4BETTER OR WORSE- The week in review

Published online 8:00am Thursday Jun 22nd, 2006
and in print issue #0525 dated Thursday Jun 22nd, 2006

Worst déjà vu: With rain levels nearly a foot below normal, Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority issues a drought watch June 19, calling for voluntary water conservation. Mandatory restrictions loom ahead, as in 2002, if it doesn't start pouring.

Worst police corruption scandal: Two Charlottesville cops accused of accepting bribes of sex and money from a former nightclub/escort service owner plead guilty June 19 to lying to federal agents, according to the Daily Progress. Officers Roy Fitzgerald, 46, and Charles Saunders, 47, face five years in prison when they're sentenced in September for turning a blind eye to the allegedly illegal activities of Charles M. Phillips, manager of the now-defunct Max.

Least surprising lawsuit: Former UVA employee Dena Bowers files a $1-million civil suit against the university and four officials, claiming she was wrongfully terminated after she sent a widely distributed email about the local NAACP on her work account and then refused to divulge the source of the NAACP report, according to Aaron Kessler in the DP.

Best pork barrel: UVA's South Lawn project gets $2 million for a pedestrian crossing, thanks to House Appropriations Committee member Virgil Goode.

Biggest shortfall: With the $130-million, 15,000-seat John Paul Jones Arena set to open August 1, UVA starts June with only $112 million in cash and pledges for the project, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports.

Latest government regulation of hospitality: The General Assembly closes an alleged loophole that allows adults to serve alcohol to their guests. Effective July 1, parents can still serve alcohol to their underage child, but it's illegal to offer your kid's 20-year-old friend a beer unless his own mommy is there.

Latest response to government spying: For the second time, the ACLU, on behalf of 802 citizens, asks the Virginia State Corporation Commission and Attorney General's office to investigate telecommunications companies that turned over customer phone records to the National Security Agency.

Last City Council meeting: Councilors Blake Caravati and Rob Schilling bid au revoir June 19, Caravati after two terms, including two years as mayor, and Schilling after one term.

Worst week for motorcycle riders: Augusta resident Gary A. Agee, 20, dies June 11 after crashing at an alleged speed of 150 mph, according to the Staunton News-Leader. And Pittsburgh Steeler quarterback Ben Roethlisberger flies through the air in a June 12 wreck and has surgery for a broken jaw.

Most likely to have a fatal auto accident: Senior citizens who are sober, seat belted, and pull out in front of an oncoming vehicle during the day, according to a study by UVA Assistant Professor Richard Kent and research assistant Basem Henary in conjunction with Toyota.

Worst exodus of UVA football players: Grambling State University (who?) signs three players– cornerback Philip Brown and defensive linemen Chris Johnson and Vince Redd, according to the Progress. And former WAHS football player Bryan Lescanec, who pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault after allegedly groping a woman at AJ's Bar and Grill February 1, will be playing this fall for JMU instead of UVA.

Best news for Waynesboro (and western Albemarle) shoppers: Target and Kohl's are likely tenants of the soon-to-be redeveloped Waynesboro Outlet Village, according to the DP.

Best wisdom from the June 16-17 Virginia Blog Summit at UVA: The Washington Post's Michael Shear, according to the Beltway Blogroll, tells the assembled bloggers: "You are pundits. You are aggregators of other people's work. You are analysts. You are political activists. You are gossips. You are agitators. You are not journalists."