In over my head
Who, me? Canoe? This indoorsy gal takes a trip down the James River.
Students urge divestment from Darfur
It’s always nice to have at least some idea where the money is going. Or, in the case of most UVA students, where their parents’ money is going. Lately, this has proven to be the source of some concern to a group of UVA students who don’t want to see any of their families’ money invested in companies that do business in Sudan, or with the Sudanese government.
Jeremy Harvey returns to town
In February, Jeremy Harvey left Charlottesville on the midnight train to Las Vegas. The shady local banker (and past C-VILLE cover boy) left his girlfriend and her children to remarry his ex-wife, 81-year-old newspaper heiress Betty Scripps. Now, however, it appears that Harvey, 62, has left Scripps after just three months. According to multiple sources familiar with his status, Harvey is back in town and living in his Colthurst mini-mansion with the girlfriend he demurred for Scripps. Scripps and Harvey were married for the first time from 1997 to 2004.
No Opinionated this week
The Bloods are here, so what?
Now that Charlottesville police have confirmed that an attack near Friendship Court in late April, which left one teen so badly beaten he had to get two metal plates inserted into his face, was the work of the Bloods street gang, Charlottesville is left wondering how and why the Bloods came to town. For a little perspective on who the Bloods are and how they operate, C-VILLE called national gang expert and consultant Robert Walker with the organization Gangs Or Us. Here’s some of what he had to say.âNell Boeschenstein
From NBA Star to Dead-beat Dad
Ralph Sampson, the 7’4″ former UVA basketball star and 1983’s No. 1 NBA draft pick, faces trial soon for a string of charges related to allegedly false statements he made in a child support case, according to the Associated Press.
Liz Lerman’s invitation to the dance
There are certain words that, through sheer overuse, lose all meaning. “Natural” would be an example. (Is there any such thing as an unnatural egg?) “Green” is another one, describing everything from floor wax to insulation to architectural theories.
Christine Lynn is Opinionated
“Three soldiers killed.” But oil prices keep going up, and so the early-morning TV news will switch to prices at the pump. Dogs must be fed and phones answered.
RICO retrial enters second week
The federal drug and conspiracy case against Louis Antonio Bryant, the alleged drug dealer and ringleader of local gang the Westside Crew, continues into its second week of testimony on Monday, May 15. The first week prosecutors brought to the stand numerous police investigators, as well as former associates of Bryant\’s who had dealt with or bought drugs from him.
Hard times for College radio?
Chuck Taylor started at WTJU-91.1 in 1979, when he volunteered to DJ for Charlottesville’s first FM station. Just a few years later, he got involved in the station’s management (still as a volunteer), and in 1993 was hired full-time as WTJU’s general manager, although he continued to host a radio show until 1997. Born in the ’50s, Taylor has spent his adult life watching college radio’s rise.
VQR Snags two national mag awards
On May 9, The Virginia Quarterly Reviewâa four-man publishing operation run out of the University of Virginiaâwon two National Magazine Awards, the industry\’s highest honor. VQR won for General Excellence in the under 100,000 distribution category, as well as for fiction, a category in which they were pitted against such tough competitors as The Atlantic Monthly and McSweeney\’s.
Clinical trials for the bored and broke
The dog days of summer are just around the corner. And what better way is there to kill some time and beat the heat than participating in medical experiments?
Dems hope to build on local success
An old political adage says that every election is either about “keeping a good thing going” or “throwing the bums out.” Dems hope that a handful of victories in the Commonwealth\’s May elections signals that voters are leaning towards the latter choice.
Feds aim to track barnyard animals
We still can\’t find Osama, but the U.S. Department of Agriculture wants to track the movements of every barnyard animal in the nation.
Warner’s roadless request approved
Last week an advisory committee recommended preservation for roadless areas in Virginia’s national forests.
A soldier’s tale
Dear A.B.: Ah yes, the Vietnam Graffiti Project. Ace has more than a passing interest in this fascinating endeavor himself, as his father also served in Vietnam. Here\’s the deal: Around 1997, local military artifact historian Art Beltrone was helping with research for Terrence Malick\’s World War II epic The Thin Red Line. One of his assignments involved shooting video of the troop compartment of the venerable General Nelson M. Walker troopship (affectionately nicknamed the “Okinawa Express,” due to her frequent trips to Japan). The Walker was the very definition of a military workhorse, having seen active duty in WWII, the Korean War, and the opening years of the Vietnam conflict (she was deactivated in 1968, and eventually laid up in the Navy\’s James River berthing area).
City buses aim to run on time
Dude, where\’s my bus?
For years, people forced to rely on Charlottesville\’s public transportation have found the service doesn\’t quite live up to City Hall\’s “world class” slogan. Riders reported eight-hour journeys from Downtown to Wal-Mart and back, and last year an independent consultant confirmed that riders (and potential riders) had zero faith that the Charlottesville Transit Service (CTS) could get them anywhere on schedule.
What is affordable housing?
“The inherent problem is the dirt, and the dirt is too expensive. Unless the government owns the dirt we have a problem.” The comment from local developer Dan Walters sparked some chuckles and quite a few nods of agreement from the 100 or so people crammed into the upstairs chamber at Baja Bean for Left of Center’s monthly meeting. On Tuesday, May 9, the new youth-centric Democratic group took on the topic of affordable housingâone of the most severe issues facing the City of Charlottesville as it deals with continued growth and inflated real estate costs.
City seeks land payback
When 180 acres are flooded to make way for the long-planned Ragged Mountain Reservoir expansion, the city will lose acres of public hiking trails. City Councilor Kevin Lynch wants replacement public land, but finding a location could prove tricky.
Cook gets nine months for resisting arrest
Faced with a life-changing experience, people can change. That was the central argument of Kerry Cook's defense attorney during a three-day trial that unfolded in Charlottesville Circuit Court last week. On May 11, the jury sentenced Cook to nine months in prison for resisting arrest during a domestic dispute at Friendship Court back in August 2004. The fight ended when one of the cops shot Cook in the stomach, leaving him near death and in a coma for three weeks. Cook faced two other assault charges in the incident, but the jurors could not reach a decision on those charges. Cook, who has been in jail for 21 months on separate charges, will now serve another nine.
Who’ll foot the Bill for Washington’s settlement?
On May 5, Earl Washington got his due. After a two-week civil case in federal court, a jury awarded Washington $2.25 million, plus attorneys fees and costs, for the nine and a half years he spent on death row for a crime he did not commit.
County moves toward new park
Mountain bikers bummed over the recent closing of the public trails at Panorama Farms got some good news last week. On Wednesday, May 3, the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to move forward with plans to turn the 571-acre Preddy Creek property in Northern Albemarle into a park.
Airport construction almost done
Construction at the Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport is entering its final stages.