The week in review
Biggest bummer for Meadowcreek Parkway opponents: U.S. Western District Judge Norman Moon tosses a lawsuit from the Coalition to Preserve McIntire Park that claims the Federal Highway Administration unlawfully split the road into three segments to dodge environmental scrutiny, Sean Tubbs reports for Charlottesville Tomorrow.
Biggest hurdle overcome for Meadowcreek Parkway supporters: See above.
Worst parking: A van slams into the YMCA childcare center on Westfield Road May 29, WINA reports. No one was injured, but the facility is closed May 30 to be checked out for structural damage.
Latest blow for Jessica Lewis: The Crimora woman whose fiery crash last November killed her daughter and ex-husband is indicted by a grand jury June 4 for DUI manslaughter, NBC29 reports.
Latest on former CHS football player Vernon Howard: In 2002, Howard made news off the field for beating up white and Asian UVA students, and was sentenced to six months house arrest. In 2007, he was charged with 10 felonies for allegedly firing a gun into an occupied minivan in Culpeper, and according to court records, appears to have served 10 days on a disorderly conduct charge. Howard is back in the arrest reports again, picking up public drunkenness charge May 22, and a trespassing charge May 31.
Latest child porn possession arrest: A Nelson grand jury indicts Ned Douglass May, 64, of Nellysford for four counts of reproducing child pornography, according to Nelson County Life.
Grimmest discovery: A man's body is found floating in Lake Anna May 30 near Millpond Bridge and is identified as Robert Coleman Adams, 60, of Roanoke. Authorities believe he had been fishing and do not assert foul play, the Progress reports.
Boldest research proposal: UVA Med School dean Steven T. DeKosky joins Mount Sinai's chair in Alzheimer's research, Sam Gandy, to call for genetic testing of high school athletes and potential military personnel to see if they're at increased risk for dementia from repeated head injuries, according to a release. The high-profile suicides of former NFL players Junior Seau and Dave Duerson highlight the risks of repeated head injuries, and those genetically predisposed are 10 times more likely to develop dementia late in life.
Best UVA MFA writer: Gregory Jackson wins the Henfield Prize in Fiction for his short story, "The Sort of Thing Micah Heard." The Henfield is a prestigious award for emerging writers and awarded at four top creative writing programs, according to a release, and it comes with $10,000.
Best Hook credit in the Washington Post: "The sorry fate of tech pioneer Halsey Minor and historic Virginia estate Carter’s Grove" by Elizabeth Lesly Stevens tracks the deterioration of Colonial-era jewel Carter's Grove– and the fortunes of the man who owns it, and cites a Charlottesville weekly.
Best time to check out Shenandoah National Park: Saturday, June 9, when admission is free in celebration of National Get Outdoors Day. All 396 other national parks will also waive admission that day.
Worst place to keep your stash: In the storage unit where you're illegally living, as Stauntonian Michael J. Hudlow Sr., 49, allegedly finds out after he's arrested with several pounds of pot, according to the News Leader. The previous week, more than 30 storage units at Braden & Van Fossen were found with damaged or cut locks, leading police to stepped up patrols. Hudlow also is charged with possession of burglary tools.
Most open to drones: After Governor Bob McDonnell says domestic use of them would be "great," he is immediately slammed by the Rutherford Institute's John Whitehead in a letter that reminds the governor of the U.S. Constitution.
Most unusual anniversary: "Tennis shoes on power line turn 10" is an item from Scottsville Weekly about sneakers that allegedly have been hanging in the air over Dorrier Park for a decade.