December 4th, 2003 issue #0248

December 4th, 2003

Mr. Controversy: How Dietz finds the flaws

Former UVA professor Park Dietz Park Dietz has been interviewed enough to say some truly memorable things. For instance, speaking of Jeffrey Dahmer, he once called cannibalism "the last frontier of being a bad boy." But the grim peculiarity of his business– not to mention his Sherlock Holmesian persona– often distracts from his real talents.

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Park Dietz: The killing expert who knows too much

Published December 4, 2003, in issue #0248 of The Hook Andrea Yates, who drowned her five children, cannibal Jeffrey Dahmer, the Unabomber, and would-be Presidential assassin John Hinckley all had one thing in common. They were evaluated by Park Dietz. A former UVA professor, Dietz is one of America's top forensic psychiatrists. But now he finds himself sitting out one of the hottest criminal case of the new century– the "sniper trials." [See sidebar for why.–ed]

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Sidelined: Why Dietz sits out the sniper trials

The October 17, 2002 cover of the Hook Last year the Beltway snipers terrified and intrigued people as far away as Charlottesville. Remember? You stayed tuned as one after another self-anointed expert tried to make sense of the killing. Now as the panic recedes, the puzzle remains: Why did they kill?

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The week in review

Worst shopping frenzy: A female Wal-Mart shopper in Orange City, Florida, is trampled and knocked unconscious November 28 by a 6am sale crowd desperate for $29 DVD players....

C'est si bon: New "French wave" rolls through town

Napa Valley boasts the French Laundry. Charlottesville can now claim Fuel. It might seem a stretch to compare Thomas Keller's acclaimed decade-old gourmet restaurant locate...

The watchers: They won't hear of prof's politics

I was happy to learn the other day that a conservative student group at the University of Texas had published a "professor watch list" of instructors who "push an ideologic...

What do you think of the insanity defense?

Seth Alechko: "I always wondered if I would get asked one of these questions some day. People know the difference between right and wrong. This is a hard question. I think...

$old

ALBEMARLE 8/1 Manufacturers & Traders Trust Co. to Thomas Adkins, 2.35 acres at 4921 Cove Garden Road, $64,900. Thomas E. and Nelda C. Lull to Property Maintena...

Round house: Squares nicely with environs

ADDRESS: 334 Rainbow Ridge Road ASKING: $198,000 SIZE: 1,200 fin. sq. ft. YEAR BUILT: 1998 NEIGHBORHOOD: Faber, Nelson County CURB APPEAL: 7 out of a possible 10 LISTED BY:...

Still available

What happened to "On the Blocks" of the past? APPEARED IN THE HOOK: February 13, 2003, in issue #0206 ADDRESS: 1686 Taylor's Gap Road, North Garden NEW ASKING PRICE: $725,0...

Foreclosure auctions

December 11, at 9am, at the Fluvanna County Courthouse Property: 2.243 acres in Kent's Store Debtor: Frederick E. and Carolyn L. Singleton Amount owin...

Plath-tered: Suicidal tendencies are catching

Fame has its downside: paparazzi, autograph hounds, being ripped off by business managers, having trouble maintaining relationships... and the threat of being portrayed by ...

In perspective: Telling the apartheid story

Vusi Mahlasela at Starr HillNovember 25 The day after Thanksgiving has transformed into consumer day. People who wouldn't consider getting out of bed at the crack of dawn...

7,200 cuts: Tyco in major restructuring

Tyco International Ltd. will slash about 7,200 jobs as part of a restructuring plan and sell off 50 businesses, including its undersea fiber-optic network. The businesses T...
Apple-bound: Amtrak offer more NYC rides

Our little-town blues are melting away, and we have a train to thank. Starting on October 27, Amtrak extended the northbound Cardinal's service all the way up to the Big Ap...
Big whoop: Pertussis hacks local schools

For one Hook staffer, holiday plans depended on test results that wouldn't be available until 4 o'clock the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. If her middle school son tested n...
Frozen asset: Enniscorthy not for sale

Historic Enniscorthy farm raised eyebrows when it sold for a record-breaking $17 million in 2001, an all-time high for Albemarle County property. Little more than a year la...
Mouth watch: N-word sparks UVA outcry

When UVA employee Myra Larkin convened a staff meeting two weeks ago, she couldn't have known that a casual comment would result in a campus-wide uproar that included a pro...
Woof: Eat my (natural) biscuits

It looks more like an upscale gift shop than a health store. Animal Connections sells all-natural food for animals, only in a space that's better decorated than most of tho...

Brazen move: Good managers are good firers

Learning to be a good manager requires that you perform a wide range of tasks, from delegating to coaching to planning. And sometimes it requires you to perform another unp...

Experimental: Kid + magnet = no TV

DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR MCCLINTOCK Q. Your daughter brings home a fat magnet from school to do some "experiments" around the house. The next day something's wrong with the...

People person: Tucker loves theater lovers

In the battle for the soul of Charlottesville, Betsy Tucker just joined the front lines. However high the rents went in Belmont, however much Route 29 made you think you we...

Jailbreak: Superintendent Isom counts the days

Ask Superintendent John Isom when he retires as head of the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail, and he can tell you to the minute exactly how much longer before he pla...

Ciderama needs follow-up

I was very intrigued by Hawes Spencer's article, "Pulp Friction," in the November 13th edition. However, I would like to point out some additional information.
Not quite fair, but a start

Published December 4, 2003, in issue #0248 of The Hook Christina Ball's October 30 article on Fair Trade coffee [The Dish: "Fair trade? Coffee debate winds up in cup"] did ...
Our apples are safe and tasty

Published December 4, 2003, in issue #0248 of The Hook I just read Hawes Spencer's article "Pulp Fiction" in the November 13th edition of "The Hook" and found it to be very...
Story missed smaller outbreaks

The article you have written on behalf of those favoring unpasteurized juice [November 13 cover story: "Pulp Friction"] detailed a crucial fact: apple cider is a byproduct ...

Cultural calendar, December 4-11, 2003

Cultural calendar, December 4-11, 2003 THURSDAY, December 4 PERFORMANCE Swing swap: The Charlottesville Swing Dance Society holds this weekly east coast s...