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Press Releases
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| Friends and family of the late Dick Mountjoy gathered Monday at St. Thomas Aquinas Church to say goodbye to the legend of Charlottesville radio. Mountjoy was described as a "pillar of the community, a great communicator and a Wahoo to the end." Eulogies were delivered by his son, Mike Mountjoy, and Jay James of Newsradio 1070 WINA. Mountjoy began his radio career at student-run WUVA in the fall of 1964, shortly after enrolling as a first-year student at the University of Virginia's Engineering school. He had arrived in Charlottesville at the age of 17 after graduating from Stafford County High School. Mountjoy had his first air shift on the old WELK Radio on July 25th, 1965. He mentored many young broadcasters during the decades that followed. Steve Taylor, who has worked for ABC and other national networks, began working for Mountjoy at WELK in 1968. Taylor notes Mountjoy was 21 when he was making hiring decisions and he got to follow Mountjoy in WELK's daily lineup. Mountjoy had a brief stint at WINA in 1966-'67, and then returned on February 1st, 1980. Mountjoy served in a variety of roles but will be remembered as the long-time morning voice of Charlottesville. Mountjoy was also a lifelong fan of Cavalier athletics and became the first announcer for the UVA Marching Band. Mountjoy's survivors include his wife Susan, a son and two daughters, three grandchildren, and a brother and sister. |
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A Greene County woman has been charged with two felony counts of taking indecent liberties with a minor and three misdemeanors of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The Greene Sheriff's Department says 39-year-old Tammy Harlow Cox (pictured) of Stanardsville is charged with two felonies of taking indecent liberties with a child in a custodial or supervisory relationship; specifically having sexual intercourse. Cox also is charged with three misdemeanor counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, also involving sexual intercourse. The arrest stems from a case in which Cox is accused of having inappropriate contact with student-athletes at William Monroe High School. The Greene Sheriff's Office says the arrest follows an investigation into alleged improprieties of an adult female and numerous students at William Monroe. Investigators say the original source of the information came from a locker room hazing incident investigated by school authorities. Secondary information on the adult's alleged involvement with the students was passed on to the Sheriff's Department. The two felony charges against Tammy Harlow Cox involve non-forcible sex and carry a maximum total of ten years in prison. The three misdemeanor charges each carry a maximum of 12 months in jail. A magistrate has set a $5000 secured bond. Harlow is scheduled for a court appearance on October 9th at 9 a.m. The Sheriff's Department is investigating the hazing incident as a separate issue.
The numbers on how proposed state budget cuts would affect the University have been unveiled by UVA President John Casteen. Casteen says the worst-case scenario of a 15% budget reduction would result in a $22.6 million dollar, or 7.2%, reduction in cash flow for the entire University. Casteen says he does not anticipate any layoffs. Governor Kaine has said that education funding would not be affected until the next fiscal year.
University of Virginia Athletics Director Craig Littlepage has announced that he's lifting the ban on signs, banners and flags at Scott Stadium and other UVA sports venues. Littlepage's statement says “The policy prohibiting signs, banners and flags in all UVa athletics venues has become a distraction and has taken the focus away from supporting our student-athletes.” Littlepage informed the UVA Board of Visitors of his decision during a Thursday afternoon meeting. Littlepage added that the focus should be on the football team right now. Students had planned to stage a protest against the ban at Saturday's Maryland game. The UVA Student Council called on all fans to wear blue to the game in contrast to the "Power of Orange" marketing efforts.
The Board of Visitors at the University of Virginia has given the go-ahead for planning two new major sports facilities. UVA Athletics Director Craig Littlepage wants to build a facility known as an indoor practice bubble. The air-supported structure would be used for indoor practices in bad weather. Littlepage says the practice bubble has been needed. The other major facility approved for planning is a new 125,000 square-foot recreation center. Details on both projects will be given to the Board of Visitors at a later date. The facilities are part of a capital projects list for 2010-2020. Meanwhile, a larger scoreboard-video board for Scott Stadium has been approved. The currrent display known as Hoo Vision will be expanded from 21 X 28 feet to 32 X 57 feet. Craig Littlepage says the new scoreboard will provide improved clarity for instant replays.
Plans for two science buildings at the University of Virginia have been tabled. The UVA Board of Visitors was asked Thursday to approve the designs of two structures known as the Information Technology Engineering Building and the Arts & Sciences Research Building. Some board members say they don't like the style of the buildings as presented in architect drawings. Another board member expressed concerns about a flat roof on one of the structures. The planners were told to come back to the board with different designs.
Governor Kaine says Virginia will hold another sales tax holiday on energy-efficient products. Kaine says the event will last from October 10th through the 13th. Anyone who purchases high-efficiency products with Energy Star or WaterSense certification would qualify for a tax exemption. There's no tax on items that cost less than $2500.
The rolls of registered voters in Charlottesville contain nearly 28,000 names and the city is urging participants in next month's election to come with a friend. The city has eight precincts and several of them present challenges for those who want to park near their polling place. Clark Elementary is the fastest growing of the eight precincts and it has limited parking. The same holds true for Venable Elementary. The Recreation, Alumni Hall and Tonsler Park polling places also have limited parking. The city is working to enhance pedestrian safety for voters in the Recreation and Tonsler precincts. Meanwhile, the registration deadline for the November 4th election will be 5 p.m. Monday.
The Class of 2008 at Charlottesville High reflected a longstanding trend in the city schools. The average SAT test results for white CHS students were much higher than the figures for their African-American classmates. The white CHS students had a mean score of 613 on the verbal portion of the SAT, a 588 on the Math part, and a 598 on the Writing portion. For the black students in last spring's graduating class, the figures were 416, 399, and 433 respectively. Harley Miles, who handles student assessments for the Charlottesville schools, shared the results Thursday with the City School Board
Albemarle officials say the Virginia Department of Education has reversed its decision regarding Adequate Yearly Progress in the county schools. Assistant Superintendent Bruce Benson says Albemarle has met all 29 indicators under the federal No Child Left Behind program. Benson says the Department of Education also reversed itself on the status of Burley Middle School. Now that Burley's status has been changed, 20 of Albemarle's 25 schools have made AYP for 2008.
Albemarle Police have identified the victim of this week's homicide at 2230-D Commonwealth Drive. Police say 17-year-old Emilio Morales, who lived at that address, died from gunshot wounds at around 11:20 p.m. Tuesday. Two other male victims who were wounded have been released from UVA Hospital. Police are continuing their manhunt for a white male in his mid-20's, roughly 6'0" tall, with blonde hair and a prominent mole on his cheek. The suspect was last seen wearing blue jeans and a white “hoodie.” Investigators have distributed fliers in the area of the crime that are written in both English and Spanish since the victims and many of their neighbors speak Spanish. A picture of a gold-colored ring with a red stone that was found at the scene is being circulated. Authorities hope this will help identify the suspect. Anyone with additional information should call CrimeStoppers at 977-4000.
Police have arrested a man in connection with the recent Barracks Road Market armed robbery. Pierre Gerard Augustine, an 18-year-old Albemarle County resident, was arrested last night and charged with robbery and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. Albemarle Police were summoned to that business at 2613 Barracks Road shortly after 9 p.m. on Tuesday. The victim, a female clerk at the store reported that a black male entered the store, displayed a handgun and demanded cash. There were no injuries. Augustine is currently being held without bond.
The University of Virginia has formally welcomed the new home base for those who major in studio arts. President John Casteen and the Board of Visitors had a Thursday ceremony at Ruffin Hall, which is a part of the University's arts precinct. Casteen likes the new structure's features Ruffin Hall is wedged between Rugby and Culbreth Roads, and its neighbors are the UVA Architecture and Drama buildings. Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Meredith Woo was among the UVA officials who welcomed the new structure.
A new poll shows Democrat Barack Obama has a lead over Republican John McCain in the presidential race in Virginia. A CNN-Time poll of 684 likely Virginia voters conducted Sunday through Tuesday shows 53%support Obama while 44% are for McCain. The survey included Monday's unsettling Wall Street meltdown. The poll has a sampling error of plus or minus 4%. It marks the first time any independent telephone survey of randomly selected voters has shown either candidate with a clear lead in the race for Virginia's 13 electoral votes. Virginia last backed a Democrat for president in 1964.
The Virginia Department of Forestry has closed three of its six regional offices to save money. The agency announced the merger of offices in Abingdon, Waverly and Farmville into three remaining offices in Albemarle, Salem and Tappahannock on Wednesday. The agency says it's also realigned the counties and cities served by those offices. State Forester Carl Garrison says the changes will make the agency more efficient and improve productivity.
More than 96,000 Virginians still haven't claimed about $29 million in federal economic stimulus payments, and the deadline to file for the checks is coming soon. Governor Kaine says many of those who haven't claimed their payments from the Internal Revenue Service might be residents of nursing homes or retired Virginians who aren't usually required to file tax returns. The filing deadline is October 15. Individuals may be entitled to between $300 and $1,200, depending on their family's size. Parents with eligible children will receive an additional $300 for each qualifying child. Those who need help with filing should call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040.
A Louisa County woman arrested after her two toddlers tested positive for drugs has pleaded not guilty to two counts of felony child neglect. A jury trial for 26-year-old Brenda Quarles is scheduled to start February 18th in Louisa County Circuit Court. Quarles and her boyfriend, 25-year-old Derrick Christmas, were arrested in April after a relative noticed their then 3-year-old and 16-month-old boys seemed intoxicated and took them to a hospital. The boys tested positive for cocaine and a prescription sedative. Christmas pleaded not guilty to child neglect charges last week. He also faces drug charges.
The family of a 10-year-old Boy Scout who got sick after eating hamburger tainted with E. coli bacteria is suing the company that supplied the meat. The lawsuit filed by Jansen Saunders and his parents against S&S Foods alleges 84 people were sickened by tainted meat at the Boy Scout camp near Goshen, and the company should assist affected families. The suit filed Friday in Rockbridge County Circuit Court says Jansen became ill July 25 and tested positive for E. coli infection while hospitalized. The suit is the second filed by a scout against S&S.
A gay-rights group has kicked off its national bus tour of 15 Southern faith-based colleges with a stop at Liberty University. Members of Soulforce debated Liberty students during the stop Wednesday. But the meeting was quiet compared with a 2006 visit when two dozen members were arrested for violating Liberty's order not to come onto the campus. The organization's Equality Ride is intended to spread a message of inclusion at schools Soulforce says have policies that discriminate against gay students. Soulforce was started in 1999 by the Reverend Mel White, a former ghostwriter for the late Reverend Jerry Falwell, who founded Liberty University.
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