News In Brief
June 27, 2002The criminal case involving a University student charged with the construction and detonation of a bomb in a Rugby Rd.
The criminal case involving a University student charged with the construction and detonation of a bomb in a Rugby Rd.
Medical Center employees gathered at the Corner yesterday to protest a proposed staff realignment plan, which would reassign 170 hospital workers. The protesters, some of whom covered their mouths with bandanas and duct tape to protest their exclusion from the decision-making, urged passers-by to sign a petition that will be sent to R.
Five months after the debut of The Hook, an alternative news weekly that targets a readership similar to the C'ville Weekly, the two papers continue to battle for dominance. C'ville Weekly began 13 years ago and pushed aside The Observer as the dominant free weekly paper in Charlottesville. In February, competition arose when C'ville Weekly co-founder and former editor Hawes Spencer started his own paper after being ousted from C'ville by his two co-owners. Although The Hook is not yet turning a profit, Spencer said he firmly believes "the tide will turn," and within a year his paper will be the best weekly paper in Charlottesville. "We have enough funding so our ad sales could dip and we'd still be around for a year," Spencer said. Spencer said he believes The Hook will oust its competitor because his paper places a greater emphasis on hard news than C'ville Weekly does. He also cites the Web site, which is "chock full of stories and useful links" as possessing a distinct advantage over the competition. But according to C'ville Weekly Editor Cathryn Harding, history clearly favors the preexisting paper in such cases.
The man accused of murdering University graduate student Alison Meloy last year has been declared fit to stand trial following a nearly year-long hospitalization for psychiatric treatment. Hospital officials returned Jamie Jovin Poindexter, 19, to the Charlottesville-Albemarle Regional Jail last week.
The University, the City of Charlottesville and Albemarle County each have big plans for growth over the next decade and are working together to avoid stepping on each other's toes while expanding. Representatives from the three entities spoke yesterday in a public meeting to describe and discuss all building projects in the near future.
The Fontaine Medical Research Building officially opened its doors several weeks ago, improving the research capabilities of the Medical Center's endocrinology department. The building, which had been in planning since spring 2000, is located in the Fontaine Research Park, near where Fontaine Rd.
In the wake of the resignation of Virginia House Speaker Vance Wilkins Jr., Richmond lawmakers have become more outspoken about the issue of sexual harassment. According to several delegates, the most frequent victims of sexual harassment are female lobbyists and legislative aids who work in the capital. Teresa Gregson, president of Vantage Point Consulting, LLC., who has lobbied in Richmond for 14 years, said she has had several experiences with sexual harassment. "There are legislators who made my life very difficult," said Gregson, noting that Wilkins was not among that group.
A collection of original notes taken by early American writer Washington Irving have found a new home in the University's Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library. University Prof.
The Bama Works Fund of the Dave Matthews Band earmarked a $10,000 gift for two of the University Art Museum's youth programs. The grant marks the first time that the fund, which is administered by the Charlottesville-Albemarle Community Foundation, has supported youth programs. The Early Visions Program and 2003 Summer Arts Camp are the two programs that will benefit from the fund's donation. Both programs offer hands-on arts programs and alternative learning opportunities for teenagers identified as "at-risk students." Starting in 1998, the Early Visions Program has brought high school students together to meet in the museum for one hour each week during the spring semester. Throughout the semester, the students work with artists, strengthen their visual literacy and artistic skills and receive mentoring from University student tutors.
As a Democrat competing against a Republican incumbent in a traditionally conservative district, Meredith Richards will have her work cut out for her come November. In a campaign that pits her against incumbent Republican Rep.
A thunderstorm caused $16,700 worth of damage to two University buildings Tuesday night. Hospital West and Wilson Hall suffered water damage during the downpour that began late Tuesday evening. There was "more damage than usual" in a thunderstorm, Director of Facilities Operations Chris Willis said.
As the controversy over the University's planned 1,200 car parking garage escalates, local political leaders have gotten involved in mediating the dispute and preventing future arguments. Charlottesville Mayor Blake Caravati, Virginia State Sen.
The Board of Visitors unanimously approved a $1.44 billion budget for the 2002-03 fiscal year at its June meeting, in spite of a significant decrease in state funding. This was the Board's first meeting with its four new members, which Gov.
In an effort to delay construction of the proposed 1,200 car parking garage behind the Cavalier Inn, Charlottesville officials have appealed to top University administrators to postpone the project until the two parties can reach an agreement on the issue. Area residents are hoping to block the project, contending that the parking garage will add to the already crowded intersection at Ivy Road and Emmett Street.
After news came out that Virginia House of Delegates Speaker S. Vance Wilkins Jr., R-Amherst, settled a $100,000 out-of-court sexual misconduct complaint, many House Republicans began calling for his resignation. Amherst, Va.
His name graces the field at Scott Stadium, the grounds of the University's Law School and the Institute for American History, Literature and Culture, which currently is under construction as part of the special collections library. The University lost one of its greatest friends and supporters June 8 when David Alexander Harrison III died from complications with Alzheimer's Disease. A 1939 College graduate who also graduated from the Law School in 1941, Harrison proved one of the most generous benefactors to the community, having donated more than $26 million to University projects. "David Harrison was distinguished not only by his generosity but particularly by the breadth of his interests at the University of Virginia," said Robert D.
Six of the teenagers convicted of carrying out assaults on University students received sentences from Charlottesville Juvenile Judge Susan L.
University police are continuing with their investigation of an arson that occurred at the University Medical Center on June 2. Fire and rescue units responded to the alarm, which started at 9:45 a.m in the second-floor corridor linking the hospital's old and new wings.
The University took another important step in the planning of the new basketball arena when the Board of Visitors Building and Grounds committee approved the schematic plans for the venue May 9. The committee unanimously voted to recommend the plans to the Board at its next meeting to be held May 31.
After a year-long, student initiated search, the University will be offering the Chickering Group as the new student health insurance plan. "There was a strong opinion that the University needed to issue a request for proposal to find out what other companies were offering," said Alison Montgomery, director of administration at the Student Health Center. The new plan offers several new services for University students that the previous health insurance provider, Southern Health Insurance, Inc., was not able to provide.