Month: June 2008

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A profile of Roger Ailes of FOX News by Kerwin Swint

As evidenced by the controversy now ranging between Bill O’Reilly of FOX News and Keith Olbermann of MSNBC, Roger Ailes is the rare example of a newsman who makes headlines even while he and his minions cover the politics, entertainment and personalities of our time. Ailes has been instrumental in every notable advance in TV and broadcast news and many of the political and media milestones of the past generation. Kerwin Swint has a new book about Ailes called Dark Genius: The Influential Career of Legendary Political Operative and FOX News Founder Roger Ailes. Swint is an associate professor of political science at Kennesaw State University.

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Slowpoke cartoonist Jen Sorensen at WriterHouse

Local cartoonist Jen Sorensen was the inaugural guest in the WriterHouse Summer Reading Series on Wednesday, June 11, 2008. Sorensen gave a talk illustrated with slides from her newest collection of Slowpoke comic strips, Slowpoke: One Nation, Oh My God! Afterward, she answered questions from the audience and signed copies of her book.

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CBS News Correspondent Kimberly Dozier on Breathing the Fire

Covering the Middle East as a foreign correspondent for CBS News, U.Va graduate Kimberly Dozier earned a reputation for being on top of the story. But on Memorial Day 2006, Kimberly Dozier became the story as a car bomb took the lives of her crew, a U.S. Army captain an Iraqi interpreter, and left her in a pool of blood on the street fighting for her life. Her new book is Breathing the Fire, and it reconstructs her path from the bombing to recovery. She joined Coy Barefoot on the June 27th edition of WINA’s Charlottesville–Right Now with Coy Barefoot.

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Autism update with David Kirby

Investigative journalist David Kirby is the author of Evidence of Harm, a 2005 book that explores the possible relationships between autism and mercury contained in thimerosal, a preservative uses in some vaccines. In this interview from June 27, 2008, Kirby claims that the Centers for Disease Control used faulty data on one key study of vaccines. Read his article on the Huffington Post for more.

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Wake-Up Call: Personal Finance with Karin Bonding

Listeners to the June 29, 2008 installment of WNRN’s Sunday Morning Wake-Up Call with Rick Moore will get a one-hour lesson in personal finance from one of the region’s top experts. Karin Bonding teaches a personal finance course at the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia. She answers calls from listeners about how to maintaining a good credit score, the importance of taking responsibility for finances in troubled times and the best way to use your economic stiumulus check.

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Coy Barefoot: Pat Enright of Dominion Development

On the June 19, 2008 edition of WINA’s “Charlottesville-Right Now!” Coy Barefoot speaks with Pat Enright, CEO of local developer Dominion Development Resources, LLC (DDR). Enright discussed two major projects his firm has been involved in recently, the Northtown Center development on behalf of developer Wendell Wood, and the proposed dredging of the South Fork Rivanna Reservoir.

  • Northtown Center approved – Phase I of the Northtown shopping center will contain a bank and other retail. Enright described his job as”really trying to align what the client needs, with what they’re allowed to do, with what the residents are going to be impacted by.”
  • Dredging – DDR has proposed that an active quarry 3,000 feet from the reservoir be used as the disposal site for dirt removed from the South Fork Rivanna Reservoir. Enright admits that his company has a financial stake in that piece of land, but argues that this shouldn’t prevent citizens and government from looking at the merits of the proposal. Enright estimates the approximate cost of removing the 2 million cubic yards of dirt currently in the reservoir to be between $24-29 million dollars.

(links are to stories on Charlottesville Tomorrow)

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The Career of Philander D. Chase, senior editor of the Papers of George Washington

In today’s show, written by Matt Kelly, Writer for the UVa News Department, we look at Philander D. Chase, who recently retired as senior editor of the Papers of George Washington, housed at the University of Virginia’s Alderman Library.

Philander D. Chase has spent 35 years in George Washington’s world — and he’s not done yet. “Being a documentary editor is a life, not a career,” Chase said.

Chase, 65, recently retired as senior editor of the Papers of George Washington, housed at the University of Virginia’s Alderman Library. Chase said he will miss the “research, writing, collaboration and interacting with the public…

For more information about the show or to see the full text, visit the Oscar Show’s blog.

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Growth and Development update with Brian Wheeler (6-19-08)

On the June 19 edition of WINA’s “Charlottesville-Right Now!” Jay James, filling in for Coy Barefoot, speaks with Brian Wheeler, the Executive Director of Charlottesville Tomorrow. The topics include:

  • The great water debate– Brian explains the basics of the controversy over the water supply plan. Betty Mooney from Citizens for a Sustainable Water Plan called in to express her concerns about the current course of action and the fact that, in her opinion, the dredging option has not been fully explored.
  • The Downtown Mall renovation– The city is moving forward on a $7.5 million renovation of the bricks on the Charlottesville Downtown Mall. The newest iteration of the plan would start the process in January, and finish by the end of April. The proposed fountains and Sister City Plaza have been removed from the plan.
  • Deferred maintenance- “Howard” called in to say that he sees a pattern of deferred maintenance in local government, both with the water infrastructure and with the Downtown Mall bricks. Brian responded that there are definitely examples of lack of maintenance, but that doesn’t mean that local government isn’t now trying to look ahead.



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Flowers’ Fragrance Diminished by Air Pollution

In today’s show, adapted from an article written by Fariss Samarrai, Senior News Officer for the UVa News Department, we look at a University of Virginia study, which indicates that air pollution from power plants and automobiles is destroying the fragrance of flowers and thereby possibly inhibiting the ability of pollinating insects to locate flowers, and may partially explain why certain populations of these pollinators are on the decline.

Of the five senses, smell is one that is sometimes taken for granted in our everyday lives. For most animals, the ability to distinguish scents is a large part of their everyday survival function, as has been attested to in an earlier broadcast entitled, “Inside the brain of crayfish.” For insects, the same is true…

For more information about the show or to see the full text, visit the Oscar Show’s blog.

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SRO: A Permanent Solution to Homelessness

On May 27, 2008, representatives from Virginia Supportive Housing led an insightful and interactive presentation for the Charlottesville community on Single Room Occupancy (SRO) housing for the homeless — a proven, permanent solution to homelessness that’s taking hold in many cities across the country. The presentation took place in the “CitySpace” meeting room at the Charlottesville Community Design Center.

Virginia Supportive Housing, a Richmond-based statewide nonprofit housing provider, recently agreed to work with the Thomas Jefferson Area Coalition for the Homeless (TJACH) and the Charlottesville community to develop and manage an SRO facility in Charlottesville. The May 27 presentation gave members of the public, community agencies, local officials, potential funders and area media a chance to learn more about the SRO concept and to hear about Virginia Supportive Housing’s plans and timeline for opening an SRO in Charlottesville.

A Single Room Occupancy facility typically features several dozen efficiency apartments that are available at low cost to people who have been homeless, with on-site support services and security to help keep the SRO residents stable in their housing. In cities like Richmond, Norfolk, Roanoke, Fairfax and (soon) Virginia Beach, SROs have been successful in moving local residents — many of whom are disabled and/or veterans — off the streets and out of shelters and into permanent supportive housing.