News

Students initiate neighborhood watch

Fourth-year College students Benjamin Sachs and Stewart Ackerly introduced a student initiative titled the Neighborhood Watch Program in an effort to increase nighttime security. "Right now there appears to be a real security problem across Grounds and we wanted to try something new," Sachs said. The program sends out two student patrol teams every night between the hours of midnight and 3 a.m.

City man arrested for sexual assault

Late Wednesday, Sept. 7, Charlottesville police released Christopher Lynn Matthew from custody after DNA testing cleared him as a suspect.

Local residents send assistance to Gulf Coast

Charlottesville City officials met with local business and community leaders Thursday in an attempt to organize public and private Hurricane Katrina relief efforts in Charlottesville. According to Vice Mayor Kevin Lynch, public contributions from the local area have been augmented by private efforts. "There are a number of private groups in the City that have already mobilized," Lynch said.

A MAJOR DECISION

Historic Corner district may expand

Charlottesville's Planning Commission and the City Council currently are considering the possibility of adding land behind the Corner, between 14th Street and Rugby Road, to the designated historic district called the Venable Neighborhood. "The City is wrestling with how to integrate a historic district with the higher-density district adjacent to the University," Mayor David Brown said. City Council will vote next month on whether to include the area in the protected Venable Neighborhood. The proposed change would place limitations on what property owners could do with their land.

Corner District vandals target work site

Recent acts of vandalism near 14th and 15th Streets, involving repeated incidents at one construction site, have prompted the Charlottesville Police to increase patrols in the area to target vandals. The construction site, a housing project under development by Veliky L.C.

Fireworks highlight victorious opener

An impressive fireworks display followed the football season opener Saturday, bringing the fireworks back after a two-year hiatus. "This was the first weekend evening game we have had in a couple of years," said Hunter Yurachek, director of marketing and promotions in the Athletics Department.

Alumni Association offers award for information

By Kristin Hawkins Cavalier Daily Staff Writer The U.Va. Alumni Association offered a $5,000 reward Friday for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone who has committed acts of racial intolerance on campus or in the surrounding area. University President John T.

Displaced students arrive at University, start class today

Today marks the first day of classes for 130 Virginia residents displaced from their Louisiana colleges and universities in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

The fountain of youth

Iam no Ponce de Leon, but I think our time for revitalization has come. And that's not necessarily a good thing. If you think oil prices are a mess now, imagine what they'll be like when a couple more billion people have the opportunity to buy a Hummer in 50 years.

Google's reign over the internet search industry:how they got here

With Microsoft's supremacy in the last few decades, Google has taken on the economics of search to end this monopoly.

Single sanction committee sets goals for semester

A new committee charged with investigating alternatives to the single sanction held its first meeting Wednesday night. The ad hoc committee, called the Committee for the Investigation of the Single Sanction, was formed after 59 percent of the voting student body in last spring's elections supported a referendum calling for the Honor Committee to seek alternatives to the single sanction, a policy in which students found guilty of an honor offense are automatically expelled from the University. During the meeting, members of the ad hoc committee attempted to establish the committee's purpose and set its goals. "The charge as I understand it is given by the vote last year, to investigate alternatives to the single sanction," ad hoc committee member Matt Miller said. According to ad hoc committee Chair Sarah Outten, most of the investigation will take the form of research. "This committee is wholly research-based," Outten said.

Kung-Fu Fighting

Gas prices soar after Katrina

Gas prices in Charlottesville and around the country shot up dramatically yesterday due to Hurricane Katrina's impact.

Students report bridge graffiti

A group of students reported offensive graffiti on Beta Bridge to Charlottesville Police Monday, Student Council President Jequeatta Upton said yesterday. The graffiti images included a woman in a spread eagle pose and a pair of breasts, Upton said, as well as a bloody face with the words, "We'll be back," as well as "GSociety," "GWizard" and "G-Bug." "That's how it appeared on Monday," Upton said.

Local group pushes for D.C., C'ville rail connection

If the citizen action group Charlottesville Citizens for Better Rail Alternatives gets its way, University students from Washington, D.C.

Hylton gets $150,000 in civil rape trial

After more than four hours of deliberation, the jury in the trial of former University student Anne Hylton delivered its verdict at 8:30 Wednesday night.

Groups fear free speech restrictions

A pending Supreme Court case -- Garcetti v. Ceballos -- could threaten the First Amendment rights of public university professors, according to the American Association of University Professors and the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of the First Amendment. The plaintiff, Richard Ceballos of the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office, filed a lawsuit against his employer after he was demoted and relocated.

Hurricane Katrina affects students, families

"Things that are so normal and routine to me are gone," third-year Education student Katie Van Horn said. The effects of Hurricane Katrina, a category five storm that has caused catastrophic flooding in New Orleans, will be felt all over the nation and already are being felt at the University. Many University students who are from New Orleans said they are unable to contact family and friends and are left to wonder about the conditions of their homes and neighborhoods because communications systems based in New Orleans are unreliable, if existent. "You have no way of knowing if the people you love are okay," second-year College student Lauren Tilton said. The students said they could only guess about the condition of their homes. "We're fairly certain that the first floor of the house is gone," said third-year College student Stephanie Mastrangelo, whose house was located three blocks from the 17th Street levee that broke earlier this week. "A lot of friends have sent messages [saying] that their homes are destroyed," third-year College student Julie Guider said. Students also said their families were evacuated successfully, but the families are struggling to find a temporary place to stay. "The whole community is so scattered," Van Horn said.