The week in review
Worst way to get out of going to court: The Louisa Sheriff's Office is looking for 38-year-old Danielle Messineo, whom they say has made bomb threats on days she was scheduled to appear in court in Louisa, Culpeper, and Orange counties. According to a release, Messineo was arrested, posted bond– and then failed to show up in court.
Worst crash: Shirley Newton, 59, of Dillwyn dies April 23 in a single vehicle accident on Scottsville Road. Newton was a passenger in the northbound car that slammed into a tree near Avon Road Extended, and she's the fourth Albemarle fatality this year. The elderly driver is in critical condition, according to police.
Most UVA students under arrest: Three are arrested for offenses stemming from a stolen credit card used to buy booze and food, according to the DP. Jake Mauriello, 22, is charged with credit card theft. Alvaro Anspach, 18, and Henry Borgeson, 19, are charged with credit card forgery.
Most delegates: John Douglass of Fauquier is seeking the Democratic nomination to challenge Republican incumbent Robert Hurt for the 5th District congressional seat. After the Albemarle Dem caucus April 23, Douglass says he has enough to win the May 19 convention, but opponent Peyton Williams has not conceded, NBC29 reports.
Most endowed: Charlottesvillians Gordon and Mary Beth Smyth put up $1 million for an endowed business administration chair at Mary Baldwin College, according to the News Virginian. Joseph Sprangel is the first appointee.
Latest in David Lee Cowan's death: His friend, Brandon Maurice Jackson, 22, is sentenced to 2 1/2 years April 17 in the involuntary manslaughter shooting of Cowan in February 2011. The friends had been arguing with another group when Jackson fired a .38 caliber revolver that accidentally struck Cowan in the neck. Samantha Koon has the story in the Progress.
Latest guard to fool around with inmates in Fluvanna Correctional Center for Women: John Bernard Bland Jr., 40, is expected to plead guilty to three counts of carnal knowledge at an April 27 hearing, according to the DP.
Latest in the spitwad case: The Rutherford Institute pushes on to the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of the Spotsylvania High student Andrew Mikel, who was suspended in December 2010 for the rest of the school year for shooting small, plastic pellets at other students.
Latest zero-tolerance-run-amok case: Three middle schoolers in Orange County face expulsion and felony charges for playing with Airsoft guns during non-school hours at Orange Elementary, according to the Orange County Review. The popular toy guns violate the School Board's ban on weapons, which means the children could be expelled for 365 days and charged with a Class 6 felony.
Biggest diesel spill in water supply: Twelve gallons may have gone into the Rivanna Reservoir April 20 when a trailer used for wood chipping ends up in the water, WINA reports.
Newest Stonefield project: A 137-room Hyatt Regency will break ground shortly at the mixed-use development now under construction at the intersection of U.S. 29 and Hydraulic Road, according to the DP.
Swankiest hotel renovation: Perhaps in anticipation of a new, high-end hotel, the Boar's Head Inn finishes up a $9-million renovation that will result in 175 guest rooms and nine suites.
Swankiest squash courts: UVA Class of '91 alum Jaffray Woodriff, founder of Quantitative Investment Management, donates $12.4 million for a 33,000-square-foot squash facility at the Boar's Head Sports Club, according to a release.
Swankiest retirement party: UVA plans a professorship to honor civil rights icon/retiring history prof Julian Bond. To raise money, friends and alums are holding a May 2 gala at the Plaza Hotel Ballroom in New York co-chaired by Harry Belafonte and Dave Matthews, and emceed by comedians Wanda Sykes and Chris Tucker.
Best time to go to Shenandoah National Park: April 21-29 when admission is free during "National Park Week."