Month: August 2016

Categories
Arts

ARTS Pick: The Wonder Bread Years

Pat Hazell takes on the icons of a 1970s American childhood in his one-man show, The Wonder Bread Years. ©2010 Andy Snow

Former “Seinfeld” writer Pat Hazell stars in The Wonder Bread Years, a fast-paced production that rides the line between stand-up and theater. The nationally touring one-man show is steeped in nostalgia from Eskimo Pies and lawn darts to kids at the dinner table and sitting in the back of a Country Squire station wagon. It’s as much a salute to Americana as a comedic tribute to baby boomers everywhere, and sure to leave audiences of all ages savoring the past.

Through 8/6 $15-25, 8pm. Ruth Caplin Theatre, 109 Culbreth Rd. 924-3376.

Categories
Arts

ARTS Pick: Joe Walsh

Legendary guitarist and former member of the Eagles and James Gang, Joe Walsh cranks it up on Saturday at the Pavilion. (publicity image)

Joe Walsh started his career in bars and clubs as a solo act before James Gang showcased his guitar chops on a national level with “Funk #49.” In 1975, Walsh joined the Eagles, where he helped transform the rock music scene with the release of Hotel California, his first album with the band. Walsh says he’s in it “for those rare times when you can just zone out and play.”

Saturday 8/6 $45-88, 7pm. Sprint Pavilion, 700 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. 245-4910.

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News

Going for gold: UVA sends 18 Olympians to Rio

A record 14 competitors with ties to UVA will take part in the 2016 Olympic games August 3-21.

A record 14 competitors with ties to UVA will take part in the 2016 Olympic games August 3-21, alongside two coaches and two alternates. The 16 participating athletes span from the class of 2007 to 2017, and represent seven different nations.

Two current students at UVA will compete at the Olympics, Leah Smith and Filip Mihaljevic, both rising fourth-years. Mihaljevic, competing in shot put for Croatia, will go up against his current assistant coach at UVA, Kemal Mesic, representing Bosnia and Herzegovina.

UVA’s head rowing coach, Kevin Sauer, and head soccer coach, Steve Swanson, will support the United States as assistant coaches in their respective sports.

As the Olympics begin, many Cavaliers will wave the flags of different nations, but all will represent UVA.

Field hockey

Michelle Vittese United States

Vittese is no stranger to the big stage when it comes to field hockey. The Philadelphia native started at UVA in 2008 and earned her spot on the All-American team three times during her college career. In 2012, Vittese redshirted to compete with the U.S. National Team and won U.S. Field Hockey National Player of the Year in the 2012 London Olympics. She returned to UVA to finish her studies, making the ACC Academic Honor Roll. Vittese enters the 2016 Rio Olympics with 150 appearances for the U.S. National Team.

Rowing

Susanne Grainger Canada

Grainger, born in London, Ontario, helped UVA’s novice eight win the 2010 ACC Championship. Then, in 2011, Grainger helped Canada claim gold in the women’s eight at the 2011 U23 World Championships, and did it again in 2012, this time in the four. Also in 2012, she  was a member of the varsity eight squad that won the NCAA National Championships. In her senior year at UVA, the varsity eight squad finished fourth at the NCAA National Championships, but Grainger earned a spot on the All-ACC Academic Team. Now, she enters her first Olympics, representing Canada.

Inge Janssen Netherlands

Janssen will compete in her second Olympics this August. In the 2012 London Olympics, the Netherlands-born Janssen finished eighth overall in the women’s double sculls. As a senior, Janssen’s varsity four won the NCAA Championship in 2010, and she won a bronze medal at the 2015 World Rowing Championships in the women’s quad.

Matt Miller United States

The Fairfax native competed on UVA’s club rowing team all four of his years at the university. On the international stage, he placed fourth overall in the 2014 World Rowing Championships in the four, and seventh the next year. Rio is Miller’s first Olympics.

Meghan O’Leary United States

Hailing from Tulsa, Oklahoma, O’Leary has always been a competitor—just not always a rower. She graduated from UVA in 2008 without rowing once for the prestigious Virginia rowing team, instead playing softball and volleyball for the Cavaliers. It wasn’t until 2010 that she started rowing, and since then she has competed in two World Rowing Championships, earning her highest rank—sixth—in 2014. Just six years after picking up rowing, O’Leary qualified for the Rio Olympics in the double sculls.

Christine Roper Canada

Despite being born in Jamaica, Roper joins team Canada in Rio. She picked up rowing at age 14, thanks to her love of racing. While at UVA, Roper was a second-team All-American and helped the Cavaliers win the 2010 NCAA Championship. She moved to Canada after graduating from UVA in 2011, and there, earned two gold medals and one bronze in the U23 World Rowing Championships. She heads to her first Olympics at age 26.

Women’s soccer

Morgan Brian United States

Brian was on the U.S. National Team that won the 2015 FIFA World Cup, and at age 22, the St. Simon’s Island, Georgia, native was the youngest member of the team. While at UVA, Brian won the MAC Hermann Trophy two years in a row, only the fourth female ever to do so. She was named the U.S. Soccer Young Female Athlete of the Year and led the Cavs to a runner-up finish at the 2014 NCAA Tournament, its highest finish in program history. Brian was the first Virginia player to record 40 goals and 40 assists in her college career. Since UVA, she has continued her success, earning the first overall selection in the 2015 National Women’s Soccer League Draft to the Houston Dash. At 23, she heads to Rio hoping to add an Olympic gold medal to her résumé.

Becky Sauerbrunn United States

Standing at 5-foot-7, Sauerbrunn is a veteran defender and the U.S. Women’s National Team’s co-captain for the 2016 Rio Olympics. During her career with UVA, she played every minute of her 2003 and 2005 seasons, skipping 2004 to redshirt with the U.S. National Team at the U19 World Championships in Thailand. After college, Sauerbrunn went to the Washington Freedom as the third overall pick in the 2008 Women’s Professional Soccer Draft. She accompanied the national team to both the 2011 and 2015 FIFA World Cups, earning silver and gold medals respectively. At 31, Sauerbrunn became the first NWSL player to be named Defender of the Year three years in a row. In the 2012 London Olympics, she helped the U.S. team win a gold medal and hopes to have a repeat performance in Rio.

Swimming

Yannick Kaeser Switzerland

Coming from Mumpf, Switzerland, Kaeser holds two Swiss national records in both the 100-meter and 200-meter breaststroke. He represented Switzerland at the 2012 London Olympics but failed to advance to the semifinals in the 200-meter breaststroke, finishing 24th overall in the preliminary heats. After the Olympics, Kaeser came to UVA where he was a four-time All-American. Now a college graduate, he looks to improve on his previous Olympic performance.

Leah Smith United States

The Pittsburgh native was the 2014 ACC Freshman of the Year, as well as a U.S. National Team member in 2014 and 2015. At UVA, Smith earned All-American status in four events and set NCAA records in three—the 500 free, 1,000 free and 1,650 free. Smith holds the UVA record for NCAA titles held by one athlete, winning the 500 free and the 1,650 free in both 2015 and 2016. At 21, she is one of two current UVA students to compete in the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Tennis

Dominic Inglot Great Britain

London-born Inglot was a three-time All-American at UVA. After graduation, he won the doubles silver medal at the 2009 World University Games. Currently, the Association of Tennis Professionals ranks Inglot 30th globally in men’s doubles, and at age 30, he makes his first Olympic appearance for Great Britain.

Track and field

Robby Andrews United States

The New Jersey native attended UVA for only two years before pursuing a professional career in track and field. While at UVA, Andrews won both the 800-meter indoor track and the 800-meter outdoor track events at the NCAA Championships. At the 2010 International Association of Athletics Federations World Junior Championships, Andrews took home bronze in the 800-meters. He returned to UVA in 2014 to finish his degree in kinesiology, and after finishing second at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, he’ll compete in the 1,500-meters in Rio.

Kemal Mesic Bosnia and Herzegovina

An assistant track and field coach at UVA, Mesic will compete in shot put against one of his students, Filip Mihaljevic, who won the 2016 NCAA Championship and came in fifth at the 2016 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Mesic competed in the 2012 Olympic games but failed to qualify for the finals, finishing 24th overall.

Filip Mihaljevic Croatia

Born in Livno, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mihaljevic will represent Croatia in the 2016 Olympics. He joins Leah Smith, the other current UVA student attending the games, and is in the odd position of competing against his UVA coach, Kemal Mesic, in the shot put events. Mihaljevic is an eight-time All-American at UVA and won seven ACC Championships along with one NCAA Championship. In his three years at UVA, Mihaljevic also has earned 2016 ACC Men’s Outdoor Field Performer of the Year, 2016 ACC Men’s Field MVP and 2014 ACC Outdoor Freshman of the Year. In 2015, he won the European Under-23 Shot Put Championship, and this year, he earned bronze at the IAAF World Indoor Championships. This will be his first Olympic games.

Olympic coaches

Kevin Sauer United States

UVA’s decorated head rowing coach joins five former UVA rowers in Rio as an assistant coach for the U.S. rowing team. During his 21-year career as UVA’s head coach, Sauer has won Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association National Coach of the Year twice, led the Cavaliers to two NCAA Championships and guided 39 student-athletes to 51 CRCA All-American citations. On the international stage, Sauer coached the U.S. four to a gold medal at the 2007 World Rowing U-23 Championships and to a third-place finish in 2015. In Sauer’s Olympic debut, he will coach Meghan O’Leary and her teammate Ellen Tomek in the women’s double.

Steve Swanson United States

Another UVA head coach will assist at the Olympics. Swanson, the women’s soccer coach, travels to Rio as the women’s national team seeks to repeat 2012’s gold-medal performance. Swanson, an assistant coach during the 2015 FIFA World Cup, helped the U.S. to its third World Cup. He built a dynasty at UVA, and in 2013, was named National Soccer Coaches Association of America National Coach of the Year. Then in 2014, Swanson led the Cavaliers to their first appearance in the College Cup final, and in 2014 to an ACC regular season title. He sent Emily Sonnett to the National Women’s Soccer League as the top overall pick in the 2016 draft. Sonnett follows Morgan Brian, a former Cav who went first overall in the 2015 NWSL draft. Swanson will be reunited with three former Cavaliers on the U.S. team.

Dawn Staley United States

Dawn Staley is an icon for UVA women’s basketball, taking the Cavaliers to the Final Four three times as a player and being named national Player of the Year in 1991 and 1992. Now, Staley is an icon for women’s basketball around the world, earning a spot as an assistant coach on the U.S. women’s Olympics basketball team. Staley, who has won three Olympic gold medals, will guide current legends such as Mia Moore and Diana Taurasi toward gold, which would be the sixth straight for the U.S. women’s basketball team. She is currently the women’s head coach at the University of South Carolina, where she has steadily improved the team’s record, from 11-18 in 2008, to 33-2 this past season.

Alternates

Paige Selenski United States

A former ACC Freshman of the Year, Selenski will travel to Rio as a women’s field hockey alternate, which means she will join the roster if a member falls ill or suffers an injury. Selenski thrived at UVA, winning ACC Offensive Player of the Year in 2012 along with Virginia Female Collegiate Athlete of the Year. She recorded seven hat tricks, third-most in UVA’s field hockey history. Internationally, Selenski earned a gold medal at both the 2015 and 2011 Pan-American games and scored a goal at the 2012 London Olympics. At her second Olympic games, Selenski hopes to support the national team and earn a spot back on the starting roster.

Emily Sonnett United States

Following in Morgan Brian’s footsteps, Sonnett went first overall in the 2016 National Women’s Soccer League draft. She was named 2015 ESPNW National Player of the Year and earned ACC Defensive Player of the Year. With the U.S. women’s national team, Sonnett holds nine international appearances but is currently a member of the U-23 team.

This article was updated at 3:30pm on August 10 to add Dawn Staley to the list.

Categories
News

History markers keep Charlottesville’s past alive

Categories
Living

Some food trucks are putting down roots while restaurants hit the road

Morsel Compass Mobile Kitchen co-owner Keely Hass is opening Morsel Compass West with Jennifer Blanchard in Crozet’s Piedmont Place, also the future home of Smoked BBQ Co.’s restaurant. Photo by Tom McGovern

It’s that time of year again—when it’s so hot outside you dream of lounging in the air conditioning. But we know one thing that will motivate you to venture outside: food. Lucky for us, the food truck scene here is exploding with new trucks. We counted more than 15 roaming the city on any given day, and even a few brick-and-mortar places are jumping on the bandwagon and going mobile. But it goes both ways: Some of these freestanding kitchens are becoming so successful, they’re opening permanent locations. And none too soon—we’re sweltering just thinking about how hot it must be in a food truck kitchen in 100-degree heat.

106 Street Food

After working on the culinary scene for two decades, chef Will Cooper has opened his own business. Hitting town about two months ago, 106 Street Food dishes up classic American fare with a dash of Southwest-, Latin- and Asian-inspired flair. Cooper was so gung-ho about opening his own mobile kitchen he built the truck himself. In between his stints at Bella’s Restaurant, the Glass House Kitchen and Rapture, Cooper also worked in construction, and knew enough to put his truck together in four months.

On the menu you’ll find massive, mouthwatering sandwiches, like the 16-hour smoked brisket. But Cooper’s favorite is the pork schnitzel. Inside a hearty pretzel bun lies a deep-fried, panko-crusted pork loin topped with an egg, arugula, white cheddar and lemon caper aioli.

Smoked BBQ Co.

Smoked BBQ Co. is “the little wagon that could.” Owner Justin van der Linde and sous chef Kent Morris started out with a barbecue cart in downtown Charlottesville, but now they’re making the move to open their own restaurants—yes, plural—both in downtown Crozet’s Piedmont Place, a mixed-use building that’s still under construction. Their first-floor eatery, Smoked Kitchen and Tap, will focus on barbecue—ribs, brisket and pulled pork—along with Southern-style sides, and will be family-friendly. The fourth-floor restaurant, The Rooftop, takes advantage of the 50-foot overlook of the Blue Ridge Mountains with an open fire pit and heated terrace. On the menu is woodstone oven pizzas with a Southern twist, accompanied by craft cocktails. “We’ll have probably the best views in town,” van der Linde says.

Even with opening two restaurants simultaneously, the duo plans to keep its food truck, which features hickory-smoked barbecue, slathered with its signature dry rubs and sauces, in rotation.

Morsel Compass

We know and love them for their international-inspired tacos topped with everything from Korean pulled-pork barbecue to chicken souvlaki. But now Jennifer Blanchard and Keely Hass, owners of Morsel Compass Mobile Kitchen, are laying down roots and opening up Morsel Compass West, a brick-and-mortar restaurant in Piedmont Place. “It’s more than tacos,” Blanchard says. “Our menu’s going to be, pardon the compass reference here, all over the map. We get to pretty much do our wildest dreams.”

They’re going to do all the things they couldn’t do before on a food truck: bake, make soups and, what they’re most excited for, breakfast. But for devoted fans of the food truck, there’s no need to worry. “The truck is still going to go out,” assures Blanchard. “[It’s] a huge part that got us to where we are.”

Moe’s Original Bar B Que

Ashleigh and Mike Abrams just celebrated Moe’s Original Bar B Que’s one-year anniversary in Charlottesville, and now they’re joining the food truck craze. The Asheville, North Carolina, natives are featuring “Southern soul food revival” dishes including award-winning Alabama-style pulled pork, St. Louis ribs and homemade sides, in their new mobile kitchen. The truck is making stops at local wineries and breweries such as King Family Vineyards and Starr Hill Brewery.

So far, the Abramses are loving the attention they’re getting thanks to their food truck. “It’s like a rolling billboard,” says Ashleigh. “There’s a lot of potential for us to get our name out and spread the word that we’re over here on Ivy Road. And we wanted to branch out into the community.”

Categories
Living

Valley Road Vineyards opens on Nelson’s 151

Valley Road Vineyards CEO and co-founder Stan Joynes says he and his wife, Barbara, were pleasantly surprised when they opened the first bottle from their collection—a merlot-based rosé. The 2014 meritage, a blend of merlot, cabernet franc, petit verdot and cabernet sauvignon, “is really special,” he says. Photo by Ryan Jones

One of the most surprising things Stan Joynes learned after entering the local wine business is how much camaraderie there is among vineyard owners and winemakers. It’s not a “zero-sum game,” he says—when one business is successful, they all benefit.

About two years ago, Joynes started thinking it was time to do something different. He had helped found Richmond law firm LeClairRyan, and although he was passionate about his work, he knew he needed a change. He and his wife, Barbara, had a second home in Wintergreen and visited many of the local wineries while here.

They started looking for land in both Albemarle and Nelson counties, and heard that the former amFOG Farms property on Route 151 in Nelson County was for sale. They bought it the same day they saw it last fall, and started their winery, Valley Road Vineyards, with four other couples from Charlottesville and Richmond.

Joynes says he received lots of guidance from locals in the industry, including Ellen King, co-owner of King Family Vineyards. Because it takes two to three years for grapes to mature (Valley Road planted one acre each of sauvignon blanc, cabernet franc, chardonnay and petit verdot grapes in April), King suggested they consult with her winemaker, Matthieu Finot, on sourcing surplus grapes for their first bottling.

With Finot at the helm, Valley Road has bottled 2,000 cases of six wines: viognier, chardonnay, Destana (viognier, chardonnay and petit manseng blend), rosé, merlot and a 2014 meritage, which will be available during the vineyard’s grand opening weekend August 19-21. Other wines from the vineyard include a pinot gris, a second viognier, a petit verdot, a viognier-based sparkling wine and a red “spaghetti wine” in the fall.

The property’s previous life as a farm is still evident—the “industrial chic” tasting room has concrete floors and distressed wood walls, and the patina tin covering the front of the bar was part of an equipment shed on the property. In addition, the vineyard is hosting a weekly farmers market from 3-7pm on Thursdays as a way to showcase local vendors and bring the community together.

“(Agriculture) is the ultimate sustainable activity because the community helps each other,” Joynes says. “I think that is very true in the wine business for most people—there’s an abundance mentality. …It’s just instinctively part of the culture here. It’s great to be a part of.”

Something’s brewing

Deschutes Brewery and Blue Ridge Beverage Company held a launch party celebrating the brewery’s Roanoke brewery (projected to open in 2021) July 28 at Second Street Gallery. Deschutes beers started hitting taps and stores in western Virginia August 1. On tap at the event were some of the beers you can find in our area, including the Mirror Pond Pale Ale, Black Butte Porter, Fresh Squeezed IPA and Pinedrops IPA, as well as samples of more rare beers, including Mirror Mirror barley wine ale, Smoked Gose, The Dissident (Belgian-style brown ale) and Green Monster (a sour beer with dried fruit notes).

Related links

Remember when Deschutes wanted to come here?

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News

Not black and white: Lee statue evokes deep feelings on racial history

More than 100 people told the Commission on Race, Memorials and Public Spaces what they thought about the Robert E. Lee statue, and more. Photo Eze Amos

In its first listening session July 28, the City Council-appointed Commission on Race, Memorials and Public Spaces heard from well over 100 citizens, who packed the African American Heritage Center at the Jefferson School to talk about Charlottesville’s painful history.

Their responses weren’t always clear-cut as far as the statue of Robert E. Lee was concerned, the call for the removal of which earlier this year led to the creation of the commission. Of the 38 speakers, 18 said they wanted to keep the statue, eight wanted it removed, some said they didn’t care and others wanted more acknowledgment of Charlottesville’s stories that haven’t been told.

“It looks like my whole history is in this room,” said Mary Carey, 70, who attended the segregated Jefferson School. She recalled going as a child to the McIntire Library, which borders Lee Park, and “having to sit on the edge while the white kids ran all around.”

Carey said she wanted people educated about Charlottesville history, and that she could live with the statue. “Do what you want,” she said. “I’ve already been humiliated by it when I was a little girl.”

Rose Hill resident Nancy Carpenter also didn’t care whether the statue stays or goes, but she did want to start the healing. “We really need to rip away the Band-Aid and move forward,” she said.

Civil rights attorney Jeff Fogel said the Civil War monuments are not accidents. “They’re a continuum of oppression of African-American people.” He said he wanted to know why the city doesn’t have blue ribbon commissions to talk about why 27 percent of the population is poor and black, why housing is segregated and why police stop blacks more than whites.

Several speakers were dismayed that the slave auction in Court Square was only commemorated by a small plaque on the ground. Others were concerned about the cost of removing the statues, and suggested the money could be better spent on education.

And still others were bothered about the message of removing the statues. Raymond Tindel, former registrar at the Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago, noted ISIS and the Taliban’s destruction of antiquities.

“I found this horrible,” he said. “I did not expect to find the same situation here when I moved to Albemarle” because the area had a reputation of tolerance and inclusiveness. “You can’t gain a reputation for tolerance if you only tolerate the things you like,” he said. “Learn from it.”

“Do you know why the statue of Robert E. Lee is here?” asked Rob Elliott, who was wearing a cap with a Confederate flag emblem.

“To support white supremacy,” a woman’s voice interjected from the audience.

Elliott said Lee stopped Union General Ulysses Grant from coming from the west to burn Charlottesville, and added, “All lives matter. We need to let it go.”

Lewis Martin, who has accused City Council of stacking the commission with those in favor of removing the statue, took another tack, and pointed out that the statues of Confederate and Union soldiers erected by the generation after the Civil War bear striking similarities, and not just because they all came from the same company in Massachusetts.

People in the north also were putting up statues to honor their ancestors, he said. “Whether in Court Square or Zanesville, Ohio, the same words are there: honor, bravery. That’s why I don’t believe the statues in Lee Park were put up to oppress.”

The Commission on Race, Memorials and Public Spaces heard from citizens July 28 at the Jefferson School, itself a reminder of Charlottesville’s segregated past. Photo Eze Amos
The Commission on Race, Memorials and Public Spaces heard from citizens July 28 at the Jefferson School, itself a reminder of Charlottesville’s segregated past. Photo Eze Amos

The commission heard from 27 speakers in the first hour of the gathering, then broke the attendees into eight smaller groups for their ideas on four topics: what stories about Charlottesville should be told, what places need to be memorialized and what the statues of Lee and Stonewall Jackson in Court Square mean to individuals and what should be done about them.

For about an hour, the smaller groups rotated between topics as facilitators asked what they thought and recorders wrote their answers on large flip boards. City staff will compile the information on spreadsheets to see how many times an issue is mentioned, said commission chair Don Gathers.

“Once we put all of that together, we can make a reasonable judgment on the pulse of the city,” he said.

In between listening to comments from the smaller groups, commissioner Margaret O’Bryant, who is also librarian at the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society, said, “I’m impressed by the ingenuity of ideas for additional memorials and interpretations. A lot of people have a lot of good ideas.”

And for many, it seemed an opportunity to publicly talk about a painful topic. Dale McDonald compared Lee to Benedict Arnold. “He was a traitor to his country,” he said. “I would be glad to remove it myself.”

Uriah Fields, who helped organize the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955, agreed and said he would like to posthumously put Lee on trial. “I am for removing that statue because it represents slavery,” he said.

But for Charlottesville native Joan Burton, who says her ancestors were owned by Peter Jefferson and John Wayles and inherited by Thomas and Martha Jefferson, the history is important. “Although I’m disturbed by the statues, I don’t want them taken down,” she said. “Although I may have been resentful of Monticello, I want them to tell the story of the people who were there.”

Categories
News

In brief: Khans v. Trump, what’s biting and more

Charlottesville residents Khizr and Ghazala Khan have been in the national news since their July 28 Democratic convention appearance. Photo Voice of America

Locals ignite national firestorm

The appearance of Khizr and Ghazala Khan, whose son Humayun, a UVA grad and Army captain killed in Iraq in 2004, at the Democratic National Convention July 28 drew negative comments from Donald Trump and support from Republicans like Senator John McCain, House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Frayser White IV has been been charged with four counts stemming from a crash that killed Ivy resident Carolyn Wayne. Photo Albemarle police
photo Albemarle police

Four charges in crash that left woman dead

A grand jury indicted Frayser White IV August 1 on two felony counts for possession of heroin and cocaine, and two misdemeanors for reckless driving and possession of Xanax in the March 15 Ivy Road collision that killed Carolyn Wayne, 81. White initially was charged with his second DUI, but the prosecution dropped that after finding no evidence he’d consumed alcohol, according to court documents.

Title IX probed at UVA (again)

The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights launched another Title IX investigation of UVA July 22. A former student has filed a complaint with the office alleging that he was discriminated against based on his gender and disability in the previous investigation that concluded last September.

Hingeley hangs it up

Jim Hingeley, who founded the Charlottesville-Albemarle Public Defender Office in 1998, is retiring, and an original member of his office, Elizabeth Murtagh, has been appointed the next public defender.

There’s an app for that

WillowTree and UVA developed an app that sends info to patients’ smartphones before colorectal surgery for improved outcomes, such as a reminder to stop taking certain vitamins or to get up and walk around after surgery.

Suicide at the river

Charlottesville police, who responded to a report of a body near a beach area on the Rivanna Trail on July 30, say the death was an apparent suicide and there is no safety concern on the trail.

Show on the road

29&rio-kyle
photo Martyn Kyle

With as much wringing of hands as there was about the construction at U.S. 29 and Rio Road this summer, the grade-separated intersection was opened to traffic July 18, a surprisingly quick 46 days ahead of schedule, earning contractors a $7.3 million bonus. Other Route 29 projects underway this summer:

Best Buy ramp: The additional lane from Emmet Street onto the U.S. 250 bypass, Barracks Road merge lane and noise barriers along the bypass were completed in May. The $17 million project includes a sidewalk in the median on Emmet between Angus Road and Morton Drive.

North 29 widening: This eliminates the squeeze down to two lanes at Polo Grounds Road and makes the 1.8-mile section three lanes in each direction up to Hollymead Town Center. Better yet, the $46.8 million project improves sightlines on hilly stretches, and adds sidewalks on both sides of the highway and a paved multi-use path on the east side.

Berkmar Drive extension: The two-lane, 2.3-mile road will run parallel to U.S. 29 behind Walmart up to Hollymead Town Center. VDOT has a cool time-lapse camera capturing the construction of a bridge over the South Fork Rivanna River on its Route 29 Solutions website. Sidewalks, bike lanes, a paved multi-use path and the rights of way in case we ever want to expand it to four lanes are included in the $54.5 million price tag.

Hillsdale Drive extension: Work on the $14 million road, which will take you from Whole Foods to Greenbrier Drive without having to get on Seminole Trail, began about a month ago.

Reality bites

Of the three venomous snakes in VA, copperheads can be found statewide. Photo courtesy of Edward Wozniak D.V.M., Ph.D.
photo Wikipedia/Edward Wozniak

Summertime doesn’t just bring bugs. Local vets typically see an uptick in snake bites to pets, with Greenbrier Emergency Animal Hospital reporting between four and eight a week.

  • There are three venomous snake species in Virginia: eastern cottonmouth,
    timber rattlesnake and copperhead.
  • Copperheads are the only venomous species found statewide.
  • Rural pets are more likely to be bitten than city pets.
  • Sunset and just after dark are the most active times for copperheads, especially following a warm summer rain.

—John Kleopfer, herpetologist for Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries

Quote of the week

“It was July 4 weekend, so I figured we could turn it into some bacon.”—Aymarie Sutter, who’s charged with stealing a pig from the Charlottesville Albemarle SPCA along with her fiancé, Lee Oakes Jr., tells the Newsplex she had permission from police to take the pig officers brought to the SPCA July 3.

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News

Bellamy calls on local black males

Vice-Mayor Wes Bellamy hosted a July 26 black male town hall summit to present a three-tiered plan of action about how African-American males can create change. Photo by Eze Amos

“I’m not a nigger, I’m not a nigga, I’m a king,” Vice-Mayor Wes Bellamy said at a July 26 black male town hall summit he initiated on behalf of the local African-American population. “When I see all of you, I see kings.”

Following the homicide of 23-year-old Denzel Morton, a black man who was shot to death in a parking lot on Earhart Street July 17, Bellamy called for the “brothers”—local men of color—to band together in an effort to positively influence younger generations. And Bellamy has a three-tiered plan to do so.

“How many of you are willing to work with some brothers who may not be going down the right path?” he asked a room of almost 60 African-American men who gathered on behalf of the Charlottesville Alliance for Black Male Achievement, 100 Black Men of Central Virginia, the Black Professional Network of Charlottesville and local hip-hop radio station 101.3 Jamz. “We value [young people],” Bellamy said. “We will not give up on them.”

One tier of his plan includes a twice-monthly “circle of brotherhood,” in which a group of men would meet with black males ages 17 to 29 for an open discussion and to teach the younger men a set of useful skills. He also asked the men at the meeting to sign up to greet kids outside their schools on the first day of class this month.

But potentially, the most discussed tier of Bellamy’s proposed plan is improving political visibility within the city and county for African-Americans. Asking those present at the meeting to attend and speak on their own behalf at City Council, Board of Supervisors and School Board meetings each week, Bellamy said, “When we talk about changing policy and representation, if we’re not at the table, we’re on the menu.”

Bellamy is the sixth black person to serve on City Council, and on the Albemarle School Board, Graham Paige is the third. An African-American hasn’t served on the county’s Board of Supervisors for more than 10 years.

Damani Harrison, who runs 101.3 Jamz, noted at the meeting that while white families talk public policy at the dinner table, basketball is a topic more likely to surface in barbershop banter.

A racial minority’s overall disinterest in politics can be attributed to the lack of education on how the system works, says Derek Perkins, a 29-year-old Charlottesville resident from Brooklyn, who attended the meeting.

“A lot of our brothers and sisters aren’t properly prepared to understand exactly what the political system is in itself,” says Perkins who moved to town five years ago and met Bellamy while coaching third-grade basketball for the Charlottesville Dream. “They just assume it’s a bunch of people who are trying to rule over us and don’t necessarily understand their jobs and duties,” he continues. “So they don’t vote.”

Perkins’ interest in politics comes from the grassroots organizations he worked with in New York.

“It drew me more into wanting to create a change and understanding the importance of a vote and the importance of holding [elected officials] accountable,” he says. “Especially because we’re paying them with our tax dollars, so we must hold them accountable for completing their jobs to the standards we want to hold them to.”

At 29, Perkins is in the age group Bellamy’s circle of brotherhood intends to reach.

“I know there’s a lot of people out there that’s close to my age, still walking that thin line,” Perkins says, “and realizing that our time is running out.”

Local attorney Jeff Fogel—who is known for his current lawsuit against an Albemarle police officer who has allegedly targeted black people and his work in asking city police to release stop and frisk records—said at the meeting that solely showing up to council meetings isn’t enough.

“City Council has not been responsive,” he says, referring to a presentation to council in which he showed that officers are twice as likely to find something on a white person than a black person, yet 70 percent of all stops made are of African-Americans.

“That’s just one issue,” said the vice-mayor, to which a man in the crowd could be heard saying, “That’s an issue enough for me.”

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Driver in fatal accident faces four new charges

Frayser White IV has been charged with two felony drug possession counts and two misdemeanors in the death of Carolyn Wayne. Photo Albemarle police

After Frayser White IV crashed into 81-year-old Caroline Wayne’s automobile on March 15 on Ivy Road, she died and he was charged with his second DWI. That charge was dropped and a grand jury indicted him on four new counts August 1.

According to search warrants, police noted that White’s car had a lingering wine aroma, and they discovered the prescription drug Suboxone, which is used to treat opioid addiction, the residue of suspected illegal narcotics and containers filled with suspected alcoholic beverages.

White told police that he had not been drinking, but he did admit to purchasing a bottle of wine earlier in the day. A witness at the crash spotted White placing an unknown item behind a bush following his accident, according to NBC29. Upon investigation, officers discovered a small stash of generic Xanax plopped inside the bush, and pills were also recovered near the scene of the crash.

Tests of White’s blood alcohol content showed that he had not been drinking, according to a motion to dismiss the charge of driving while intoxicated for the second time in five years. The motion also noted there was not enough evidence to charge him with involuntary manslaughter while driving under the influence.

White is now charged with four counts including two felony counts of possession of heroin and possession of cocaine, and misdemeanor charges of possession of Xanax and reckless driving.

According to Charlottesville court records, White already has one conviction of reckless driving under his belt along with six speeding tickets in Albemarle, as well as a driving under the influence conviction in December 2014, and charges for improper driving, improper passing and driving without a license.