Summer reads, Annual Home Issue, Soccer mom in jail

ON THIS WEEK’S COVER:
Reads: Short stories for summertime
It’s that time of year when thoughts turn to relaxing in the hammock or under the beach umbrella, and there’s nothing better to take along than two great stories by this year’s fiction contest runners-up. Our judge John Grisham called these stories “so visual I can see it on the screen” and “a hilarious story,” respectively. Take a look at John Ruemmler’s “20 Minutes’ Clarity” and Robert Walters’ “The Potato Cannon War” and judge for yourself!

ALSO IN THIS WEEK’S ISSUE
The Annual Home Issue
At a time where ever-sprouting subdivisions dictate uniformity in the world of home design, we took the opportunity in this, our annual Home Issue, to explore how those in the Charlottesville area still manage to make their homes monuments to individual expression. From unconventional bathroom design, to living in Thomas Jefferson’s houses, to gardening tips to make your lawn as unique as your living room, step inside this yearly edition, and make yourself at home.

Kelly’s plight: Incarcerated ’soccer mom’ talks at last
One month after starting her 27-month jail sentence for buying and serving beer for her son’s 16th birthday party, Kelly was more composed when the Hook spoke to her than she was in teary interviews she first gave during her first few days in the joint. Amid international media coverage, how is the former PTO president holding up? Lisa Provence has the story.

Before the flood: Even Almighty is coming
After over a year of anticipation, the locally-filmed summer blockbuster Evan Almighty finally opens nationwide on Friday. Charlottesville VIPs got a special sneak peek at a Paramount Theater premiere this week. Did Steve Carell and Morgan Freeman make a curtain call? And after over $170 million in production costs, is the movie any good? We’ve got your wall-to-wall Evan coverage.

Plus:
* Latino workers go unpaid at the Woodlands
* Author Beatrix Ost in the Hotseat
* What does it really mean to “go green?”