Author: Melissa Angell

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UVA prof charged with child porn possession

Former UVA film studies professor Walter Korte was well-regarded by many film students and aficionados in town. Albemarle County police

UVA drama professor Walter Korte Jr., 72, was arrested August 2 and charged with two counts of possessing child pornography. He is currently being held in Albemarle Charlottesville Regional Jail without bond.

During his 46-year career, Korte served as the director of film within the Drama Department and has been recognized as an authority on Luchino Visconti films and the Italian cinema.

Korte was the the recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship at the University of Milan, a program that provides funding for those who wish to advance their research and university teaching. Korte also advised the Virginia Film Festival for many years since it began in 1988, but has not been involved with the festival for at least the past eight years, says UVA spokesperson Anthony de Bruyn.

“When I was the director of the Virginia Film Festival, I’d often hear from people who were UVA alums in the film industry say that Walter’s classes and teaching had inspired them,” says Richard Herskowitz, now director of Cinema Pacific at the University of Oregon. “He lived and breathed film.”

According to Herskowitz, Korte’s office was filled to the brim with film books that there was hardly a place to sit. “He was considered a well respected man and very knowledgeable,” says Herskowitz.

According to UVA’s student syllabus, Korte had plans to teach two classes for the 2016 fall semester: Cinema As An Art Form and History of Film I.
Korte has been placed on administrative leave by the university and his professor profile has been removed from the Media Studies department web page. 

Updated 4:22pm that Korte is not currently involved with the Virginia Film Festival.

 

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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.

 

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Snake bites are up—and that’s normal

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

Virginia summers are notorious for a rise in snake sightings, and while you may be aware of this, your pet sure isn’t. One local vet sees between four to eight snake bites a week during the summer.

“I would say that we see a lot of snake bites, but not necessarily compared to those seen from last year,” says Tripp Stewart, the owner of Greenbrier Emergency Animal Hospital. “That being said, we do see quite a few, anywhere from four to eight in a week and sometimes even six to seven animals in a weekend.”

Charlottesville Veterinary Hospital has seen about two incidents in the past few months and Monticello Animal Hospital has around one incident per month, according to their receptionists.

The bites are not concentrated in any specific area, says Stewart, but the veterinarian is more likely to see animals coming from farms than those strolling on sidewalks in downtown Charlottesville.

“Copperheads are most active at sunset and just after dark, especially after a warm summer rain,” says John Kleopfer, herpetologist for the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. “Fortunately, copperhead bites are usually not considered lethal; however, the effects of a bite can vary between individuals and dogs.”

There is no evidence that copperhead populations increase during this time of year, says Kleopfer, but he notes that rumors about snakes sure do circulate from the public this time of year.

The eastern cottonmouth and timber rattlesnake are the other two venomous species in the state. “Of the three species of venomous snake in Virginia, copperheads are the only species which occurs statewide,” says Kleopfer. —Melissa Angell

 

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Copperheads easily blend into the environment, so it’s important to watch your step in the woods. Photo courtesy of Tim Ross and Wiki Images
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UVA students join March on Mansion protest

Maria DeHart (round sunglasses) marches on towards the Governor’s Mansion. Photo Courtesy of Dave Parrish Photography

Four “brides” decked out in distressed wedding gowns joined the March on the Mansion demonstration July 23 to protest Governor Terry McAuliffe’s relationship with the fossil fuel industry.

UVA third-year Maria DeHart was one of four women sporting glitzy wedding dresses that were caked in debris, torn and accessorized with chains. They walked in unison with a gangly depiction of a skeleton that was labeled as McAuliffe.

“There were four brides performing a ‘marriage’ with a puppet of McAuliffe,” says DeHart. “My costume represented the coal industry, and the other brides were oil, natural gas and pipelines.”

Over the past two semesters, art students teamed up with student leaders in environmental justice groups at Virginia Commonwealth University to form the Trillium collective, which aims to combine creative arts with environmental and social justice strategies. The collective created the mobile art demonstration.

“The piece that I was a part of was called the ‘Toxic Marriage,’ and it aimed to show the toxic/corrupt relationship between Governor McAuliffe and the fossil fuel industry in Virginia,” DeHart tells C-VILLE.

More than 600 protesters demanded that McAuliffe recognize the welfare of civilian lives over the interests of the Virginian fossil fuel industry.

DeHart attended the protest as a member of both UVA’s Climate Action Society and the statewide college-run group Virginia Student Environmental Coalition.

“It was really, really hot in that dress but it was so worth it,” she says. “Our outfits attracted so much attention, and the image of us walking in formation was very powerful.”

DeHart is no stranger to environmental demonstrations—one of which led to her arrest. But she says her arrest contributed to her fervor, and actually sparked her interest in attending the protest.

DeHart, who says she didn’t receive any animosity from counter-protesters, hopes the governor will have a change of heart.

“The governor did not respond to our message to him, but he definitely heard us and knows who we are,” she says. —Melissa Angell

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UVA researchers discover immune cells call the shots

Anthony Filiano led the study that suggests immune cells control social behavior, which could impact schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorders. Anita Impagliazzo/UVA Health

Groundbreaking research has emerged from UVA researchers showing that immune cells control social behavior. Last year, the same lab debunked a long-held scientific belief that the brain lacked a connection with the immune system, which will require medical textbooks to be rewritten.

The researchers, led by Jonathan Kipnis, chairman of the department of neuroscience in UVA’s Medical School, are a part of the Kipnis lab, a group that believes risky and even crazy experiments are what move science forward, according to the lab’s website.

Initial experimentation found that immune-deficient mice have social deficits, which led the researchers to examine the brain and map out which neural circuits may be affected.

Using a procedure known as resting-state functional MRI, the researchers evaluated interactions that occurred within the brain when it is not performing an explicit task. Through this method, they discovered regions in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) that were interacting irregularly with one another.

This discovery steered the researchers to concentrate on the PFC.  Located in the front part of the brain, the PFC is believed to have an integral influence in personality expression, social behavior and decision-making.

The UVA researchers discovered that the immune system not only directly affects a creature’s social behavior, but also controls it. The prefrontal cortex is critical in determining social behavior and, in mice, overactivating the PFC results in social discord.

The study shows how an immune cell-derived molecule, interferon-gamma, acts as a rheostat, an instrument used to control electrical current that limits hyper-connectivity in the PFC. The release of these interferon-gamma cytokines (IFN-g) envelopes the lab’s future work.

“Our hypothesis is that through the release of IFN-g, the immune system can influence behaviors, such as sociability, by directly modulating neural circuits,” says Anthony Filiano, the lead author of the study.

Because neurons and synapses have been difficult to target therapeutically, the immune system may offer a new avenue for intervention.

“Our finding demonstrates, at least in mice, that we can manipulate the immune system from the periphery and influence the inner workings of the brain,” Filiano says.

Currently, the preclinical study is using mice; however, this discovery could have significant implications regarding neurological diseases such as schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorders.

“Given the mounting evidence that immune dysfunction is present in most neurological disorders, and targeting the immune system is historically easier than neurons, neuro-immune interactions are a very attractive new therapeutic target,” Filiano says.—Melissa Angell

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Is Washington Park Pool pricing out local neighborhood children?

Raymond Mason says he sees kids who can’t afford to swim in Washington Pool—although the city offers scholarships for students that are as low as $2.90 for a season pass. Photo by Eze Amos

If you’re taller than 4 feet, it’ll cost you $6 to enter the Washington Park public pool, a price one resident claims is too high.

Raymond Mason appeared before City Council July 5 and complained about the price to enter the pool.

He says he’s seen young black children run up to the convenience store on Grady Avenue pleading for some spare change so that they could go swimming.

“I had a picture on my Facebook page this morning of young black kids in the ‘50s looking in the pool and watching people swim,” Mason says. “I see the same thing at Washington Park in 2016.”

The city created a scholarship program in October 2010 to help subsidize the cost of classes and activities—but not swimming—offered at the Smith Aquatic and Fitness Center. “The scholarship program didn’t cover admission to pools,” Mason says.

The scholarship program was modified in 2015 to include summer pool passes to all city pools. This year, 535 households are enrolled, and 90 percent of city students enrolled pay $2.90 for an unlimited season pass, according to Charlottesville Parks & Recreation.

“It should not be looking like a private pool on a regular basis,” says Mason. “I live close to that pool and I’m there every day, and I can count the black kids in that pool on my hand. And that pool was designated for the black community and it shouldn’t have been priced out.”

During the summer season, Washington Park Pool hosts Sunday Evenings in the Park, an event that happens once a month with free admission to the pool.

“When you have Sunday Evenings in the Park, at 3pm the pool will be packed with black children,” Mason says. “But it’s only three times during the summer season and that’s nothing.”

Daily admission fees went up $1 in 2013 to the current $6 rate, says Brian Daly, director of parks and recreation. Season pass rates vary for city residents and range from $29 for students under age 18 to $91 for a couple.

Daily admission at Washington and Onesty pools is based on height rather than age. “Safety restrictions are in place for the large slides that require the user to be 48″ tall to ride the slides,” Daly says. “For someone less than 48″ tall, the admission price is lower as that individual does not have the ability to experience all the amenities at the facilities.”

Mason also thinks that Washington Park, which is streetside, should have a crosswalk, like Greenleaf Park does. “It’s ridiculous that there’s no crosswalk in front of the pool when you’re talking about children crossing the street with all that business going up there… it’s almost criminal,” he says.

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Shenandoah sacrifices: Blue Ridge Heritage Project to honor displaced families

A stone chimney is often the only evidence that families once lived in the Shenandoah National Park. Courtesy of Albemarle Blue Ridge Heritage Project

The uninhabited acreage that houses the Shenandoah National Park used to house something more than historic valleys amid the Blue Ridge Mountains: homes with permanent residents. That is, until eminent domain removed those residents more than 70 years ago.

Many years later, these sacrifices have been formally recognized with the creation of the Blue Ridge Heritage Project, a grassroots organization with an initiative to honor those who lost their homes and preserve Virginian ancestry with chimneys, the most obvious evidence of homes that once were in the park.

All of the eight counties bordering the park that had residents booted off their land—Albemarle, Augusta, Greene, Madison, Page, Rappahannock, Rockingham and Warren—are creating chimney monuments that will be different in each county.

The Albemarle chimney will be taller than the Madison monument and will more closely resemble the full size of a typical chimney found in mountain homes. It will be located in Patricia Ann Byrom Forest Preserve, which borders the park.

So far the Albemarle Blue Ridge Heritage Project has raised 20 percent of its $25,000 budget.

Paul Cantrell, Albemarle Steering Committee chair, sees two components of the group’s agenda: development of a monument site in Albemarle County “to honor those from our county who were displaced for the creation of Shenandoah National Park,” and to educate visitors “about the lives and culture of the people who lived in these mountains through living history and cultural presentations, exhibits and demonstrations.”

To make this project a reality, it’s pivotal to identify as many displaced families as possible, fundraise, spread the word and recruit volunteers, he says.

“Eighty years is long enough, in fact too long, for these families to wait to be honored for their sacrifices,” says Cantrell. “We can’t go back in time, but we can do this now.”

The Albemarle plan is to construct a memorial chimney with a plaque, along with an open-air shelter roughly the size of a modest residence once in the area before the creation of the park to house living history and cultural exhibits and events.

The chimney from Zermie and Addie Shiflett’s home in Blackwell’s Hollow will be repurposed for the monument. For safety reasons, the chimney will lack a firebox or flue.

More than 50 families will be recognized on the plaque.

The dedication date has been set for November 5 and will take place in Byrom Park.

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New web app shows how your taxes are broken down

Lucas Ames, creator of Smart Cville, hopes to leverage technology to make Charlottesville a better place to live. Photo by Ron Paris

Tackling a county budget may seem daunting, but Smart Cville tactfully lays out Albemarle’s budget in a spread of colors with its new budget visualization tool that illustrates how your money helps the county.

Smart Cville, a locally based nonprofit, aims to open up data, plain and simple. Creator Lucas Ames, 35, sent out a letter in mid-April requesting that Charlottesville adopt an open data resolution. In mid-June, the mayor convened a meeting to discuss open data as the city continues its work to further improve open-data relations between city legislatures and citizens.

“One of the reasons we are most excited about this visualization launch is that it provides the community with a good example of how citizen innovators can use technology to help solve public problems,” says Ames. “If we think back 15 or 20 years, citizens simply did not have the tools to engage with their communities in this way.”

The app helps the public understand the origin of the county’s revenues and how those revenues are allocated. Users are able to input their property taxes and fees into the website and get a complete breakdown of how the county uses their money.

Aesthetics are a fundamental element in visual learning that subsequently helps memory and data absorption. According to the Social Science Research Network, 65 percent of humans are visual learners. So, when visuals such as graphs that incorporate color, interaction and other maneuverable elements are added to mundane black and white charts, data literacy naturally improves.

“This site enables our citizens to explore county budget information and drill down into detailed spending and revenue data to clearly illustrate how the budget supports important county services,” says Lori Allshouse, director of the Office of Management and Budget.

Big data, often misconstrued as something that is difficult to grasp, isn’t as bad as it seems, according to Ames.

“In terms of big data, the sky’s the limit as to how it can be used when aggregated with other communities,” says Ames.

Ames says that he and his team are committed to improving the budget visualization tool and are working with the City of Charlottesville to expand the tool to incorporate all funds. The team also has a few projects in the works in the areas of environmental sustainability and legal equity.

“As more communities open budget data, it could foster cross-municipality research that analyzes fiscal strategies,” Ames tells C-VILLE.

Those who are interested may access the budget visualization tool here.

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Two parking spaces removed two years after request

South Street has two fewer parking spaces near Midway Manor. Staff photo

In a town where parking is already sparse, two unlimited-time parking spaces have been removed from South Street to “improve traffic operations and safety,” according to the city—two years after residents complained about the sight lines there.

Residents from the Midway Manor neighborhood approached the city May 20 with concerns about the parking spots, says city spokesperson Miriam Dickler. Vehicles parked on the street west of the Midway Manor driveway blocked the line of sight of drivers coming out of the parking lot and prevented them from seeing oncoming eastbound traffic, says Dickler. Traffic engineers concluded the two spaces violated the city’s intersection visibility standards.

“These violations presented unsafe conditions to road users and were corrected in a timely manner,” Dickler says.

In 2014, a Midway Manor resident told City Council it was difficult to cross South Street because of traffic coming around a blind curve and because of the poor sight lines, according to the Daily Progress. That same year, the crosswalk was installed.

“These concerns are obviously related in the same area, but are not the same issue,” says Dickler.

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Businesses affected by Downtown Mall fire on the road to recovery

A recent IX Art Park benefit concert raised several hundred dollars that will be split among three businesses that were damaged during the June 29 fire on the Downtown Mall. Photo by Martyn Kyle

The June 29 Downtown Mall fire that started in Ike’s Underground Vintage Clothing and Strange Cargo also has temporarily closed Miso Sweet Ramen + Donut Shop and Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar.

The Tea Bazaar suffered from “a fine layer of smoke dust over all of the restaurant including the office and hookah lounge,” says owner and manager Gwendolyn Hall. “Since the dust is highly corrosive we had to get all of our fridges and electronics cleaned in order to prevent further damage.”

Pending any unforeseen setbacks, the Tea Bazaar was planning to reopen Tuesday, July 12.

Miso Sweet, which opened last August, also had a considerable amount of smoke damage, most of which has been cleaned, according to owner Frank Paris. “We still have a few spots left to clean up and we hope to paint to help get rid of any remaining smells,” he says. “We are a new restaurant, so being closed during this time has hurt us quite a bit, as we really need to be open to continue building our customer base.”

He expects Miso Sweet will reopen July 18. “The major problem we may be facing is damage to our equipment,” says Paris. “Anything that is electrical and has copper coils, such as refrigerators and ice makers, could become damaged as the soot that has built up inside them can become corrosive and eat away at these units.”

Miso had to throw away nearly $4,000 in inventory. Fortunately, the restaurant has a good insurance plan, says Paris, but he still has to deal with customary delays with insurance adjusters. And the restaurant will no longer be able to participate in Restaurant Week (July 15-23).

Ike’s Underground, which sells antiques and other vintage products, was hit the hardest because many items in the store are impossible to replace.

The owner of Ike’s, Ike Eichling, told CBS19 that it will take several months for the shop to reopen.

To support the stores, local artist Haylee Powell created a GoFundMe campaign out of “love, pure and simple,” she says. “These three businesses were a staple for me when I first started to visit Charlottesville. The Tea Bazaar, especially, was a safe haven for me; as an artist there is little other public spaces to go to in order to create artwork.”

The campaign’s funds will go to employees who are out of work, and Powell’s GoFundMe has raised $1,122 to date. A benefit concert for the three businesses was also held July 8 at IX Art Park. The concert raised around $500, to be split among the three businesses.