December 23rd, 2004 issue #0351

December 23rd, 2004

Passion and fear: 2004 review of the year

A hooded prisoner at Abu Graib. Same-sex couples lined up at San Francisco's City Hall. Howard Dean's immortal "yarrrgggghhh!" These are the indelible images of 2004. It was an emotional year. Passion and fear mobilized millions of normally apathetic Americans and sent them scurrying to the polls in record numbers. Could it be that the lesson learned in 2000– that one vote really can make a difference– made us take our civic duties more seriously?

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The week in review

Biggest bomb scare: A US Airways Express jet makes an emergency landing at the Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport December 16 after a man who missed the Knoxville flight in ...

Metro's end: Closure wrapped up a surprising year

The end of an era: Metro When Metro closed in July, the news flew over the Atlantic, past France, and hit me smack-dab in the heart of Italy. Could the closure of Ch...

Predictions for 2005?

INTERVIEWS AND PHOTOS BY JEN FARIELLO Cindy Neely: "I'd rather talk about my hopes for 2005. The end of the war, bring our troops home, stability in the Middle East, and ...

Round Up

Quickest Turnaround APPEARED IN THE HOOK: March 25, 2004, in issue 0312 ADDRESS: 1915 East Market Street ASKING PRICE: $342,500 SELLING PRICE: $342,500 DAYS TO CONT...

$old

ALBEMARLE 11/3 Jerry M. Rainey to Linda J. Sifri, 0.211 acres at 300 Westfield Road, Wynridge subdivision, $197,800. Hobe Sound Management II LLC to Gene and Janet ...

Commercial construction permits

ALBEMARLE 12/9 Rio Associates Ltd, Dumbarton Properties Inc., remove two interior walls, add one interior wall for tenant upfit, Classic Kitchens, $500. Old Dominio...

Breathtaking: Greenleaf Terrace-- a Belmont wannabe?

ADDRESS: 1614 Oakleaf Lane ASKING: $389,000 BUILDING: 2,738 fin. sq. ft., 104 unfin. LAND: 0.28 acres YEAR BUILT: 1947 NEIGHBORHOOD: Greenleaf Terrace CURB APPEAL: 7 of 10 ...

Finally Off the Block!

APPEARED IN THE HOOK : May 22, 2003 in issue 0220 ADDRESS: 924 Rugby Road DAYS TO CONTRACT: 510 ASKING: $840,000 SOLD FOR: $706,000 SELLER'S AGENTS: Owner, Douglas Mur...

Property auctions

January 6, at 1pm, at the Albemarle County Courthouse Property: 2.387 acres at 3171 Fox Mountain Road, Free Union Debtor: unknown Amount owing: $135,451 Bidder brings: $12...

Vitamin V: Rising to the varsity squad

Vitamin V is Viagra. Viagra has changed the world. I think it has changed the world more than Krispy Kreme Donuts, Bodo's Bagels, green apple martinis, and Tempur Pedic mat...

To the dogs: The Dave nods through Fern

Soon you'll be able to have a three dog night with Dave Matthews! Next month (February 18 to be exact) he'll be on theater screens in the girl-and-her-dog flick Because of...

Pure grandeur: Spellbinding sound-scapes

>>Ostinato: Left Too Far Behind (Exile On Mainstream Records) F**k Phil Spector. Ostinato's Left Too Far Behind has the real Wall of Sound. The distortion on t...
Seasonal mix: Ho-ho-ho'ing around the town

Jeff Decker Quartet at Miller'sJamal Millner at the OutbackJay Pun at Michael's BistroWednesday, December 15 On December 15 at Miller's the smoke was pretty damn bad. Luck...

C&O takeover: Tracking changes on December 20

For many locals, "C&O" means fine dining, but for train buffs, it's a historic rail line that slices east to west through Charlottesville– and one that's undergoi...
Fervent: Stauntonians talk religion in schools

Taking elementary children out of school for Bible study, the subject of the Hook's May 27 cover story, is both a time-honored and controversial tradition in the Shenandoah...
Growing pains: Developer sues Albemarle

When the Albemarle County Planning Commission voted down Richard Spurzem's plans to build a shopping center in an area on Pantops zoned for shopping centers, he'd had enoug...
Predictions: Balls of Crystal 2005: What does next year hold?

It's that time of year again, time to reflect on the past and peer into the future. As 2003 came to a close, we gazed deep into our balls of crystal and came up with three ...
Rail to fail? Bristol senator blamed for impending doom

Plans for a new commuter rail service that could have given Charlottesvillians two new options to reach D.C. each morning may have been dealt a fatal blow– ironically...
Venueless: Amphitheater won't be ready for Fridays

Fridays After 5 is looking for temporary lodgings to start the 2005 season. Ground broke on the new Coran Capshaw-run amphitheater almost as soon as the last notes of the 2...

Messed up: Tidy workspace earns respect

Here's a way to kill your career: Have a messy office. These are things that people with messy offices say: My work gets done; I know where everything is; people are too co...

2004: the highs and lows

Toughest Expectations: Redskins fans entered the fall football season with an inspiration worthy of the Skins' glory days. The return of legendary coach Joe Gibbs, who led ...

Foggy bottle: That little cloud is just gas

DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. Fizz-icists, what are a beer cloud, a Coke cloud, and a champagne cloud? –A.G. Candler A. The wispy cloud in the neck of...

Meeting a need: Lessons are just the beginning

To an inspired hand, a piano represents hope, possibility, and passion. But sometimes it's just a big piece of unused furniture. Enter Abigail Needham. The Juilliar...

'Genteel' says it all

Published December 23, 2004, in issue 0351 of the Hook The sentiments expressed by Daisy Stevens Rojas in "Why American foxhunting survives" [Essay, December 9, 2004] are v...
Flouting the rule of law

I've been following the Razor Wire vs. Rivanna Trail case [Cover story, "Slashed: Presley's razor wire claims collateral damage," December 9, 2004]. In a normal world, when...
Fox not into the 'spirit'

In response to Daisy Rojas' essay on foxhunting in Virginia [Essay, December 9, 2004], I seriously doubt that the pursued fox "gets into the spirit of things." The animal i...
Hook needs to let it go

As a regular reader and regular hiker, walker, runner on the Rivanna Trails, I ask you to stop writing about the razor wire/private property issue [Cover story, "Slashed: P...
Injury requires stupidity

I read with interest your reporting on the razor wire case [Cover story, "Slashed: Presley's razor wire claims collateral damage," December 9, 2004] and the property rights...
Leaflets came from CIA

The recent article, "Leafleting: Looking for a few white separatists" [News, December 9, 2004] alerted me that the CIA conducted a psychological operation in Charlottesvill...
Razor case going federal

No doubt many worried women are secretly snickering at the visualization of the serial rapist having his spheroids severed by the razor wire [Cover story, "Slashed: Presley...

Cultural calendar, December 23, 2004 - January 6, 2005

THURSDAY, December 23 WALKABOUT Mountain Holiday: Celebrate a traditional Virginia Christmas with holiday craft workshops, horse-drawn carriage ...