The owner of the Express Car Wash is refusing to obey the city’s ban on the operation of car washes during the drought. Henry Wineschenk has not been quiet about his qualms with the targeting of car washes, having been a vocal opponent since the idea was first suggested. Wineschenk says that half of their customers are getting a chemical dry-wash to save water use, and they intend to close down on Sunday. Wineschenk said at Monday’s City Council meeting that the car washes in the city and county use roughly 1/3% of all consumed water, or something on the order of 300,000 gallons each week. He points out that he employs 40 people of the 150 people that work for area car washes, and that layoffs would be disastrous. The city intends to issue a warning to Express Car Wash for operating today, and will issue a fine $250 if they’re open Saturday. If they’re open Monday, WINA reports that they’ll be charged with a misdemeanor, though the Progress indicates that there’s a $500 fine prior to the charge of misdemeanor. Presumably, as more businesses are limited or temporarily barred, more of them will flout the growing restrictions.
cvillenews.com
This week’s Hook provides the full story behind 19-year-old Billy Dean and his fall to his death on the Downtown Mall on September 13th. Though whether it was an accident or intentional on his part is still unknown, Courteney Stuart’s interview with his family provides fairly good evidence that it was accidental.
After the faint promise of rain failed to materialize this week, even further restrictions are going into place all over Central Virginia to attempt to conserve water. Charlottesville schools are turning off the sinks in bathrooms and raising the building temperature. Albemarle restrictions have moved into phase two, shutting down car washes, watering of athletic fields, increasing the cost of water and putting harsher fines into place. The Albemarle Service Authority may meet again as early as Tuesday to discuss phase three restrictions. Orange, who already has the strictest regulations in the area (three-minute shower limits, no A/C in schools, paper plates in restaurants) is making swift progress on repairing their water-intake site. Peter Savodnik has a story in the Progress detailing the penalties in Albemarle and Charlottesville for violating water-usage regulations, the harshest being Charlottesville’s one-year jail sentence for three-time violators. In an oddly schizophrenic pair of lead editorials, The Cavalier Daily declares that UVa’s water restrictions have no teeth, because they won’t “hit [students] where it counts: the wallet,” and then laments that the new water pricing is really going to hit students in the wallet. In an e-mail to all UVa faculty, staff and students on Thursday, UVa’s Vice President for Management and Budget indicates that the university will work to conserve energy via “serious steps” in order to cut down on the UVa power plant’s water usage. Water levels in the reservoirs are at 56.4%, and continue to drop by 0.6% every day. 09/20 Update: Also, The Hook reports that The Moormans River has ceased to exist.
The National Rifle Organization has filed suit against the Albemarle County school system after a vice principal made a student turn his NRA t-shirt inside out. 12-year-old Alan Newsom was wearing his NRA Sports Shooting Camp t-shirt, which contains an image of silhouetted target shooters, when the school’s vice principal made him turn the shirt inside-out, stating that the shirt violated school policy. There was no school policy against wearing the shirt at the time, though school rules have now been changed to prevent wearing clothing with images of weapons or violence. The suit seeks $150,000 in damages for infringement on the boy’s right to free expression, and also demands that the new rule be struck down as overly-broad. Adrienne Schwisow has the story in today’s Progress.
At Monday night’s City Council meeting, public works director Judith Mueller made the alarming statement that, should current trends continue, the reservoirs will be completely empty in 80-100 days. That’s as early as the first week in December or as late as Christmas. Reservoirs are currently at 57% and dropping. This despite the outdoor water restrictions currently in place. Proposed solutions include forcing restaurants to close on Sunday, having the city collect human waste (I swear I’m not making that up), and raising the cost of monthly water bills after 600 gallons per month by 50%. Council may declare an emergency session in a matter of days to enact new restrictions. There is still no major rainfall in the forecast. Elizabeth Nelson has the story in Tuesday’s Progress. 09/18 Update: Today’s Progress reports that car washes have been ordered to close down indefinitely, fines have been put into place, and the cost of water has risen.
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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