The week in review

Worst terrorism since last October's anthrax attacks: A sniper in the D.C. to Fredericksburg area kills six and wounds two people as they pursue the normal activities of daily life.

Worst budget news for the state's flagship university: UVA President John Casteen announces the school will reduce spending by 15 percent and raise tuition for next semester.

Best question posed concerning budget cuts in a letter from UVA faculty: The priorities revealed in raising $128 million in private money for a basketball arena at a time when academic quality is threatened.

Worst news about abduction victim Jennifer Short: Her body is found across the border in North Carolina.

Best news for those considering surgery: Virginia Blood Services assures locals the blood supply is safe after a patient at UVA dies from receiving tainted blood, and two others including one at Martha Jefferson– get sick.

Worst profiteering from drought conservation measures: Some restaurants refuse to provide tap water, forcing patrons to buy pricey bottled water.

Worst time to build a new house: All new building permits in Albemarle County come with a warning that a certificate of occupancy is not guaranteed if well or water line hookups are prohibited because of the drought.

Best boosterism: Staunton, birthplace of 28th president Woodrow Wilson, is trying to raise $20 million for a Wilson library, despite that fact he moved away before he was a year old, reports the Washington Post.

Worst town to be police chief: Louisa, which suspended its previous top cop for apparently clashing with its town manager, has suspended the chief's replacement after a tenure of less than a month, according to an Austin Graham report in the Progress.

Worst additions to the greasy fare of the Virginia State Fair: Fried Snickers and fried Oreos. Actually, we hear the fried pickles are pretty good.

Best way to rile the Virginia Campground Association: Spend money on allegedly competing state parks, as proposed by the $119 million bond referendum to be put before voters on November 5.

Worst mayhem by middle school students: A trio of boys runs amok in UVA's Gilmer Hall October 1, setting off emergency showers and an alarm when they flee through an emergency door before being apprehended on the Corner, according to the Cavalier Daily. No charges have been filed.

Best perp walk: Former Enron exec Andrew Fastow, accused of masterminding Enron's disastrous accounting strategies, wears suit, tie, and cuffs as he's escorted into a federal courthouse.

Best photo of Clifford the Big Red Dog and a local filmmaker: Paul Wagner appears to be doing a jig at Whole Foods in a Daily Progress photo by Dan Lopez.

Best find from this year's Friends of the James River cleanup: Among the more than 100 tires and a mountain of other debris on September 14, the group retrieves a Daily Progress vending machine.

Best account of a Charlottesville book club meeting in the Washington Post : Ophthalmologist Ashley Schauer invites humor columnist Gene Weingarten to attend the physician-heavy Men's Book Club of Charlottesville, a group that discusses literary selections during the 15 minute halftimes of Monday Night Football.