On C-Ville’s “This Just In” blog, Chiara Canzi writes that CHO is looking for people to pretend to be victims of a plane crash as a part of a emergency preparedness drill. I drove by the airport the other day and saw that they had a simulator set up at the far end of the runway, which is presumably what they’ll be using for this. If you’re interested in being made up to look like you just survived a terrible accident, the Office of Emergency Management is the place for you. And, for god’s sake, post the photos to Flickr.
cvillenews.com
News and meta-news about Charlottesville, VA, since 2001.
Supervisor David Sluzky has started pushing transferrable development rights (TDRs) again, Charlottesville Tomorrow reports. The Weldon Cooper Center is hosting a series of discussions about whether creating a development-rights market would be helpful in shaping growth in Albemarle County. The meetings are including stakeholders from all of the major local groups interested in the topic. Now that state law has enabled the county to do so, Sluzky has renewed his efforts to establish such a system, despite the BoS’ prior disinterest. I’m not smart enough to know if TDRs are a great idea, but I know I’ll be the first in line to sell my development rights.
Ticket sales were down this year at the Albemarle County Fair, which wrapped up yesterday—they sold 11,000 tickets, rather than the 16,000 that they generally sell. Though pretty hot (which was nothing a little lemonade couldn’t help with), the weather was otherwise sunny and nice this time around, so it’s not clear to what to attribute the decline in attendance. After a series of rained-out fairs for some years, they’ve finally had a run of dry weather in the past few years, but it hasn’t been enough. Adam Rhew reports for NBC 29 that fair organizers are thinking about running it only every other year, since they think they may have actually lost money this year.
City Council signed off on a $7.5M overhaul of the Downtown Mall last night, Rachana Dixit writes in the Progress today. The whole affair will be torn up, block by block, and replaced with 4″x12″ bricks. It’s ambitiously scheduled to take place over just four months, beginning in January.
Police have arrested four in the Saturday murder on 6th Street, and they’re exploring whether there’s a gang aspect to the killing, Stephanie Kassab and Brian McNeill write for the Progress. City and county police, along with the ATF, arrested three males and one female, all in their 20s, in a hotel on 29N. Four guns have been seized. Nineteen-year-old Joshua Anthony Magruder was found dead at 3 AM Saturday morning. Police say that Magruder was trying to escape a conflict between two groups at the spot; he was shot twice while running away. “Quite a few” people witnessed the murder. This is the third homicide of the year, which is a pretty high rate given that it’s only July.
Yesterday I drove by the scene, and it’s as Zoe Krylova photographed it: a retaining wall turned into a shrine, covered with chalked remembrances, stuffed animals, candles, and liquor bottles.
07/24 Update: Brian McNeill has many more details in today’s paper.
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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