4BETTER OR WORSE- The week in review
Sharpest spin: Both sides claim they're pleased August 30 following a judge's decision that UVA doesn't have to turn over a global-warming scientist's emails to Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli. The AG says Judge Paul Peatross gave his office a helpful framework for issuing new civil investigative demands; the University of Virginia claims victory for academic freedom even as the judge seemed to reject that theory.
Most unusual spin: Fifth District independent candidate Jeff Clark filed for bankruptcy in 1993 and has a history of unpaid bills, Brian McNeill reports in the Daily Progress. Clark says he'll resign if the leaker of his finances comes forward "in the interest of full disclosure and transparency."
Most anti-media spin: Charlottesville and Albemarle hold closed meetings about the revenue-sharing agreement and areas for more collaboration. Members defend the secrecy, and Albemarle Supervisor Rodney Thomas says they can get more done without the "news media's interference," according to Brandon Shulleeta in the Progress.
Fieriest arrests: Two Greene teens are charged August with torching the Ruckersville Baptist Church on August 22. Sean Douglas Heiderscheidt, 18, and a 17-year-old are charged with two felonies connected with the church arson and break-in as well as a felony count for the vandalism of a nearby cemetery, and a misdemeanor. According to the Daily Progress, both were denied bail and deemed threats to the community by Judge Susan Whitlock.
Fieriest treats: A seven-year-old boy trying to toast marshmallows burns his grandparents' home on Balbion Drive. No one is injured in the August 24 blaze that causes the house to be declared a total loss.
Biggest computer glitch: A foul-up shuts down 26 state agencies August 25, and the DMV– as of six days later–- is still unable to process driver's licenses. Governor Bob McDonnell orders an investigation.
Most eye-popping legal fees: The $2.2 million award of attorneys' fees to Halsey Minor, revealed last month, is allowed to stand August 25 on top of the $4.2 million in damages he won in the Landmark Hotel debacle between Minor and developer Lee Danielson.
Most girl-on-girl action: The Fluvanna Correctional Center for Women has the highest rates of sexual misconduct in the country, according to a national survey by the Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports the 1,235-inmate prison in Troy has high rates of both inmate-on-inmate victimization and staff sexual misconduct, with six percent of those surveyed alleging staff encounters, about a third of them without force or pressure. Of those surveyed, 11.4 percent report inmate-on-inmate incidents.
Most candidates: Fifteen people put their name on the list to finish Brian Wheeler's term on the Albemarle School Board, which hopes to narrow the list this week and possibly appoint a candidate within two weeks, according to Shulleeta in the DP.
Worst news for those dependent on public transportation: The fancy, re-branded Charlottesville Area Transit buses won't be running on either Sunday, September 5 or Labor Day, Monday, September 6.
Worst news for county farmers: Police fire up the military helicopter August 25, find 10 pot gardens in the southern and western parts of Albemarle and seize 485 marijuana plants, the Newsplex reports.
Best get: Archibishop Desmond Tutu joins UVA's fall Semester at Sea, setting sail August 27 from Halifax, Nova Scotia. The 1984 Nobel Peace Prize winner for his work to end apartheid in South Africa launches an eponymous Distinguished Chair in Global Understanding. The 100-day cruise includes a stop in Cape Town.
Latest Mark Lane client: One of the Real Housewives of DC, who sics Lane on Comedy Central and Gawker for suggesting that Lynda Erkiletian's modeling agency offers other services on the side, the Washington Post reports.
Smartest place to live: Charlottesville makes The Atlantic's list of America's Brainiest Cities.
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