Check c-ville.com daily and pick up a copy of the paper Tuesday to for the latest Charlottesville and Albemarle news briefs and stories. Here’s a quick look at some of what we’ve had an eye on for the past week.
Worrell named Juvenile Court judge
Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Claude Worrell has served in Charlottesville for 20 years, and according to The Hook, his days as a prosecutor are almost over. On Wednesday, April 3, the Virginia General Assembly unanimously confirmed Worrell as a judge in the 16th Circuit Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court.
Worrell represented the Commonwealth alongside Charlottesville’s lead prosecutor Dave Chapman during the murder trial of UVA lacrosse player George Huguely. He also prosecuted rapist William Beebe, stalker Jeffrey Kitze, and former City Council candidate James Halfaday. Worrell, who succeeds Dwight Johnson, will take his seat on the bench on July 1.
Dumler spends a week in jail
Albemarle County Supervisor Chris Dumler is serving nine consecutive days in jail to make a dent in his 30-day sentence. He arrived at the Albemarle Charlottesville Regional Jail on Friday, April 12, and will serve time until Sunday, April 21. According to a report on The Schilling Show, Dumler will resume his jail schedule of weekends only for the remainder of his term, with the first weekend of each month omitted for him to serve in his JAG reserve unit.
Dumler was arrested last October for forcible sodomy, a felony, and pleaded guilty in January to misdemeanor sexual battery. He has refused to step down from his position on the Board, defying widespread protests and calls for his resignation.
County schools’ budget gap cut in half
The Albemarle County School Board was facing a $1.2 million gap in its 2013-2014 budget, but the Board of Supervisors recently approved a tax increase that will reduce that by half. According to The Daily Progress, the tax hike will raise the current rate by four-tenths of a cent to 76.6 cents per $100 of assessed value, which will raise the annual tax bill by $10 on homes assessed at $250,000.
Albemarle County Schools Superintendent Pamela Moran was reported saying that the spending gap was a result of meeting federal and state mandates, and higher projects for student growth.
Supervisors Ken Boyd and Rodney Thomas voted against the resolution to raise the tax rate at the March 29 meeting, and Thomas said the schools should be able to find some more cuts, because “golly, we all have to tighten our belts.”
The School Board will still have to cut $600,000 to close the remaining gap, and will submit the cuts formally at its meeting on April 24.
Darden student wins Tom Tom pitch competition
The second annual Tom Tom Founders Festival kicked off last Friday with the 10K Pitch Competition at the new iLab at UVA. The event featured 10 local competitors with ideas that needed funding, and everyone in attendance contributed $10 and a vote toward their favorite project.
The top winner was Darden student Kenny Schulman, who created Eat Drink Play, a mobile app that recommends local favorites to tourists.
The pitches ranged from an alternative energy think tank to child-designed murals painted on city fire hydrants, and according to Charlottesville Tomorrow, more than 100 people attended to hear the ideas and vote for the next big thing.—C-VILLE writers