The week in review
Biggest countdown: Will they stay or will they go? Charlottesville withdraws the welcome mat (permit) for Occupy Charlottesville in Lee Park with an 11pm November 29 deadline, after the Hook has gone to press.
Biggest mark-up: Charlottesville usually charges park permit-holders $50 per four hours for electricity, and Jefferson Area Tea Party chair Carole Thorpe calculates that for the month Occupy Charlottesville has camped in Lee Park, its bill would be around $9,000. NBC29 reports that the park's most recent bill is $36.24, which Thorpe suggests City Councilors, rather than taxpayers, pay.
Biggest flip of the switch: North Anna Power Station, which has been shut down since the August 23 earthquake, resumes full power November 28.
Latest bike-car collision: A cyclist rounding a Rougemont Avenue curve on the wrong side of the road hits a car and its windshield November 28, according to city police. The non-helmet-wearing biker was taken to UVA Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries, and charges are pending.
Latest assault on privacy: Short Pump Town Center uses a technology called FootPath that tracks customers' cellphone signals as they move from store to store, but quickly abandons it when the ACLU objects and calls on customers to complain, according to an ACLU release.
Longest drug sentences for which taxpayers will be paying: The last two members of a meth ring, Cynthia Haldane, 27, and Esteban Salmeron-Duque, 34, are sentenced in U.S. District Court November 22 for using Charlottesville as a distribution center, according to a press release. Haldane gets 72 months and Salmeron-Duque 180, after which he'll be deported to Mexico.
Closest call: A candle left burning sparks a fire at 600 Brandon Avenue November 27 and the smoke detector. Adjacent residents call the fire department, and damage is minimal.
Worst loss of a UVA student: Fourth-year engineering student Jonathan Hukari in his apartment November 24, the Cav Daily reports.
Worst mom: Ashley C. Williams, 26, pleads guilty November 28 to involuntary manslaughter in the starving death of her two-year-old son, D'Sean, as well as child abuse and neglect, and faces up to 20 years in prison, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports.
Most baby-faced alleged armed robber: Donald Gray, 18, is charged for a November 22 robbery of a delivery person in the 2300 block of Peyton Drive, as well a contributing to the delinquency of a minor. A juvenile also is arrested.
Most embarrassing grand larceny: Carrie Massie, 32, allegedly is caught on video stealing five wreaths and two hanging baskets July 26 from from an outdoor display at florist Sweet Williams in Fishersville, the News Leader reports. The Augusta Sheriff's Office says she was identified by a tattoo on her shoulder and by her silver Toyota Camry.
Worst driving during a parade: William C. Stevenson, 62, allegedly drives through an intersection during Staunton's Christmas parade despite a cop's warning and is charged with driving under the influence, according to the News Leader.
Worst driving by a journalist: News Virginian general manager Jonathan Hunley, 35, slams into a tree on Gordonsville Road around 2am November 22. He faces charges of driving with a forfeited license after being convicted of a DUI and failure to maintain control of his vehicle, according to the Waynesboro paper.
Most millionaires: Forbes puts Charlottesville at number 14 on its list of America's millionaire capitals, which estimates the net worth of people with incomes over $200K.
Best Citizens Commission on Human Rights song: "This Feeling of Being Lost" by the Rutherford Institute's own John Whitehead places in the top 10 of this Florida institution's contest to raise awareness about the dangers of psychiatric drugs and risks of medicating children.
Best news you can use: NBC29's Derek Waller lists the top 10 places for getting ticketed in Charlottesville, where police wrote 24,000 last year, and the Water Street parking lot comes in number 1.