The Charlottesville Police Department wants a pay increase, and they’ve got the math to back it up. 37 people showed up at last night’s Council meeting with t-shirts declaring that the police need to be paid more, and Charlottesville Police Officers Association president Dwayne Jones pointed out that there are nine open positions in the department, evidence that the pay (which is average for the state) is insufficient to draw officers here. The high cost of living in Charlottesville presumably makes average pay less-than-tempting. Councilor Kevin Lynch pointed out that, while officers asked for a 20% increase in pay, they are getting a 12.3% increase, which isn’t bad. John Yellig has the story in today’s Progress.
cvillenews.com
News and meta-news about Charlottesville, VA, since 2001.
Today is cvillenews.com’s fourth birthday. After 1,066 news stories and 12,839 comments, I’ve decided that some upgrades and improvements are in order. The site is now powered by new software, has a strange (hopefully temporary) new design, and has new features galore. It’s a real step forward. You’ll need to log in anew in order to post. Details after the fold.
Ryo_Road writes: NBC 29 is reporting that School Board member Stephen Koleszar, a Democrat from the Scottsville area, will be running against Robert Bell in the 58th district. Koleszar told NBC 29 that he mainly concerned about traffic funding, or the lack there of, for the Charlottesville area. He specifically mentions two of the area’s busiest roads, Route 29 and Route 53 (Charlottesville-Lake Monticello). He stated the following: “The state has been providing a decreasing share of revenue which has made more burdens on the localities. I’m also very concerned about the transportation issues there are a lot of people commuting down 29 and 53 and those roads are terrible.” NBC 29 has the full story.
Orange County’s David Nicholson has sold an American flag — said to have been flying at the Pentagon when it was struck on September 11, 2001 — via eBay for $371,000. The trouble is that Facchina Construction, the company whose crane Nicholson says was bearing the flag that morning, says that they didn’t have a crane there that morning. The top bidders consequently withdrew their bids, and the auction has started anew — bidding is currently up to $25,000, with two days to go. Nicholson’s year-long stint in prison after stealing $50,000 in cashmere sweaters in 1988 does little to bolster confidence in his story; the Orange County Sheriff reports that his office has dealt with the fellow regularly over the years. Nicholson and family have fled their home, living in a motel to escape the flood of publicity and controversy, which may or may not end with this auction. Thing start to get really weird with his claim that, when he headed home to pick up a few things last Friday, he was attacked, only to later find the flag’s letter of authenticity in his back yard. Kate Andrews had the story in yesterday’s Progress.
dsewell writes: I gather that the person in charge of all of the sports at the University of Virginia announced tonight that the University will be searching for a new director for the team of one of the sports that is played with a large round ball, after the old director said he was “stepping down” (although, oddly, he had both feet on the floor at the time). This apparently has something to do with a $100 million building going up off Emmet Street. Quite possibly there are folks out there who would like to discuss this, if they understand what it’s all about.
Smart ass. ;)
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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