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Charlottesville–Right Now: General Assembly update with Del. Jennifer McClellan

Delegate Jennifer McClellan joins Coy Barefoot on WINA’s Charlottesville–Right Now for a General Assembly update. She and Coy discuss the potential collapse of the Republican’s transportation plan. At issue is the question of funding priorities. Should roads be built at the expense of education?

“Government’s number one priority is to keep its citizens safe,” says McClellan. “A second very high priority is to make all of our citizens have the tools they need to succeed.” Del. McClellan reminds listeners that transportation is more about moving people around than building roads.

McClellan is also active in the campaign to regulate pay-day loans by capping interest levels at 36 percent, and she updates Coy on where the legislation stands. She also talks about her bill to expand the registration periods for children to enter kindergarten. (HB1636)

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VPTC: Choosing Our Future: Austin or Aspen?

Will Charlottesville become a high-priced place for only the rich to live, or can it attract enough high-tech jobs here to provide jobs to keep a middle class. That’s the question examined in a series of discussions being held by the Virginia Piedmont Technology Council, sponsored by the law firm LeClair Ryan.

The first discussed the possible paths Charlottesville may follow. Will housing prices lock out middle class workers as has happened in the resort and retirement community of Aspen, Colorado? Or can the private sector, local governments, and the University of Virginia come together on an economic development strategy to produce a community attractive to emerging technology companies? VPTC Chair Gary Henry says he thinks the region could do so, and Katie Bullard of Austin-based AngelouEconomics makes a thorough comparison.

Click the arrow button above to hear the event, or download the mp3 here.

Brian McNeill writes about the event in the Daily Progress, and Brian Wheeler has an excellent and detailed post about this on Charlottesville Tomorrow. Carry on the conversation there and let us know what you think about Charlottesville’s future.

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Jan. 23 Headlines: Car dealership embezzlement, Hargrove’s Juneteenth proposal, Albemarle assessments up

The Gateway Virginia Headlines offer a brief audio summary of the latest news in Central and Western Virginia. Each Monday through Friday, we summarize the headlines and offer you the change to catch up on your morning commute. You can listen here by clicking the play button, download the mp3, or subscribe in iTunes.

Albemarle County property values jump (Charlottesville Daily Progress)

County woman dies after crash (Charlottesville Daily Progress)

Hargrove proposes resolution to celebrate end of slavery (Charlottesville Daily Progress)

Del. Hargrove’s great-grandfather owned slave (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

Woman charged with embezzlement (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

Richmond allots $5.1 million to buy Battery Park properties (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

Bedford board seeks Pollard’s replacement (Lynchburg News Advance)



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Charlottesville–Right Now: UVa’s Dean of Engineering and Applied Science Jim Aylor

Jim Aylor Jim Aylor has always loved electronics. So when he started at the University of Virginia as an undergraduate in 1964, he went straight to its engineering school. 42 years and a PhD later, Aylor is now the Dean of UVa’s School of Engineering and Applied Science, which was recently ranked the third best engineering school in the nation by the Princeton Review. On this edition of Charlottesville–Right Now! with Coy Barefoot, Aylor discusses the important role of women in the engineering field as well as the school’s transformation from focusing on undergraduate education to housing some of the most exciting research of it’s kind in the nation.Aylor explains how research being done at the school is actively being used in real-world applications. He also talks about the importance of Wilsdorf Hall, an addition to the school’s research laboratories, in continuing to be one of the top nanotechnology schools in the country.



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Charlottesville–Right Now: General Assembly update with Bob Gibson of the Daily Progress

Bob Gibson of the Charlottesville Daily Progress joins Coy Barefoot every week on WINA’s Charlottesville–Right Now for a conversation about Virginia politics. This week, Bob stops by WINA’s studio on his way back from Richmond, where he’s covering the General Assembly.First up for discussion is the proposed resolution calling for the state to apologize for its role in the slave trade. Bob has the details on a new resolution introduced today by Delegate Frank Hargove, and says he thinks Delegate Donald McEachin’s bill calling for an apology will be re-worded to express “profound regret.”

The other piece of news in Richmond this week is a possible breakthrough on a transportation plan to raise money to build new roads in the state. Gibson says the plan is not a done-deal due to a concern that much of the funding will come from local taxes, as well as a fear of relying too much on bond initiatives. Coy and Bob also talk about the death of Delegate Ken Plum’s bill to require recorded votes in subcommittees.

There’s also a slew of redistricting bills before the General Assembly, including one introduced in the Senate by Creigh Deeds that made its way out of the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee.



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Charlottesville-Albemarle Democratic Breakfast: Are electronic voting machines vulnerable?

Are electronic voting machines vulnerable to computer hackers? That’s the topic of the January Charlottesville Albemarle Democratic Breakfast. A panel of speakers discuss serious software issues as well as recent controversies. Errors in counting, confusing displays and lack of documentation, and discuss possible paths forward.

The moderator is Jim Heilman, a former registrar in Albemarle County. Panelists include David Evans of the U.Va Computer Science Department, Charlottesville Electoral Board Secretary Rick Sincere and Will Harvey, Secretary of the Albemarle County Electoral Board. The event is introduced by Russ Linden, the co-chair of the Charlottesville City Democratic Committee.

If you’re organizing an event for the public and you’d like to have it recorded for posterity and podcast, we’re always looking for more events to post. Please contact us to be considered for inclusion.

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Charlottesville–Right Now: Architects Celebrate Local Buildings with New Exhibit

The American Institute of Architects celebrates its 150th anniversary this year. Jim Grigg is the president of the Central Virginian Chapter, and helped organize the exhibit “Hidden in Plain Sight.” The exhibit will celebrate the past 150 years of architecture in Central Virginia by showcasing 150 different buildings. Grigg and Kyle Copas, the curator of the exhibit, speak with Coy Barefoot about it on this segment of Charlottesville–Right Now!

“This is very much about engaging the public discussion about architecture,” Copas says. “We live in a very rich and diverse-built environment, and a lot of times we take it for granted.”

The pair also want public input on what should go into the exhibit. You can email Kyle at kylec[at]ntelos.net. Hidden in Plain Sight will open on Friday, April 6th at the Charlottesville Community Design Center on the downtown mall.

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Charlottesville–Right Now: Historian Rick Britton’s Weekly History Discussion (1-19-07)

Local historian and author Rick Britton joins Coy Barefoot on Charlottesville–Right Now! every Friday afternoon for a history discussion. On the January 19th edition, the pair talk about the possible adoption of the Ginger Gold as Virginia’s State Apple (SB779, HB1837) as well continued the discussion about the 19th Virginia, the topic of last week’s show.