Beto shows up—again

Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke made a second visit to Charlottesville August 31. O’Rourke, who is trailing in the crowded Dem field, hit Champion Brewing to support former School Board chair Amy Laufer, who is running to unseat state Senator Bryce Reeves. He visited the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center and said Charlottesville has “an incredibly powerful story to tell” about racism after August 12, 2017—an event former vice president Joe Biden used to launch his campaign. O’Rourke, who attended the boarding school Woodberry Forest in Madison County, concluded his visit with a fundraiser held by some high school buddies.

O’Rourke shows up for Amy Laufer at Champion Brewing. Eze Amos

“I am a part of a stereotype, but I also do things people would never expect me to do.”—Corey in the documentary A Different Side, which presents a new perspective of young black men, and was made by interns in this summer’s Community Attention Youth Internship Program

In brief

Credit limits

City Manager Tarron Richardson proposes lower limits on credit card spending by city officials, and tighter oversight on purchases in the wake of the Paige Rice Apple Watch-buying scandal and Progress reporter Nolan Stout’s stories about city spending. In the first half of 2019, city officials put more than $480,000 on credit cards.

We’ll drink to that

UVA will start selling alcohol at home football games in booze gardens at the east and west ends of Scott Stadium. Beer, wine, and hard cider must be consumed in the outdoor bars, and fans may buy no more than four drinks during the first three quarters of a game, after which sales end.

‘Landslide Michie’ dies

Former city school board member Tom Michie, who served during integration and earned his nickname when he won a House of Delegates seat by one vote, died August 27 at age 88, of complications related to Alzheimer’s. Michie carried legislation that led to Charlottesville and Albemarle’s revenue-sharing agreement. He lost re-election to a fourth term in the state Senate, which he attributed to NRA retaliation for his support of a bill to ban assault weapon sales in Virginia.

Banned again

Albemarle County schools have forbidden independent City Council candidate John Hall from entering county school property following a disruption at CATEC. Hall, who has said he’s been diagnosed as bipolar, has been banned from City Hall and UVA in the past, and has been convicted of trespassing several times, most recently August 2 at the Haven, the DP reports.

R.I.P. former C-VILLE columnist

Katherine Troyer, who penned a science column during this paper’s early days as C-Ville Review, died August 27 at 64 from cancer.

Early bid

Kellen Squire, an E.R. nurse in Charlottesville and former Democratic candidate for the Virginia House of Delegates, announced last week that he intends to run for lieutenant governor in the 2021 election. Squire is the first candidate to announce his campaign for the seat currently occupied by Justin Fairfax.

Change of venue denied

On September 29, an Albemarle County judge denied Common Ground Executive Director Elliott Brown’s request for a change of venue to Charlottesville in the defamation suit against her, filed by Jefferson School Foundation Executive Director Sue Friedman. Friedman is suing Brown for $1 million, plus $350K in damages for comments Brown made at a tenant meeting and in emails.

Breaking the bank

State regulators released a report last week that said Dominion Energy reeled in $277 million in “excessive profits” last year—but that doesn’t mean customers’ prices will be going down anytime soon. The company helped write state legislation in 2018 that protects it from being forced to lower rates even if profits are considered too high.

Gaming connections

State Dem party chair Susan Swecker, who represents Queen of Virginia, called state Senator Creigh Deeds, Delegate David Toscano, and City Councilor Mike Signer to ask what was up with Commonwealth’s Attorney Joe Platania saying the game violates state law, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports.

Kellen Squire

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