SOLs scores in, news mixed
The SOL scores are in, and in Charlottesville the news is mixed. On the bright side: the school division itself made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for the first time, as did Buford Middle and Walker Upper Elementary schools. On the downside: neither Charlottesville High School nor Clark Elementary made AYP, a benchmark set by the federal government that requires schools to show improvement in subjects and in various groups of students. For Clark, which had to offer its students a choice of other city schools after it failed to make AYP in 2003-2004 and 2004-2005, the news is particularly disappointing. When a school receives Title I funds from the federal government– as every city elementary except Venable does– failure to make AYP is a frightening development, since the government will pull those funds after repeated failures. But, according to assistant superintendent Gertrude Ivory, the little Belmont elementary school won’t face sanctions again unless it fails to make AYP a second year in a row. (1)

RIC announces Fort Lauderdale service
In its continued rise to budget powerhouse preeminence, the Capital Region Airport Commission announced August 22 that JetBlue will begin daily non-stop service to Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport from Richmond International Airport starting November 1. This cuts the drive in half for any Charlottesvillians accustomed to hopping JetBlue flights to the Florida metropolis from Dulles. # (2)

Free Wilkie!
Apparently someone in Silicon Valley has developed a taste for Charlottesville-grown bluegrass. Until next Tuesday, King Wilkie’s single “Wrecking Ball,” from their new album Low Country Suite, will be available as a free “Discovery Download” from Apple’s iTunes Music Store. In the recent past, the weekly feature has served as a launching pad to greater popularity for some artists including A Fine Frenzy (whose album One Cell in the Sea is now iTunes’ 14th best seller) and Red Light Management artists Rodrigo y Gabriela (who own the #42 spot on the best-seller list with their self-titled LP). # (0)

UVA ranked #2 public university, again
US News & World Report’s newest college rankings are out, and once again UVA is the 2nd ranked public university in the land, right behind UC-Berkeley. In 2003, UVA was the top-ranked public university. Nationally, UVA is ranked 23rd among all universities in a tie with Georgetown. For the eighth straight year, Princeton University holds the top spot, followed by Harvard, Yale, and Stanford (surprise!) (12)

Red Light signs the Decemberists
Hyper-literate indie rock fans of Charlottesville rejoice! Though it has yet to be announced on the company’s website, Red Light Management confirms that it has landed the Decemberists as its latest client. Last year, the Portland, Oregon-based band released their fourth album, The Crane Wife, a blend of progressive rock and seafaring ballads using 19th-century vocabulary that quickly became a critical darling. NPR listeners voted it the best album of 2006, ahead of releases from such heavy hitters as Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, and Tom Waits. Says Red Light executive Bruce Flohr of the signing, “We’ve become an oasis for good bands who are disillusioned by a disintegrating record business. So, we have good taste, we sat down and talked to them, and now we’re managing the Decemberists.” Is a Charlottesville concert date in the works? “I’m sure there will be at some point,” says Flohr. “We want to show off all our bands to the community.” # (0)