Month: August 2008

VDOT announces Route 29 closures

If you are thinking about driving to DC next weekend, think again. Route 29 South in Prince William County will be closed to traffic on three separate weekends over the next month due to the installation of a new deck on the bridge over Broad Run at Buckland. The Virginia Department of Transportation is advising motorists to add a good half hour to their leisure travels.

The first closure will be from 9pm on Friday, August 8 to 5am on Monday, August 11. The detour route for cars will be from Route 15 North to Route 55 West to Beverly Mills Road (Route 600) finally back to Route 29.

VDOT is re-timing traffic signals and Prince William County Police and Virginia State Police will be stationed at key intersections to help ease traffic congestion and handle eventual incidents.

The deck replacement is part of a $2.8 million project that began in December and will be completed this fall. VDOT says this timeline is much faster than any other traditional bridge project, planning to install the 12 prefabricated concrete deck sections during the road closures.

Update on Tavern, media paradoxes

On Friday, August 1, the C-VILLE reported that The Tavern restaurant voluntarily closed for one day, but soon re-opened to business. Today, The Daily Progress reports that the Tavern is currently closed while it awaits the results of the Department of Health’s inspection, and won’t be open until Wednesday at the earliest.

So what’s the deal? Which one of these competing truths is true? Did we talk to a bum who told us he thought The Tavern was still open and just take his word for it? Did the Progress talk to a different bum?

Here is the paradox explained: The restaurant voluntarily closed down on Friday, July 25 after local health department officials cited four critical health code violations, but reopened the very next day. The Tavern remained open—including on August 1 when we talked to the restaurant staff—until this past weekend, closing its doors on Saturday night, August 2, because of concern over the critical health code violations. Owner Shelly Gordon says that it will remain closed until Thursday at the earliest.


Tavern owner Shelly Gordon hopes to reopen by Thursday after another inspection by the Department of Health.

Michaels Bistro reopens with few changes

Raise your Belgian beers! After a short hiatus, Michael’s Bistro is back in business—with minor changes.

The Corner eatery started serving lunch today after C-VILLE reported its sudden closing on July 18 due to disagreements between co-owners Chuck Adcock and Michael Crafaik. Now, with a brand new wait staff and a few sandwich substitutions on the menu, head chef Matt Lechmanfki, also a recent hire, is looking ahead.

“The big changes will come in early to mid-September when we drop our fall menu,” said Lechmanfki, who added that the Bistro plans to offer a seasonal menu. There is no additional news on management matters at this time.


Michael’s Bistro reopened today after it closed two weeks ago due to management disputes and a search for new staff.
Categories
News

Not hard to adjust to life in Rouss Hall

As the McIntire School of Commerce enters its second semester of operation in its new $61 million facility on the Lawn, the adjustment seems to have gone swimmingly for students and faculty of the undergraduate business program.

The commerce school has bounced around campus since its founding in the 1920s. It was most recently housed in Monroe Hall, where it moved from the Lawn when Darden left for new digs at North Grounds. The school’s move back to the Lawn means more space—156,000 square feet in the newly renovated and expanded Rouss and Robertson halls. Last year, about 840 students, mostly undergrads, were enrolled in the McIntire School.


Gerry Starsia, associate dean for administration at McIntire, in the new courtyard designed to imitate the student/professor congeniality fostered by the Lawn.

“Monroe was too small for us, and we needed more space to compete more effectively against other Top 10 business schools,” says Gerry Starsia, associate dean for administration. Monroe will now be used by various Arts & Sciences departments.

The new facility’s design pays careful attention to preserving Rouss Hall’s original structure, which was combined with the newly constructed Robertson Hall. Peggy Ehrenberg, assistant director for employer relations, points out the original wooden beams on the floor of Rouss Hall, a detail to enforce the University’s “historical tradition.”

Paying homage to the layout of the Lawn, where students and professors reside as neighbors, faculty offices line the perimeter of the third-floor courtyard, with entrances to the interior hallway and outside terrace. This space “imitates the sense of community and open dialogue between professors and students that the Lawn fosters,” says Brittany Pollak, a senior commerce student.

“If a facility can accommodate communication and encourage exchange between faculty and students, then one could consider this a successful project,” Starsia says.

Each classroom is equipped with the exact same technology, such as computers, large LCD screens, electronic touch-pad room reservation systems and monitors on the back wall to aid classroom presentations. With 15 fully equipped group study rooms and four IT labs, students feel “privileged to have access to this new technology,” says Heather Stanley, a recent McIntire graduate with a master’s degree in accounting. Along with innovative technology, McIntire is doing its part to recycle, use “green” cleaning and automatically power down idle computers, Starsia adds.

McIntire has one obvious goal: Become the highest-ranked business school. It has been ranked the No. 2 undergraduate business school in the nation by Business Week magazine the past three years, after Wharton at the University of Pennsylvania. Besides becoming No. 1, the school looks to create “more interdisciplinary programs [to]…co-venture with other schools at the University,” Starsia said. “We’re really hoping that the commerce school becomes a hub of activity among all the schools at UVA.”

Entering the building today, says Starsia, it’s clear that “you’re in a place that’s happening.”

C-VILLE welcomes news tips from readers. Send them to news@c-ville.com.

Weekend notes: “I scream, you scream…”

1. Bon Iver, the group behind the darned-near-universally acclaimed album For Emma, Forever Ago, played a smoking set that shifted between doo-wop and post-rock at the Black Cat in Washington, D.C., on Friday night. The band’s breakthrough album found a widespread release this year thanks to former Charlottesville resident Darius Van Arman’s Jagjaguwar label. Photos here.

2. Fredericksburg rock act Tereu Tereu plays in town one week from today, along with some fellows from Magnolia Electric Co., who I think highly of. Some folks might tell you that this show is off the map, but I think you simply need to know where to look.


Humor me: Fredericksburg’s Tereu Tereu comes to town (to town).


Bassist Adam Bray (far left, with the Popsicle) played bass in Divide By Zero, another great Fredericksburg band, when I was in high school. The band recorded their most recent (and excellent) record with Travis Morrison, former leader of D.C.’s Dismemberment Plan; listen to "Compulse" (and a few other Feedback favorites) at the Feedback Muxtape.

3. In light of recent news about the Jefferson Theater, I’m thinking about saving a bit more diligently for local shows. Which might mean trading in my car for one of these:
"Playing music on a bike? That’s outrageous."

Say goodbye to Will Harris, UVA’s best cheerleader

UVA basketball player Will Harris is transferring, The Daily Progress and TheSabre.com reported this weekend.

“Will Harris?” you say. “Isn’t he the guy who was injured most of the year and played limited minutes after that?”

Goodbye, Will Harris. Your energy was appreciated, even if your on-the-court contributions left something to be desired.

You’re correct. Harris, a 6’6” rising junior, saw a mere 9 minutes per game in the 15 games he appeared in last year. Moreover, his production wasn’t likely to increase next year. Power forward minutes would more likely to go to Mike Scott, who is taller and more talented, and Jamil Tucker, who plays with the intensity that Head Coach Dave Leitao likes. It was more conceivable that he could earn some minutes at small forward had he slimmed down, but Mamadi Diane and Solomon Tat both have better frames to defend at that position.

Harris’ departure is significant for two reasons: First, he was the best cheerleader that the team had. Harris was the first guy on the bench to jump up and holler at his boy when he made a good play, and he was often the first guy to go slap five when someone came out of the game onto the bench. He was Positive Energy Man, the Anti-Dave, trying to give back the self-esteem that Cavaliers lost under Leitao’s constant tongue lashings.

Second, he’s the first Leitao recruit to jump ship, and it raises some concerns for the mental health of this squad that the guy to leave is the one who seemed the most fun to have around the locker room. Granted, Harris didn’t exactly have the smoothest recruiting process, committing to Nebraska (which he seems to have decided wasn’t good enough for him) and then Connecticut (which seems to have decided he wasn’t good enough for them) before really committing to UVA. But there weren’t many smiles to go around last year, and many players—particularly Adrian Joseph, Mamadi Diane and Mike Scott—seemed to chafe at Leitao’s short temper when they made mistakes. To lose the biggest smile on the team—well, it’s not like losing Sean Singletary, but it’s not exactly encouraging.

Of course, if UVA wins ACC games, none of this will matter very much. But you’d better bet this will become another link in the narrative of “Leitao’s failure to win with his own recruits” if the Cavaliers finish in the bottom tier of the conference. We can imagine Harris’ departure used as another sign that Leitao was too unyielding with the egos of his players.

The silver lining to all of this is that his departure frees up a scholarship, and Leitao has two players who would eagerly snap it up. Calvin Baker, the William & Mary transfer, is possibly the most deserving, as a walk-on who ended up back-up point guard last year. But Baker will be on the team regardless, and the scholarship could give 7’0” Tunji Soroye the chance to return after a disappointing, injury-plagued season. He has a year of eligibility left if he is granted a medical redshirt, and Leitao could use Soroye as a back-up to Lars and to take pressure off freshmen John Brandenburg and Assane Sene.

In football news, cornerback Mike Brown was finally cut from the team. But, given the felonious larceny charge combined with a DWI charge, we all knew that was going to happen.

The Jefferson Theater nabs opera, everything else

The same people are making the same decisions regarding local music venues, folks. After a short teaser on the Daily Progress’ website on Friday, the paper announced yesterday that Ash Lawn Opera will lease the Jefferson Theater from Red Light Management for 20 years beginning in the summer of 2010. To paraphrase the Notorious B.I.G., "Throw your hands in the air if you were unaware!"
 


The Jefferson Theater: One mid-sized venue to rule them all!

Seriously, word about Ash Lawn Opera’s move to Capshaw’s VIP—that’s "Venue In Progress"—has been more common on the Downtown Mall than buskers for weeks now; the only thing left to the imagination until Saturday’s Progress was the length of the lease and, more importantly, what the venue will do when not hosting productions of Carmen. (The good news, of course, is that the Jefferson will be a live music venue from September through May.)

But it can be interesting to watch these things unfold. Remember, only a month ago, Ash Lawn Opera director Judith Walker told the DP "We’re not leaving." She seemed to be the only one who thought so. Nonetheless, multiple calls during the last month to Frank Buck, president of ALO’s board, were not returned, which made waiting for confirmation of Ash Lawn Opera’s move feel a bit like waiting for confirmation from a gas pump that crude oil prices are on the rise. Then again, maybe I should try a different pump every now and again.

Anyways, who else heard rumor of this move before it happened? What are your hopes and fears for the Jefferson?

Moreover, think about the venue consolidation of the last year or more: Capshaw began investing in the Satellite Ballroom in 2006, roughly a year before Starr Hill closed, and now has the chance to lure loyal fans of both venues to the Jefferson. Larry Wilson, an employee of management firm SMG, is currently the general manager of the John Paul Jones Arena and acting general manager of The Paramount Theater. What do we gain by having several of our city’s major venues in the hands of only two management companies? What do we lose?

The Tavern reopens following salmonella inspection

Even the most favored eateries are not immune to national trends. An investigation by NBC29 has revealed that The Tavern restaurant is the source of a salmonella outbreak that has affected at least a dozen people.

Of the nine confirmed cases and five others with probable salmonella symptoms, most are UVA students who savored the famous – or is that now infamous? – Tavern breakfast. According to the investigation, the restaurant owner voluntarily shut down last Friday to reeducate his employees about food safety,  given that The Tavern is no stranger to health code violations.

The inspection by the Virginia Department of Health reports that many employees did not wash their hands after coming back from breaks or before handling and preparing food; some raw hamburger meat stored directly over ready-to-eat food at sometimes improper temperatures and cleaning staff did not sanitize pots and pans before reusing them.

The Health Department has not yet identified the single source of the outbreak, though senior epidemiologist Elizabeth Davies says the department is following some leads. This is the first case of a salmonella outbreak at the Tavern for more than 20 years.

The Tavern was open this morning for breakfast but the owner would give no comment to C-VILLE on this story.

National Dems give Perriello major boost

Tom Perriello, the Albemarle native challenging 12-year incumbent Virgil Goode for his congressional seat, just got a big boost from national Democrats. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) announced today that it has moved Perriello’s campaign to the Red to Blue Program and will supply additional money and people to help spread the gospel of Tom.

“The biggest challenge for Perriello is to continue to become better known,” said DCCC Chair Chris Van Hollen today on a conference call with reporters. “That’s why the resources he’s put together have been so important, because it’s going to give him a change to get his message of economic opportunity out. By all indications, when he gets his message out, it will resonate.” The decision to support comes both because of the amount of money Perriello has raised—more than $900,000—as well as his successes so far in reaching out to voters.

Perriello’s campaign is one of 44 in the Red to Blue Program. In 2006, the program provided an average of more than $400,000 for the races it supported.

Goode, meanwhile, has been dealing with publicity of a less positive sort this week after being mocked by Jon Stewart on "The Daily Show" for riding in a Hummer-drawn float in a Fourth of July parade.


Tom Perriello is going to get even more support in his effort to beat Republican incumbent Virgil Goode in the Fifth District, which includes Charlottesville.

Preview: Bonnie “Prince” Billy interview

Next week’s C-VILLE features an interview with Will Oldham, the multi-monikered songwriter who performs as Bonnie "Prince" Billy at Gravity Lounge on August 9. While I may be the first writer in C-VILLE’s history to interview the fellow, I’m certainly not the first to have difficulties doing so. So, why do it?


Bonnie "Prince" Billy performs two sets at the Gravity Lounge on August 9. Read Curtain Calls in next week’s C-VILLE for more.


Here’s the deal: I think that Oldham is on a list of musicians that a load of writers, myself included, would bend over backwards to speak with, for reasons including his output and consistency as a musician and his remarkable performances as an actor. Unfortunately, their reasons might also include that Oldham doesn’t speak with the press much and is honest (and correct) about how little may be learned from a person during an interview.

Though Oldham might’ve cut me short on a few questions, he did not cut the interview short; his answers were thoughtful and articulate. Additionally, writers shouldn’t expect to be entertained when doing their job.

Then again, should musicians? Do you consider publicity and interviews a part of a musician’s job? Who should set the interview agenda? Post your thoughts.

I’m heading out in a few to drive to the Black Cat in Washington, D.C. to see Bon Iver, a musician who, along with Oldham, recorded beautiful live sessions available for download at Daytrotter. Listen to Bon Iver’s session here, and to Oldham’s here. Photos from Bon Iver by Monday.