4BETTER OR WORSE- The week in review
Biggest rout: The Democratic machine roars back to life May 2 to oust Republican City Councilor Rob Schilling, who took in 24 percent of the vote compared to Dem challengers Dave Norris' 39 percent and Julian Taliaferro's 37 percent.
Newest Charlottesville School Board members: Ned Michie, Leah Puryear, and Juandiego Wade become the city's first elected School Board officials.
Biggest retrial: RICO-charged Louis Antonio Bryant, 29, goes to court again May 8 after a mistrial is declared in November because a juror read a Daily Progress story about the case and discussed it was other jurors.
Best wheelin' and dealin': The Albemarle Board of Supervisors votes 5-1 to allow United Land's Wendell Wood to develop 30 rural-zoned acres since he's willing to sell 47.5 acres to NGIC for $7 million– below market value, says Wood– to accommodate the Intelligence Center's expansion, Jessica Kitchin reports in the Progress.
Best snipin': Supe Sally Thomas, the nay vote in the NGIC deal, tells the board she felt the County had been bullied by Wood and put in an awkward position by the feds, who didn't appropriate enough money for the expansion, yet asked the county to accommodate it. Wood fires back, comparing a BOS meeting to going 10 rounds with Muhammad Ali, and says, "Bullying is not how I operate. It's not bullying, it's making a deal," according to Kitchin.
Biggest trailer park-buying frenzy: Habitat for Humanity buys Southwood Mobile Home Estates– its second trailer park– and plans to turn it into a mixed income community with affordable housing for the current residents who live in 371 trailers on the 100-acre parcel.
Best sign of living wage burn-out: UVA CEO Leonard Sandridge says the university cannot and will not turn over wage-setting decisions to a joint committee, and that the university pays a fair wage to classified employees, NBC29 reports.
Worst explosion: An explosion that ripped through a West Virginia home under construction April 17 burned and eventually claimed the lives of four men, including 48-year-old William Jett of Charlottesville.
Worst break for a radio guy: Popular WINA morning show host Dick Mountjoy is being treated for a malignant tumor on the base of his tongue and is on a leave of absence, the station's website reports.
Most unusual kidnapping story: A 35-year-old Augusta woman reports being abducted around 1pm April 14 near the Ivy exit on I-64 by two men– one white, one black– driving a white tractor-trailer who drive her around for 18 hours in the empty truck, physically and sexually assault her, rob her, and then drop her back off at her car around 6am the next day. Sarah Barry has the story in the DP.
Best excuse for not mowing: Charlottesville reforests and naturalizes areas in riparian buffer zones in Azalea, Jordan, Greenleaf, Quarry and Riverview parks, creating "no-mow" zones.
Worst urethra puncturing: A 17-year-old Buckingham County male is bitten by a neighbor's pit bull last weekend, according to NBC29.
Best sign it's prom time: Monticello High holds its second annual used prom dress sale May 13, and the DMV announces limo safety checkpoints at high school events around the state in mid-June.
Biggest made-for-TV stir: ABC's Fatal Contact: Bird Flu in America prompts Albemarle County to issue a pre-emptive fact list to stanch the flow of "misinformation" from the movie. The County suggests, among other things, stockpiling food and medicine– and frequent handwashing.
Smartest places to live: On Kiplinger's list of 50, Richmond and Virginia Beach come in at numbers 26 and 38 respectively, edging out Charlottesville at number 39, as does #23, Fargo, North Dakota.
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