From Derick Waller at NBC-29, the ten places where the Charlottesville Police give out the most parking tickets:
UVA is planning to take down the big magnolias on either side of the Rotunda, Ted Strong writes in the Daily Progress, and some people aren’t thrilled about it. The enormous trees are slated for removal in order to allow scaffolding to be put up around the building, so that the leaky roof can be replaced. (The scaffolding, interestingly, will support a tent to cover the roofless Rotunda.) The trees are thought to have been planted about a century ago, but it’s not clear if they’re really the same trees or replacements. Ironically, the trees could be contributing to the building’s troubles; as evergreens, they leave the building in shade year-round, preventing evaporation of rainwater. A student petition opposing the removal of the trees has garnered over 2,000 signatures.
Remember when Hunter Craig sold Biscuit Run to the state for $9.8M and the hope of tax credits, in order to get rid of that albatross in a terrible economy? And then The Hook figured out that it was turning into a boondoggle, with Craig trying to get state tax credits (which is as good as cash) on an $87.7M appraisal for land that he bought at the height of the bubble for $46.2M? Well, it gets boondogglier. Craig and his associates are suing the state for another $19.48M, Hawes Spencer reports, since they’re not happy with the $21.48M that they’ve already gotten for the land. Why? Because they’re still $25M in the hole, with a lot of that probably owed in the form of monthly loan payments. If that’s a thirty-year note at 5% interest, then Hunter Craig and partner (and father-in-law) Wick McNeely have to come up with $134k/month. (Just this year, McNeely has sold Burning Daylight Farm, his Nova Scotia mansion, put his Garth Road home on the market, and ended his Farmington membership.)
I’m something like $100k underwater on my mortgage. Here I was thinking that it was my duty to suck it up and live with, because it’s nobody’s fault but my own. Maybe that attitude is what’s keeping me from being a successful businessman.
Though the votes are still being tallied, the major election results are already known.
Republican Ken Boyd has secured a third term representing the Rivanna district on the Board of Supervisors, defeating Democratic challenger Cynthia Neff. But down in the Scottsville district, Democrat Chris Dumler has defeated Republican James Norwood. That means that the Board of Supervisors now has three Democrats and three Republicans, which is bound to affect their agenda. (That’s an oversimplification—one of those Democrats is actually an independent, and Lindsay Dorrier was technically a Democrat but voted like a Republican.)
The three Democrats swept the City Council race, putting the Huja-Galvin-Smith ticket into office over the handful of independents in the race.
In state-level races, it’s no surprise that Sen. Creigh Deeds and Del. David Toscano won reelection handily, but it is surprising that odds-on favorite Connie Brennan, a Democrat, was defeated by scandal-plagued Republican Matt Farris in the 59th House district, despite the presence of a conservative independent who sapped some votes from Farris. The Senate race pitting incumbent Democrat Edd Houck against Republican challenger Bryce Reeves has proven to be a nail-biter. With 91% of precincts reporting, Houck is up by just 37 votes, making a recount a near-certainty. If Republicans take one or two other Senate seats in Virginia, then the Houck-Reeves race will quickly become very important, because it would decide control of that chamber.
In down-ticket local races in the city, Democrat Llezelle Dugger won Charlottesville Clerk of Court with 75% of the vote over Democrat-turned-independent Pam Melampy. Colette Blount, Amy Laufer, Jennifer McKeever and Willa Neale won the Charlottesville School Board race. And in the county, Ned Gallaway won the at-large school board seat, and Lonnie Murray and Steven Meeks won the Soil and Water Conservation Director seats.
Whether you want to know what to look for or want to sound erudite while awaiting today’s election results, here are some key questions to keep in mind tonight:
For my money, the Board of Supervisors is the most exciting spectacle in Albemarle politics tonight.
Polls close at 7:00, and precinct-level results should start showing up on the State Board of Elections’ website starting around 7:15.
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 #
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