The week in review

Most name calling: WINA's Rob Schilling comes under fire for calling 5th District Democratic candidate John Douglass, a retired brigadier general, a "chickenhawk," "dupe," and "crook" for not coming on his radio show. Two Dem-leaning veterans' PACs take umbrage, and Schilling issues an apology to vets.

Most guilty pleas for child porn: Former UVA engineering student Ralph Samuel Rogers, 20, of Gordonsville, pleads guilty to 10 counts of possession August 8, the Progress reports. He faces up to 50 years in prison and $250,000 in fines when he's sentenced January 8.

Worst black eye for two professions: Former teacher and police officer Charles Farrell Long, who was indicted for possessing and selling child porn, picks up another six charges August 17 for producing child pornography and aggravated sexual battery, the Progress reports.

Worst recidivism: Former Mary Baldwin psych prof Chadwick C. Blackwell, 44, of Woodstock, three weeks away for completing three years probation for a 2009 conviction of child porn, gets arrested July 22 and charged with a new count of possession, according to the News Leader.

More worsts: James Henry Moore, 30, is charged with abduction, strangulation, domestic assault and robbery August 8 following a 911 call to the 600-block of Old Lynchburg Road. Andrew Lee Farris, 29, is arrested August 5 for rape following a gathering on Fifth Street.

Worst home invasion: Three men enter a house in the 3000-block of Burnley Station Road at around 9pm August 9, NBC29 reports. Four people were in the home, including an elderly couple. One of the victims says he was hit in the head with a gun, and was able to wrestle one of the suspects to the ground. All three fled and police are investigating.

Worst crash on I-81: A northbound tractor-trailer carrying frozen foods and a passenger bus collide around 4am August 14 in Rockingham County, closing the interstate in both directions. By 7am, seven people were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Truck driver Dean J. Crawford, 29, of Staunton, is charged with reckless driving.

Most vandalization charges: Christopher James Benck, 23, is charged with four counts of destruction of property– one in Charlottesville and three in Albemarle. According to a release, businesses and signs were damaged by his alleged graffiti in early July on West Rio, Georgetown Road, and Barracks Road Shopping Center. The Progress connects him to the tag "UCME," which might mean "You see me."

Biggest super PAC donor: Richard Baxter Gilliam of Keswick ponied up $750,000 from 2011 through 2012, according to Virginia Public Access Project. Gilliam gave $500,000 to Karl Rove's American Crossroads and $250,000 to Restore Our Future, a PAC set up to support Mitt Romney's presidential bid.

Best state for gun-running: Virginia handgun sales jump 17 percent to around 29,000 in July, the first month after the General Assembly's repeal of the the one-gun-a-month law, and 29 percent over sales in July 2011, the Washington Examiner reports.

Best treasure hunt gone bad: The VDOT Workers’ Memorial on I-64 at Afton Mountain is shut down at 11:05am August 12 after a suspicious package is found. Virginia State Police bomb technicians determine that the package is part of a GPS geocache hunt and reopen the memorial around 6pm.

Most dubious decrease: Tuition at Virginia colleges only goes up on average 4.1 percent instead of last year's 7.9 percent. Overall, tuition in the state has gone up 91 percent in the past decade, according to a release from Governor Bob McDonnell.

Most determined: Woodberry Forest quarterback Jacob Rainey's leg was amputated in September 2011, yet Rainey is trying out for his old position the end of August. The Daily Progress has the heartwarming story.

Hottest ticket: The Dalai Lama's October 11 appearance at the Paramount Theater sells out in 10 minutes August 13. More tickets go on sale August 17 for an nTelos Wireless Pavilion event, and prices start at $25.

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1 comment

Love the treasure hunt gone bad piece where Barney goes crazy over "suspicious package". Like those awesome stories from after 2001 when they'd shut down a public building 'cuz someone found sheetrock dust from some worker's boots in an elevator....Anthrax...