The week in review
Latest in last spring's Blue Ridge Parkway shootings: Ralph Leon Jackson, 57, is expected to plead guilty March 23 in U.S. District Court in Harrisonburg to fatally firing upon WNRN DJ Tim Davis, 27, and wounding Christina Floyd, who was 18 at the time Jackson attacked the pair as they watched the sunset, saying he did it because he was "crazy."
Best news for the Morgan Harrington case: Governor Bob McDonnell okays familial DNA searches of the state's DNA database to look for matches of someone related to a suspect whose DNA is not in the database. Harrington's parents hope this will provide a break in finding her killer.
Best sign it's a local-election year: Candidates begin tossing their hats into the ring, like Brown Automotive business manager Ned Gallaway, who wanted an Albemarle School Board seat two years ago. He's trying again for the at-large seat ditched by Brian Wheeler last year. Sheriff Chip Harding announces March 22 he'll run again. And City Councilor Satyendra Huja is expected to seek another term at his March 25 press conference.
Worst spate of fires: A Colthurst garage is engulfed in flames March 17, and one person suffers smoke inhalation, NBC29 reports. And a fire in an electrical box at Tom's Wheel Alignment March 18 closes Stewart Street
Worst blow to local breakfast infrastructure: A break in a water main on Emmet Street the morning of March 17 closes Bodo's Bagels on Morton, the Newsplex reports.
Worst morning commutes on U.S. 29 near North Garden: Two incidents in two days close parts of the highway. A northbound driver March 18 around 5:30am near Poorhouse Road loses control of his vehicle, crosses the median, strikes several trees and ends up in the southbound lane. The day before, a beer truck making a U-turn blocks the northbound lanes around 6:30am at Arrowhead Valley Road when its wheel gets stuck in a ditch.
Latest casualty of the 21-year-old drinking age: Kyle A. Young, 19, speeds away from cops on Three Notched Road in Crozet March 14 and is charged with underage possession of alcohol, attempt to elude, and driving outside of license restrictions.
Best St. Patrick's Day surprise: Albemarle police crack down on the day of Irish-loving revelry and no one is arrested for driving under the influence, according to a release. An Avon Street traffic checkpoint stops 700 cars and nets 46 tickets, mostly for expired inspection stickers and registrations, and a DUI patrol stops 17 vehicles and writes 15 tickets, eight of those for speeding.
Best victory in the war against zero tolerance: The Rutherford Institute convinces school officials in Chesapeake to rescind the 10-day suspension and recommendation of expulsion of seventh-grade honor student Adam Grass for allegedly possessing a bag of oregano brought in by a classmate as a prank. Grass returns to school March 18.
Best vigilance against a UN agenda that promotes sustainability: The Jefferson Area Tea Party holds a March 17 forum to alert citizens to an international "sustainability agenda" that local governments are pursuing. Charlottesville Tomorrow reports Albemarle Supe Ken Boyd's concern that an international organization could dictate to local governments and force citizens to be energy efficient.
Best how-to: In honor of Sunshine Week last week, Waldo Jaquith writes "How to Make a FOIA Request" March 17 on cvillenews.com
Best Cinderella stories: VCU and the University of Richmond end up in the NCAA men's basketball Sweet Sixteen. VCU takes on Florida State and Richmond plays Kansas, both on March 25.
Oddest Charlottesville connection: Legendary '60s LSD manufacturer Owsley "Bear" Stanley briefly attended UVA, according to his obituary in the Washington Post, before going on to psychedelic adventures with the Grateful Dead and Ken Kesey. Stanley died at age 76 March 13 in a car accident in Queensland, Australia, where he'd lived since the 1980s.