4BETTER OR WORSE- The week in review
Biggest happening after the Hook's presstime: Republicans will choose one candidate out off seven from its June 8 primary to challenge Congressman Tom Perriello in November.
Biggest scofflaw: Brian O' Connor, campaign manager for Republican candidate Jim McKelvey, who has campaign signs illegally plopped all over the place in the public right of way, says, "The law is the law. If someone complains and wants the signs to come down, I'd be happy to comply. But every campaign had to do it." Brian McNeill has the story in the Daily Progress.
Most disturbing alleged sexual assault: Commonwealth Avenue resident Hector "Perez" Vazquez, 27, is charged with raping a 9-year-old. Albemarle police say he sexually assaulted the girl at least three times in May.
Least Mirandized: During the same week that the U.S. Supreme Court rules a suspect verbally has to invoke his right to remain silent, William Andrew Martin, 20, of Lovingston gets all 14 charges dropped because the judge says he was not adequately advised of his rights, the Nelson Times reports. Martin and his 19-year-old brother Chad Edward Martin were accused of stealing and crashing seven vehicles during a January snowstorm. The younger Martin is convicted of 10 counts June 1.
Latest Journey through Hallowed Ground speakers: Actor Richard Dreyfus and Gettysburg producer/director Ron Maxwell are headliners for the Hallowed Ground conference June 22-23 at Darden. Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, was scheduled to attend the event until the unfortunate videotaping of her attempt to sell access to her ex, Prince Andrew.
Worst loss of a scholar: Norman A. Graebner, 94, the UVA prof considered an expert on U.S. diplomatic history who wrote or edited more than 20 books, was the Edward R. Stettinius professor of modern American history and the Randolph P. Compton professor of history, and who received the Thomas Jefferson Award, dies May 10.
Worst loss of a former UVA athletic director: Jim Copeland, Lane High/UVA grad, Cleveland Browns player and UVA's AD from 1987 to 1994, when he took the same job at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, dies June 4 after a long bout with cancer, Jerry Ratcliffe reports in the Progress.
Worst variation on the Twinkies defense: Admitted wife-slayer Phillip Kingery pleads guilty in Franklin County June 3 and blames the shooting of his spouse on steroid use and coffee, particularly Starbucks coffee, the Newsplex reports.
Worst cemetery shooting: A woman is airlifted from Rock Gate Cemetery in Crozet around 3pm June 6, according to the Progress. Police have not identified the 30-something woman, and are still investigation whether her wound was self-inflicted.
Best poster boy for Innocence Project: Sheriff Chip Harding joins the organization that has helped exonerate more than 250 people wrongfully convicted of crimes. The long-time advocate of DNA databases touts the fact that DNA can also prove innocence, and says he was inspired by Albemarlean John Grisham's book, The Innocent Man.
Best op-ed piece in the Post: Jefferson Area Tea Party founder Bill Hay, campaign manager for 5th District candidate Laurence Verga, opines that lack of consensus among the tea party members harms the movement. Case in point: Seven Republican candidates seeking the nomination.
Most candy: House Minority Whip Eric Cantor raises the most money with his leadership PAC– $2.1 million– and spends $13,400 on candy, chocolate, and popcorn, according to the Washington Post.
Biggest checkpoint: Albemarle police stop 679 vehicles, pull 42 over for further scrutiny, and arrest four people for driving under the influence at a Saturday night, June 5, checkpoint on Ivy Road in front of the Emergency Communications Center.
Biggest switcheroo: ESPN 840 AM radio in Greene County powers down June 30 and will be reborn as nonlocal religious programming, Bryan McKenzie reports in the DP.
#