Tuesday, March 21
Super Bowl’s loss is wage-workers’ gain
Approaching retirement from the big chair at Harper’s Magazine, patrician editor Lewis Lapham is interviewed in the Style section of today’s Washington Post. Perhaps best known for his sometimes impenetrable essays that lead off Harper’s each month, Lapham reveals his old-school method of assigning work to writers, which, in the case of Charlottesville author Barbara Ehrenreich eventually led to Nickeled and Dimed, one of the decade’s most celebrated works of nonfiction. He likes to find out what interests writers deep down and then gets them to scribble about that. In 1998, Ehrenreich told the Post, “I wanted him to send me to the Super Bowl to study fan behavior. And the conversation went to welfare reform, and I said I wondered how these women were going to make a living on jobs that pay $6 or $7 an hour. I said, ‘You should send somebody out there to get those jobs and try to live on that money.’ And he said, ‘O.K., Barbara, go out and do it.’”
Wednesday, March 22
What’s to blame for an early spring—pollution or cars?
The early bird might catch the worm, but what’s getting the robin up so early to begin with? That’s the question posed by a Virginia Commonwealth University biologist, as reported in today’s Virginian-Pilot. Charles Blem, who belongs to a group that advocates stricter controls on carbon dioxide emissions, says that climate change is leading to earlier-blooming spring plants and an acceleration of frog and bird mating behavior. But UVA climatologist Pat Michaels, as usual, dismisses such notions. Instead, he says, development and road-building have increased temperatures in urban areas. “Changes in land use, I would argue, is having much more of an impact in Virginia than global warming,” he told the paper.
Thursday, March 23
But we still don’t understand what they do
CFO.com reports in its “M&A Roundup” that GE Fanuc, the automation firm based on Route 29N, has agreed to buy SBS Technologies for $215 million. According to GE Fanuc, SBS Technologies is “a designer of open-architecture embedded computer products that enable original equipment manufacturers to serve commercial, communication and government customers…The combination of SBS Technologies and GE Fanuc Embedded Systems will create a broad presence in the industry, offering an extensive line of products ranging from embedded boards in multiple form factors, bus architectures, and fabrics to fully integrated systems available in a range of environmental grades.” Huh?
Friday, March 24
And if God wore tight jeans, we’d probably believe, too
Though Rolling Stone this week crucified former Fluco Chris Daughtry’s taste in music (“terrible”), fans of the “American Idol” contestant, who is still alive in the Round of 10, are untroubled. “If he was God, I would believe,” “dockenangel” wrote today on Daughtry’s “Idol” message board.
Nobodies of Comedy ensure they’ll never get invited to the Pavilion
Performing at the Paramount this evening as one of four “Nobodies of Comedy,” comic Andy Campbell offered the following observation of Dave Matthews: “He’s proof that if you have an acoustic guitar, you can say anything. ‘Hike up your skirt a little more and show your world to me’? I’d get slapped if I said that to someone.”
Saturday, March 25
OBX to be free of local families for last two weeks of summer
The Daily Progress reports today that summer will be even shorter than before for local public school students. They’ll have to sharpen their pencils in time for an opening day of August 21. Officials expect the next school year to run through at least June 6, 2007.
Sunday, March 26
Jaquith declines party putsch strategy
Cvillenews.com posters are on fire today with theories as to why the Democratic party has such a stranglehold on Charlottesville politics, with the discussion focussing, momentarily, on the question of competition. The Republicans are a discredited party, writes site-meister Waldo Jaquith, a onetime hopeful for City Council candidacy, so strong candidates don’t align themselves with the GOP, leaving the Dems free to dominate. Eager for change (and apparently a big fan of Jaquith’s), Perlogik writes, “Waldo, why don’t you and 15 friends go to a Republican meeting, take over the party and run your own candidate?” “Because,” Jaquith replies, “I’m a Democrat.”
Monday, March 27
Bagworms have it in for local trees
Elizabeth Donatelli of WCAV, the local ABC television affiliate, reports this morning on an avaricious pest that threatens Albemarle’s bucolic character. Bagworms—gross, slimy things that live all winter in pods that hang from trees (especially Leland Cyprus varieties)—are getting ready to hatch. When they do, Donatelli reports, they can defoliate a whole tree, leading to premature death. Say it with us now: Yucky!
AccessUVa grows 187 percent
233 low-income students get loan-free education
According to President John Casteen’s annual report, with 3,100 freshman and 300 transfer students, the 2005 entering class is “the most socioeconomically diverse entering class in [UVA] history.” The class also boasts a record-high number of participants in AccessUVa: 787.
When AccessUVa (which provides grants covering tuition, fees, books, meals, etc.) was introduced in 2003, any student with a household income one-and-a-half times the federal poverty level (or less) qualified for the program. Now, with the recent expansion of AcessUVa, families with annual incomes below $37,700 (give or take) qualify for the grants, which are valued at $16,714 per year for in-state students and $33,414 for out-of-state students.
This expansion helped increase the number of qualifying students nearly two-fold, bringing the number of entering students receiving full support to 233—nearly 7 percent of the class.
While UVA pledges to meet 100 percent of any admitted student’s demonstrated need, for many students the aid still comes in the form of student loans. However, AccessUVa has improved participants’ financial picture by capping loans at approximately 25 percent of UVA’s in-state cost, and funding the rest with grants. In addition, both in-state and out-of-state students are given the same low cap level for loans—a welcome surprise for out-of-state applicants.
In 2005 the UVA Board of Visitors, the University’s governing body, allocated an additional $2.1 million for AccessUVa, bringing the annual commitment to the program to $13.3 million for this fiscal year. According to the Casteen’s report, when fully implemented in 2009, AccessUVa should count on receiving more than $20 million annually. —Esther Brown
Mike Ballard keeps it loose
Major-league hopeful rebounds from Tommy John surgery
Mike Ballard was agitated. Not exactly a familiar feeling for the Cavaliers’ usually loose, free-spirited staff ace. But on this particular Sunday, in the top of the third inning, with No. 2 Clemson ahead 2-1 in the final game of three-game series, the senior southpaw had just given up a four-pitch walk to the leadoff batter, prompting a coaching visit to the mound. The whispered advice proved temporarily effective, but, two batters later, Clemson left fielder Tyler Colvin slammed a 400-foot homer just over the right centerfield fence of Davenport Field.
Luckily, Ballard’s teammates were up to the challenge, responding with three runs in the bottom of the eighth, thereby lifting the Cavs to a sweep of their ACC foes (their 14th consecutive home win).
Ballard may not have played the hero (this time), but he doesn’t let it bother him—just as long as UVA gets the win. “It’s a game,” he says with a shrug. “A lot of guys pump it up, but I just try to have fun. I love being at this school and around these guys.”
It’s this love for the game that keeps Ballard’s spirits high during the trying times—like 2003, when he underwent an operation on his elbow (a procedure baseball fans call “Tommy John” surgery, after the pitcher who first had the operation 30 years ago). Once rare, this procedure is now commonplace: nearly one in nine major-league pitchers sport the distinctive “Tommy” elbow scar, and they usually come out throwing just as hard—if not harder—after the operation. Of course, Ballard’s post-op success comes as no surprise to UVA head coach Brian O’Connor.
“The first couple days in July 2003 I’d come in at 7:30am and see Mike coming in or leaving the training room. It’s not surprising to see the results he’s getting,” O’Connor says. “You’re going to be concerned [about any surgery], but with Mike’s work ethic, I knew he’d come back.”
And come back he did. Starting against Wake Forest last Saturday, Ballard pitched only the second complete game of his career, striking out a season-high eight batters and helping to lift the Cavs to second place in the Atlantic Coast Conference Coastal Division.
Following last season, Ballard was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 47th round. But, after much consideration, Ballard decided that he needed one more season at UVA to get stronger, earn his degree in American Politics, and have a little more fun with his teammates. For UVA players and fans alike, the feeling is definitely mutual.—Steven Schiff
More room for menorahs
Jewish center set to expand
Alumni donations net $6 million for renovations
UVA’s Jewish student center announced plans last week for a $4.5 million addition, an improvement that is long awaited and well deserved, says Hillel Director Brian Cohen.
On University Circle off Rugby Road, Hillel’s current building—a converted house—was built in 1914, and blends nicely with the quiet charm of Charlottesville’s newest historic district.
But, with its peeling paint and drafty old windows, the dilapidated building has been “in dire straits for 20, 30, 40 years,” Cohen says. It is also far too small for the estimated 2,000 Jewish students at UVA.
Plans from Charlottesville-based Bruce Wardell Architects aim to more than double the building’s size. The renovation includes a new addition that will add a larger worship space, dining room, game room, computer lab, library, galley kitchen for student use and a media room (complete with plasma TVs). Plans also include a $1.5 million expenditure for maintenance.
But don’t expect to be seeing this swanky face-lift anytime soon—Hillel’s renovations will be covered entirely by private donations, so the construction timetable is a bit up in the air. Cohen says “significant amounts of money” are now rolling in, and he hopes to break ground on the project in Summer 2007.
The building will be named for lead donor Dan Brody, whose father was one of UVA Hillel’s founders in 1941. Another alum, Edgar M. Bronfman of Seagram’s fame has agreed to give one dollar for every three raised up to $500,000.
Cohen says the impact on the University Circle neighborhood, where residents are touchy about development, should be positive. “We’re not putting in a huge blacktop parking lot…it’s not a monstrosity.”
He says the renovations will be in keeping with the charm of the neighborhood. “I don’t think we ever really considered starting from scratch. Because it is such a great historic building we wanted to keep that intact.” —Meg McEvoy
What’s In Your Backpack?
Exploring the hidden life of UVA
Name: Matt Shields
Age: 30
Major: First-year Ph.D. student in Education
What’s in your backpack? iPOD, Laptop, PDA, TI89 graphing calculator, Teacher Man by Frank McCourt, Bible, carabineer, blinking light, Nalgene bottle, camping knife, Nutri-Grain bar (mixed berry), Snoopy key chain, mix CD, loose change
Traffic study underway for biscuit run
Don’t worry, say developers, more roads coming to fill the need
As Hunter Craig and his investors continue the delicate process of shepherding the huge Biscuit Run development south of town through the County’s red tape, one of the biggest concerns of the skeptical public is what the project means for traffic.
Craig’s lawyer, Steven Blaine, says a traffic study now underway will help developers estimate the impact of Biscuit Run. Not only that, the study will be so broad, it’s likely to be of use to the County and other jurisdictions, he claims.
Funded by the developer at a cost Blaine pegs at “six figures,” the study, conducted by Ramey Kemp and Associates and the Timmons Group, will take traffic counts from 34 intersections around the development. In addition, it will project future traffic using computer models. State and County engineers will review the results. The County Planning Commission has scheduled a work session for April 18 to address Biscuit Run’s traffic issues, but Blaine says the study will probably not be ready by then.
To ease people’s concerns, Blaine points to the County’s “Southern Urban Area B” Study, which contains optimistic forecasts for new roads in fast-growing southern Albemarle (If you’re having trouble sleeping, check it out at www.albemarle.org).
Other roads are planned for the area near Biscuit Run, including a privately developed road linking Fifth Street Extended and Avon Street north of I-64. A “Southern Parkway” is planned to link those same roads south of the Interstate. Also, County plans call for another road that will connect Sunset Road with Fontaine Avenue, designed to ease pressure on Old Lynchburg Road between Fifth Street Extended and Jefferson Park Avenue. As development mushrooms in southern Albemarle, the question of whether the cash-strapped State transportation department will actually be able to build those roads anytime soon is sure to make locals nervous.—John Borgmeyer
Backlash brewing
Is Loudoun County our canary in the coal mine?
Last week The Washington Post carried news that Northern Virginia’s Loudoun County—one of the fastest-growing regions in the country—could roll back development restrictions aimed at preserving its last bucolic regions. As frustration with some of Albemarle County’s growth policies continues to mount, could there be a similar backlash brewing in our own backyard?
The County’s growth policy, adopted in the late ‘90s, is designed to channel new development into designated areas where it must adhere to the “Neighborhood Model.” The idea is to steer development away from rural areas, and to create compact regions where people can live, work and play without driving. Good idea, say critics, but the County’s growth policy looks increasingly like a road to hell.
Developers have long complained that County regulations actually make it easier and cheaper to build in the rural areas, where they can throw up low-density subdivisions with much less oversight. Now, Albemarle Supervisor Ken Boyd has organized a task force to investigate those complaints.
Other points of contention about the Neighborhood Model: Does anyone really believe that throwing a Starbucks in the middle of a massive subdivision will reduce traffic? And while planners focus on how well huge projects like the Biscuit Run development in southern Albemarle correspond to the Neighborhood Model, is anyone looking at how all these new “neighborhoods”—including Hollymead Town Center and Albemarle Place—affect the County overall?
“It’s as if someone trying to control his weight counted every calorie in his portion, but didn’t pay any attention to how many portions he eats,” says Jack Marshall, a growth opponent and president of Advocates for a Sustainable Albemarle Population.
If there is a backlash, says Jeff Werner of the Piedmont Environmental Council, it could take the form of opposition to the high-density Neighborhood Model, which encourages up to 24 dwelling units per acre compared with four units per acre in rural areas.
“It’s interesting,” says Werner, “when I talk to people in Charlottesville about development, they talk about the water supply, the watershed, alternative transportation—it’s a more pure environmentalism. Whereas in the County, people are tired of traffic, and I’m hearing a lot of this absolute terror over density. The backlash I worry about is an unfortunate demand for low density.”
Werner urges that enviros and planners look at cross-county development instead of focusing on specific projects. “Making Biscuit Run go away will not solve the problem. Making it a model development won’t solve the problem, either,” he says. “The City and County need to get together on the big picture.”—John Borgmeyer
Meadowcreek Parkway FAQ
Why the MCP is such a big freakin’ deal
On Thursday, March 23, public discussion on the Route 250/McIntire Interchange kicked off with a presentation from State officials. The interchange will connect the to-be-built Meadowcreek Parkway with the 250 Bypass, and some environmentalists see the interchange debate as their last chance to thwart the controversial Parkway. What’s with all the tumult? We thought you might ask (if you’re not already rolling your eyes with accumulated disgust), so this week we answer your Frequently Asked Questions.
What is the Meadowcreek Parkway?
The Meadowcreek Parkway has been in the governmental pipelines for 39 years and counting. It would extend McIntire into Rio Road, creating a north-south corridor between Route 29 and I-64 that cuts through the eastern edge of McIntire Park.
How much will it cost?
About $70 million, mostly paid for by federal and State funds.
Why all the fuss over one road?
In many ways, the Meadowcreek Parkway epitomizes the local conflict about growth. To many detractors, the Parkway will send more county drivers through the city while encouraging retail sprawl on Route 29N. To many supporters, Meadowcreek opens up growth opportunities and alleviates existing traffic problems on Route 29 and Park Street.
Is the Meadowcreek Parkway a done deal?
The plans are approved, and the State is currently buying rights-of-way for the road. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2008, but keep in mind that the now-dead Western Bypass was even closer to reality before local opposition and State budget shortfalls killed it in 2002.—Will Goldsmith
Make your voice heard
Check out these upcoming meetings on local development
Thursday, March 30: Public hearing on proposed improvements to Jarman Gap Road in Crozet. Western Albemarle High School, 5pm.
Friday, April 7: Meeting on Albemarle’s proposed Mountain Overlay District. County Office Building, Room 235, 7pm.
Tuesday, April 18: Biscuit Run planning work session (tentative). County Office Building, Room 241, 6pm.
What’s red and white and green ALL OVER?
Crozet dwelling is set to make history
Out on Burchs Creek Road, west of Crozet, there’s a bright red house. The workers and vans outside suggest that the house is still under construction, even though—with its double front porch and rabbit-shaped weathervane—it looks like one of those old Virginia farmhouses that have been there a century or more. If Doug Lowe, the house’s owner, weren’t there to say so, you might never realize you were looking at a landmark of sustainable construction.
Lowe’s house has a good shot at becoming the first LEED-certified house east of the Mississippi. LEED stands for Leader in Energy and Environmental Design; the certification program, run by the U.S. Green Building Council and currently in its pilot phase, awards points in areas like renewable materials, indoor air quality and rainwater management. Currently, only one house in the nation is certified, and it’s in Oklahoma.
“For me, [getting certified] is a natural extension of what we do anyway,” says Lowe, referring to his company, Artisan Construction. Artisan builds eight to 10 custom homes per year, and Lowe says he pushes customers to go green whenever possible. “It really is not that difficult,” he says. “You just have to do some planning on the front end.” Lowe also points out that many green features, like low-emission paints and high-performance insulation, don’t necessarily cost more than standard materials; he expects as much as a 70 percent savings on energy in a green house compared to one that only meets regular building codes.
So why spend the extra $3,000 for the LEED certification? Lowe acknowledges the house will be useful as a showcase for potential Artisan clients. “The consumer is ahead of the builder” in terms of green-building awareness, says Lowe. He hopes that through the LEED certification and similar programs, other local builders—even those that crank out hundreds of homes a year—will be encouraged to get greener. As the LEED program grows and more inspection agencies become available, the certification cost will go down.
Katie Swenson, executive director of the Charlottesville Community Design Center, thinks green construction is a smart business strategy for a company like Artisan. “With national home builders coming down, some of the local home builders have to distinguish themselves,” she says, referring to companies like Ryan Homes and Toll Brothers.
As he leads visitors through his house, which Lowe will occupy along with his wife Megan and four (soon to be five) children, Lowe is a fountain of information. From the underground storage tanks that collect and filter the runoff from the gutters (then send it inside to supply drinking water), to the 150-year-old heart pine flooring that was reclaimed from a Pennsylvania factory, the house is packed with features that will earn Lowe points with LEED. The construction process itself is also designed to be less wasteful: Drywall scraps are mixed into the soil instead of sent to a landfill.
Lowe expects both certification and move-in day within a month. His family should be very comfortable there, with Blue Ridge views, sunny rooms and an extra-large shower with two shower heads in the master bathroom. Lowe estimates the house is worth $800,000, including its two-and-a-half-acre site.
Lowe’s enthusiasm for green building is obvious, but it doesn’t seem to stem from a trendy, long-haired environmentalism. “I’m a practical environmentalist,” he says. “If there’s a better way, why not do it?” Practical indeed to offer green construction services in an area like ours, where demand for all things eco gets stronger with every passing day.
“I totally respect what he’s doing,” says Swenson. “He’s way out ahead of the pack.”—Erika Howsare, with additional reporting by Cathy Harding
Council candidates come out swinging
Dems fall behind in battle for yard space
Charlottesville voters will elect two City Councilors on May 2. Last week, the three candidates stepped to the mic and kicked off the campaign season.
Democratic challengers Julian Taliaferro and Dave Norris held a press conference Wednesday, March 22, to announce that they would run hand-in-hand, emphasizing education, affordable housing and fiscal responsibility. The pair also introduced their campaign logo: “Taliaferro & Norris” in a white, sans-serif font on a blue background, with the slogan “Yes to Charlottesville” and a tag urging the faithful to “vote Democratic.”
While the two candidates kept their message upbeat, party spokesman Tom Vandever knee-capped Republican incumbent Rob Schilling in a press release, accusing him of “continually saying no to critical programs that will improve the quality of life for Charlottesville residents.”
Schilling, meanwhile, beat the Dems to the punch on mounting yard signs—perhaps the most important campaigning tool in local politics. Schilling’s red signs avoid party affiliation, but proclaim his “Common Sense Leadership.” It’s a slogan Schilling repeated when he addressed Young Republicans and other students at Piedmont Virginia Community College on Wednesday, March 22. Schilling cast himself as a nice guy trying to serve “the public” amidst the slings and arrows of his fellow Councilors. “People like that I stand up for what I believe,” he said. “I have been targeted for removal by other Councilors.”
Schilling acknowledged it would be tough for him to win again in this heavily Democratic town, and the Dems’ attacks signal that they don’t want to repeat the complacency that led to Schilling’s victory in 2000. If that’s so, then where are their yard signs, noticeably absent around the city? (Reports that they have been abducted by GOP-sympathetic space aliens could not be confirmed by press time.)
“Ten or 15 years ago, the Republicans and Democrats agreed that nobody would put up yard signs until 10 days before the election,” says Vandever. “Obviously, that has been breached.”—John Borgmeyer
George Orwell’s Richmond Vacation
A war of words in the battle for transportation taxes
On Monday, March 27, Virginia lawmakers returned to Richmond for an extended legislative session to resolve the 2006-08 State budget. Governor Tim Kaine hopes to bring moderate Republicans into his coterie of Democrats to pass a four-year, $4 billion tax increase to pay for roads and other transportation improvements. Conservative Republicans in the House of Delegates, however, would rather cut programs from the budget than raise taxes. Last week, Kaine and his opponents launched a campaign-style advertising blitz that confirms George Orwell’s observation that political language is “designed to make lies sound truthful…and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.”
Kaine’s political action committee is called “Moving Virginia Forward.” Everyone wants to go forward, right? Orwell would have especially enjoyed visiting the PAC’s website (www.movingvirginia forward.com) where the party faithful can compose letters to the editor by clicking on ready-made arguments like “Virginia needs a long-term, reliable source of revenue to fund transportation projects.” Hey, it’s easier than thinking for yourself!
While Kaine and the Dems couch taxes as investments, House Republicans describe taxes as nefarious drains on the paychecks of hard-working Virginians. Last week a group called Americans for Freedom and Prosperity—a title of truly Orwellian poetry—launched their own campaign. Although affiliated with right-wing think tanks and business interests, the group calls itself “grass roots” and offers its own form letter opposing taxes in the name of “Virginia families.” You’re in favor of families, aren’t you?
It could be a long session.—John Borgmeyer
Region Ten Project still churning
Director’s ouster from social service agency doesn’t ease building fears
The recent dismissal of Region Ten’s executive director, Philip Campbell, has done little to assuage tensions between the organization and the residents of Little High Street, where Region Ten is building a housing development called The Mews. As previously reported by C-VILLE, the project, which could house as many as 40 Region Ten clients, has been plagued by controversy since at least the fall. Little High residents concerned about the looks and management of The Mews blame Region Ten’s internal confusion and lack of constructive dialogue.
In operation since the early ’70s, Region Ten takes it as its mission to “create and provide accessible cost-effective services of the highest quality for persons with addiction, mental health and mental retardation needs, so that they may achieve more independent, satisfying and productive lives.” But the reality of providing care facilities for those contituencies is not quite so easy.
Members of the Little High Area Neighborhood Association told City Council on Monday, March 20 that while the potential benefits of the project may be great, Region Ten and its development arm, Community Services Housing, Inc. (CSHI) have not taken the neighborhood’s concerns seriously. Mark Haskins, head of the Little High neighborhood group, asserted that good intentions do not justify the project continuing to be “pushed forward by Region Ten’s middle management with little apparent knowledge of issues relating to community planning and development.”
Haskins says the neighborhood is concerned both about the appearance of The Mews and Region Ten’s “policy to create diverse and integrated housing for the client.”
CSHI representatives, for their part, addressed anxieties by showing landscaping plans that include greenery and a community vegetable garden. Additionally, Region Ten’s leaders addressed Council’s questions about site management and residents, saying the situation is urgent. “The delay we may be looking at really does leave people homeless,” interim director Caruso Brown said, promising Council that Mews’ residents would be “highly functional” neighbors with plenty of support from Region Ten in the event of mental health relapses.
Council postponed a vote on The Mews.—David Goodman
Blue Ridge Home builders join swarm of growth watchers
Seeking “government affairs officer” with high tolerance for boredom
With development politics heating up in Charlottesville and Albemarle, the local home builders association needs another pair of eyes to watch what local leaders are up to.
The Blue Ridge Home Builders Association is reviewing applicants for a “government affairs” job. The paid position will assist the all-volunteer Board of Directors with monitoring legislation on a local level and keeping members informed when government wants to make things hard for them. The Virginia Home Builders Association (one of the richest, most powerful political groups in Virginia) handles lobbying and legislation on the State level.
The BRHBA represents the five counties of Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, Madison and Nelson, as well as the City of Charlottesville. Their new government affairs officer will join the growing spectrum of note-takers—from development skeptics like Advocates for a Sustainable Albemarle Population and the Piedmont Environmental Council to the more neutral Charlottesville Tomorrow to pro-growth cheerleaders like the Free Enterprise Forum—who endure weekly public meetings on new developments and regulations. Not surprisingly, the BRHBA tends to oppose restrictions on development.
BRHBA Executive Officer Katie Hayes expects the position to be filled by May.—Dan Pabst
Woman faces her alleged rapist for first time in 22 years
Former UVA student describes, in detail, the night of her alleged rape
On Friday, March 24, Elizabeth Seccuro, the 39-year-old Greenwich, Connecticut, woman who filed rape charges in December for an event that allegedly took place at a UVA frat party nearly 22 years ago, recounted, in minute detail, the events of that night. After hearing approximately two hours of testimony from Seccuro, Judge Edward DeJ. Berry found probable cause and certified the case, which will continue to a grand jury on April 17.
Seccuro’s alleged attack-er, 40-year-old William Beebe, was going through Alcoholics Anonymous last fall when he contacted Seccuro, as part of his re-covery process, to apologize for a sexual encounter that occurred between the two at a 1984 frat party. In the ensuing contact between them, it became clear they saw things differently. As a result, Seccuro filed charges with the Char-lottesville Police Department late last year.
In describing the encounter on the stand in Charlottesville Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, Seccuro cried intermittently.
“It was almost like when a turtle is on its back but really is not going anywhere… I remember looking out the window and wondering if anyone could hear me. I remember thinking, ‘I’m going to die here in this room and my mom and dad aren’t going to find me.’ Then I lost consciousness and the rape was continuing… I was seeing stars from the pain. I remember thinking, ‘O.K., you can just let go and go to sleep.’”
For the most part, Seccuro, wearing a fitted suit and impressive stock of jewelry, studiously avoided looking at Beebe. When she did, she either noticeably shuddered, or narrowed her eyes in his direction.
In cross examination, defense attorney Rhonda Quagliana asked Seccuro about the length of her skirt that night. Seccuro bristled and said, “What are you implying?” then got up and demonstrated the length of her skirt—about 3" inches above the knee.
Quagliana then presented two newspaper articles from the mid-’80s that she said recounted Seccuro’s story. Seccuro acknowledged she had talked to reporters at the time, but said she could not remember exactly what she told them. Those stories differ in some details from what she testified on the stand last week. Quagliana also questioned her about what she’d told a Charlottesville detective, which had suggested Seccuro remembered the incident as a gang rape. On the stand, she said this was something she came to believe after-the-fact, as a result of what she’d heard from others.
In the past months, Seccuro has taken her story to the national media, from People to “Dateline NBC.” Beebe did not testify and neither he, nor Seccuro, nor any of the attorneys had any comment following the hearing.—Nell Boeschenstein
Judge rules matthew lawsuit will proceed
Chris Matthew, misidentified as a rapist, is suing his accuser for $850,000
Judge Edward Hogshire has ruled that the lawsuit brought by Charlottesville resident Chris Matthew against the woman who mistakenly identified him as her rapist can proceed in Charlottesville Circuit Court. Matthew’s suit alleges defamation and malicious prosecution, and seeks $850,000 in compensation. The wo-man, a former student at the UVA Law School, was raped last September. She initially identified Matthew as her attacker and he was held without bond for five days. A few days later, however, a DNA test exonerated Matthew and pinned the crime on a previously convicted felon, 37-year-old Charlottesville resident John Henry Agee.
The impulse behind the suit, according to Matthew’s attorney Debbie Wyatt, is to hold rape victims accountable for who and how they accuse. She argues that rape victims are held to a different level of responsibility when it comes to accusations, an unprecedented argument for local courts. Moreover, critics worry that the case could deter women from reporting rapes, while Wyatt says—with confusing logic—that no, it shows that women should be entrusted to think clearly after being raped.
This year, Republican Delegate Rob Bell sponsored a bill in the General Assembly that would grant rape victims immunity from such suits. The bill passed the House and will be taken up by the Senate in 2007.—Nell Boeschenstein
CASA volunteers begin training
Helping kids when parents go bad
What do a retired vascular surgeon, a 12-year veteran of the NFL, a psychiatric nurse and an architect have in common?
No, it’s not a set-up for a bad joke, but the beginning of a good cause. These disparate personalities are among 17 people attending Piedmont Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) training, learning how to help children whose parents are in the court system for neglect or abuse. Training began with a five-hour session on Thursday, March 23, the first in their six-week, 30-hour introduction to children’s advocacy. After completing the training, the volunteers are inducted as advocates by a judge from the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court. CASA has four case managers, overseeing about 100 volunteers who, last year alone, spoke on behalf of 225 children.
Kids’ “vulnerable size and lack of legal status” motivated one volunteer, a retired elementary school principal, to get involved with CASA (which asked that C-VILLE not identify their new volunteers). Another volunteered in an effort to combat the “suboptimal parenting practices” she regularly encounters. Advocates see their child in person at least once a month.
“Sometimes it’s going to be agony,” said Ruth Stone, CASA’s Executive Director, in her opening remarks. “Remaining objective is difficult.”
Phoebe Frosch, 10-year CASA veteran volunteer and now a case manager, affirmed Stone’s sentiment. “There is not just one way of being a family,” Frosch said. While a child may not “be living the way you’d like them to, they may watch too much TV or eat too much junk food.” What advocates must ask themselves, Frosch explained, is this: “Is that abuse, is that neglect?” —Amy Kniss
Officer cleared in charges of assault and battery
Goodwin should be back on the job within two weeks
Charlottesville police officer Cliff Goodwin was cleared Tuesday, March 21, by a judge in Albemarle County General District Court on charges of assault and battery. He will return to patrol in about two weeks, after Chief Tim Longo finishes the administrative paperwork needed to reinstate him, ac-cording to City Spokesperson Ric Barrick.
The charges stemmed from an incident last August at the magistrate’s office at the regional jail. Goodwin had brought a DUI suspect to the office and, while there, a fight between the two erupted. Acting on the magistrate’s description of the incident, Albemarle County Com-monwealth’s Attorney Jim Camblos re-quested an investigation by the Virginia State Police. They subsequently took the case under advisement and issued the warrant. —Nell Boeschenstein