Tag: Boyd Tinsley

Categories
News

In brief

File photo.

New additions

Gov. Glenn Youngkin appointed five new members to the University of Virginia Board of Visitors on June 28. With this slate of selections, 13 members of the BOV are now Youngkin appointees and hold a majority of the board.

The BOV comprises 17 voting members and is responsible for approval of policies, the university’s budget, and long-term planning. Appointees are eligible to serve up to two four-year terms and must be confirmed by the Virginia General Assembly.

According to the Virginia Public Access Project, three of the five appointees—Dan Brody, Marvin Gilliam Jr., and David Webb—made major contributions to Youngkin’s 2021 campaign for governor.

Brody, an Albemarle County resident and president of Health Data Services, graduated from UVA with an economics degree in 1973. He also donated $25,000 to the Youngkin campaign in 2021, according to VPAP. Additionally, he contributed $30,000 dollars to Spirit of Virginia—a Political Action Committee heavily associated with Youngkin—and $25,000 to the governor’s Inaugural Committee.

A graduate of UVA CLAS ’82, Webb now lives in Virginia Beach and is the vice chairman of commercial real estate giant CBRE’s Capital Markets Group. VPAP data indicates that Webb contributed $84,000 to the Youngkin campaign, $25,000 to Spirit of Virginia, and $400 to Youngkin’s Inaugural Committee.

A former coal mining executive, Gilliam is a returning face to the BOV, having previously served on the Board from 2010 to 2014. Public campaign donation records indicate that Gilliam gave $120,000 to Youngkin’s 2021 campaign, the largest contribution of those appointed this year. Gilliam has an extensive record of campaign donations to Republicans across Virginia, including $150,000 to the Spirit of Virginia PAC and $50,000 to Youngkin’s Inaugural Committee. 

The two other appointees, Dr. David Okonkwo and Porter Wilkinson, do not appear to have donated to Youngkin based on information from VPAP. Okonkwo currently serves as a professor of neurosurgery at the University of Pittsburgh, while Wilkinson is the counselor and chief of staff for the Smithsonian Board of Regents.

Drawing connections

Supplied photo.

Local artists from the Blue Ridge Juvenile Detention Center and the Starr Hill Pathways program got the opportunity
to show off their artwork in student commissions for the Equity Center at the University of Virginia. The commissions were highlighted at the annual Starr Hill Pathways Student Expo on June 28 at John Paul Jones Arena.

The art installations are part of a collaboration between the Equity Center, the Bridge Progressive Arts Initiative, the Charlottesville Mural Project, and BRJDC intended to center the voices of local youth in each piece.

For their project, creatives from BRJDC made three fabric murals measuring the same size as the detention center doors. The fabric murals are on display at the Equity Center’s office on the Downtown Mall at 201 W. Main St.

The Starr Hill Pathways mural, created by students in the Creative Arts pathway of the program, highlights local youth’s interpretation of diversity. The mural, which features the word “diversity” in bright colors amid blossoming roots, is also located in the Equity Center.

Crash into me

Former Dave Matthews Band violinist Boyd Tinsley was charged with Driving Under the Influence on June 24 in Albemarle County. Neither driver was injured as a result of the two-vehicle crash, but Albemarle County Police arrested Tinsley at the scene on suspicion of DUI. Tinsley is out on bond but is currently dealing with other legal issues surrounding a potential breach of settlement connected to the sexual assault allegations that prompted him to leave DMB in 2018. Tinsley’s arrest is not expected to have any impact on, let alone ruin, DMB’s current tour.

Change of pace

As of July 1, Virginia motorists are subject to new laws passed by the General Assembly, impacting uninsured motorists, farm use vehicles, disabled parking placards, and owners of manufactured homes. Drivers without insurance can no longer pay an uninsured vehicle fee and are now required to attain coverage at or exceeding Virginia’s liability limits. Other changes include the replacement of informal farm use placards with official Department of Motor Vehicles-issued plates, the elimination of the fee for disabled parking placards, and a new process for proof of ownership transfer for manufactured homes. For more information on these changes, visit dmv.virginia.gov.

Higher power

Former Cavalier Bridget Williams soared to new heights at the U.S. Track and Field Olympic Trials on June 30, winning the women’s pole vaulting final. Williams, née Guy, graduated from the University of Virginia in 2019 and was thrice named an All-American during her time in Charlottesville. Williams will represent Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics later this month.

Categories
News

In brief: Councilors’ credit cards, ACA sign-up perils, abusive language verdict and more…

JABA counselor Laurel Olson, center, helps Amy and Susan Hastings find the right health insurance. David McNair

Using ACA insurance? Read this first

Yes, the Affordable Care Marketplace is still here, and sign-up ends December 15. Counselors at the Jefferson Area Board for Aging have seen a few surprises in the process, and want residents to be aware they could face some unpleasant results if they simply auto-enroll this year.

One big difference: Optima was the only insurance carrier in the marketplace in 2018. This year Anthem is back, which provides more options, but also can affect the amount of the subsidy for those who qualify.

Joe Bernheim at JABA explains: With two carriers, the benchmark plan—that’s the second-lowest-cost silver plan—will be less than what consumers saw last year. That means that government subsidy will be lower, and those whose income allows them to qualify for the subsidy will see higher premiums.

What you need to know

  • Don’t auto-enroll. You may be able to get a better plan or lower premium.
  • Some people have received letters with estimates from the current carrier that are inaccurate and much lower than what the premium will actually be.
  • Consumers are being offered “direct” and “select” plans. The select plans exclude most of the doctors at UVA, while direct plans offer a broad network of local providers. If you auto-enroll, you could be put in a select plan.
  • People who aren’t eligible for the subsidy will see lower premiums and a broader network of providers.
  • If you’re signing up for newly available Medicaid, there’s no deadline, but JABA advises going to the Marketplace website (healthcare.gov) to cancel ACA insurance or you may be charged.
  • Can we say it again? Don’t auto-enroll, and do sign up before the December 15 deadline.

Quote of the week

“I feel like court’s going to be watching my daughter die again, over and over and over.”—Susan Bro, Heather Heyer’s mother, on NPR.

In brief

Tinsley sexual misconduct suit

Trumpeter James Frost-Winn’s $9-million sexual harassment lawsuit against former Dave Matthews Band violinist Boyd Tinsley is scheduled for trial September 9, 2019, in Seattle. Tinsley announced he would not be touring with the band in February, the same day he got a demand letter from Frost-Winn’s attorney.

Another pipeline delay?

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has suspended a permit necessary for the 600-mile, $6 billion Atlantic Coast Pipeline to cross the 1,500 streams along its path from West Virginia to North Carolina, for concerns of harm to aquatic life. This is one of several setbacks Dominion has faced since it began building the pipeline this year, but a spokesperson says it’s still scheduled for completion by the end of 2019.

Censorship suit

Local attorney Jeff Fogel has filed yet another lawsuit regarding prison censorship. He’s now representing Uhuru Baraka Rowe, an inmate at Greensville Correctional Center, who claims his First and Fourteenth Amendment rights were violated when prison officials at the Sussex II State Prison censored essays he wrote about conditions in the facility.

Win for Miska

 

Anna Malinowski at a 2017 protest. Staff photo

Local anti-racists like to scream at John Miska, a veterans’ rights and Confederate statue supporter. Recently, in Albemarle General District Court, a judge found Anna Malinowski guilty of abusive language for accosting him outside a school board meeting. At an earlier hearing in the city, a judge let Donna Gasapo off the hook for similar behavior.

Councilors’ credit line

In a much-discussed story that appeared in the November 25 issue of the Daily Progress, reporter Nolan Stout examined the $26,784 in charges (and taxpayer money) that city councilors have racked up on their city credit cards over the past year and a half. All five councilors have one, and four of them have a limit of $20,000—except for Mike Signer, who as mayor inherited the council’s original card, with a credit limit of $2,500.

Vice-Mayor Heather Hill hasn’t used her card, and Councilor Wes Bellamy, who has traveled extensively for various conferences, has spent the most, charging more than $15,000 from September 6, 2017, to October 29 of this year. Local activist group Solidarity Cville has called the article a racist “hit piece” on Bellamy, and said it wouldn’t have been written if white Councilor Kathy Galvin were the highest spender. All councilors were within budget and mostly used their cards for out-of-town meals, hotels, and travel, but here’s what some of the specific charges looked like:

Charged up

  • $1,418 spent by Bellamy at a Le Meridien hotel for a National League of Cities conference in Charlotte
  • $15.52 spent by Bellamy at Kiki’s Chicken and Waffles
  • $41.17 spent by Bellamy at Hooters
  • $1,000 spent by Signer on a hotel to speak on a panel called “Local Leadership in the Wake of Terror” at the SXSW Cities Conference in Austin, Texas
  • $307.19 spent by Signer, mostly for meals and Lyfts in Austin, “many of which were at midnight or later,” notes the reporter
  • $101.09 spent by Mayor Nikuyah Walker at Ragged Mountain Running Shop ahead of her event called “Get Healthy with the Mayor”
  • $132.22 spent by Walker at Beer Run
  • $706 spent by Galvin on a Hyatt hotel for a two-day forum in Washington, D.C.
  • $4.99 spent by former City Council chief of staff Paige Rice on an iTunes bill
Categories
News

Tinsley ouster: DMB claims it didn’t know about alleged predatory behavior

Former DMB violinist Boyd Tinsley denied allegations of sexual harassment. Jason Moore / Zumapress.com

In a move that has Charlottesville and the music world reeling, the Dave Matthews Band parted ways with longtime violinist Boyd Tinsley, 54, late May 17 following an explosive story that detailed a lawsuit against Tinsley for alleged sexual assault, harassment and long-term grooming.

Tinsley has denied the allegations in an online music news site Consequence of Sound article and in the lawsuit.

He had previously announced he would not be touring with the band February 2, the same day an attorney for James Frost-Winn filed a demand letter to settle his claims of assault and harassment. On Twitter, Tinsley said he needed a break to focus on his family and his health.

A statement from DMB says, “Though Boyd is no longer a member of the band, we are shocked by these disturbing allegations and we were not previously aware of them.”

Some find it hard to believe band members and Red Light Management knew nothing of Frost-Winn’s allegations, and social media lit up following the story.

“Of course they knew. The whole town has been calling it Fiddlegate for years,” says @arkSHOP on Twitter.

“A lot of the town knew,” says musician Jamie Dyer on Twitter. “I drew the line with Boyd in the early ’80s and he never messed with me again.”

Songwriter Lauren Hoffman writes on Facebook that three young men “separately confided their experiences to me” in the late ’90s.

Frost-Winn was 18 and homeless when he first met Tinsley in 2007. The two became friends, and in 2014, Frost-Winn joined Tinsley’s Crystal Garden band.

He filed a $9 million lawsuit May 17 in Washington state alleging Tinsley created a hostile work environment “where compliance with sex-based demands was tied to the band’s success,” Consequence of Sound reports.

Frost-Winn, a trumpeter, says Tinsley often requested his and band members’ dirty socks, and he describes waking to Tinsley masturbating beside him with his hand on Frost-Winn’s butt. Tinsley blamed the incident on a pill mix-up, according to court documents.

The two slowly became friends again with Tinsley bestowing gifts on the young man. But he also began sending more sexually explicit texts. A screenshot of a March 18, 2016, text from Tinsley calls Frost-Winn “boner material” and says he’s masturbating to the thought of photos of Frost-Winn and suggests he shave his pubic hair for an upcoming photo shoot.

“You are the dirty pretty boy of the band,” says the alleged Tinsley text. “I have to sexually exploit you as much as I can without looking like I’m sexually exploiting you. I’m in full jerk right now, catch you later.”

In 2016, Frost-Winn left Crystal Garden.

His is not the first lawsuit filed against Tinsley. Getty Andrew Rothenberg, Tinsley’s former personal assistant, filed a $10 million suit in 2015 that alleged Tinsley’s “cult of personality has a dark side that Tinsley has gone to great lengths to hide,” and claimed Tinsley was a “sexual predator” who used gifts, jobs and access to other celebrities “to gain leverage over the people in his world which he currently calls Narnia.”

Rothenberg described eight unidentified people who had allegedly been victimized by Tinsley. Rothenberg was convicted of embezzling from Tinsley between 2009 and 2012, sentenced to nine months in prison and ordered to pay $1.25 million in restitution. The lawsuit was thrown out.

“Everyone knew,” says a local familiar with the band who spoke only on the condition of anonymity. “There’s going to be other people coming out.” The source says rather than getting Tinsley help, those around him “enabled” his behavior.

“This was an open secret within the company,” says a former Red Light employee, who also spoke only on the condition of anonymity.

“The band was not aware of these allegations until they read about them yesterday in the media,” says DMB publicist Allison Elbl in a May 18 email.

In a May 14 interview in Vulture before the Consequence of Sound story came out, Matthews says, “I have a deep love for Boyd, and he has to deal with his stuff. In many ways, I’m sure it would’ve been a lot easier for him to just say, ‘I’m good. Let’s go play.’ But you can’t just throw yourself away, your wellness away, because you play violin in a band. It doesn’t make any sense to do that.”

Matthews adds, “I can’t say, ‘I can’t wait till he comes back,’ because I don’t know what’s going to happen. But right now being away is better for him. Nobody is happy about this situation. Except that we’re happy he can figure some stuff out. I hope he does. But I’m going to miss having that whirling-dervish Adonis-Muppet over there on my right. I know the audience is, too. But we can’t serve that desire.”

For years, Tinsley has hosted the Boyd Tinsley Clay Court Classic, a women’s invitational tennis tournament at the Boar’s Head Sports Club, which was most recently held in April.

“We’re just talking it over right now,” says Boar’s Head marketing and communications manager Joe Hanning about the future of the tournament. He says he’s “shocked like the rest of Charlottesville.”

“I’m truly hurt by the one-sided account that appeared on a blog about me yesterday,” says Tinsley in a statement. “I will defend myself against these false accusations. …These accusations have caused embarrassment for my family, my friends and my fans. I will fight both in and out of court to repair the damage that has been done.”

Frost-Winn’s lawyer, Jason Hatch, responds to Tinsley’s denial in Rolling Stone: “We are disappointed in Mr. Tinsley’s complete lack of personal responsibility for his actions.”

Categories
News

UPDATED: Tinsley denies sexual harassment allegations that led to DMB firing

Boyd Tinsley. Press photo

Original headline

Tinsley fired: DMB claims it didn’t know about alleged predatory behavior

In a move that has Charlottesville and the music world reeling, the Dave Matthews Band fired longtime violinist Boyd Tinsley, 54, late last night following an explosive story in online music news site Consequence of Sound that detailed a lawsuit against Tinsley for alleged sexual assault, harassment and long-term grooming.

Friday afternoon, Tinsley denied the allegations.

Tinsley had previously announced he would not be touring with the band February 2, the same day an attorney for James Frost-Winn filed a demand letter to settle his claims of assault and harassment. On Twitter, Tinsley said he needed a break to focus on his family and his health.

A statement from DMB says, “Though Boyd is no longer a member of the band, we are shocked by these disturbing allegations and we were not previously aware of them.”

Some find it hard to believe band members and Red Light Management knew nothing of Frost-Winn’s allegations, particularly when a lawsuit filed in 2015 by Tinsley’s former personal assistant alleged Tinsley’s “cult of personality has a dark side that Tinsley has gone to great lengths to hide.” The suit claimed Tinsley was a “sexual predator” who used gifts, jobs and access to other celebrities “to gain leverage over the people in his world which he currently calls Narnia.”

The suit filed by Getty Andrew Rothenberg cited eight unidentified people who had allegedly been victimized by Tinsley. Rothenberg was convicted of embezzling from Tinsley between 2009 and 2012, sentenced to nine months in prison and ordered to pay $1.25 million in restitution. The suit was thrown out.

Frost-Winn was 18 and homeless when he first met Tinsley in 2007. The two became friends and in 2014, Frost-Winn joined Tinsley’s Crystal Garden band.

He filed a $9 million lawsuit May 17 in Washington state alleging Tinsley created a hostile work environment “where compliance with sex-based demands was tied to the band’s success,” Consequence of Sound reports.

Frost-Winn, a trumpeter, says Tinsley often requested his and band members’ dirty socks, and he describes waking to Tinsley masturbating beside him with his hand on Frost-Winn’s butt. Tinsley blamed the incident on a pill mix-up, Frost-Winn told Consequence of Sound.

The two slowly became friends again with Tinsley bestowing gifts on the young man. But he also began sending more sexually explicit texts. On March 18, 2016, a screenshot of an alleged text from Tinsley calls Frost-Winn “boner material” and says he’s “actually masterbating” to the thought of photos of Frost-Winn and suggests he shave his pubic hair for an upcoming photo shoot.

“You are the dirty pretty boy of the band,” says the alleged Tinsley text. “I have to sexually exploit you as much as I can without looking like I’m sexually exploiting you. I’m in full jerk right now, catch you later.”

In 2016 Frost-Winn left Crystal Garden.

“Everyone knew,” says a local familiar with the band who spoke only on the condition of anonymity. “There’s going to be other people coming out.” The source says rather than getting Tinsley help, those around him “enabled” his behavior.

“The band was not aware of these allegations until they read about them yesterday in the media,” says DMB publicist Allison Elbl in an email.

In a May 14 interview in Vulture before the Consequence of Sound story came out, Matthews says, “I have a deep love for Boyd, and he has to deal with his stuff. In many ways, I’m sure it would’ve been a lot easier for him to just say, ‘I’m good. Let’s go play.’ But you can’t just throw yourself away, your wellness away, because you play violin in a band. It doesn’t make any sense to do that.”

Matthews adds, “I can’t say, ‘I can’t wait till he comes back,’ because I don’t know what’s going to happen. But right now being away is better for him. Nobody is happy about this situation. Except that we’re happy he can figure some stuff out. I hope he does. But I’m going to miss having that whirling-dervish Adonis-Muppet over there on my right. I know the audience is, too. But we can’t serve that desire.”

For years Tinsley has hosted the Boyd Tinsley Clay Court Classic, a women’s invitational tournament at Boar’s Head that was most recently held in April.

“We’re just talking it over right now,” says Boar’s Head marketing and communications manager Joe Hanning about the future of the tournament. He says he’s “shocked like the rest of Charlottesville.”

Earlier today, Tinsley publicist Jules Feiler says he’s working on a statement from the violinist. At 3:51pm, he released this statement from Tinsley:

“I’m truly hurt by the one-sided account that appeared on a blog about me yesterday. I only wish the reporter had spoken to me first, so they would have heard the truth. I will defend myself against these false accusations. I can only assume the motivation for the article and the lawsuit filed against me. These accusations have caused embarrassment for my family, my friends and my fans. I will fight both in and out of court to repair the damage that has been done.”

Updated 4:37pm with Tinsley denial.

Updated 1:12pm with statement from DMB publicist Allison Elbl.

Correction May 22: Allison Elbl’s name was misspelled in the original story.

Categories
News

In brief: Salamander sightings, Halsey Minor sighting, basketball team sightings and more

Game Day at UVA. Photo Ryan Jones

We’re No. 1

Despite Saturday’s overtime loss at JPJ to Virginia Tech, the University of Virginia men’s basketball team was ranked No. 1 in Monday’s Associated Press Top 25 for the first time in more than 35 years. The Hoos (23-2) also became the first ACC team to make it to No. 1 after starting the season unranked (not to mention having been predicted to finish sixth in the ACC).

Clean Virginia

Dominion Energy is coming under fire with legislation and a new PAC that donates to legislators who forego contributions from the electric monopoly. Clean Virginia Project, chaired by local investor Michael Bills, will contribute to delegates and senators in the General Assembly who eschew Dominion donations. Former congressman Tom Perriello has joined the effort.

“I don’t think you can understand the country today if you don’t understand the legacies of slavery and how they have shaped our understanding of rights, freedoms and opportunities.”—Montpelier President & CEO Kat Imhoff

Tinsley takes a break

Dave Matthews Band violinist Boyd Tinsley announced he would not be joining the band on its 2018 tour, tweeting that he was “worn out” and needed to spend more time with his family.

Halsey’s crypto utopia

UVA alum/CNET founder Halsey Minor, the man who left downtown Charlottesville with the Landmark eyesore, is now casting his magic in Puerto Rico, where he’s part of a migration of blockchain and bitcoin entrepreneurs flocking to the hurricane-ravaged island to avoid taxes and create a society based on cryptocurrency, the New York Times reports.

More charges

A judge certified eight additional charges against Mark Hormuz Dean, an Albemarle Pain Management Associates physician, who was arrested January 5 on two counts of rape, two counts of object sexual penetration and one count of forcible sodomy for allegedly assaulting patients between 2011 and 2015.

Cross watch

Photo Devin Floyd

Why did the salamander cross the road? Ah, this one’s easy: To get to the other side. It takes a warm, wet winter night for more than 1,000 spotted salamanders to start their 100-yard migration, crossing Rio Mills and Polo Grounds roads from their forested homes to their vernal pool breeding grounds.

Because navigating across the busy roads often ends badly for the local yellow polka-dotted amphibians, they no longer have to do it alone. Each year, a team of dozens of community members are on standby, waiting for Devin Floyd, founder of the Center for Urban Habitats and Blue Ridge Discovery Center in Charlottesville, to send out an alert that the critters are on their way.

This year’s migration started the night of February 10, and regular salamander rescuer and Albemarle County Board of Supervisors Chair Ann Mallek was there to help by picking up 10 of 46 amphibians on the side of Rio Mills and hand-delivering them across Polo Grounds Road.

“They were cold and slow until they rested on our hands, then quickly warmed up for their last sprint to the vernal pools,” she says.

But they’re not done yet—Mallek urges drivers to keep an eye out for any salamander stragglers when passing through the area until migration stops around mid-March.

February 10 salamander stats:

  • 46 salamanders
  • 3 critter casualties
  • 33 human volunteers

Real estate rising

Local assessments have been mailed and residential and commercial real estate is still going up. The increases, however, are a far cry from last year’s city commercial assessments, which saw an average 29 percent increase but soared to 50 percent or more in some cases.

6.7%

Residential increase in Charlottesville

2.5%

Residential increase in Albemarle’s urban ring

1.4%

County commercial increase

2.6%

City commercial increase