On the heels of Council’s July decision to move city elections to November comes the newly-released results (PDF) of the citizen-based Charlottesville Elections Study Task Force’s review of the electoral process. Over the past few months, the bi-partisan group reviewed perceived problems with city government, looking at different proposed electoral solutions. The group made no recommendations, as per their mandate, only a review of the options, weighing the merits of each. Scenarios described include direct election of the mayor, increasing the number of councilors, non-partisan elections, moving to a ward system, and switching to instant runoff voting. Now the debate can begin as to whether or not any of these changes would be helpful. John Yellig has the story in today’s Progress.
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Charlottesville chiropractor Irv Cox received an e-mail from his daughter, Stephanie, telling the remarkable tale about how she survived the tsunami when it struck Railay Bay, where she was on a docked ferry. She and her fiancee, along with a growing crowd of people, fled ashore as a trio of gigantic swells nearly overcame them, escaping to the jungle before being evacuated the next day. John Yellig has the story in today’s Progress.
Real estate developer Richard Spurzem, the single largest shareholder of Albemarle First Bank, has formally proposed that the bank sell out to a larger bank. The bank was founded in 1998, at a time when local banks were all being bought up by national banks, at the same time as Virginia National Bank. While VNB has added locations and grown steadily, Albemarle First has lost value, with last year’s Ivy Industries $2.4M check kiting scandal doing nothing to help. Shareholders may end up casting a vote on the proposal at the annual meeting in May. David Hendrick had the story in Saturday’s Progress.
dsewell writes: This week’s cover story in The Hook details another lovely imbroglio that Thomas Sullivan is getting into with his neighbors on Blenheim Road, in this case with the long-established Lower Sherwood Llama Farm. He’s not only grabbing their name, he’s demanding they remove their sign.
I’ll admit my bias on this story: I came to know Paige McGrath and her mother JoAnn through their work on the Wes Clark campaign (Paige’s “Llamas for Clark” walking llama signboard on the Downtown Mall was the high point of the local campaign). But politics aside, they’re good folk, active in the llama farming community, exhibitors at the county fair–basically, being good citizens of rural Albemarle. Whether or not the letter of the law upholds Sullivan’s actions, he’s playing the petty tyrant. (Of course, he’s hardly the first owner of a large estate in Albemarle County to be gifted with more money than scruples.)
As has been long planned, Dave Cupp is leaving WVIR 29, and Friday will be his last day. His been with the station for 26 years, and served as news director for a mighty long time, but is leaving to follow his wife to Cambridge, where she’s worked at the Harvard Graduate School of Education for the past couple of years. Cupp’s departure comes a a little over a year after the departure of Robert Van Winkle, another WVIR veteran, who is now with WBBH, WVIR’s Florida sister station (both are owned by Waterman Broadcasting). As has been noted repeatedly, WVIR is hemorrhaging talent, and their new competition from WCAV (CBS 19) and WVAW (ABC 16) isn’t going to make things any easier, to say nothing of the proposed Fox station and the elusive WCVL cable station. John Yellig has the story in today’s Progress.
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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