Snap o' the day: Open Burn
Last Saturday night, one Western Albemarle family took advantage of the repeal of the governor’s ban on open burning by igniting a pile of brush that had accumulated over the summer. There were no reported injuries. (1)

No county for young soldiers
According to Virginia State Police, on Friday, December 7, U.S. Army private Nicholas Ripplinger, 21, was traveling along I-64 West through Albemarle County on his way to his base in Kentucky when the ball on his U-hall hitch broke. He left the trailer in the median and went to Lowe’s in Charlottesville to find replacement parts, but when he returned, about 3 hours later, the trailer was gone. Albemarle County police recovered the trailer along Route 29 North on Saturday, but all the soldier’s belongings were missing. State police say 7 boxes of clothing, one lazy boy chair, military awards, 7 U.S. Army BDUs, one dress uniform, and a set of golf clubs were stolen. Ripplinger heads to Iraq in March. According to State poilce Sgt. Dave Cooper, Ripplinger’s belongings have not yet been recovered. If you have any information, call crime stoppers at 434-977-4000. (1)

Gov. Kaine visits today
Governor Tim Kaine (D-Va.) rolls in to town today, December 10, to check out one of UVA’s Eco-Mod houses at 223 4th Street SW and cut a ribbon, then it’s off to visit the folks at the Virginia Workforce Center on Hydraulic Road and preside over the grand opening of the One-Stop Career Center. It’s all part of something called Charlottesville Cabinet Community Day. Click here for the Gov’s complete schedule. (0)

Local swim coach collapses, dies
NBC 29 is reporting that Albemarle High School swimming coach, Kyle Wilson, died suddenly this morning when he collapsed at a swim meet in Annapolis, Maryland. No cause of death has been determined. Wilson also coached the ACAC Dolphins swim team and was assistant coach for the  Va. Gators Swim Team. Wilson, who was in his mid-30s, swam for Auburn University from 1989 to 1993. (4)

Snap o' the Day: Bricker's studio
Virginia Metalcrafters may have shut down, but molten metal still flows in Waynesboro. Today, foundryman Robert Bricker, at left with two assistants, poured bronze for several trophies in an art nouveau design for the National Aeronautic Association. Bricker, an artist whose studio occupies the top floor of an old fabric mill near the South River in Waynesboro, may be best known for casting the monumental statue of Arthur Ashe sculpted for Richmond by Paul DiPasquale. Bricker plays host to DiPasquale this Thursday, December 13 for a talk about their King Neptune sculpture at the McGuffey Art Center. # (0)