Day: August 24, 2011

Dave and Tim (no need for last names here, folks) played the Pavilion this weekend, and C-VILLE’s John Robinson was on hand to catch the action. If you haven’t heard, tickets were sold through JustGive.org, which allows concertgoers to donate the price of their ticket to a charity of their choice.

Though the numbers won’t be in until the end of September, according to Red Light Management, the duo raised $1m at a pair of concerts in Seattle last year. Tickets to Saturday’s Warren Haynes Band concert were also sold through JustGive.org.

A brief aside: Though I had it on good authority—from Dave’s guitar tech himself!—that he’d be playing a locally-made Rockbridge acoustic, it appears that Dave opted for his trusty Taylor. Can’t pin that guy down!

What’d you think of the show?

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) has filed a lawsuit against officers of Atlanta-based Silverton Bank, the lender of the Landmark Hotel. Bloomberg reports that the FDIC sued Silverton for $71 million to help regain the loss after the bank was taken over by the FDIC in 2009.

According to the article, in the suit filed in Atlanta on Monday, FDIC is arguing that Silverton officials mismanaged loan policies and spent millions on a corporate aircraft.

“Silverton’s aggressive expansion plan was accompanied by significant weaknesses in loan underwriting, credit administration and a complete disregard of a declining economy,” the article quotes the complaint as saying.

The $71 million is a small part of the $386 million the FDIC had invested in the failing bank. Specialty Finance Group (SFG), which is a subsidiary of Silverton Bank, loaned Halsey Minor, Landmark Hotel owner, $23.6 million for the hotel construction in 2008. Minor was later charged with defaulting on that loan and in 2009, SFG sued Minor for $10.5 million of the loan.

Asked what this latest development means for the Landmark, Minor says “nothing more than pure irony.” The FDIC is litigating against Minor for a $10 million loan and, he says, legal fees have far exceeded that amount and now stand at $13 million.

To read more about the Landmark Hotel, click here and here.  

UVA President Teresa Sullivan announced during a press conference in the Rotunda today (August 24) that John Simon will serve as the university’s next executive vice president and provost. 

Simon, a Duke University scientist who has served as vice provost for academic affairs there, will begin work September 1. He said Virginia’s history was a major factor in his decision to take the job.

“When I walked the lawn the first time I was up here in June, I felt I was standing on the grounds that tell the story of higher education in the United States,” Simon said. “It’s a very special feeling. It made this decision almost more emotional than rational.

“If you reflect on the significance of the room we’re all sitting in today, where the open view to the south, which is now filled with modern buildings, was to Jefferson the symbol of limitless freedom of the human mind… the University still stands for that limitless freedom. It’s ingrained in its identity and in my opinion it exemplifies what universities should strive to be.”

Simon’s arrival completes Sullivan’s senior leadership team. Michael Strine began work as UVA’s executive vice president and chief operating officer July 1.

“Finding top notch successors for the two executive vice president positions was a top priority for my first year as president, so I’m personally pleased we’ve found these two extraordinary leaders. Together John Simon and Michael Strine will lead a strong team of deans and vice presidents who are committed to the university and its mission,” Sullivan said.

Virginia released their 2011-12 hoops schedule Wednesday, and it includes 16-games at home including the normal 8 ACC contests. Tony Bennett’s Wahoos hope to improve on his first season in Charlottesville where he finished 16-15 overall, and 7-9 in the ACC. Virginia was 5-5 in their last ten games of the year.

There aren’t a lot of potential JPJ sellouts at home in the non-conference slate, but I am psyched to see Michigan come to town for the ACC/Big-10 Challenge on November 29, as well as in-state foe George Mason, who comes to C-Ville on December 6th. Another interesting matchup will be when the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay plays the Hoos on November 25th. Tony Bennett is the all-time leading scorer at Green Bay.

Here is the schedule:

Nov. 13 South Carolina State Home 2:00 p.m.
Nov. 15 Winthrop Home 7:00 p.m.
Nov. 18 TCU (U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam) St. Thomas, USVI 6:00 p.m.
Nov. 19 U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam St. Thomas, USVI TBD
Nov. 20 U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam St. Thomas, USVI TBD
Nov. 21 U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam St. Thomas, USVI TBD
Nov. 25 Green Bay Home 7:00 p.m.
Nov. 29 Michigan (Big Ten/ACC Challenge) Home 7:00 p.m.
Dec. 3 Longwood Home 2:00 p.m.
Dec. 6 George Mason Home 7:00 p.m.
Dec. 18 Oregon Eugene, OR TBD
Dec. 21 Seattle Seattle, WA 10:00 p.m.
Dec. 27 Maryland-Eastern Shore Home 7:00 p.m.
Dec. 30 Towson Home 7:00 p.m.
Jan. 2 LSU Baton Rouge, LA TBD
Jan. 7 Miami Home 6:00 p.m.
Jan. 12 Duke Durham, NC 9:00 p.m.
Jan. 19 Georgia Tech Atlanta, GA 8:00 p.m.
Jan. 22 Virginia Tech Home 6:00 p.m.
Jan. 26 Boston College Home 9:00 p.m.
Jan. 28 NC State Raleigh, NC 8:00 p.m.
Jan. 31 Clemson Home 7:00 p.m.
Feb. 4 Florida State Tallahassee, FL 1:00 p.m.
Feb. 8 Wake Forest Home 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 11 North Carolina Chapel Hill, NC 1:00 p.m.
Feb. 14 Clemson Clemson, SC 7:00 p.m.
Feb. 18 Maryland Home 1:00 p.m.
Feb. 21 Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA 9:00 p.m.
Feb. 25 North Carolina Home 4:00 p.m.
March 1 Florida State Home 7:00 p.m.
March 4 Maryland College Park, MD 2:00 p.m. 
March 8-11 Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament Atlanta, GA TBD

This schedule should be considered tentative and subject to change.
All times Eastern Time