on City Council is continuing in the wake of Monday’s meltdown, John Yellig writes in today’s Progress. Check out this MP3 for the abridged, one and a half minute version of the dispute, which features Schilling speaking out of turn, Kendra Hamilton disagreeing with him, and Mayor David Brown trying to get control of the meeting.
The disagreement is partially over whether the school board should be elected by ward, partially partisan, and partially race-based — essentially a continuation of everything that made the Scottie Griffin saga so sordid, apparently unresolved by the removal of Griffin.
L’affair Ward started with Schilling’s e-mail to supporters accusing Democrats of holding a forum on whether to move to a ward-based election while having already sent a letter to the Department of Justice seeking permission to move to an at-large election system. Hamilton is upset that Schilling didn’t point out that the letter mentioned that the city would provide a post-hearing addendum, though she seems even more upset at Schilling’s portrayal of himself as a champion of the black community. Hamilton, as the only black member of council (and whose academic studies and career have been devoted to African-American history and culture), sees herself as the representative of what she terms “my people.”
The ward discussion may well continue at the next Council meeting. This is going to end in tears.
Outspoken UVa charter critic Dena Bowers has been abruptly fired from her position as a recruiter in their HR department. She says she was fired on Tuesday after sending a private e-mail containing an NAACP analysis of the charter’s effect on medical center employees. The e-mail was forwarded around by others, leading to it being mistakenly sent to the all classified staff at within the College of Arts & Sciences. UVa does not, as a matter of policy, publicly address personnel matters. As a seventeen-year employee of UVa, Bowers is surprised and angered by her firing, and believes that it is retaliation for her opposition to the charter. Liesel Nowak has the story in today’s Daily Progress.
This Sunday’s Washington Post will feature an article about the Charlottesville music scene. Author Ben Brazil visited and reviewed the music communities of Athens, Chapel Hill, and Our Fair City. He spent time at Twisted Branch, Bang!, Starr Hill Gravity Lounge, writing specifically about Bella Morte, Lauren Hoffman, This Means You, and John D’earth. The author also turns to Mike Friend and Jeff Reynolds, of WNRN, for advice on good local music.
All in all, it amounts to some great exposure for some of the town’s best musicians and venues.
Two square miles of undeveloped land just south of town, Biscuit Run, have been bought by Hunter Craig for an astounding $46.2M. The land will be turned into yet another development with a name apparently generated by computer for maximum irony value, “Fox Ridge.” It will include somewhere between 900 and 5,000 residences, which would bring about a significant increase in the Albemarle County population. The Breeden family, who has lived at Biscuit Run for many years now, have kept a chunk of land for themselves to continue to live on. David Hendrick has the story in today’s Progress.
In other news, my old buddy Eric Breeden is now my bestest friend in the whole wide world.
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 four six 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 #
Archive for Sideblog »
Recent Comments