Anybody who has tried to make an account or retrieve their forgotten password since the switch to the new system on the 20th will have been met by stony silence. Sorry about that. There were a couple of bugs (one in Postfix, one in WordPress) that conspired against you. It should work now. Thanks to Jim Duncan for his help with this.
News and meta-news about Charlottesville, VA, since 2001.
Author Archive for Waldo
Page 7 of 8
There’s a whole website dedicated to fighting the proposal to pipe in water to Charlottesville from the James. It’s got a bunch of data about the potential effects of drawing water from such a large watershed.
In the summer and fall of 2002, the water supply was about all that anybody could talk about. Usage restrictions were put into place in September, it was forecast that we’d be all out by December, and the Rivanna Sewer and Water Association started making doomsday plans. Thankfully, by November 13, the reservoir was up to 87% of capacity, and the bullet was dodged. Since then, Charlottesville and Albemarle have been trying to figure out what to do — the population keeps growing, but we have the same amount of water capacity that we’ve always had. The RWSA is considering four options, three of which include modifying the South Fork Rivanna Reservoir and the Ragged Mountain Reservoir.
The fourth option — piping in water up Route 20 from the James at Scottsville — was dealt a small blow on Monday night. Town Council unianimously passed a resolution opposing that pipeline, citing the need to preserve the James’ water level and the great potential for development throughout southern Albemarle if a water pipeline eliminated the need for wells. Though it’s just a resolution — it doesn’t have any legal weight — it’s not the sort of publicity that the RWSA wants for their efforts.
Julie Stavitski has the story in today’s Progress.
Three of the people considering a run for the Democratic nomination for Mitch Van Yahres’ seat have announced that they won’t be doing so, after all. Former Vice Mayor Meredith Richards, former Albemarle Democratic Chairman Will Harvey, and former nothing-in-particular Me have all said that we ain’t running. That leaves UVa professors Jeff Rossman and Peter Sheras, plus a new fella, Clement “Kim” Tingley — he’s a developer who just moved to town. David Toscano is the only candidate thus far. On the Republican side, tech firm owner Tom McCrystal and day care center owner Sharon Jones are considering runs. Bob Gibson has the story in today’s Progress.
With county assessments up 27%, a rate cut is inevitable — the only question is by how much. The Board of Supervisors is weighing that question, considering how far below the current 76-cent rate the new rate should be. School superintendent Kevin Castner has asked that the board not drop below $0.74, because that would only exacerbate the existing $1.2M funding shortfall for the schools. Since the school budget is often the controlling factor in tax rates, the question seems to be, simply, whether the rate should drop one cent, or two. The always-stylish Julie Stavitski 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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