Author Archive for Waldo Jaquith

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USPS Distribution Center Move Means Mail Delays

An audit of the new mail sorting facility has found that they’re slowing our mail down significantly, Megan Davis writes for the Daily Progress. It was two years ago when the USPS announced that they were moving the Charlottesville mail processing facility’s services to Sandston, east of Richmond. There was a lot of concern at the time that the move would negatively impact mail delivery in the area, and that turns out to have been well-founded. The USPS Office of the Inspector General has issued a report (which I can’t find on their website you can read it here) finding a 100% increase in delayed mail passing through the Sandston facility between the last quarter of 2009 and the first quarter of 2011. In the former period, our mail was still being processed locally; in the latter, it had moved to Sandston. In fact, the facility has the worst record in the country, with 12% of all their mail delayed. Those delays were rarely reported; a single day audit found 350,000 delayed letters, none of which were recorded.

What’s the Oldest Business in Charlottesville?

Today I got my hair cut at Staples’, picked up some carpentry supplies at Martin, and had lunch at Riverside, and that set me to wondering about which local business is the oldest.

Martin Hardware seemed like a good place to start. They were founded in 1893. But Timberlake’s, as their sign informs all who pass by, was established in 1890. Keller & George promotes their 1875 founding in radio ads. My insurance agent, Hanckel-Citizens, was founded a few years earlier, in 1872. After half an hour of thinking about this and googling around, I can’t come up with any older local business that’s still running, without interruption, and hasn’t been bought up by a larger business.

Now, of course, my curiosity is piqued, and I have to imagine that I’m overlooking something. Do you know of a business that’s older than Hanckel-Citizens?

Local Hotspots for Parking Tickets

From Derick Waller at NBC-29, the ten places where the Charlottesville Police give out the most parking tickets:

  1. Water St. Parking lot (2,756)
  2. University Ave (1,626)
  3. E. Jefferson St. (1,321)
  4. E. Market St. (894)
  5. 4th St. NE (877)
  6. W. Main St. (868)
  7. 13th St. NW (789)
  8. Garrett St. (779)
  9. Jefferson Park Ave. (737)
  10. 4th St. SE (710)

Charlottesville, a Millionaire Capital

Forbes ranks Charlottsville as #14 on their list of “America’s Millionaire Capitals” based on calculating the average net worth of people reporting at least $200k in annual income. We’re right behind Beverly Hills.  #

$75k for City Schools from DMB Violinist

Boyd Tinsley is giving $75k to city schools to fund tennis, tutoring, and music education for low-income students.  #