Author Archive for Waldo Jaquith

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C’ville’s Turn for Lower Gas Prices?

Published by Waldo Jaquith on May 17, 2011 in Business. 5 Comments

D.S. writes:

Last time gas prices spiked, there was a hue and cry about prices in Charlottesville being higher than other parts of Virginia. Well, in my driving to Richmond for the Picasso exhibit and to DC via Orange, F’burg and I-95, prices in Charlottesville are lower than those locations, even in the expensive areas (Pantops, 5th St by I-64).

We also considered the high price of fuel here back in September 2006.

I drove to DC a few weeks ago, and Clarke County on Saturday, and everywhere I went, gasoline was more expensive than in Charlottesville. Gasoline might have been pricier around here in 2006 and 2008, but it looks like we’re getting our turn at lower rates. GasBuddy.com’s Virginia section says that the average price in the state is $3.87/gallon, which is more than all but one gas station in Charlottesville is charging—our prices seem to be clustering around $3.79/gallon.

School Board Member Running for Council

Published by Waldo Jaquith on May 17, 2011 in Politics. 8 Comments

Kathy Galvin is joining the race for the Democratic nomination for City Council, she’s declared in a press release (below). The architect will be making her announcement at noon tomorrow (Wednesday). Galvin serves on the city school board, to which she was elected in 2007. Three seats are coming up on Council, with incumbent Satyendra Huja seeking reelection and incumbents Holly Edwards and David Brown retiring from office. Democrats will select their slate of candidates in an August 20 primary. The election is November 8.
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“Stonefield” Underway

Published by Waldo Jaquith on May 16, 2011 in In Brief. 7 Comments

Remember Albemarle Place, the very model of new urbanist mixed-used development? Well, now it’s “Stonefield” (blech), and it’s just a shopping center. Charlottesville: “the “Napa of the East Coast”.  #

Eastern Connector Off the Table

Published by Waldo Jaquith on May 15, 2011 in In Brief. 1 Comment

The BoS has finally canned the Eastern Connector. The public didn’t want it, the state can’t afford it, and the city 86d it three years ago. Good luck condemning hundreds of acres in Keswick.  #

City Middle, High School Students to Get Laptops this Fall

Published by Waldo Jaquith on May 15, 2011 in Education. 23 Comments

Remember the city’s plan to provide every middle and high school student with a laptop? That’s happening, Graham Moomaw writes in the Daily Progress. It’ll start next school year, giving them Windows tablets—which, since they’re really unpleasant to use otherwise, will be supplemented with a keyboard and a stylus, plus a protective case. The cost per system will have to be determined when the bids come in, but the thinking is that the whole thing should run less than $1M.

The idea is to move to electronic textbooks, rather than continuing to use increasingly expensive paper textbooks. Also, some publishers are simply eliminating paper textbooks in favor of electronic ones, and the school system is concerned that they’re going to run out of decent print options. In theory, the bulk of the cost of these computers should be covered by textbook savings.