Month: March 2015

Categories
News

Prosecutor asks for criminal investigation of ABC officers in Martese Johnson arrest

Virginia State Police will investigate the ABC's arrest of Martese Johnson. Photo courtesy Martese Johnson

Charlottesville Commonwealth’s Attorney Dave Chapman has requested the Virginia State Police to launch a criminal investigation into ABC agents’ arrest of UVA student Martese Johnson early March 18.

Governor Terry McAuliffe had already asked state police to investigate the arrest of the 20-year-old student who, in a photo that went viral, was photographed handcuffed on the sidewalk with blood streaming down his face. The VSP’s Professional Standards Unit will conduct an administrative review to determine if the actions of the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control agents during the course of the arrest of Johnson were consistent and in compliance with their agency’s policy, according to a release.

The criminal investigation concentrates on the circumstances of the arrest, said Virginia State Police spokesperson Corinne Geller. Chapman, who declined to prosecute the ABC’s 2013 charges against sparkling water-carrying UVA student Elizabeth Daly, did not immediately return a phone call.

Colonel Steven Flaherty, Virginia State Police superintendent, warned that both the criminal and administrative investigations will take time. “We owe it to both Mr. Johnson and the Virginia ABC to be painstakingly thorough in determining the facts of the situation through interviews, evidence collection and analysis, and investigative procedure,” he said in the release. “We appreciate the public’s patience as we move through the investigative process in the coming weeks.”

The ABC has not responded to requests for the identity of the three agents who arrested Johnson. Special Agent J. Miller signed the arrest warrant.

Virginia State Police asks anyone with information about the 12:45am arrest March 18 outside Trinity Irish Pub on the Corner to contact them at vfc@vsp.virginia.gov or call 1-877-482-8477.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Categories
Arts

Old is new: Cary Oliva’s unique images sustain a waning format

“Reinventions,” a collection of Cary Oliva’s photographic work, is on display at Java Java through the month of March. Photo courtesy of the artist

“I feel like an old soul in general. If I’m shopping, I’d rather buy something old and upcycle it or do something that appreciates the value of what it used to be,” said Charlottesville- based alternative photographer Cary Oliva. “Things were just more beautiful back in the day.”

The intrigue of age surfaces in the majority of Oliva’s work. Her alternative photography manipulates instant film formats to create ghostly, watercolor-like images with textural imperfections and light flares. Image transfers and emulsion lifts, her primary methods of photo art, interrupt the development process to achieve a washed-out patina in contemporary photographs (think local farmland or a palm tree-strewn beach).

A long-time devotee of Polaroid, which famously went bankrupt in 2009, Oliva routinely makes art out of leftovers. These days, she’s forced to negotiate a seriously curtailed supply of film, but her interest in vintage mediums for photography was piqued more than two decades ago.

“I moved to New York City [from Virginia] in the late ’90s and wanted to take pictures of everything,” she said. “I studied fine art in school, but photography felt impulsive, with an intuitive draw.” She quickly fell in love with the painterly effects achieved by alternative photography, and after deciding to teach herself the craft, “went thrift store shopping to find a camera.”

One of her favorite early art forms was Polaroid manipulation. “I absolutely loved that ’70s film, the kind you’d shake. If you kept it warm, you could manipulate the gel from the outside and create these little brightly colored paintings. I remember sitting in my car in the summer or, if it wasn’t warm enough outside, rigging the electric outlets so I’d have a little hotplate to keep the film warm.”

Eventually, Polaroid stopped producing that particular kind of film. By that point, though, Oliva had expanded her repertoire to include image transfers, which create subtle painting-esque imagery by disrupting film development.

Instant film, like the Polaroid 669 Oliva favors, functions as a reactive sandwich. Each piece has a positive and a negative side, and once a photographer takes her shot, the film gets pulled through rollers that squish positive and negative chemicals together, triggering the reaction that slowly develops the image’s colors.

Normally, Polaroid photographers let this film develop for several minutes, but Oliva pulls the print out before the image has a chance to finish and applies the negative, complete with its in-process inks, to a piece of treated paper where it finishes developing.

The result is an image transfer and “a one-time thing,” Oliva said. “I can’t take that negative and reuse it again. It’s not a transparency, it’s just the inks, so each transfer is an original. You can’t recreate it, but you can scan them, like I do, and bring them into Photoshop and make them into prints.”

The process takes an incredibly long time, Oliva said, and requires a number of delicate conditions to be met. Art paper must be treated with just the right amount of water, and the separation of positive and negative is exacting. To minimize the difficulties of working “in the field,” she uses a unique system that assembles old school parts.

Today, Oliva takes most of her images with slide film using her 35mm SLR film camera, though she also owns a 1960s vintage Polaroid camera that’s been rigged to accommodate a modern battery. She exposes the slide images onto the peel-apart film using a “portable darkroom.” In just a few seconds, she’s able to expose the slide onto the Polaroid film within the machine and then create an image transfer.

But no amount of innovation can slow the passage of time that’s steadily chipping away at Oliva’s most critical resource. “I can only buy [Polaroid 669 film] on eBay, and it’s all expired,” she said. “The final images are often too brown, and I’m not happy with it. There’s also a group called The Impossible Project that’s created film for SX-70 camera, and they market it as being the same,” she said. “But it doesn’t work the same way.”

Like most artists given limiting parameters, Oliva has creative solutions. “I’ve been teaching myself how to use Fujifilm. It’s new to me, but it’s still really old school,” she said. “I’ve saved a lot of images, the positives of images I’ve used before, and I’m reinventing them as emulsion lifts.”

To create an emulsion lift, she soaks the 3.25″ x 4.25″ positive in near-boiling water, then slowly takes a small brush and pushes the emulsion off from the backing paper. What’s left is a very delicate, onion skin-style image that she transfers into a vat of colder water, then lifts off the back onto another substrate, like metal, rocks or cloth.

“It has this very interesting, dreamy quality in a different way than anything else,” Oliva said. “An emulsion lift isn’t perfect. It’s just what’s left. The edges curl up, it gets wrinkled and it has movement and other elements you just don’t get in a transfer.”

In general, photographers rely on the accuracy of their film, but it’s the instability of her alternative forms that cements Oliva’s loyalty. She spent a week at Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina refining these new processes, which she plans to teach in the spring.

“I’m on Instagram a lot lately using the hashtag #filmisnotdead,” she said. “This work helps me slow down and be more mindful about the things I do in life. I love sharing it. If people have never seen the process, they’re usually amazed.”

Categories
News

ABC, UVA in national spotlight again after Martese Johnson arrest

The arrest of Martese Johnson. Photo: Bryan Beaubrun/Cavalier Daily

The image of bloodied third-year University of Virginia student Martese Johnson on the ground being arrested by a uniformed ABC agent has put UVA—and the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control—in the national spotlight again, with Governor Terry McAuliffe calling for an independent investigation on the arrest and the use of force.

Reaction to the early March 18 photo of Johnson handcuffed and bleeding was swift—and angry. Hundreds of people came out to a student-organized demonstration that evening at the amphitheater, including UVA President Teresa Sullivan, who put out a statement in which she said she was concerned and had contacted McAuliffe, and Rector George Martin, who told media the brutality was “unconscionable.” Protests later spilled over into surrounding streets, where demonstrators blocked Chancellor Street and University Avenue before marching to the Charlottesville Police station on Market Street, according to media reports.

Mason Pickett was on the Corner March 19 with signs. Staff photo
Mason Pickett was on the Corner March 19 with signs. Staff photo

 

Johnson, who had just been reelected to the Honor Committee and serves on the Black Student Alliance executive board, had been turned away from Trinity Irish Pub around 12:45am March 18, according to a statement from the ABC. His friend, Bryan Beaubrun, told the Daily Progress that an ABC officer grabbed Johnson by the arm and pulled him away to speak to other officers. After about a minute, when Johnson asked the officer to let go of him arm and tried to pull away, said Beaubrun, he was grabbed from behind and the two officers wrestled him to the sidewalk, where his head hit the ground and later required 10 stitches.

Beaubrun, who recorded part of the arrest on his phone, told the Progress, “He didn’t need to be tackled. He wasn’t being aggressive at all.”

Charlottesville Fire Marshall Jay Davis was on the Corner to make sure the St. Patrick’s Day crowds didn’t exceed occupancy levels in bars. He declined to comment on the events leading to the arrest because of the investigation, but said, “I was aware there was going to be need for EMS so I was coordinating with the fire department and [Charlottesville Area Rescue Squad].

Johnson had 10 stitches before being taken to Charlottesville Albemarle Regional Jail, where he was charged with obstruction of justice, a Class 1 misdemeanor, and public intoxication or swearing, a Class 4 misdemeanor, according to court records. Johnson, an Italian and media studies major from Chicago, will be 21 in three months. What he was not charged with: underage drinking or fraud for use of a fake ID.

In a video Beaubrun shot of the arrest, Johnson can be heard saying, “I go to UVA.” And then, “you f***ing racists.”

Court documents describe Johnson as “very agitated and belligerent, but [with] no criminal history” and said he could be released “when sober.” He was released on $1,500 bond at 6:02am.

ABC Special Agent J. Miller was the arresting officer, and the agency did not respond to a request for Miller’s first name and the names of the two ABC agents with him. The special agents will be restricted to administrative duties while the investigation is being conducted, according to an ABC release.

Rutherford Institute founder John Whitehead asked why Johnson was grabbed by the arm in the first place. “The big problem here is how this kid was approached,” he said. “When you grab somebody by the arm you’re going to get a reaction.”

Whitehead also questioned, “Why the hell was the ABC patrolling the Corner? Why aren’t Charlottesville Police doing that? Why were they sneaking around Harris Teeter watching Elizabeth Daly?”

Daly was the UVA student arrested two years ago when ABC agents suspected the case of sparkling water she was carrying was beer, and surrounded her car in the grocery parking lot. She and her two sorority sisters panicked and fled a few blocks until a call to 911 confirmed that the street clothes-wearing figures pounding on the car window with a flashlight and pulling a gun were indeed ABC agents. Daly was charged with three felonies for assaulting a law enforcement officer and eluding police, charges that were later dropped. She sued the ABC for $40 million, and the case was settled for $212,500.

The ABC didn’t learn from the Daly case, said Whitehead, which should have been “a red light” to stop what they were doing. The incident drew national attention, and the General Assembly considered but did not pass measures to put the ABC under the umbrella of the Virginia State Police. The agency did institute 15 changes in its policy on handling possible underage drinkers, including the presence of a uniformed agent.

Charlottesville Commonwealth’s Attorney Dave Chapman, who dropped the charges against Daly, declined to comment about how the charges against Johnson are proceeding. “That could change later today,” he said.

 

Related content: Charlottesville leaders speak up on Martese Johnson arrest

Prosecutor asks for criminal investigation of ABC officers in Martese Johnson arrest

Martese Johnson: ‘How could this happen?’ 

 

Categories
Living

Outfoxed: Why your healthy pet still needs vaccines

I’ve been in practice for more than a decade, and I feel lucky to have never seen a case of canine distemper. It’s a mean virus, to be sure, killing more than half of its victims (most of which are puppies). It often starts innocently enough with a runny nose, but progresses to ravage the intestinal tract and the central nervous system, causing a great deal of suffering along the way. Veterinarians used to square off against this virus on a regular basis, and while it still exists, it is far less common than it once was.

These days, most dogs are vaccinated against distemper beginning in puppyhood. Those who can’t be vaccinated are relatively safe because of herd immunity (they can’t catch the disease from a dog who doesn’t have it, after all). But herd immunity has a flaw. It only works within the herd. If a disease can be spread within other unvaccinated populations—say wildlife—the barrier is weakened because the unprotected have a new avenue for infection. So when a distemper outbreak struck nearby fox populations last month, it presented a very real hazard to local dogs.

Although recent months have brought much-needed blowback to the anti-vaccination craze (only in response, sadly and predictably, to a mounting tally of sick children), there remains a stubborn belief among many that vaccines are dangerous and unnecessary. This notion has spilled over to veterinary medicine. Over the last decade, I’ve watched as a growing number of pet owners refuse vaccines, describing them as too strong, loaded with unspecified toxins, or otherwise unnatural. I often find myself helpless in these conversations, armed only with simple facts that are effortlessly deflected by the sheer mass of misinformation spread on blogs and Internet forums.

It’s easy to understand why these concerns—fictional as they may be—are able to gain such traction. The purported dangers of vaccines seem clear and present. The vet is about to walk into the room and inject something straight into your pet. The dangers of preventable disease, however, seem abstract and distant. The distemper vaccine? Do you really need that? Have you ever known anybody with a dog that had distemper?

You really do need it, and the fox outbreak demonstrates why. The outbreak couldn’t have been predicted or prevented, but there it was, delivering a nasty old adversary straight to our doorstep. Vaccines—much like door locks, seat belts and bicycle helmets—need to be in place before the emergency unfolds. You simply don’t have the chance to use them once the danger is upon you.

It’s not just about canine distemper, of course. Routine vaccination helps to shield our pets from a variety of infectious diseases. Some of them, like rabies and leptospirosis, are additionally transmissible to people, making animal vaccination a first-line defense for their human families. The importance of providing this protection cannot be overstated.

Vaccines, ultimately, are victims of their own success. They have so monumentally changed our world that we’ve grown complacent, skeptical of diseases that destroy real lives, and prone to fabricate new dangers in their stead. But the reality is simple. Without question, vaccines are one of the greatest achievements in medical history. They prevent disease by mobilizing the body’s natural defenses against it, and they do so with remarkable safety and efficacy.

Not every infection can be prevented with a vaccine. It is an outright tragedy to fall victim to one that can. I’ve made it through the first 12 years of my career without seeing a case of canine distemper, and I’d really like to keep that streak alive.

Dr. Mike Fietz is a small animal veterinarian at Georgetown Veterinary Hospital.  He received his veterinary degree from Cornell University in 2003 and has lived in Charlottesville since.

Categories
Arts

Snap and chat: Photo walking meets the streets of Charlottesville

Stuart Holman’s upcoming release, Block: The Photobook, is the result of a community-wide photography collaboration that captures perspectives of Charlottesville. Photo: Stuart Holman

If you ever come across a herd of nerds walking around Charlottesville with expensive-looking cameras, do not fear. They’re just photo walkers. And while their numbers are growing, they’re mostly harmless.

Charlottesville has at least two groups that regularly hold photo walks, and the phenomenon has gained worldwide traction. Scott Kelby, considered by some the godfather of photo walking, organizes an annual Worldwide Photo Walk that last year drew 20,148 participants to 1,052 walks around the globe.

It was inspiration from groups like Kelby’s that prompted C’ville photographer Stuart Holman to start a local version. He’s done five of them under the name Block: Photography Community for Creatives.

“The people that I have met through [online] communities have allowed me to meet people in Charlottesville,” Holman said. “It is really cool to come full circle and find people that share the same passion.”

Holman and a group of passionate shutterbugs’ next trek will wind three miles from the Rivanna Trail entrance near Riverside Lunch to East Main Street. Holman said he’ll bring along a few props—steel wool that’s lit aflame and twirled about, smoke bombs and sparklers—to enhance the experience.

And what exactly is that experience? According to Rick Stillings, who runs monthly photo walks through his non-profit, the Charlottesville Photography Initiative, it’s all about building the community of photographers and sharing inspiration and insight.

“We’re trying to foster an environment where there is collaboration, sometimes mentoring,” Stillings said. “Photography for a lot of people is a solo activity. You go out and shoot things or events, and for the most part we don’t work as a group or socialize as a group.”

Stillings said he likes to organize his participants into small groups of two to five. That way those who have “just taken their camera out of the box” can get some help from the old pros, and likewise the old pros might benefit from the newbies’ fresh perspective. Like Holman, Stillings said he tries to find interesting subjects for the walks—his group once did a tour of a retired insane asylum, and the next one is scheduled for April 4 at the St. Albans Sanatorium in Radford. Stillings’ largest photo walk, a 33-person event he organized in conjunction with a dance organization, was an outlier, but he said he has no trouble finding a dozen or so avid photographers for each tour.

“Most of our groups are amateur to semi-pro,” he said. “They look forward to the idea of just getting out and hanging out with other photographers.”

Holman said he believes online photo sharing has been instrumental in driving the number of hobbyist photographers who are up for photo walking. The relative ease of modern camera use and lack of need for film don’t hurt either.

“The automatic settings on the SLRs are easy to use,” he said. “Everyone is picking up these cameras, and that’s what is making photography just boom. People see these awesome pictures and ask, ‘What kind of camera are they using?’”

Holman and Stillings agree a fancy SLR camera isn’t required, though, and they’ve both had participants show up with iPhones on occasion. Holman said he’d even accept camera phone images for a book of local photography he’s developing as an offshoot of his photo walks—so long as the images show a unique perspective and interesting subject, of course.

The idea behind Block: The Photobook, Holman said, is to give local picture-taking enthusiasts an avenue through which to share their work other than online sites like Tumblr or Instagram.

“I see this image in my head of this thick black book of full-page images of the Albemarle County area, from photographers I know, and you know,” he said. “It gives me a very good feeling.”

Holman said he’ll be collecting images from local photographers through March 31, and the book could be available as soon as a month after that, depending on how many submissions he has to parse. He said he’ll likely be partial to images that capture a bit of local iconography, such as the UVA Lawn, and he favors a personal touch, applied at the time of the shot or using editing software. Each 20-page coffee table book will be printed to order and should cost about $30, he estimated.

Holman, who is a full-time administrator for Blue Ridge InternetWorks, isn’t looking to make any money from the books. Rather, the goal is much the same as that of a good photo walk: Find something beautiful and share it with others.

“It’s about getting out and photographing your city and environment,” said Stillings, who by day is on the systems staff in UVA’s Department of Computer Science. “We don’t do it to make any money, and anyone is welcome to join us.”

Do you have a favorite photographer in the community? Share it with us in the comments.

Categories
News

Family feud: The growing rift in Virginia’s GOP

File photo.

You would think, following their spectacular showing in the 2014 midterm elections, that Virginia’s Republicans would be in a joyful, backslapping mood, and ready to present a unified front going into the November elections, when all 100 House of Delegates and 40 Virginia Senate seats will be up for grabs. And indeed, the recent conclusion of the Republican-controlled General Assembly’s 2015 session (which even Governor Terry McAuliffe labeled a “lovefest”) was accompanied by much smug self-congratulation on the parts of Senate Majority Leader Tommy Norment and House Speaker Bill Howell.

And yet, as the lawmakers left Richmond to start campaigning in earnest, there was ample evidence that all is not perfect in the land of elephants. One of the most visible signs of distress came from Speaker Howell, who—facing a credible primary challenge for the first time in almost 30 years—launched a warm-and-fuzzy website featuring dozens of photogenic voters proclaiming that “We Know Bill.” This early salvo against his opponent, former Stafford County Board of Supervisors chairperson and living anime figure Susan Stimpson, was telling for a number of reasons. Firstly, it showed that Howell was taking the primary challenge very seriously. Secondly, it demonstrated that Howell’s team had studied the unexpected defeat of U.S. Representative Eric Cantor by Tea Party firebrand David Brat very closely. Whereas Cantor had come out punching early, carpeting the airwaves with anti-Brat ads, Howell is taking great pains to burnish his own image, and show that—unlike the out-of-touch, overly ambitious Cantor—he actually cares about his constituents.

Another sign of trouble is the ongoing turmoil at the cash-strapped Republican Party of Virginia (RPV), which recently saw the exit of executive director Shaun Kenney after less than a year on the job. Current RPV chairman John Whitbeck, a Loudoun County lawyer, campaigned on a promise to unite the business and Tea Party wings of the party, but he has thus far managed to both infuriate Tea Party darling Stimpson by distributing glossy brochures touting Howell, and unnerve establishment Republicans by indicating that he prefers nominating conventions over state-run primaries. (Caucuses and conventions invariably favor very conservative or liberal candidates, as only party die-hards tend to show up and vote.)

Compounding the GOP’s woes is a recent string of unforced errors that call into question the party’s basic competence. The first happened in Prince William County, where the local party committee actually missed the deadline to request a primary, and as a result five members of the Board of County Supervisors—including Chairman Corey Stewart—may have to face opponents in a party caucus. An additional embarrassment came when a recent high-profile party fundraiser had to be scuttled at the last minute because the featured speaker—South Carolina Representative Trey Gowdy, who chairs a House committee tasked with investigating the deadly attacks in Benghazi, Libya—canceled his appearance upon learning that the event had been named “Beyond Benghazi.”

It was a classic case of the right hand not knowing what the far-right hand was doing, and Salem-based Representative Morgan Griffith, who had invited Gowdy in the first place, was obviously displeased with the screw-up. “Someone, somewhere thought that would be clever. They never checked with us,” he told The Washington Post. “Clearly, you can’t raise money off Benghazi.”

In the long run, of course, all of this intra-party squabbling might not matter, and Republicans will emerge from this year’s election with majorities intact. But it’s very difficult to be effective when your house is divided—and as of now, Virginia’s GOP appears to have a very shaky foundation indeed.

House Speaker Bill Howell is taking campaign clues from Eric Cantor’s surprise loss.

Another sign of trouble is the ongoing turmoil at the cash-strapped Republican Party of Virginia, which recently saw the exit of executive director Shaun Kenney after less than a year on the job.

Categories
Magazines Real Estate

Trees add benefits and value to homes

“Mature and young trees as well as herbaceous shrubs and fruiting species add value and curb appeal to most properties,” declares REALTOR® Sara Greenfield. The founder of Charlottesville Fine Homes and Properties, her college degree was in Forest Management and Outdoor Education.

Greenfield explains she was very specific about leaving mature oak, maple, and elm trees on her property when she built her Albemarle County lakeside home. “Builders tend to remove all trees off the land,” she laments. “This is sad because trees provide shade and cooling in the summer as well as a place for birds to sit and sing. They also prevent erosion, absorb some noise, and are great visual buffers.”

Many homeowners in central Virginia seem to agree with Greenfield about the value of trees. In fact, Charlottesville is designated a Tree City USA. This national program provides the framework for community forestry management. The four qualifying standards include maintaining a tree board or department, having a community tree ordinance, spending at least $2 per capita on urban forestry, and celebrating Arbor Day.

Charlottesville takes an active role in preserving, expanding, and educating the community about its urban forest. The City has an appointed tree commission to advise on urban forest management efforts and policies, while the City Parks Department plants and maintains trees on public property such as parks, schools, and right-of-ways.

Local volunteers for trees

The Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards (CATS) is a group of volunteers who support rural and urban forests by increasing public awareness of the value and beauty of trees, educating residents about tree care, and partnering with local government agencies and civic groups to improve and restore the tree canopy in the area. “Ideally,” says CATS President Rosanne Simon, “we would like to have our canopy about 40 percent. That sequesters a lot of carbon.”

CATS also encourages native trees. “We strongly recommend that people plant indigenous trees because the local insects and birds depend on them,” continues Simon. “If you bring in trees from other countries, the insects don’t like them so the birds don’t like them.” As an example, she says, our native oaks can be home to more than 300 different types of insects—many beneficial—and those bugs attract and feed our birds. “Oaks are some of our stateliest trees,” she says. “Other native trees are tulip poplar, sycamore, hazelnut, maple, redbud, and dogwood.”

CATS will mount a plant sale at the Ix complex with conjunctions with Master Gardeners on March “We’ll be stressing native trees at reasonable prices,” she says. “Three-year-old trees are only $5 and five-year-old trees are $10.”  Varieties will include many kinds of oaks, plus chestnut, persimmon, hickory, and a number of other trees and shrubs.

CATS also sponsors mini-workshops. “You can gather a small group of neighbors and we will come to your area,” she explains. “We’ll talk about all aspects of trees.”  For more information on the tree sale and other activities, visit www.CharlottesvilleAreaTreeStewards.org

What is a tree worth?

There’s little question most homebuyers viewing similar dwellings, one with trees and the other with none, will opt for the treed property and likely will be willing to pay more for it. In fact, American Forests, the nation’s oldest nonprofit conservation organization, notes that homes with trees sell faster and are worth between 4 – 15 percent more.

Trees like those on Charlottesville’s Downtown Mall incline people to linger at shop windows and spend longer shopping. They also help purify the air and control a community’s stormwater, slowing rainfall through their leaves and filtering water through their roots to improve groundwater quality.

Trees actually have a measurable dollar value. In fact, if trees are damaged or destroyed, owners might receive compensation through insurance or a claimed loss on their income tax form. While there are some widely recognized valuations, there are several ways to establish a tree’s value. This means it is important to find an experienced appraiser—probably a Certified Arborist. While the loss of a tree due to simple old age or insect damage is seldom covered by insurance, a sudden event such as flood, lightning, vandalism, or auto accident is deemed a casualty and may be covered. It’s always wise to have an up-to-date photographic record of your property and trees.

“Healthy trees require good root systems, and new branches in order to provide the nourishment it needs to withstand drought, wind, and temperature changes,” concludes REALTOR Greenfield. “The healthier the tree, the less likely it will succumb to blight, drought, or insect infestation. Be sure to care for your trees to enjoy their beauty and contribution to your property.”

So, if you’re preparing to plant trees, get good advice on the best species for your situation. Take care of them as they grow, and enjoy the benefits and added value to your home.

##

By Marilyn Pribus

Marilyn Pribus and her husband live on a ridgetop in Albemarle County near Charlottesville.  On two occasions, their homeowner insurance covered the removal of separate lightning-struck trees. Happily, they still have plenty of trees remaining.

Categories
Arts

Film review: The new Cinderella doesn’t fill the shoe

Despite an engaging cast, the update on Cinderella starring Lily James (above) fails to surpass the timeless charm of the original animated version. Photo: Disney

There is a sneaky sort of rebelliousness in Kenneth Branagh’s Cinderella—in the way it pushes back against the tide of revisionism and misdirected irony that has overtaken family entertainment in recent years. Sincere instead of sarcastic, elegant instead of flashy, and wishing to enchant audiences with charm instead of hypnotizing them with antics, Branagh’s intentions are well-met in this time of forced sarcasm and murky intentions.

Strange, then, that the way he chose to pursue that noble goal was to take out everything that people loved about the original story and put nothing in its place. This isn’t a re-imagining of the folktale, it’s a retread of the 1950 animated film without the songs or heightened drama. We meet Ella (yes, Ella) as a chipper young girl who is unceasingly pleasant and trusting, traits that are nourished by Ella’s mother until she succumbs to illness. Years later, Ella’s father remarries out of loneliness but soon passes away himself, and Ella is now stuck with an awful stepmother and two spoiled stepsisters. Then there’s a prince, a ball, a fairy godmother, a slipper and so on.

In fact, the only surprising thing about the narrative is that there are no surprises. Broken down to its constituent components, there are a few pleasantries to enjoy if you ignore the fact that the movie is one massive padding out of a paper-thin plot. Lily James (“Downton Abbey”) and Richard Madden (“Game of Thrones”) leap off of the small screen to show they have the makings of genuine movie stars. Cate Blanchett sinks her teeth into the part of the wicked stepmother, even if the script doesn’t live up to her performance; in fact, the lack of follow-through on early indications that Blanchett may be the star is one of the film’s biggest letdowns. Scenes between the prince and his father (Derek Jacobi) are nice but go nowhere. Then by the time Helena Bonham Carter shows up as the clumsy fairy godmother who creates creepy lizard-man monstrosities in an excruciatingly long scene, all hope is lost. All she does is not sing the song we all expect (except, annoyingly, as an Easter egg at the end of the credits). The ball and ensuing slipper drama do nothing to regain steam. The film almost works when it stays away from whimsy and sticks with charm, but more than anything, Cinderella is a reminder of why modernist twists on this genre became popular in the first place.

Branagh’s decision not to go revisionist is not altogether surprising given his record for breathing life into well-worn tales. His breakthrough came with his adaptations of Shakespeare, most famously Henry V, Much Ado About Nothing and Hamlet. His take on Frankenstein was refreshing due to his decision to adapt the book directly rather than remake the famous James Whale film for the umpteenth time. Branagh knows how to do familiar; or at least he did, if Thor and Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit are any indication, and this is sadly more in line with these later misfires than his early triumphs.

The film’s lack of apology for its own old-fashioned sensibilities, however, is worthy of defending. Far too often, when a movie is based on a preexisting children’s story, the source material is treated as a liability instead of a wellspring, spending more time apologizing for outdated ideas and techniques while weighing everything down with unnecessary backstory. Modern takes on outdated fairy tales and richer characterizations of well-known villains are all well and good, but as any cynic who has spent five minutes in Disney World will tell you, the magic behind the Mouse empire is very real, so why is everyone always running away from it?

Ideological defenses aside, there’s really no reason to see this movie. Some may enjoy the spectacle and find this review too harsh. Those same people will most certainly be extremely bored on subsequent viewings as its problems become more obvious. Classic Disney and Kenneth Branagh will be back to reclaim their past glory; sadly, this is not the day for either.

Playing this week

American Sniper

Chappie

The DUFF

Fifty Shades of Grey

Focus

Kingsmen: The Secret Service

The Lazarus Effect

McFarland, USA

Run All Night

The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water

Unfinished Business

Regal Stonefield 14 and IMAX
244-3213

Categories
News

City police: Spycams in the workplace ‘rare’

Charlottesville’s use of hidden cameras to observe employees suspected of misconduct is rare, but controversial. File photo

Who is the city spying on? Charlottesville’s use of hidden cameras to monitor city employees became news in the recent case of Charlottesville Fire Department mechanic J.R. Harris, who was fired after city police put a camera in his office to find the perp who hid a bottle alleged to be alcohol in his desk. Harris, a teetotaler, was reinstated to his job (see p. 16 for new details) and the spycam never provided evidence of who actually put the bottle there, but it did raise questions about the city’s use of those devices.

Harris appealed his firing at a February 23 hearing, where Charlottesville Police Lieutenant Blaine Cosgro testified that he’d installed the hidden camera in Harris’ office, and that city police had secretly recorded city employees 10 to 12 times over the past decade.

C-VILLE submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to Charlottesville Police, and was told that records pertaining to Harris were exempt because it was a personnel matter.

“We have not located any records related to any other occasions when the police assisted the city with installing cameras for the purposes of monitoring employee conduct, and to our knowledge, no such records exist,” said Lieutenant Cheryl Sandridge in an e-mail.

Police Chief Tim Longo declined to comment on specific cases in which spycams had been used, but said it’s “very, very rare.” At times, city police have been called upon to assist other departments in the investigation of workplace misconduct—either to confirm or dispel it—when such use is “lawful and appropriate,” said Longo.

Deputy City Attorney Allyson Davies said the city’s policy is to follow all applicable federal, state and local laws when surveilling employees to ensure workplace and citizen safety, and she points to a 2014 U.S. District Court case from the Western District of Virginia. Judge Glen Conrad ruled that an employer’s search of an employee’s workplace is held to a lower standard than the probable cause required for criminal cases, and that safety is an important consideration.

In Harris’ case, from a week’s worth of surveillance, a couple of minutes of grainy video showed him taking something from his desk and removing it, which his supervisors said was proof he knew the alleged bottle of alcohol was there. Harris contended he was getting rid of it so no one else would try to hide booze in his office.

Said Longo, “If an image is captured that is related to the alleged misconduct, that image or images would be retained as evidence and placed with other documents and evidentiary items associated with the case. Any and all other images captured would not be retained.”

The Rutherford Institute’s John Whitehead found the use of snippets troubling, and asked, “If you edit it, how do you know you’ve seen the whole story?”

While employees are warned that their workplaces can be searched for drugs or alcohol, the city has no policy on monitoring by hidden camera. That’s a problem for Whitehead, particularly if employees have an expectation of privacy in their workplace. “The city should definitely have a policy on the use of spycams,” he said.

Mayor Satyendra Huja also thinks there should be a policy, but isn’t bothered by the use of cameras to monitor employees. “I think it’s a matter of investigating complaints to see if there are non-work activities going on,” he said.

Spycam use is unlikely to come before City Council, because, said Huja, “It’s a personnel matter.”

Categories
Uncategorized

Off the streets: Spring has sprung for homeless housing in the city

Kaki Dimock, executive director of the Thomas Jefferson Area Coalition for the Homeless, is finding housing for the homeless. Photo Ashley Twiggs

This month Charlottesville will move one step closer to eliminating homelessness as a coalition of service providers begins to house at least 33 of the most critically homeless people in the area.

The initiative is being funded in part by $255,000 from the city and has three main components that complement a bevy of new local housing practices aimed at making homelessness as brief an experience as possible.

The main prong of the measures being unrolled this month is called Spring for Housing and is being spearheaded by the Thomas Jefferson Area Coalition for the Homeless (TJACH). Working with local landlords and service providers, TJACH has carefully selected 21 homeless people who are considered in greatest need based on assessments of their physical, mental and substance abuse issues and barriers to finding housing. Using $105,000 from the city, TJACH will pay their rent—16 people will receive subsidies for three to six months, and five people will get subsidies for up to one year, said TJACH executive director Kaki Dimock.

Spring for Housing, or “The Surge” as people involved in the initiative refer to it, emerged as a way to continue housing some of the more than 100 homeless people who use the overnight shelters operated by People and Congregations Engaged in Ministry (PACEM) from October to March, said Mike Murphy, the city’s director of human services and vice chair of TJACH.

“If we successfully house people in PACEM, which is a great program, but all of them return to homelessness at the end, it’s good that they were safe during the most dangerous and coldest season, but we want certainly to be looking to end their homelessness,” said Murphy. “That’s what The Surge is all about.”

Dimock said she’s in “robust conversation” with local landlords to secure 17 housing units that have thus far been identified as possibilities for the 21 people. Myriad other service providers are helping as well. The Salvation Army has donated at least eight beds, the Red Roof Inn is donating blankets, On Our Own is donating bowls and plates for each household, PACEM is donating pillows, and a registry has been created at Bed Bath & Beyond so the public can help buy other move-in supplies like paper towels, sponges, silverware and cups. TJACH is also planning a fund and food drive to ensure the newly housed have a stock of food in their cupboards and refrigerators when they move in.

The Spring for Housing initiative is part of a larger plan known as Housing First, which operates around the idea that to eliminate homelessness, people need to be housed before other issues including addiction and mental illness can be addressed. As part of that approach, a case manager will be assigned for every two people in the Spring for Housing initiative, said Dimock, offering them a tailor-fitted array of services ranging from job search and financial planning skills to substance abuse and mental health treatment.

The Spring for Housing program is working in tandem with several other key components in the city. In 2013 the local nonprofit group Thrive began to administer a state-funded program called Rapid Rehousing, which helps the homeless in Charlottesville find housing, pay their rent for up to two years and access stabilization services. Every three months, people in Rapid Rehousing are reassessed to determine their needs and account for any new streams of income that might reduce their need for public assistance. In 2013-2014, Rapid Rehousing housed 23 people in Charlottesville, and since last July, it has housed 37 people. 

“Rapid Rehousing is intended to be a short-term program that…when implemented well, should be a step towards permanence,” said Dimock.

The second prong being unrolled in Charlottesville this month involves using $150,000 in city funds over the next 54 months to transition five of the low-income units at The Crossings, the 60-unit single room occupancy (SRO) on Preston Avenue, to begin housing five homeless women when the low-income residents currently in them find permanent housing elsewhere. TJACH hopes to house a sixth woman through separate state funding.

The final part of the plan is the addition of six housing units federally funded through Region Ten with a preference for homeless with a history of mental illness. Timing is an issue, however, and Dimock said that while the homeless may be ready to be housed, the apartments at The Crossings and Region Ten’s federal funding may not be ready until later this year. So TJACH is aiming to house those it’s identified by vying for the state’s biennial reallocation of Rapid Rehousing funds awarded to the most successful programs in Virginia.

In January, C-VILLE joined Stephen Hitchcock, who heads The Haven day shelter, as teams of staff and volunteers spread throughout the city to conduct the annual point-in-time survey of homeless people. The survey found that the city’s efforts are working, as the numbers of people living on the streets or in the woods has dropped slightly and the number of people living in transitional or permanent supportive housing has increased significantly (see sidebar).

This means that more people in Charlottesville are housed, fewer people are homeless, and advocates like Dimock are pleased, saying the approach to ending homelessness is starting to pay off.

“We anticipate that there’s always going to be a group who will, sadly, end up in a housing crisis and be unable to sustain their own housing,” said Dimock. “They’re going to need assistance. So the goal is to have zero unsheltered people in the population, to reduce the number of people in the homeless shelters and to ensure the homeless shelter length of stay is very brief and they are moved very quickly into a permanent housing solution.

“Next year we’ll be able to say something a little bit more definitively,” she added, “but I think…this is evidence that our investments are working.”

Thomas Jefferson Area Coalition for the Homeless Executive Director Kaki Dimock is overseeing a new three-pronged approach to ending homelessness in Charlottesville.

By the numbers

A survey of Charlottesville’s homeless conducted in January found improvements in several key measures this year over 2012.

2015  2012

Number living on streets

or in woods               25     27

Number in emergency

shelters   113   125

Number in transitional

housing   47     39

Number in permanent

supportive housing             106     59