Former UVA researcher’s suit claims retaliation over fraud accusations
A researcher fired from UVA’s psychiatry department is suing for reinstatement under a whistleblower protection known as the False Claims Act, saying he was forced out after drawing attention to fraud related to misappropriation of federal grant funds. UVA has declined to comment on the suit, and an attorney for the plaintiff, Dr. Weihua Huang, has [...]
Should Virginia wineries get agricultural tax breaks if they’re not growing grapes?
To qualify for a “Class B” Virginia farm winery or cidery designation, owners have to ensure that 75 percent of the fruit they use comes from Commonwealth vineyards —not necessarily their own. And in 2007, the legislature expanded the farm wineries’ privilege and banned local governments from regulating winery activities whose “purpose is to promote, market, sell, or educate guests about the wine produced.”
County, plant experts roll out new native species database
Those seeking guidance in the garden have a new resource at their fingertips: the Piedmont Virginia Native Plants Database, a searchable list of 341 native grasses, trees, and wildflowers, all found in the region before the arrival of European settlers, and all accompanied by information about where they can be put to best use. Want [...]
Speeding change: A driver’s take on updating city bus routes
GPS data, customer complaints, drivers’ opinions: A lot gets weighed when plotting and tweaking new city bus routes. But Juwhan Lee of Charlottesville Area Transit said there’s one step in the process that you can’t leave out. “The best way, really, is just to take out a stopwatch and run the route,” he said. And [...]
City Council’s Moto Saloon vote overturns compromise
When the Charlottesville City Council denied a live music permit for Matteus Frankovich’s Black Market Moto Saloon property near the Woollen Mills neighborhood on Monday, the move came as something of a surprise to those who had worked to reach a compromise between the bar owner and local residents. The 4-1 vote—Dave Norris was the [...]
County considers scaling back cell tower regulations to improve coverage
Among the things Albemarle County likes to claim it’s known for, its cell tower ordinance is probably the most unlikely point of pride. The county’s long-standing regulations are credited with forcing wireless structures to keep a low profile, and they’ve been duplicated by other jurisdictions. But with greater demand for strong signals even in rural [...]
Romney and Ryan to campaign in Fishersville Thursday
According to several media outlets, including CNN, Republican nominee Mitt Romney and running mate Paul Ryan plan to campaign in Virginia this Thursday, October 4, a day after the first presidential debate. With country music artist Trace Adkins joining the candidates onstage, the hopefuls will host a Victory Rally at Augusta Expoland in Fishersville, about [...]
Trump snaps up Kluge mansion, now owns entire estate
Watch, circle, and wait for a bargain. Looks like that was the Trump family’s strategy when it came to acquiring the Kluge estate. Donald Trump and his son Eric have slowly nibbled away at the massive property of friend Patricia Kluge, the third wife of late billionaire John Kluge, who spent much of her massive divorce [...]
Bypass forum draws hundreds
Hundreds of local residents packed the cafeteria at Jack Jouett Middle School Thursday night for VDOT’s public information forum on its environmental assessment of the long-planned Western Bypass around Charlottesville, lining up to leave written or dictated comments on the controversial project. By 6pm, there were few parking spots at the school, which lies close [...]
Green happenings: Charlottesville environmental news and events
Each week, C-VILLE’s Green Scene page takes a look at local environmental news. The section’s bulletin board has information on local green events and keeps you up to date on statewide happenings. Got an event or a tip you’d like to see here and in the paper? Write us at news@c-ville.com. Kids on wheels: To honor [...]
Rockfish Gap Hawk Watch keeps tabs on raptors
On a slow September Saturday back in the early 1990s, Brenda Tekin took a drive up Afton Mountain in search of something to occupy her for the afternoon. She’d read about the Rockfish Gap Hawk Watch, a group of birders who kept tabs on migrants from the parking lot of the Inn at Afton each fall, [...]
Problems lead to more scrutiny in the Albemarle court clerk’s office
For years, state auditors have been giving the Albemarle County Circuit Court Clerk’s office bad reviews, pointing out major record-keeping errors and costly failures in financial oversight. More than halfway through her eight-year term as Clerk, Debra M. Shipp says the problems that have plagued her office stem from a lack of staff support. But [...]
Human Rights Task Force nears deadline for recommendation on Commission
More than seven months, two community forums, and several field trips later, Charlottesville’s Human Rights Task Force is approaching a deadline. In December, the 10-member Task Force will make a recommendation to the City Council on whether Charlottesville needs a permanent Human Rights Commission to combat discrimination, and just what such a commission should look like. Task Force co-chair Jesse [...]
Notes from the news desk: What’s coming up in Charlottesville the week of 9/24
Each week, the news team takes a look at upcoming meetings and events in Charlottesville and Albemarle we think you should know about. Consider it a look into our datebook, and be sure to share newsworthy happenings, too. Charlottesville Area Transit holds a public meeting from 7 to 9pm tonight on proposed route adjustments for [...]
Soundboard 9/21: This week’s top news in a live radio format
Each week, the C-VILLE news team joins reporters from Charlottesville Tomorrow at WTJU 91.1 FM’s on-Grounds radio station for Soundboard, an hour-long, straight-from-the-source news show that touches on the big stories of the week. On this week’s show, we took a look at the Charlottesville Free Clinic in its 20th anniversary year, checked in on [...]
Green happenings: Charlottesville environmental news and events
Each week, C-VILLE’s Green Scene page takes a look at local environmental news. The section’s bulletin board has information on local green events and keeps you up to date on statewide happenings. Got an event or a tip you’d like to see here and in the paper? Write us at news@c-ville.com. Night watch: Get a [...]
On the fate of the Farm Bill
An economics professor I had in college once told my class the Farm Bill was the most important piece of legislation that nobody in America cares about. Granted, I went to an ag school, so maybe she had a slightly skewed perspective. But she’s got a point. The Farm Bill—these days, officially known as the Food, [...]
UVA and research partners get $1 million grant to speed innovation
UVA will be at the center of a new state support network for high-tech researchers, thanks to a $1 million federal grant announced yesterday. Acting U.S. Secretary of Commerce Rebecca Blank—a former Clinton advisor who was on the faculty of the University of Michigan when UVA President Teresa Sullivan was Provost there—announced the award in [...]
Amateur mycologists go to ground in search of seasonal mushrooms
David Via’s first memories of mushroom hunting are from his Crozet childhood. His father—a descendant of early Blue Ridge settlers who grew up in a high hollow on Buck’s Elbow Mountain—would take him out hunting for morels each spring. They would follow the time-honored seasonal cues locals use to mark the start of the treasured mushroom’s [...]
UVA’s rapidly expanding medical center is its biggest financial challenge
Last Thursday in a basement auditorium at UVA’s Harrison Institute, the administrators and board members who oversee more than $1 billion of the local economy gathered for a status update on the institution in their charge: the University of Virginia Health System. The picture painted for the University’s Medical Center Operating Board during the meeting’s [...]
Notes from the news desk: What’s coming up in Charlottesville the week of 9/17
Each week, the news team will be taking a look at upcoming meetings and events in Charlottesville and Albemarle we think you should know about. Consider it a look into our datebook, and be sure to share newsworthy happenings, too. The Charlottesville City Council will vote on whether to spend $255,850 to relocate the McIntire [...]
Talking tech: Fostering the next generation of startups
Editor’s note: In this week’s issue of C-VILLE Weekly, I took a look at Charlottesville’s growing tech industry with a story that explored why so many Web- and technology-oriented companies are putting down roots here. I had some great talks with a number of people who are driving the expansion of the local tech scene, and [...]
Talking tech: WillowTree’s execs explain why C’ville is good for their business
Editor’s note: In this week’s issue of C-VILLE Weekly, I took a look at Charlottesville’s growing tech industry with a story that explored why so many Web- and technology-oriented companies are putting down roots here. I had some great talks with a number of people who are driving the expansion of the local tech scene, [...]
Growing good wine in Virginia’s unlikely clime
Ever since Virginia’s first settlers planted wine vineyards in the Tidewater, the challenges of growing good grapes here have been apparent. The varieties we know, like Chardonnay, pinot noir, and cabernet sauvignon, all belong to the European species vitis vinifera, which tends to favor a dry Mediterranean climate. Those vines didn’t take kindly to Virginia’s [...]
On reporting and remembering 9/11
On September 11, 2001, I had been a New Jersey schoolkid for all of a couple of weeks. I was barely 16 and the shy new girl in a small town outside Princeton where lots of parents took the train into lower Manhattan each day. When a jet slammed into the North Tower of the [...]
Charlottesville technology companies seek to build permanent industry hub
September’s issue of the business magazine Inc. named a handful of local firms to its 2012 list of the 5,000 fastest-growing companies in the country, and in doing so, it highlighted the increasing importance of the city’s technology industry. Mobile app powerhouse WillowTree Apps made it into the elite top 500, and two other Web-oriented [...]
This week in Charlottesville: What’s coming up the week of 9/10
Each week, the news team will be taking a look at upcoming meetings and events in Charlottesville and Albemarle we think you should know about. Consider it a look into our datebook, and be sure to share newsworthy happenings, too. Both the city and county Planning Commissions meet Tuesday at 6 p.m. The city‘s got [...]