Charlottesville’s W. Alton Jones Foundation, quite surprisingly, has announced that they’re dissolving the organization. Its $400M in assets will be distributed among three new charitable organization, each to be headed by a member of the Jones family. In their press release, the foundation describes this as a step forward for the organization, saying that it “will help build upon the tremendous accomplishments of the W. Alton Jones Foundation, while providing the opportunity to explore additional areas of philanthropic activity.” The W. Alton Jones Foundation was founded in 1944 with a goal “to promote the well-being and general good of mankind throughout the world,” and is known nationwide for their charitable acts and regularl sponsorship of National Public Radio.
cvillenews.com
writes: I visited the Albemarle County Fair for the first time this weekend, and it will be my last visit as well. The fair itself was fun, and I especially enjoyed the fiddling contest and the many llamas that were there strutting their stuff. Unfortunately, the day took a dark turn when we left. As my girlfriend waited for a signal to turn out of the parking area onto the road, a friendly traffic management “volunteer” pointed out that the registration tags on her license plate had expired. Two minutes down the road there was a police car behind us with the lights on. You can guess what he pulled us over for. My girlfriend asked him if he was working with the Fair folk and he wouldn’t deny it, saying only that, “they were having a lot of problems.”
The police used the Fair as an opportunity to look for violations and to nab people on the way out. That’s a huge violation of the goodwill of the people who work hard to make the Fair come together. The Fair should be a place where we can all feel a sense of pride in our community. Being picked over by the police department does not give me that sense of pride. We won’t be back next year.
For the past few years, the lyrics to UVa’s “Good Ol’ Song” have been sung differently by many students at football games. After the line “where all is bright and gay,” many students shout out “not gay,” which has resulted in no small amount of turmoil over the years. However, today’s Cavalier Daily reports that Saturday’s game had very few people chanting “not gay,” the quietest within recent memory. This may mark the beginning of the end for “not gay.”
The Health Care Financing Administration, which oversees Medicare and Medicaid services, found problems during their July 12th full-hospital inspection of the UVa Medical Center. UVa has until Friday to provide a plan for correction of these problems. After this step, HFCA will release a report providing a list of the hospital’s deficiencies. The Daily Progress has the story in today’s paper.
The Charlottesville Area Bicycling Alliance has simplified their free-bike plan for the town, asking the city for $5,000 to start it up. They plan to sprinkle 30 bright yellow bikes along East and West Main (their original plan was to have them in more locations around the city) for anybody to hop on and ride around. There are a number of similar programs around the country, though perhaps the most well-known programs are Portland’s Yellow Bike Project and Copenhagen Free City Cycle. If CHABA gets the funding that they need from City Council tonight, bicycles will be out there by next month. Jake Mooney 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 #
-
Archive for Sideblog »
Recent Comments