Jefferson Madison Regional Library, because they’re just cool like that, has made a bookmarklet in the LibraryLookup format that allows people to easily see if a book is available at the library. When you’re on a book-related site (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, whatever), before you buy the book, you can use this bookmarklet (which is basically a bookmark that does something interesting) to see if you could just check it out instead of buying it. Just drag this link: [Library Lookup] to the toolbar at the top of your browser to activate it on your system. For example, if you were looking at my mother’s book on Amazon, you could click on the LibraryLookup bookmarklet to query JMRL’s catalog for it, and you’d discover that it’s checked out at Gordon and Central, but available at Northside and Louisa. Save money, make use of the library, try the LibraryLookup bookmarklet. Full disclosure: I represent Charlottesville on the Board of Trustees for JMRL.
Author Archive for Waldo Jaquith
Page 400 of 549
In 1979, the U.S. Senate commissioned a study on the effects of nuclear war. They wanted to know what would happen to government, the economy, and society if nuclear war were to break out between the USSR and the United States. What would the country be like afterwards? The result was a study (titled, appropriate, “The Effects of Nuclear War,” that outlined the specific effects of various attack scenarios, determining kill rates, illness levels, the effects on food supplies, etc. The interesting bit is that they commissioned a 15-page fictionalized short story of life after the war in one specific city. The author, Nan Randall, wrote about Charlottesville. Good news: we survive. Lots of refugees come here from all over the country, we communicate via CB radio, WCHV broadcasts messages from the president (who is in a bunker in the midwest), the city manager becomes the totalitarian ruler of Charlottesville and Albemarle, and…well, I won’t ruin it for you. The story is only available as a PDF (77k), but it makes for great reading.
Cecil writes: I heard on the radio this morning (2/20) that Albemarle County and Charlottesville City schools (among others) are closed today. I don’t have a problem with that; I don’t even have a child in the school system. But I am curious – -it seems to me that the streets are pretty much clear, at least in the city. Why do they remain closed? Does anyone have any experience with these kinds of school-closing decisions, someone who could shed light on what factors go into consideration? This layperson wonders.
Ntelos (nee Intelos, nee CFW, as in Clifton Forge Waynesboro Telephone Cooperative) failed to pay their interest payments, due yesterday, to bondholders. They were scheduled to pay $24.6MM, but failed to do so. Ntelos has 30 days before their creditors can take action. A year ago, they had $7.3MM in cash — now they’re down to just a hair over a half million. The company went from a small telephone co-op to a big wireless and Internet company beginning in the mid 90s, and they now provide services like paging, DSL, cable television, wireless Internet access, website hosting, and PCS in five states. The Washington Post has the story, and Ntelos has a relevant press release on their site. 02/20 Update: Looks like Standard & Poor’s has cut their credit rating, and Ntelos is closing a call center, selling the $8MM building, and moving 100 jobs, as a cost-cutting move. It’s not expected that many of the employees will move from the Portsmouth location to their Waynesboro or Daleville locations, because the pay is around $9/hour.
There are a lot of changes afoot in Our Fair City, with many long-planned municipal constructions projects going forward and a few new plans. At last week’s Planning Commission meeting, a variety of projects were discussed, including Court Square improvements in April, the renovation of the Trailways bus station, the demolition of New Cabell Hall, a pedestrian bridge over Emmet St., the completion of the (public bathroom-less Recreation Center overhaul, and many other things. Ray Smith, who recently provided a write up a recent hearing regarding planned zoning changes, has provided a run-down of the planned projects; keep reading to read it.
I unknowingly arrived late to this month’s Planning Commission meeting (a person working that night in City Hall had told me the meeting started at 7:30, but it had begun much earlier) to ask the Commission for a few things about the Adult Use section. I had missed the “Matters presented by the public” section, so I just sat in on Jim Tolbert’s Construction Report. (Tolbert is the Director of Neighborhood Development Services.)
I was glad I was late, because there are some major construction happenings planned:
The Planning Commission also decided that their next meeting would be March 11 at 6:30. They wanted a separate date for a public hearing for the zoning ordinance, and chose March 26 at 6:30.
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 #
-
Archive for Sideblog »
Recent Comments