Month: January 2010

Charlottesville Police Department taser stolen, cars damaged [VIDEO]

Heard any stories about locals going really overboard during New Year’s Eve? Anything involving multiple break-ins and stolen City Police equipment? According to a press release from the Charlottesville Police Department, two police vehicles—one unmarked car, and one marked cruiser—were broken into between 4pm on December 30 and this morning.

Items were taken from both cars and, while the press release mentions that a "police bag" was found today on 6 1/2 Street SW, two things remain missing: a black bulletproof vest, and "a model X26 Taser with two cartridges." A model photo of the taser is below:

The product information page for the X26 says that the model features two small probes attached to a conductive wire measuring 35′, "energy can penetrate up to two cumulative inches of clothing," and that the model has "greater incapacitating power than the ADVANCED TASER M26."

Let’s hope this thing is recovered quickly. If you have information on the theft, contact Crimestoppers at 977-4400.

Here’s the X26 in action:

Acting on Minor

He still has a place to rest his head.

Landmark Hotel owner Halsey Minor’s Fox Ridge Farm property in Albemarle was auctioned off this afternoon on the steps of the Albemarle County Circuit Courthouse.

The foreclosure sale was initially set for December 21, but due to the record-breaking snow storm, the auction was rescheduled.

The winning bid was $1.3 million, bought on behalf of Minor by his Charlottesville attorney, but the sale is subject to a $6.8 million lien from the first lender, First Republic Bank.

The cost of the sale amounted to about $30,000, which includes about $16,000 in real estate taxes. The closing is set for February 3.

Reached for comment, the never media-shy Minor said in an e-mail to C-VILLE, “[Lender] Mark Giles created a news story for himself. Nothing has changed. I would hope that in 2010 Lee [Danielson, his onetime partner in the Landmark project] and Mark leave me and my family out of the press.”

Minor had two loans to finance his 204.6-acre Fox Ridge Farm estate in Albemarle County. The second was in contention today.

 

UVA Hoops Meets Texas-Pan American Tuesday @ 7…Who? Seriously?

The Virginia (6-4) hoops team gets back to work Tuesday night against Texas-Pan American. The game begins at 7 p.m. and is in the friendly confines of the John Paul Jones areana. Who in the hell is Texas-Pan American?

Does anyone else think this is a ridiculous opponent for an ACC team to play? How bout playing Hampden-Sydney, or VMI, or W&L? Texas-Pan American is 1-14, and does not have a single player that averages more than 9.6 points per game. Playing a game like this is a smack in the face to already downtrodden UVA fans who have endured a 3-9 football season, and are coming off a 10-win hoops campaign! Are they actually charging money for this game?

How is a game like this going to make Virginia better? Even if we win by 100 points, how in the hell do we allow match-ups like this to take place? If we play a school from the Commonwealth of Virginia at least we could draw a few hundred fans from around the region that would like to see the team they rooted for in college. Is there one single alumni from Texas-Pan American in Central Virginia?

UVA fans, wouldn’t you rather see the Hoos play a regional team, or some school most people have never even heard of? Also, think of the fact that this team has to use an airplane to get here! In this economy? WTF?

UPDATE: After 30 years, Chuck Taylor retires from WTJU 91.1FM

Feedback just confirmed with an employee at WTJU that General Manager Chuck Taylor, an employee of the local radio station since 1979, retired from his GM responsibilities as of January 1. A search for a new general manager is in progress; Taylor held the post since 1993, and is a member of the National Federation of Community Broadcasters. Read the history of WTJU’s ties to UVA here, and the history of "Uncle Chuck" here.

Feedback couldn’t catch Taylor at the office, but will stay on the case.

UPDATE: Read a letter from Taylor to the WTJU community here, and read the WTJU General Manager job posting on UVA’s Human Resources website here.

On a related note, I had one of those great WTJU experiences last night, driving home and listening to "Walking Blues"—certainly one of my favorite shows on WTJU during the last few years. I’d like to hear thoughts from longtime WTJU listeners—and any DJs out there, past or present—about where WTJU should head next, and experiences you had with Taylor.

Chuck Taylor at WTJU

NEW C-VILLE COVER STORY: Will work for meds

The state’s already-stretched safety net just got thinner. And, as usual, Virginia’s neediest people are the ones most likely to fall through. This week’s cover story focuses on the recent closing of Community Resource Pharmacy and what that means for the thousands of Virginia’s neediest citizens that will be left without prescription medication. Read the cover story here, and don’t forget to leave comments.

 

C-VILLE Minute: Your weekend preview [VIDEO]

Resolution No. 1: Apply yourself to your studies.

Resolution No. 2: Try something new.

Resolution 3: Get a new set?

Jesse Winchester rocks Costello; Mockingbird Music Hall worth a listen

This weekend, I got caught up on a bit of listening: Donald Glover’s interview on "The Sound of Young America" podcast, and Sundance’s "Spectacle: Elvis Costello with…" On the latter, local songwriter Jesse Winchester made an appearance alongside Neko Case, Sheryl Crow and Ron Sexsmith, and put their picking to shame:

And speaking of classy appearances, Staunton’s new Mockingbird Music Hall, which opened to tunes in November, quickly scaled the ranks of my favorite Central Virginia music venues on Saturday night. Drink service during the show, two slender and unobstructed balconies flanking the stage, and a crystalline sound system. Next time you catch a film at the Visulite or Dixie, or drop by for some Shakespeare, check the Mockingbird’s schedule—a few gigs coming up from Trent Wagler, Alex Caton and more.