The week in review

Published online 9:00am Thursday Feb 28th, 2002
and in print issue #0104 dated Thursday Feb 28th, 2002

Worst case of NIMBYism: Eleven Keswick property owners, who live in a rural area zoned agricultural, oppose a new agricultural venture, Keswick Vineyards, reports Peter Savodnik in the Daily Progress. Residents call the frames for the grapevines “hideous” and are so concerned about the threat of drunken wine tasters terrorizing windy Keswick roads that they wrote to the state Alcoholic Beverage Control complaining about the 53-acre vineyard and its plans to produce 10,000 cases of wine a year.

Best prospects for finding out how Meriwether Lewis really died: Senator Frank Murkowski (D, Alaska) requests that the National Park service exhume Lewis’ body before the bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark expedition to solve the mystery of whether his death was a murder or suicide.

Worst news for damage control after a night of careless love: The House of Delegates rejects a bill to allow emergency contraception without a doctor’s prescription. Fun-crushing local delegates Rob Bell and Steve Landes (Augusta) vote against the measure, according to a WINA report.

Best news for C-SPAN fans: The Virginia Senate votes to televise its sessions.

Worst news for in-state students attending UVA: The $4,197 cost of tuition and fees are on the rise.

Worst traffic hazard: Cows in the road on SR 810! (according to a WINA traffic report).

Best news for the 53 Albemarle County school employees who don’t make a living wage: The school board agrees that no employee should make less than $8 an hour.

Worst case of outside agitating: Former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke’s new group, the European-Unity and Rights Organization, asks the FBI to investigate alleged civil rights violations in the attacks of UVA students, suggesting that Charlottesville police are trying to cover up racially motivated crimes, reports Reed Williams in the Daily Progress. The FBI declines to conduct its own investigation.

Worst news for hometown authors: Barnes & Noble cancels a book signing for In the Company of God and Evil by Value America founders Craig Winn and Ken Power, who sign books outside the store.

Best example of philanthropy by a local dot.bomb millionaire: Winn will donate a portion of the proceeds of his self-published book to Jerry Falwell’s Falwell Ministries.

Worst blow to local conservatives: Former delegate Peter Way and number-cruncher Paul Wright step down from the Conservative Coalition.

Best attempt at mitigating legislation that brings religion into schools: After both houses in the General Assembly approve legislation requiring posting of “In God We Trust” in Virginia’s schools, the Senate adds an amendment requiring the state to fund the motto posting, thus postponing it indefinitely.

Worst example of a successful program that may be slashed by the General Assembly: Charlottesville’s drug court costs $4,000 a year compared to $22,000 to incarcerate a drug offender, according to Delegate Mitch Van Yahres’ weekly report.

Best effort by a City Council candidate’s mom: Janis Jaquith, mother of Waldo, stands at the corner of McIntire Road and Water Street last Friday morning greeting commuters with other sign-carrying Waldo supporters.