dsewell writes: Recently, Dominion Virginia Power made adjustments to their billing schedule, so the most recent March bills that went out were for an extended period. In my case, the bill was for a 41-day period and based on an estimated read… and the charge was for well over $300, whereas I’ve never had an electric bill over $200 in any month. So I checked the electric meter and found that the bill was based on an estimated reading of about 1000 kW/hr more than my actual usage. I phoned Dominion and they said they’d adjust the bill. Today at work I casually mentioned this, and it turned out that two co-workers living in entirely different parts of the county had the same experience with their last bill. How widespread is this? Did everyone get overcharged?
cvillenews.com
Paul writes: There was a forum for all the city council candidates on March 18th. It really gave everyone in the room a good sense of who the candidates are, but the news reports are pretty bland. The best coverage was the Progress. Was anyone else there and want to give their impression?
The never-ending parade continues: the owner of the former Comdial plant on Rt. 29 wants to convert it into a shopping center. Seminole Trail Properties bought the building for $11.4M three years ago, and they now want to tear down the plant and install a home improvement store, a 70k sq. ft. retail store, and four smaller buildings between 9k and 36k sq. ft. There’s nothing solid about the proposal, but the options for the space are limited, and presumably the owners would like to make back their $11.4M somehow. David Dadurka has the story in today’s Progress.
WINA is reporting on the results of a survey (176k PDF) that they’ve commissioned, which seems to show majority support for the construction of a western bypass. The survey of 400 registered voters in the 22901, 22902, 22903, and 22911 ZIP codes shows that 57% of those polled favor the construction of the western bypass. 51% agree with the statement “The bypass is a good idea and we need to get going on it.” 13% said that the bypass should go to Wal-Mart, 35% to the airport, and the 37% clear up to Ruckersville. 67% said that Charlottesville bears some responsibility to non-local drivers that should allow for a bypass. The survey has a margin of error of 4.9%. 7:20pm Update: I compared the sample demographics to the census demographics, and it doesn’t appear that these results can be generalized to the population as a whole. Read the comments for details.
City Manager Gary O’Connell has presented the city’s $100.3M FY2005 budget proposal to City Council, a 7.1% increase over the current $93.6M budget. The city cites decreased state support (such as school and jail funding, a consequence of the state’s ongoing fiscal crisis) in the need to raise city taxes. To fund the increased spending, O’Connell proposes doubling the cigarette tax from $0.12 to $0.25 per pack, raising the monthly E-911 tax from $1.04 to $3, and an unspecified increase in the currently-$2/bag trash stickers. The debate over the proposal should last for about six weeks, at which time Council will take a vote. Elizabeth Nelson 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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