The week in review
Latest UVA cheating scandal: Most of the 35 first-year grad students in economics are under investigation for sharing a homework answer key that was available online.
Most surprising resignation: On July 1, Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, 75, the first woman appointed to the nation's highest court, announces she's stepping down.
Closest short-list connection: Charlottesville resident Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III of the Richmond-based 4th Circuit Court of Appeals could be a contender for O'Connor's spot.
Latest Paul Peatross decision: Albemarle's Circuit Court judge decides not to recuse himself from hearing Public Defender's office cases in a six-page letter, according to Liesel Nowak in the Daily Progress.
Biggest turnaround: Rep. Virgil Goode plans to refund political contributions from employees of MZM Inc., a company Goode previously had supported. MZM, which is under investigation in California for buying a congressman's house for $1.675 million and then selling it soon after for $700,000, had announced plans to buy the former Technicolor building in Ruckersville.
Closest call for Amtrak service in Charlottesville: Congress votes June 29 to keep funding for the Cardinal and Crescent.
Worst Waynesboro murders: Michael F. Lawson takes off into the woods after allegedly shooting his mother-in-law, Peggy Crawley, and her father, William Ross, June 28, and shoots himself early June 29 as authorities close in.
Most unusual charge: Reproduction of obscene items. Howard Hines Jr. is charged with four felony and one misdemeanor count June 24, as well as misdemeanor stalking in Greene County. Two additional felony counts of reproduction of obscene items are filed in Albemarle County and involve two different victims.
Biggest plunge: A car carrying a couple and their dog falls 200 feet off Afton Mountain at an I-64 overlook June 30, David Kendrick reports in the Progress. All passengers escape serious injury.
Best week for Richard Scrushy: A jury acquits the HealthSouth Corporation founder of 36 counts of fraud, false corporate reporting, and making false statements June 28 after 21 days of deliberations, marking the first defeat for prosecutors pursuing CEOs.
Worst week for spy outers: Journalists Judith Miller of the New York Times and Matt Cooper of Time face jail time as early as July 6 for refusing to reveal confidential sources to a grand jury investigating the outing of CIA agent Valerie Plame. The Supreme Court refuses to hear the pair's contempt of court appeal June 27.
Best week for matrimony-inclined gays: Spain legalizes same-sex marriages June 30, joining Canada, which is expected to approve gay marriages by the end of July.
Closest wine school: Piedmont Virginia Community College gets a $20,000 grant to expand its viticulture and enology courses.
Worst loss for fans of advertising icons: Charlottesville resident Thomas Russell Rogers, 87, who created StarKist's Charlie the Tuna, the Keebler Elves, and 9 Lives' Morris the Cat, dies June 24.
Biggest concert: More than a million fans gather to watch top musicians like Bono, Paul McCartney, and a Charlottesville-based quintet perform around the world July 2 at Live 8, inspired by Bob Geldolf to raise G-8 support for Africa.
Biggest fireworks display: This year's Fourth of July display at McIntire Park, thanks to a $10,000 bump from a Charlottesville-based quintet.
Most Jeffersonian holiday: The Fourth of July at Monticello, where naturalized citizens are sworn in on the steps of the Declaration of Independence author's home on the anniversary of his death. This year, Chinese-born architect I.M. Pei speaks to the area's 76 newest citizens.