Every year at about this time, we take a special look back at the news that was. And yes, we’re looking for the gaffes, the missteps, the you-have-got-to-be-kidding-me’s. Thankfully, 2004 was rich in them, mostly because public officials did so much to promote fear and divisiveness. And that was just the Sheriff’s office! Media organizations […]
www.alternet.org In Minot, North Dakota, in 2002, a train derailed at 1:30am spilling 200,000 gallons of deadly gas. All six commercial radio stations in the area were owned by Clear Channel, and all six were fully automated. As a result, the stations weren’t switched over to the emergency broadcasting frequency and the news wasn’t properly […]
Tuesday, August 24 Extra cash in Richmond Virginians are making more money than State bean counters had projected, creating a $324 million budget surplus. And now Gov. Mark R. Warner, who led a successful charge in this year’s General Assembly to raise taxes, wants to give about $28 million back to taxpayers, the Richmond Times-Dispatch […]
Tuesday, August 17 Rock against terror Terrorists will have to deal with several large rocks if they attempt to attack the Albemarle County Office Building. In a press release, Albemarle officials today explained that the newly placed boulders ringing the entrance to the building are a “temporary security measure” with the added benefit of being […]
It’s a steamy Friday afternoon in July, and the gates are opening on one of Southside Virginia’s biggest summertime bashes, the Cantaloupe Festival, near South Boston. Cars park on the grass outside of the Halifax County Fairgrounds, just 10 miles from the North Carolina border. The entrance road to the fairgrounds is decorated like a […]
Tuesday, July 27 Cheap labor in Charlottesville State Farm Insurance today announced a reorganization that will add 200 to 300 new jobs in its Charlottesville office. The local branch, which currently employs 1,100, had been in the midst of shedding 150 positions—leaving a significant net gain. Frederick, Maryland, was the loser in State Farm’s consolidation, […]
Tuesday, July 20 Red tape for Capshaw County planners today voted on early language for the Fifth Street/Avon Street development, a 90-acre Coran Capshaw venture just beyond the city’s southern border. Planners rejected a request from Capshaw’s team to designate the space a “regional service” area, voting 5-2 for language that instead stresses community- and […]
Tuesday, June 15 The Freshman 100 UVA today held a meeting in the Newcomb Hall Ballroom with about 100 local residents to discuss the school’s many plans for growth. Though the lengthy presentation by UVA architect David J. Neuman had the somnolent effect of an academic lecture, several specifics emerged. Neuman said the incoming freshman […]
Tuesday, March 30 We’re No. 61! In addition to scoring big in the much ballyhooed “best places to live” ranking, our area was rated in today’s release of an annual toxic chemical survey from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. First place was definitely not desirable in this list, which tallied the amount of toxic […]
Attention, Giant shoppers Wal-Mart-fueled benefits dispute comes to local groceries Checkout lines might not be the only lines Giant Food shoppers spot during visits to the two Charlottesville stores this week. Workers from the region’s Giant and Safeway grocery stores will vote on a new contract on March 30, and signs are pointing to a […]