December 22nd, 2005 issue #0451

December 22nd, 2005

Year of living disastrously: The best and worst of 2005

Religion and politics have never been suitable topics for dinner parties– and that didn't change in 2005. But the most innocuous of topics, the weather, took a nasty turn, as if it was tired of not being taken seriously all these years.

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The week in review

Biggest rape-case aftershock: Chris Matthew, who was accused of a September 3 rape and spent five days in jail before DNA test results cleared him, files an $850,000 defama...

2005: The swinging kitchen door...

It appears that Newton's Third Law of Motion simply doesn't apply to restaurants in Charlottesville. If it did, for every restaurant that opened, there'd have to be one tha...
Ahoy! Bonefish coming ashore

In case five seafood places aren't enough for lovers of the fruits of the briny deep, The Bonefish Grill, one of OutBack Steakhouse Inc.'s seafaring offspring, will be comi...

I will: New Year's Resolutions

My resolution for 2006 is... David Slutzky: "To justify the support and confidence the Rio District voters showed me on Election Day. Robert Harllee: "To go to Italy aga...

What's your prediction for 2006?

Brian Eisenhauer: "There will be some obscenities written on the free speech wall." Janet Turner: "They'll complete the construction work going on around the city." Cli...

Round Up

Quickest turnaround APPEARED IN THE HOOK : June 16, 2005 in issue 0424 ADDRESS: 505 Ridge Street ASKING PRICE: $550,000 SELLING PRICE: $550,000 DAYS TO CONTRACT: 1 SE...

$old

ALBEMARLE 8/18 Lauren V. Rosenblatt to George Bognar, 413 Westmoreland Court, Westmoreland, $240,000. Kevin A. and Diane M. Waggett to Dorothy D. Moors, 1248 Orchar...

Commercial construction permits

Charlottesville 11/17 MTR LLC, interior demolition, 313 Second Street SE, $2,000. 11/18 One Hundred East Main Ltd., replace existing roof, 101 East Water Str...

Pristine: No taint at isolated cabin

ADDRESS: 971 Rainbow Ridge NEIGHBORHOOD: Faber, Nelson County ASKING: $925,000 COUNTY ASSESSMENT: $349,800 YEAR BUILT: 1989 SIZE: 3,855 fin. sq. ft. LAND: 121 acres CURB AP...

Still Available

APPEARED IN THE HOOK: July 14 in issue 0428 ADDRESS: 2400 Pine Garth Run ASKING PRICE: $799,000 LISTED BY: Betty Duncan of Century 21 Manley Associates, 242-4753

Not forgot: Toast to health in '06

Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And never brought to mind? Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And days of auld lang syne? This song makes no sense, but I sin...

2005 in review - Call it 2004, version 2.0

Just when it seemed impossible for Hollywood to get any less creative, along came 2005 looking like a rerun of 2004. And they wondered why the box office was down most of t...

Crafaik acquitted: Lawyer calls biting self-defense

Less than two months after Michael's Bistro founder Michael Crafaik was arrested following an incident in which he allegedly bit his new employer, Robin Joslin, a Charlotte...
Ice whack: The rig is up at the Pavilion

Raman Pfaff brought his camera to work to capture the first snow of the season December 6. Among the wondrous and beautiful sights, he saw three men on top of the Charlotte...
Miller time: Baliles to head Miller Center

The scores of politically savvy septuagenarians expected to hear a speech by a D.C.-based Chicago Tribune journalist at a typical Miller Center forum, but overnight ice qua...
Purloined pies: Prank or delivery threat?

Pizza delivery drivers have to be one of the easiest robbery targets– even more so than convenience store clerks. But when word got out earlier this year that Domino'...
Secret weapon: Madame Hook and her 2006 predictions

A little known fact about the Hook: We keep a clairboyant on staff. Though we ask Madam Hook's opinion just once a year, her annual advice has proved invaluable (certainly ...
Train speeds up: Get to D.C. 10 minutes faster

Charlottesvillians traveling to the nation's capital aboard Amtrak's "Cardinal" may soon get an extra 10-minutes in D.C., thanks to the first moneys from the state's new Ra...

ecoMOD lands: Modular model makes waves

Last week we highlighted the Piedmont Housing Alliance's collaboration with the Charlottesville Community Design Center in creating three modular houses in the 10th and Pag...

New in 2006: End of work as we know it

The New Year is a traditional time for predictions. So here are mine. I predict an end of work as we know it. But don't get jumpy– it's not going to happen until the ...

Spinning Santa: North Pole gyrations

DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. At Christmas time, Santa can get so busy his head spins. Making matters worse, his house sits right on the North Pole. Why is this w...

Keller chimes back

My letter [December 8: "Hook dishonors community"] certainly generated emotional responses– which is appropriate since I wrote it mainly from emotion myself. I think ...
Shout out to Prof. Bebop

Big ups to Professor Bebop! [December 15 Hotseat: "Jive talk: Principal by day, Professor Bebop by night"] Back in '89 I followed him Fridays 2-6am when doing my rap show o...

Hot Seat secrets: We asked, they told...

PHOTOS BY JEN FARIELLO [email protected] (unless otherwise noted) From passing gas in public places to stealing vans to juggling atop a unicycle, this year's Hot Seat sit...