Category: Charlottesville

presser

overview of assembled press
The Charlottesville Police Department held a press conference at 2:00 pm Monday, March 23rd at CitySpace located at 100 5th Street NE, Charlottesville, VA.


TV people
The purpose of this press conference was to provide the media and public with the results of the investigation into an alleged sexual assault at the University of Virginia that was reported in Rolling Stone magazine in the fall of 2014.


Chief Tim Longo
Chief Longo addressed the assembled news folk and took questions.


journalists
My tribe.


plethora of devices
Once upon a time Journalists had to ask questions and photograph, now the job description includes blow by blow tweeting.


breaking down folling presser
Often we see television journalists skyping from conflict zones, but when news originates at home big gear is still de rigueur.


Reporter does a standup following the conclusion of the presser.
Reporter does a standup following the conclusion of the presser.

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Conclusion
Based on the information known to investigators at this time, we find no substantive basis of fact to conclude that an incident occurred that is consistent with the facts as described in the November 19, 2014, Rolling Stone Magazine article.
The department’s investigation cannot rule out that something may have happened to “Jackie” somewhere and at some time on the evening of September 28, 2012. Yet, without additional evidence we are simply unable to reach a definitive conclusion.
This investigation remains open, yet suspended in the event additional evidence should come to light.–CPD (full statement is available)

Mall Hugger

mall hugger
Call me old fashioned. A free opportunity in which I wasn’t willing to engage. I scurried off.

Trust. I’ll trust you. Will you trust me? Doesn’t matter who you are, what you look like, why you’re here. Bring your heart-SHARE A HUG!
“In a time with so much division and fear, maybe the most revolutionary and helpful thing we can do is give each other a hug.”–The sign says



Vegas 2011
This sign in Vegas, 2011, eyes wide open.

Pond

Mike Signer
Politics in our ten square mile pond is fascinating. In the big water,
state, national, there is a money at play. But in the little pond, it’s about vision, quality of life,
having principals and living by them, wanting to make your home better.

Charlottesville Tomorrow has the story.
Mike Signer

 

Wes Bellamy
These candidates are exemplary. They care deeply about their community.
Charlottesville Tomorrow has the story.
Wes Bellamy
Lena Seville
Many different paths lead to a councilmanic run. The candidates are activists: for community engagement, for the environment, for historic preservation, for clean safe streets, for better schools.
Charlottesville Tomorrow has the story.
Lena Seville
Dede Smith
Two of the candidates are incumbents. They’ve worked their way through a multitude of meetings in the past four years. Fielded thousands of e-mails. Met with citizens, made site visits. Stayed up late. Read thousands of pages of staff reports. It’s not easy.
Charlottesville Tomorrow has the story.
Dede Smith
Kathy Galvin
In a small pond like ours the candidates have guts, and there is little glory in the offing. No one has an office decorated in the style of Downton Abbey. The Councilors give us their work and selfless dedication, to make our town a better place.
Charlottesville Tomorrow has the story.
Kathy Galvin

Our Town

4 of 5 Council members
City Council came to our neighborhood Thursday night. They brought a delicious dinner, a good audio system, and a complement of City staff. Staff and Council engaged in an extended (1:29:00) exchange of substantive information with neighbors. Many people-hours go into holding such an event. People out on the town at night investing their time, the elected and the citizens, striving to make their City a place worth caring about Audio is available on the Woolen Mills Neighborhood Association website.

Pipebot

pipe robot
Yuk: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the intrepid pipebot. Its five-year mission: to explore dark, reeking, bacteria laden, nasty-nasty wastewater pipe, to seek out inflow and infiltration, to boldly go where no man has gone before.
Pathfinder Model PE3500 has a pan and tilt camera with zoom.
City of Charlottesville inspects about 20 miles of wastewater lines per year, the City relined 5 miles of sewer line in 2014.

Jim Tolbert

Mr. Tolbert at work
Neighborhood Development Services director Jim Tolbert is headed south to a new job in Georgia.
Jim has been in charge of the department that oversees the fate of neighborhoods so we’ve had much contact over the years.
His is a critically important, tough position which he has handled with grace and good humor. I will miss him.

Jim’s last official words to me were encouraging, about getting long standing zoning issues rectified. That work now falls to his successor.

Following Mr. Tolbert’s departure I hope we can find an owner’s manual for the City.


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The city, sixth-largest in the state with a 2010 population of 93,853, wanted to separate itself from what it saw
as wasteful government spending in surrounding communities. The city benefits greatly, though, from the number of Fortune 500
companies headquartered there, boasting an extremely high per capita income, with the median family household income,
according to a 2008 census estimate, approximated at $129,810, and the average family income $169,815.–Huffington Post

Sandy Springs, Mr.Tolbert’s new town, has a considerably different socio-economic profile and governmental services structure than Charlottesville.