October 1, 2024: Cargo operations halted at coastal Virginia ports due to strike; Charlottesville PC provides direction on capital funds
Plus: Lee Enterprises has eliminated the position of editor at the Madison County Eagle
A new month, a new quarter, but the same basic format for Charlottesville Community Engagement. If your Federal Fiscal New Year’s resolution is to learn more about what’s happening in local and regional government, then you’re in the right spot. I’m Sean Tubbs, resolved to continue revolving.
In this edition:
A brief update on the aftermath of flooding in far southwest Virginia
Cargo operations at many Port of Virginia terminals are halted due to a strike
The Charlottesville Planning Commission takes a look at the city’s next capital budget
A former Charlottesville Fire Chief was removed from a position in Florida for poor management
The Madison County Eagle no longer has an editor after Lee Enterprises eliminated the position
An update on the Week Ahead with information about meetings happening today
First shout-out: Charlottesville Jazz Society hosts the Emily Kuhn Quintet on October 12
Charlottesville Jazz Society is an organization that seeks to build local audiences for one of this country’s greatest artforms. To that end, the Charlottesville Jazz Society and WTJU will present The Emily Kuhn Quintet in concert at The Front Porch on Saturday October 12th.
Originally from Charlottesville, Emily Kuhn is a jazz trumpet player based in Chicago, IL, described by the Chicago Jazz Magazine as having “a charismatic style and a sophistication that belies her youth.”
For this special concert, The Emily Kuhn Quintet will be performing new original compositions and music from Kuhn’s recent release, “Ghosts of Us.”
Tickets are available for sale online with discounts for early purchases as well as for paid members of the Charlottesville Jazz Society.
Clean-up continues in devastated parts of the southeastern U.S.
Rain continues this afternoon in Charlottesville and the National Weather Service has issued a flood warning for part of Fluvanna County along the Rivanna River. That lasts until tomorrow afternoon.
The Virginia Department of Emergency Management continues to have their Emergency Support Team fully activated on a code red basis. Their website has information on a great many subjects including where people can donate their time or money.
“You can find several reputable organizations at www.virginiavoad.org,” reads the website. “Volunteering with trusted organizations ensures your safety and helps public safety officials focus on meeting affected communities' needs.”
For Virginia, donations are being taken by the United Way of Southwest Virginia.
There are many reporters out covering the effects on mountainous communities in far southwest Virginia which have been devastated by flooding from heavy rainfall.
Hurricane Helene deaths in Virginia up to 2, future rain prompts more concern, Charlie Paullin, Virginia Mercury, September 30, 2024
As floodwaters recede, residents of Damascus assess their future, Susan Cameron, Cardinal News, October 1, 2024
In Washington County, students lead the way in collecting flood relief donations, Katie Thomason, October 1, 2024
How Hurricanes in the Gulf Trigger Storms in Virginia and North Carolina, Zeina Mohammed, UVA Today, September 30, 2024
How Helene became the near-perfect storm to bring widespread destruction across the South, Terry Spencer, Associated Press, September 29, 2024
Continued rain washes out road in Earlysville, Felicity Taylor, CBS19, September 30, 2024
This afternoon, Virginia’s two United States Senators as well as Representative Morgan Griffith (R-9) asked President Joe Biden to approve the Commonwealth’s request for an Expedited Major Disaster Declaration for dozens of affected localities.
“This catastrophic storm event has produced devastating rainfall throughout Southwest Virginia, which has exceeded 12 inches in several areas,” reads the letter. “This torrential rainfall has resulted in destructive flooding throughout the region creating dangerous storm surges and a historic flood crest on the New River. The storm caused over 300 road closures, including the washout of bridges and roadways.”
Do you have any stories to share? Drop me a line or leave a comment.
Container ship operations at Virginia ports halted as workers go on strike
Last night at midnight, dozens of thousands of workers affiliated with the International Longshoreman’s Association (ILA) went on strike when a contract expired. A press release sent out yesterday blamed the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) for blocking a settlement.
“The Ocean Carriers represented by USMX want to enjoy rich billion-dollar profits that they are making in 2024, while they offer ILA Longshore Workers an unacceptable wage package that we reject”, the press release states.
In all, about 45,000 workers at 36 ports are not at work today which many economists say could begin to create supply chain issues across the country. This is the first strike since 1977 according to an Associated Press article published this afternoon.
An article for the trade publication SupplyChainDive attributes many of the disagreements over automation.
The website of the Port of Virginia acknowledges the work stoppage that is underway and several facilities are closed ranging from the Norfolk International Terminals to the Portsmouth Chassis Yard. The Port of Virginia’s offices are open as is the Portsmouth Marine Terminal.
“Richmond Marine Terminal and Virginia Inland Port will operate normally, but cargo operations will be impacted,” reads a webpage on the response to the work stoppage. This site also has a good overview of the various players involved and this text is taken from there:
The USMX represents employers in the maritime industry, including container carriers, marine terminal operators and port associations
The ILA represents workers at ports on the U.S. East and Gulf coasts
The USMX-ILA Master Contract covers ILA members from Maine to Texas
The last contract went into effect Oct. 1, 2018 and expired Sept. 30, 2024
For more details, take a look at this article on Virginia Business. WAVY-10 also published a story just after midnight.
Charlottesville PC gives broad direction on capital improvement program
First of two parts
While Charlottesville awaits the ruling of Circuit Court Judge Claude Worrell on whether a trial can proceed against the city’s new zoning code, the body that helped write the transformative rules spent time in late September going through how they have been applied so far.
But members of the Charlottesville Planning Commission also had the chance to give input into the development of a capital improvement program (CIP) for FY26. Usually they won’t be involved until November but City Manager Sam Sanders wants the appointed body to play a role earlier in the process.
“This is an opportunity to just kind of hear from commissioners about CIP thoughts and ideas at the early phase of things,” said Missy Creasy, the deputy director of the city’s Department of Neighborhood Development Services.
City Council had their first look at a work session on September 16. (read or listen to my story)
Commissioner Rory Stolzenberg urged the city to invest in completing several transportation projects funded through the Virginia Department of Transportation that have not yet gone to construction.
“I think what we found from the [Comprehensive Plan] process and the zoning process, is that a thing a lot of people are concerned about is the city's ability to build the infrastructure that's needed to make this denser city work,” Stolzenberg said. “And our execution has not quite hit the mark over the last number of years, but we're really turning things around.”
One recent improvement is that the city now has all of the projects listed on the transportation portion of its website.
Both phases of the Emmet Streetscape are now listed as one and the project is in the land acquisition portion of the process with a completion date of Winter 2018. The first phase is in right of way acquisition and the second phase is waiting funds so design can begin.
This project “provides a shared use path, improved bus stops, landscaping, improved pedestrian crossings, and a tunnel under the railroad tracks between Ivy Roads and Barracks Road” according to the website.
The East High Street streetscape is in the right of way acquisition phase and will extend multimodal improvements built as part of the Belmont Bridge all the way to Locust Avenue. This project is expected to be completed in winter 2026.
The Fontaine Avenue Streetscape is expected to be completed in the summer of 2026 and this project “provides enhancements to the streetscape that provide sidewalks on both sides of the road, bike lanes, curbs, and well-marked on-street parking from [Jefferson Park Avenue] to the City boundary.”
A project that will modify the intersection of Barracks Road and Emmet Street is anticipated to be completed in the fall of 2027. This will also see construction of a shared use path halfway up Barracks Road to Hilltop Road.
Michael Joy, a non-voting Commissioner who represents the University of Virginia, wanted more details on Sanders’ forthcoming homeless intervention strategy. He also wanted a status update on efforts to turn Walker Upper Elementary School into a pre-K facility. There was also a question about whether elementary schools are prepared to accommodate the return of fifth grade students when Charlottesville Middle School opens in the late summer of 2025.
But Joy also said he thinks the city should do what it can to fund a recent downtown mall tree management plan put together by the firm Wolf Josey. City Council had a work session on September 3, 2024. (view the presentation).
“I thought that was a very well put together report,” Joy said. “It feels very instantly actionable. It doesn't seem like that it's something that we don't have the people in place to do.”
More from this work session in the next installment of the newsletter.
Second shout-out: WTJU Jazz Marathon September 30 through October 6
From September 30 to October 6, WTJU’s Jazz Marathon is filling fill the airwaves with a full week of round-the-clock jazz and blues specials. But time around is a little different.
Legendary Charlottesville trumpeter John D’earth is retiring from his UVA teaching gig at the end of 2024. During this year’s WTJU Jazz Marathon, the community radio station is honoring John’s legacy of performing and teaching at UVA with special programs and live performances.
This music is a living, breathing thing. WTJU’s Jazz Marathon celebrates our local music scene every weeknight at 8 p.m. with FIVE live jazz and blues performances. Don’t miss Stephanie Nakasian, Dhara Goradia & Quiet Fire, Mike Rosensky Trio feat. Jeff Decker, Robert Jospe Trio, and of course the John D’earth Band.
For more information on WTJU’s Jazz Marathon for 2024 and how to get your own shirt with John D’earth, visit the WTJU website.
Former Charlottesville Fire Chief removed from Florida post
A man who served as Charlottesville’s fire chief for less than two years before taking a job in central Florida has now resigned from that position.
Hezedean Smith was the top official at the Charlottesville Fire Department from December 2020 until the fall of 2022 when he took a position as the fire chief of Polk County, Florida. That’s a community of over 750,000 that includes the communities of Winter Haven and Lakeland.
Smith resigned in September following a report that was critical of his management. County Manager Bill Beasley placed Smith on administrative leave and his departure was not voluntary. A firm was hired in February to conduct a review of the department.
“I take the challenges and frustrations expressed by members of our fire rescue division to heart and want to assure our employees that Polk County wants to create a high-performing, highly valued culture within the Fire Rescue operation,” Beasley said in a press release. “Our focus is to immediately consider necessary changes to achieve that goal.”
Before coming to Charlottesville, Smith had worked for the fire department in Orlando. Interim City Manager Michael C. Rogers elevated deputy chief Michael Thomas to serve as interim chief in October 2022. City Manager Sam Sanders promoted Thomas to permanent chief last August.
Lee Enterprises eliminates editor position from Madison County Eagle
At the very end of the Board of Supervisors meeting on September 24, the elected officials heard from someone who usually is listening when their proceedings are happening. Gracie Hart Brooks approached the microphone to report she had lost her job.
“As of about 1:30 this afternoon, the Madison County Eagle editor position was eliminated,” Hart Brooks said. “I have no idea what this means for the Eagle. It’s sad. Community newspapers are important. I’m hoping someone will step in because there’s a lot of stories to tell so hopefully they will tell their stories.”
One member of the Board of Supervisors described the situation as “a real bummer.”
The editor of the Charlottesville Daily Progress confirmed today in an email that the position has been eliminated.
“In keeping with how the editor roles at the surrounding weekly newspapers were also eliminated, The Daily Progress has assumed control of operations,” said Reynolds Hutchins.
Like many newspapers across Virginia, the Madison County Eagle is owned by Lee Enterprises. The Eagle got its start as the Madison Exponent in 1910 and combined with the Madison News in 1912. The name changed 98 years ago in 1926 2026.
Hutchins said there will continue to be a print version of the Madison County Eagle and edited in Charlottesville.
The editor of the Greene Journal, an online publication, reported the departure of Harts Brooks in an editorial posted today.
“Eliminating the editor position at The Eagle makes it just another “Ghost Paper”, like the Greene County Record and Orange County Review, publications that are spit out weekly, edited by faraway staff with a variety of articles that may or may not be pertinent to the readership,” reads the editorial.
The Greene Journal is published by a company that also published the Madrapp Recorder. The company is planning to take advantage of a new Virginia law that went into effect on July 1 that allows online publications to be considered official publications of record that can accept legally required public notices.
There’s no announcement of this on the website for Lee Enterprises, nor and of the other recent layoffs reported at their newspapers across the United States.
Lee Enterprises lays off statewide enterprise editor, loses decades of experience, Keila Szpaller, Daily Montana, September 13, 2024
Veteran sportswriters laid off by Richmond Times-Dispatch: Bad news on a lot of levels, Chris Graham, Augusta Free Press, September 25, 2024
More newsroom cuts at The Buffalo News, Jim Heaney, Investigative Post, September 27, 2024
Lee Enterprises also owns the Charlottesville Daily Progress having acquired the paper from Berkshire-Hathaway in early 2020. Since then the print version has been reduced to three days a week and Kelly Till is the publisher. Till also serves in that capacity at the Richmond Times-Dispatch, another Lee paper.
The Daily Progress is required to submit a Statement of Ownership, Management, and Circulation to the United States Postal Service. The annual subscription cost is $988 for 156 issues. A copy was published in the September 5th edition of the print newspaper.
There are sixteen owners listed in the document and none of them are from Virginia. Berkshire Hathaway is still listed as a known bondholder, mortgagee, or other security holder.
The Progress last filed this statement on June 22, 2024. They listed there were 2,881 printed copies of the paper on the date of the closest filing. Of these, 2,437 were paid for by subscribers. Additionally, 6,922 people paid for electronic copies and the total distribution is listed as 9,376.
Town Crier Productions is a paying subscriber of the Charlottesville Daily Progress.
Week Ahead Addendum: Sister Cities Commission and Tree Commission updates
Every Sunday (and the occasional Monday) I write a newsletter that previews what’s coming up at local meetings. Sometimes I do not post agendas for upcoming meetings because they’ve not been posted yet.
That was the case for the Charlottesville Sister Cities Commission which meets this afternoon at 4:30 p.m. in City Space. (agenda) (agenda packet)
This meeting will feature a report on a trip to France for the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Besancon from Charlottesville Mayor Juandiego Wade.
There will also be a report from one of the groups that received a grant from the Commission. Benjamin Bernard will talk about the Sisters Revolution podcast.
“Through four episodes released weekly in Spring 2024, historian Benjamin Bernard, Ph.D. and audio producer Sage Tanguay explore the legacy of the American and French Revolutions through the sister city relationship between Charlottesville, Virginia, USA and Besançon, France,” reads the website for the program
The Tree Commission meets at 5 p.m. in the Parks and Recreation Department’s office in the Market Street Parking Garage. (agenda)
Urban forester Steve Gaines will provide updates on a plan to replace trees on the Downtown Mall as well as the next round of invasive species on city properties. The department recently won an award for that work from the Virginia Parks and Recreation Society as I reported last week.
The Board of Architectural Review will have a work session on the cafe spaces leased out to restaurants on the Downtown Mall. There is no information available in advance.
More reading material for #738
Roads closed after flash flooding in Greene County, Charlottesville Daily Progress (paywall), September 29, 2024
Four top 5th District GOP officials ousted for not supporting McGuire, Markus Schmidt, Cardinal News, September 30, 2024
University of Virginia business school is building student housing, Mike Kennedy, American School and University, September 30, 2024
U.Va. hazing investigator leaves amid criticism over case handling, Thomas Baxter and Ford McCracken, Cavalier Daily, October 1, 2024
Notes for the end of #738
There were no stories written at 7:30 a.m. this morning when I sat down to work. Now there are six, and links to many other stories.
I wrote about the Madison County Eagle because I think it’s important for people to know about many of the structural changes happening in the journalism industry. Madison County is just outside of the geographic range I’ve selected for this publication, but I would like to work with others to make sure people know what’s happening.
I pour myself into this work seven days a week because access to public information is crucial for a democracy to function. This is the work I want to do, and this is a profession I want to help nurture.
That’s why I’m a business and why I’m doing things like telling readers where the things that look like advertising come from. Today’s first shout-out today comes from a subscriber who pays through Substack and also contributes through Patreon. The second shout-out comes through a $25 a month Patreon package.
This may not seem like a lot, and maybe it isn’t but there were no stories written at 7:30 a.m. and now I’ve written six which will hopefully give you more information than you had when you began to read it.
I’ve got a long way to go to make this a business, but I am confident I’m heading in the right direction. And I am grateful to Ting for providing a sponsorship where they match the initial payment anyone makes toward a paid subscription through Substack.
This is an incredibly generous sponsorship, and if you sign up for service and you are within Ting’s service area, enter the promo code COMMUNITY you’re going to get:
Free installation
A second month for free
A $75 gift card to the Downtown Mall
