4BETTER OR WORSE- The week in review

Published online 7:00am Thursday Sep 30th, 2010
and in print issue #0939 dated Thursday Sep 30th, 2010

Best wet:After 69 days of 90-plus degrees and last week's call for voluntary water conservation, Charlottesville gets more than two inches of rain between September 26-28.

Latest Huguely news: The same day UVA holds its Day of Dialogue September 24 to understand how to prevent domestic violence after the murder of Yeardley Love, the preliminary hearing of the man accused of killing her, former boyfriend George Huguely, is pushed back from October 8 to January 21. Judge Bob Downer also turns down a Daily Progress and NBC29 request for cameras in the courtroom during the first-degree murder prelims, saying that could potentially taint the jury pool for the general trial, the DP reports.

Worst spate of gunfire: Two shootings early Sepember 26 may be related, NBC29 reports. The first is on 13th Street around 2:30am September 26. A male is injured, but flees on foot to the UVA Medical Center. The second occurs two hours later when shots are fired at a residence in the 500 block of Rougment Avenue.

Worst reaction during arrest: Kicking a cop in the face and biting an officer on the leg, which is what Albemarle police allege Jeremiah Carter, 23, of Keene did when he was detained early September 22 for a hit-and-run. Carter is charged with two counts of felony assault on an officer, reckless driving, driving on a suspended licenses, and public drunkenness.

Worst news for alleged church-burner: A 17-year-old charged in the August 22 arson of Ruckersville Baptist Church will be tried as an adult, along with 18-year-old Sean Douglas Heiderscheidt, who testified the pair consumed two bottles of Bootlegger and a half bottle of MD 20/20 the night the church was torched, according to the Progress.

Least energized: High school football teams hit the field September 24 without swigs of Red Bull after the Virginia High School League banned energy drinks during games and practice. Chip Knighton has the story in the Progress.

Biggest uproar in tennis circles: When the Boar's Head Sports Club suspends popular, longtime tennis coach Ron Manilla for not shaving his beard, a flood of emails prompt the UVA-owned facility to reinstate Manilla. Bryan McKenzie has the story in the Progress.

Biggest scofflaw: A car with New York plates ECW7667 owes $3,205 and heads the top 10 most-wanted list at UVA, reports NBC29's Henry Graff. The university recently started booting vehicles that hadn't paid their tickets, and and some of the 10 bootees have paid fines of more than $500. Offenders on the top 10 owe more than $17K.

Biggest censorship settlement: The Virginia Department of Corrections settles a lawsuit by the Prison Legal News Inc., a monthly banned by the DOC, for $125,250 and a change in some policies, Tasha Kates reports in the Progress. The censorship-prone DOC also agreed to allow third parties to purchase books for inmates after stopping Quest Institute's Books Behind Bars program, which provides free books for inmates, until Quest threatened to sue. Prison censors have also forbidden religious CDs, classic literature with sexually explicit scenes, and the Jailhouse Legal Handbook, whose publishers sued in July.

Best news for cinephiles: The Albemarle Planning Commission narrowly approves plans for a 12-screen theater in Hollymead Town Center, according to Charlottesville Tomorrow.

Best chance to try out the Meadowcreek Parkway: The Albemarle County portion of the controversial road will open October 5 as a detour for six weeks while East Rio Road is closed to complete the northern connection to the parkway.

Best get: Former first lady Laura Bush delivers the convocation September 24 at St. Anne's-Belfield.