Author: will-goldsmith

Raja Jabbour, former Albemarle High JV girls’ soccer coach, will remain in jail until his trial for possession of child pornography on his computer. At a U.S. District Court bond hearing June 27, Judge Norman K. Moon ruled that there were no conditions that could “keep him from being a danger to the public,” adding that, though he hopes Jabbour is innocent, the coach is “probably more dangerous” now than in the past because of the stress and pressure related to his trial.
    Jabbour had more than 20 friends, family members, JV players and their parents attend the hearing on his behalf. “The parents showed up because they are convinced [Jabbour] has not harmed anyone,” says a family member, who declined to give his name.
    Several teenage girls wept following the judge’s ruling. Jabbour glanced at the supporters, trying to catch their eyes as he was led away in handcuffs.
    The defense, led by Alexandria-based attorney John Zwerling, argued for conditional pretrial release that would keep him from computers and children. Prosecutor Nancy Healey said they only had a fraction of the evidence from Jabbour’s computers, but that the case “goes beyond using a computer to get his rocks off.” Still, no charge beyond possession has been filed.
    The trial is currently forecast to happen in the fall.

In the spring, UVA football head coach Al Groh publicly acknowledged that the team had to do some “significant rebuilding.” And in sports, “rebuilding” is almost always used to lower fan expectations for the coming season.
    Indeed, preseason guides by Sporting News and Lindy’s pick UVA to finish in the lower portion of the ACC, above only perennial bottom feeder Duke (Lindy’s also expects UVA to be barely better than NC State). The Cavaliers, who have been to four consecutive postseason bowl games under Groh, might struggle for the postseason this year.
    What will it take to win? According to Lindy’s, Groh had every Cavalier wear the name “Joe” stitched across identical dark blue shirts during winter and spring workouts, but some of his “average Joes” will have to step up to replace a slew of departing starters, particularly quarterback Marques Hagans, offensive lineman (and No. 4 NFL draft pick) D’Brickashaw Ferguson, and linebackers Kai Parham and Ahmad Brooks.
    To succeed, UVA needs new quarterback (and aspiring model) Christian Olsen to connect with Deyon Williams and other talents in the receiver corps—the one team aspect that both preview magazines agree is in good shape.

At their last meeting, the Albemarle County School Board closed a loophole in their beverage policy that had allowed student groups and athletic boosters to sell snack bars and soft drinks. A group of students from Western Albemarle High School, concerned about nutrition issues, precipitated the change by informing School Board member Brian Wheeler of the continued sales.
    The County still has soda machines set on timers that make them inactive from 6am until the end of the school day—a policy in place since 2003, according to Wheeler. No sodas are no new thing for City schools: They don’t serve any soft drinks in vending machines at any time of day. As of last year, school vending machines stock only water and 100-percent juice drinks, according to Alicia Cost, the child nutrition administrator for City schools.
    The soda discussions come as both the County and City prepare their local wellness policy, a new federal requirement that all school systems had to complete by July 1.
    Most aspects of the wellness policy reflect practices already in place, say City and County school officials. “The only challenge I have to deal with this summer is to create a nutrient standard manual for each school to have on hand and to analyze the menus nutritionally,” says Cost, who plans to post that information on school menus and possibly school websites. Making nutrition information available is among the wellness requirements.
    For those concerned about sodas in the schools, more help is on the way: A recently settled deal between soft drink manufactures, the William J. Clinton Foundation and the American Heart Association restricts the sugar and caloric content of beverages, banning sugared sodas completely and only allowing diet soda in high schools. Those guidelines (which apply both during and after school) also restrict portion size: 8 ounces in elementary, 10 ounces in middle and 12 ounces in high. That agreement stipulates full compliance by the 2009-10 school year.

Memorial services were held last week for Qroe CEO Robert Baldwin and Qroe Regional Director David Brown in Bedford, New Hampshire, and Hartford, Connecticut, respectively. The two men died in an Albemarle County plane crash on June 14 while trying to land in bad weather on the Bundoran Farm property they were working to develop.
    The men leave behind Qroe Companies, an entity founded by Baldwin to further his vision of development—a vision that sought to respect and preserve the environment surrounding Qroe’s projects. Starting in 1974, Baldwin followed his limited-development principles with several New England properties. By selling these sites at a premium, Baldwin was able to create a model for profitable development that didn’t send the neighbors running.
    Bundoran Farm, a property his company bought last year from Fred Scott, would have been Baldwin’s biggest project to date. When word circulated that Scott’s property had been sold, fears of view-decimating McMansions abounded. But these fears were soon smoothed over by Baldwin, who spent considerable time explaining his unique view of development. Overall, the company is planning only 88 buildable sites on a property that could easily be zoned for 163. Perhaps more importantly, those sites were all chosen for minimal disturbance of streams, forests, fields and views, and will be protected by interlocking easements.
    “[Baldwin] was a pivotal figure in one of the most important trends in urban development,” said Richard Peisar, professor of real estate development at Harvard Graduate School of Design, as quoted by The New Hampshire Union Leader.
    Baldwin, 75, is survived by his wife, four children, and 10 grandchildren. Brown, 55, leaves a wife and three children (his daughter Pamela graduated this year from UVA).
    There is no word yet on how the company will handle the loss of both its CEO and regional director. Preliminary plans for the Bundoran Farm development were submitted June 12 to the Albemarle Planning Commission.

    City officials released plans Friday for 18 Charlottesville neighborhoods, from Greenbrier to Woolen Mills. “Everything that you see [in the plans] comes from a citizen,” says Neighborhood Planner Brian Haluska.
    The common themes? Transportation. Things like sidewalks, bus service and parking are referenced in all the plans, according to Haluska. He notes that affordable housing and zoning also get heavy rotation.
    The City’s Neighborhood Development Services department has learned a few lessons from the last time they made neighborhood plans. For the 2001 neighborhood plans, the department held approximately 150 meetings. “It’s fairly obvious, but we learned you burn out people with that many meetings: staff, public, everyone,” says Haluska.
    This year, the plans took only 24 meetings: six during the fall, with follow-up winter meetings for each neighborhood that drew between 300 and 400 residents apiece, according to Haluska. “Because we had a framework, we decided to do something less intense,” he says.

Raja Jabbour, the former Albemarle High junior varsity girls’ soccer coach charged with possession of child pornography, has remained in jail pending a bond hearing set for Tuesday, June 27. At an earlier U.S. district court hearing, Judge B. Waugh Crigler ruled that Jabbour should be released under a conditional $50,000 bond, but federal prosecutors filed an appeal full of lurid allegations that has kept him behind bars.
    Originally, Jabbour’s court trial was scheduled to begin this week, but his new lawyers filed a successful motion to push back the case, presumably until the fall. Jabbour hired John Zwerling as new head counsel, replacing Rhonda Quagliana. Local lawyer Dana Slater is also assisting the defense. Neither defense attorney had comments about the case.
    Zwerling is no stranger to high-profile Charlottesville criminal cases: He represented former UVA student Andrew Alston during his trial for killing Walker Sisk. Zwerling’s Alexandria-based firm has also represented clients who garnered national attention, including Lorena Bobbitt and “Virginia jihad network” member Seifullah Chapman.
    Though prosecutors wrote in a previous brief that they “anticipate seeking various other child sexual exploitation charges,” no additional charges have yet been filed.