4BETTER OR WORSE- The week in review
Biggest change in Albemarle County: With the election to the Board of Supervisors of Rodney Thomas and Duane Snow, who join fellow Republican Ken Boyd and Democrat Lindsay Dorrier, who's often accused of voting like a Republican, a more solid 4-2 majority could weigh heavily on upcoming county tax, growth, and water issues.
Biggest vote for freshman Congressman Tom Perriello: His support of the House's health care reform package has Jefferson Area Tea Party activists calling for his head– and seat– in a November 10 demonstration in front of his Glass Building office that draws close to 100 demonstrators and an equal number of Perriello supporters.
Biggest (wo)manhunt: Approximately 1,600 volunteers turn out to scour the area November 6-8 in hopes of finding clues to Morgan Harrington's disappearance October 17.
Biggest chicken farm bankruptcy: Black Eagle Farm in Nelson County files for protection November 4, one day before it was scheduled to be sold at auction for defaulting on a $5.29 million loan from Virginia National Bank, the Progress reports. The 2,000-plus acre farm will continue to sell its organic, free-range eggs and pasture-raised beef, cattle, and goats.
Most like Colombia: Four men plead guilty November 3 to plotting to kidnap the wives of wealthy Roanoke men and hold them for ransom, WCAV reports. Sentenced to 5 1/2 years in prison November 2 are 20-year-olds Mohammed Hussein Guhad and Luke Elbino, and Joshua Kasongo, 19. Anthony Boyd-Muse, 18, receives 4½ years.
Most child porn convictions: Three area men plead guilty to kiddie porn possession November 5 in federal court. Ian A. Zearley, 28, of Charlottesville shared porn files; Mark Church, 41, of Louisa had his porn discovered by a technician when a friend took his computer in for repair; and William Kreutzer, 37, of Mineral was online with a cop pretending to be a mother who would provide him her seven-year-old girl, according to a release.
Oldest molestation case: Waynesboro man James Preston McLaughlin, 57, is arrested for allegedly molesting a now 37-year-old woman five times when she was a teenager between 1983 and 1987, according to the News Virginian. McLaughlin faces two counts of aggravated sexual battery, two counts of carnal knowledge of a child, and one count of forcible sodomy.
Latest newspaper casualty: The Cav Daily announces it will drop five Friday print editions to cut costs.
Best time to get booze ad revenue: Before the Virginia Supreme Court rules on the Attorney General's appeal to reinstate the on-campus ban of booze ads. (The Cavalier [Almost] Daily and Virginia Tech's Collegiate Times successfully sued to have ban overturned.)
Most super-sized: The Wal-Mart on U.S. 29 plans to add 35,000 square feet and become a supercenter by fall 2010, Brandon Shulleeta reports in the Progress.
Zippiest: UVA launches Zipcar, a program that makes three energy-efficient Honda hybrids and three Civics available for rental to students and staff– and residents– starting November 17 to provide an eco-friendly alternative to owning a car.
Worst place to spotlight deer: Wherever the Albemarle Sheriff's Office deploys its remote-controlled decoy deer to snare illegal hunters.
Best thing about the robo-deer: It won't dash in front cars– will it?
Best national coverage of a deer-hunting locavore: The New York Times visits Jackson Landers' "Deer Hunting for Locavores" class November 7-8 in which he bags, butchers, and cooks a deer, story to appear in "Dining and Wine" on Thanksgiving.
Best Monticello WEED certification: Oops, that's LEED certification for the new visitor center from the U.S. Green Building Council, and has nothing to do with Monticello's new random drug testing of docents and other employees.
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