 Last week, a 100-year-old red oak tree between New Cabell Hall and Jefferson Park Avenue was removed. University officials made the decision after a recent inspection found that the tree had extensive trunk and root rot and could pose a potential hazard. |
Tuesday 1/22
Baseball bat bill strikes out
A bill that was introduced to ban the use of aluminum bats in favor of wooden ones in games at Virginia’s public high schools is being held over for a year’s worth of study, reports today’s Daily Progress. The Charlottesville-based Virginia High School League opposes the proposed ban, but Dr. Vito Perriello, a Charlottesville pediatrician who chairs their sports medicine advisory committee, said more study of the different bats makes sense. “There certainly is anecdotal information that made people feel that the aluminum bats are more dangerous,” he said.
Wednesday 1/23
UVA first in black enrollment
The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports today that UVA tied Columbia University for first place in black student enrollment—11.4 percent of UVA’s current first-year class—at “top-ranked” universities. John Blackburn, UVA’s dean of admissions, told the Times-Dispatch that he expects those numbers to grow now that UVA dropped its early decision deadline. “We won’t really know how successful it was until we get to the summer when all the financial-aid packages are worked out,” Blackburn said in the story. “But we hope to see an increase of low-income students, many of whom are black.”
 John Blackburn, dean of admissions for UVA, says he expects the number of black students to grow in the coming years. |
Thursday 1/24
Gun control shot down
Survivors of last year’s shooting tragedy at Virginia Tech have been dealt a blow in their effort to close the gun show loophole. The Washington Post reports this morning that a Virginia Senate bill, which would have required background checks for buyers at gun shows in the state, was defeated yesterday in committee. The Post quotes Gordon Hickey, a spokesman for Governor Tim Kaine, who had made the bill a priority, as saying, “This vote indicates that some believe a felon should be able to buy a gun at a gun show.”
Friday 1/25
Free the sangria
Nearly a quarter of a century ago, the state outlawed the serving of any concoction that mixes liquor and either wine or beer, the Associated Press reports. Frances McDonald found out the hard way when his Alexandria restaurant was fined $2,000 for serving sangria in 2006. McDonald has filed an appeal to the Alcohol Beverage Control Board and will go to Richmond to urge state legislators to lift the ban.
Saturday 1/26
Camblos rambles on
When Orange County Commonwealth’s Attorney Diana Wheeler made a plea bargain with a witness and withheld it from defense, Circuit Judge Daniel Bouton had no choice but to throw out a guilty verdict against James H. Long, Jr.—convicted of first-degree murder in September 2006—and start over. To replace her, Wheeler opted for someone who knows a little something about starting fresh: Jim Camblos, defeated in his bid for the Albemarle Commonwealth’s Attorney seat by Denise Lunsford. His first case as assistant prosecutor for the city of Waynesboro begins on February 18.
Sunday 1/27
Person killed in house fire
With cold weather often comes unfortunate fire accidents. One person was killed in a blaze that broke out at about 7:45pm on Saturday evening, an Albemarle County press release announces today, though the person’s name was not released until autopsy results came back. No word on what started the fire, which torched a townhome at 147 Woodlake Dr., between W. Rio Road and Route 29. The dead person was found on the second floor.
Monday 1/28
Mormon leader dies; no connection to C-VILLE cover story
Gordon B. Hinckley, 97-year-old president of the Mormon Church, died in Salt Lake City on January 27. President for 12 years, Hinckley’s major legacy, according to The New York Times, was as a talented PR man who changed the church’s logo to emphasize the words “Jesus Christ” and, in turn, the Mormons’ connection to other Christian denominations. Given that the church is now the fourth largest in the U.S., we gotta tip our hats to that strategy. In fact, on page 18, we do: Jayson Whitehead explores Mormonism’s rise here in our backyard—a coincidence, we swear.