4BETTER OR WORSE: The week in review
Wildest fox: Two people are bitten August 26 in the Lambeth Field area of UVA, and police fear the creature could be rabid.
Even odder fox behavior: It allegedly steals a sweater, according to police reports.
Worst door-to-door salesman: A man with a permit to sell magazines, Jack Gardenhire, 23, is charged with robbery after he allegedly pushes his way into a residence and police find him near the scene with a stolen laptop, the Progress reports.
Most surprising plea: Gregory Briehl, the former spiritual leader and counselor arrested and convicted in 2006 for illegal filming and slated for another trial September 1, entered a surprise Alford plea August 26 to one count of possession of child pornography, the Daily Progress reports.
Biggest evacuation: More than 50 homes are emptied August 25 in the Twin Lakes subdivision near Ruckersville, and residents are kept out of their homes until the next morning when a resident discovers a relative's military keepsakes, including one that appeared to be a device containing nerve gas. The bomblet turns out to be harmless.
Biggest harvest: Buckingham authorities seize 230 pot plants and allege they're worth nearly $700K., the Newsplex reports. No arrests were made, and multiple people are under investigation.
Biggest consolidation: A committee is recommending closing Albemarle's Red Hill, Scottsville, and Yancey Elementary Schools– which combined have just 525 students and the prospect of only 75 more over the next decade, according to Brandon Schulleeta in the Progress.
Biggest coming brouhaha: The 7pm September 29 public hearing on the proposed closings. "You better bring your breakfast with you," says one would-be attendee.
Latest tragedy for Virginia Tech: Sophomores David Metzler, 19, and Heidi Childs, 18, are found shot to death August 27 in the nearby Jefferson National Forest.
Biggest loss of a UVA Law alum: Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy dies August 26 after a year fighting brain cancer.
Best Kennedy recollections: The youngest member of the Kennedy clan lived in Montvue off Barracks Road and was quite the eligible Charlottesville bachelor, longtime friend Barry Battle tells the Newsplex. He met future wife Joan Bennett during his first year, ice skated with her on the pond in Bellair, and was a good student who occasionally liked to party, Battle recalls.
Best commemoration of Hurricane Katrina: Four years after the devastation, the Charlottesville-based Building Goodness dedicates a community center in Pearlington, Mississippi, designed by architect Joe Celentano from VMDO, construction managed by Jack Horn Jr. of Martin Horn, and built with the labor of 400 Charlottesville volunteers. The 6,000-square-foot center officially opens August 29.
Best opportunity for low-income families who need help with a home repair: Darden students in collaboration with Building Goodness are looking for projects for the spring. Contact Building Goodness in April, c/o Darden Foundation, PO Box 7726, Charlottesville, VA 22906.
Worst baby-sitters: Deputies charged Amber Nikole Cole, 19, of Greenville, and Stephanie Fawn Hagy, 18, of Raphine, with felony neglect and underage possession of alcohol after the two women allowed an 11-year-old Augusta County boy to get high from smoking marijuana and huffing aerosol, according to a report by Tony Gonzalez in the News-Virginian.
Biggest political uproar: Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell tries to distance himself from his 20 years-ago position paper lamenting the rise of feminism and abortion– and even a Supreme Court ruling permitting contraception. McDonnell's masters thesis also said government policy should favor married couples over "cohabitators, homosexuals, or fornicators."
Best news for iPhone users: AT&T debuts high-speed 3G mobile broadband service August 26.
Best end-of-summer road trip: NBC's Today Show picks Charlottesville as one of four weekend getaways and gives a plug to the Clifton Inn.
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