October 14th, 2004 issue #0341

October 14th, 2004

COVER SIDEBAR- Tragic tale: From Echols Scholar to two life sentences

Until last November, when Andrew Alston was charged with the murder of local firefighter Walker Sisk, Jens Soering had the dubious distinction of being UVA's only recent student-turned-alleged murderer.

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No way out: How the state helped kill a convict

Brunswick Correctional Center On the night of January 13, 2004, an acquaintance of mine was murdered. His roommate strangled him to death. This happened in Sussex I State Prison in Waverly. My acquaintance's name was Richard Alvin Ausley, and he was a child molester.

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Save your tears: Ausley was no victim

As one of Richard Ausley's many victims, I take great offense at Jens Soering's portrayal of Ausley as a victim. Ausley's reign of terror began at a very early age and continued to the end of his life. He never showed any remorse for the harm he had caused his victims; his only concern in life was for himself and his own evil desires. He even continued to blame me (in a 2003 interview with WAVY-TV) for his assault on me.

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Dairy doings: What's ahead for Preston Ave.?

Readers of last week's Dish will recall a story on the new inhabitant of the El Girasol space a soon-to-open Brazilian-owned Italian eatery called Mamma Mia. But what hap...

Gun's safety: Drawing a gun can save your life

People are often surprised to learn that guns are used defensively by private citizens at least three times more frequently than guns are used to commit crimes. A question ...

What did you think when you heard Christopher Reeve died?

Dave Sagarin: "This will put a new focus on stem cell research and may have an impact on the national political campaign." Pete Roth: "I think it's a great loss because ...

$old

ALBEMARLE 8/9 Ellis E. and Nina S. Good to George D. Miller, 1.377 acres at 1092 Hunter's Ridge Road, Earlysville Forest, Earlysville, $246,000. Dana L. and James B...

Close the door: Big barn makes high-class house

ADDRESS: 2418 Northfield Road ASKING: $1,195,000 BUILDING: 6,400 fin. sq. ft. + 1,050 sq. ft apartment LAND: 1.87 acres YEAR BUILT: 1930 NEIGHBORHOOD: Northfields CURB APP...
What happened to on the blocks of the past?

APPEARED IN THE HOOK: July 22, 2004 in issue 0329 ADDRESS: 1009 Forest Hills Avenue ASKING PRICE: $149,900 SELLING PRICE: $142,500 DAYS TO CONTRACT: 120 SELLER'S AGENT: Ale...

Property Auctions

October 15, at 9:30am, at the Orange County Courthouse Property: 7.058 acres at 8398 Webb Road, Somerset Debtor: unknown Amount owing: $106,968 ...

Erin go bragh: Film captures Irish conference

Everyone no doubt remembers the hoopla surrounding last spring's international gathering, "Re-Imagining Ireland," at UVA. Sponsored by the Virginia Foundation for the Human...
On the road: Travels with Che and Alberto

Every young person should take a Great Road Trip, seeing the country or the world with little or no money. It's more difficult and dangerous now than it was in the 1950s wh...

Big hair lives! Morphing from cover to cover

Aquanett atOutback LodgeSaturday, October 9 I've been meaning to check out '80s hair metal cover band Aquanett ever since they first started playing at Outback Lodge a sho...
Virtuoso: Look, Ma, both hands!

Greg Howardat Miller'sMonday, October 11 In music, ambidexterity can be found everywhere– or at least I have noticed a valiant quest for acquiring the skill in the a...

Again and again: CHS attacker back in court

It's been nearly three years since a series of attacks by a group of largely black Charlottesville High youths upon largely white UVA students drew national attention and r...
Belated: Goode, Weed hold free forum

NEWS- Belated: Goode, Weed hold free forum One thing seemed a little odd about the list of seven forums that Fifth District candidates Al Weed and incumbent Virgil Goode sc...
Court Square: Brick bonanza

Court Square's year-long, $3.4 million makeover is almost done. The utility lines are buried, and although the street bricks are new, they were made to appear to be 200 ye...
Reeve, remembered: <I>Super</I> man left mark on Charlottesville

For nearly a decade, the world watched Superman actor Christopher Reeve tirelessly crusade for spinal cord and stem cell research from his motorized wheelchair. His death o...
Virginia-centric: Sandra Bullock yes, Ebert no

Sandra Bullock burst onto the American screen in 1994 with Speed, so it seems a natural fit she'd appear at this year's speed-themed Virginia Film Festival. Bullock gets th...
Young TV: The WB wants your local dollars

Into the suddenly saturated Charlottesville television market steps another contender. The WB, the network that brought us Dawson's Creek, is opening an office for WBC, the...

Read the writing: Loops and squiggles tell a lot

Handwriting analysis is no longer for freaks and psychics. Multinational companies hire handwriting analysts to understand personality traits of prospective job candidates....

SPORTS WRAP

Best primetime performance: In its 2004 TV debut, the ninth-ranked UVA football team meets the visiting Clemson Tigers, who built a 10-3 lead in the second quarter. "When y...

Bulging bellies: Myotis makes meal of meanies

DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK BY BILL SONES AND RICH SONES, PH.D. Q. Let's hear it for bats as an all-natural pesticide. Just how many inse...

Mosby's mom: Dog's slaying inspires a crusade

The letters and cards and phone calls were a big part of what pulled Carole Adams through. One letter from Maine had been addressed simply to "Mosby's Mom, Staunton, Va." "...

Curious George: Editor ludorum and the widening gyre

George Loper admits he has an agenda: to get people chatting on his website about topics that interest him. And he's disappointed when there's no controversy brewing. Becau...

Fake flower story troubled us

In its September 23 edition, the Hook published an article entitled "Grave matter: Faux flower ban riles," taking Buck Mountain Episcopal Church to task for enforcing its l...
Let's separate church, state

I agree with a few things Dr. Anderson says in his essay "Why They Kill." I disagree with his thesis, unproved and unprovable, that humans are "risen" apes. If this is true...
We're also to blame

In your articles about terrorism and religion, the authors omitted critical information to help readers understand the root causes of Middle Eastern hatred of the Western p...
Why we're #1

The Hook's September 30 cover story, Why They Kill, is a truly important article. The fact that the author, J. Anderson Thomson Jr., lives in our own "backyard," helps to e...