City Council has asked City Manager Gary O’Connell to draw up a pair of budgets, one maintaining the $1.09 real estate tax, and one dropping it to $1.07, and also to look into raising the car tax to make up any shortfall. Assessments are likely to increase by 11% in the city, but that still leaves a $3.2M shortfall, because of a drop in personal property tax (because the state cut the car tax, which is really a local tax, without funding the difference) combined with legally-mandated expenditure increases. John Yellig has the story in today’s Progress.
cvillenews.com
News and meta-news about Charlottesville, VA, since 2001.
Charlottesville drummer Scottie Williams (well-known as “Scottie B.”) and and activist Anson Parker have raised a minor ruckus as a result of a beautifully-executed piece of street theater during the recent Jefferson Thanksgiving Festival in Court Square. In costume, Williams portrayed a slave by the name of “Bilal,” while Parker portrayed auctioneer “Cornelius A. Banker,” with Williams standing on a block with “Slave for Sale” painted on it. (Court Square was where slave auctions were held from the late 1700s through the mid 1800s.) Parker worked the crowd, encouraging people to bid on him, while across the street, a more whitewashed portrayal of Jefferson-era Thanksgiving festivities was offered as a part of the official festival. The NAACP has lodged a complaint with the City, and UVa Dean of African American Studies Rick Turner has accused Williams of allowing himself to be exploited; Williams says that he just wants to remind people of the true history of Charlottesville, rather than pretend that it never happened. Courteney Stuart has the story in today’s Hook, Anson Parker has a write-up on CvilleIndyMedia, and a video (180MB) of the goings-on is available.
In August, when a bunch of inmates tried to escape from the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail, a few of them rescued a guard being held hostage by the group and tried to end the uprising. Their efforts did not go unnoticed by other inmates, with whom they’re no longer particularly popular. One man, Marshall Shelton, has been told by fellow inmates that if he’s sent to prison, he’ll be killed for his actions. The $10 reward that he received from the jail superintendent may be insufficient to justify that danger. Liesel Nowak has the story in today’s Progress.
Cecil writes: Apparently a UVa 2nd-year student committed suicide on 11/23; the Cav Daily reports on the story here. Here’s my question: as far as I can tell, the Daily Progress has not yet reported this story. I knew of the suicide on 11/24, from an email I received as a UVa employee. But I could find no mention of it in the DP from 11/24 on. (I could be wrong, though I did check every day.) So I guess I’m baffled by what appears to be a show of restraint? by a for-profit news organization. Someone with formal journalism experience, enlighten me–would the DP be holding off on reporting the story out of respect for the parents/friends? on the request of UVa, not to have a downer story circulate right before Thanksgiving? (I’ve ruled out the idea that the DP would not find this newsworthy, and I would hope that the DP would have known about it….)
In today’s Cavalier Daily, columnist Nick Chapin devotes his column space to attacking The Hook (“Bad journalism at its worst“), saying that, in their recent coverage of UVa-related issues, they “cast aside the most basic journalistic principle, objectivity, in favor of viciously slanted reporting.” Chapin picks out three recent Hook stories — “The verdict: Sisk’s family speaks out,” “Gags off: Students speak out on rape,” and “How UVA turns its back on rape” — and says that in the case of all three stories, the weekly “marred coverage of serious topics with manipulation and blatant invective.” Two of the articles in question are by staff writer Lisa Provence, and one is by senior editor Courtney Stuart. Is this just a case of an upstart college student upset to find his school on the wrong end of the news cycle? Or are the accusations true, and has The Hook failed to live up to basic journalistic standards?
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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