Check c-ville.com daily and pick up a copy of the paper Wednesday for the latest Charlottesville and Albemarle news.
Child struck, killed by vehicle
A 6-year-old city girl died after being struck by a vehicle on Nelson Drive in North Downtown near McIntire Road, according to Charlottesville Police spokesperson Lieutenant Ronnie Roberts. The child, a student at a city school who was visiting a friend, stepped out from between two vehicles at around 12:30pm on Monday, October 28, when schools were closed for a teacher work day.
She was struck by a four-wheel drive pick-up truck traveling away from McIntire and was transported to UVA Medical Center, where she died of her injuries. Roberts said speed did not appear to be a factor in the accident, and the driver of the pick-up remained at the scene.
The incident is being reviewed by the Commonwealth’s Attorney to determine whether charges will be filed.
Data dude
Open data guru and local blogger Waldo Jaquith is at it again. The founder of government transparency sites Richmondsunlight.org and statedecoded.com has jumped the pond to pick up some tips from the Brits—and he’s won a $250,000 grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to bring some of those ideas back to the U.S.
Still in London hammering out details of a partnership with the U.K.-based Open Data Institute on October 29, Jaquith could not immediately be reached for comment. But a press release from the Knight Foundation reveals that he’ll have some impressive support in the form of an advisory committee made up of Aneesh Chopra, former U.S. chief technology officer under President Obama; Daniel X. O’Neil, executive director of the Smart Chicago Collaborative; and open data developer Max Ogden, formerly of Code for America.
According to the release, Jaquith’s team “will connect government agencies, businesses and nonprofits with experts and vendors who can help them be more transparent. The effort will also help these organizations overcome the barriers preventing them from sharing their data, by hosting convenings and creating open source projects that can fill the gaps.”
County cops win patriotic Harley
After years of serving as motorcade escorts for the 911 Commemorative Motorcycle Ride, an annual multi-state civilian ride that takes place the third weekend of August and stops at each of the 9/11 crash sites, the Albemarle County Police Department is being rewarded for its service.
Each year, the 911 Foundation enters the names of participating officers into a drawing to win a Harley for their department; this year, the county was picked. The 2014 police motorcycle was delivered on Monday, October 28, and will be part of the county’s traffic unit.
Horton hears a siren
The owner of Horton Vineyards has found himself in a vat of hot water following an October 25 incident in which he allegedly backed his car into two other cars, injuring a woman in the process.
The Friday afternoon crash occurred at around 2:45pm in the parking lot of the Orange County winery, known for its glorious mountain views and tasty viognier and cabernet. According to the Daily Progress, 67-year-old Dennis Horton, recipient of a 2011 lifetime achievement award from the Virginia Wineries Association, was driving his 2004 Kia van in reverse when he struck a Nissan Sentra and a Chrysler van. A woman standing next to the Sentra was injured and transported to the hospital but is expected to recover. Horton has been charged with reckless driving.
