May 5th, 2011 issue #1018

May 5th, 2011

'Still a fighter': Why this woman is suing UVA for $50 million

Five years ago, Barb Tocci was working as a real estate agent in downtown Scottsville, riding horses and motorcycles on the weekends. Today, the 54-year-old woman relies on a cane to walk. She's missing two toes and a finger, and she's lost the use of her right arm. In the Charlottesville area, widely recognized for outstanding health care– with cutting edge medical research and some of the country's leading physicians– how did this happen?

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The week in review

Deadliest month for tornadoes: Violent storms across Virginia April 27-28 leave four dead in Washington County in southwest Virginia, and one dead in Southside's Halifax Co...

Cider fest on Sundays

Rick Hood from Albemarle CiderWorks on Route 29 South reminds Dish that they'll be kicking off their Second Sunday Cider events on May 8 from 5-7pm. The MoonRats will be pl...
Meet-less: Toodle-oo, Tavern?

Come year's end, it looks like students, tourists, and townpeople may have to find a new place to meet. After a 30-year run, it appears The Tavern on Emmet Street will clos...
Tasty benefit for the arts

On Wednesday, May 11, the McGuffey Art Center is hosting a fundraiser for the Piedmont Council for the Arts. There'll be live music and dance performances, a silent auction...

Drone instincts: What's wrong with the war effort?

While Americans may be celebrating the death of “the most infamous terrorist of our time,” seeing it as a fitting act of retribution for the innocent lives lost on 9/11...

Property transfers

ALBEMARLE9/1Teresa A. Urban to Gemma R. Bryant, 1057 Bristlecone Lane, Willow Bend, Forest Lakes South, $210,000.Edward D. Gelzer to Todd R. and Nicole M. Petty, 3645 Pridd...

Family friendly: Waverly Colonial has room and charm

Address: 3360 Brookside DriveNeighborhood: WaverlyAsking: $584,300Assessment: $584,300Year Built: 1984Size: 3702 fin. sq. ft. / 1000 unfin.Land: 3.925 ac...

Off the block-- sold

APPEARED IN THE HOOK: September 16, 2010 in issue 0937 ADDRESS: 1218 Augusta Street, Rose Hill ASKING PRICE: $265,000 SELLING PRICE: $255,000 DAYS TO CONTRACT: 33 ASS...

Property auctions

May 5 at 11am at the Albemarle County Courthouse Property: 1946 Lonicera Way Debtor: Kenneth and Jessica Crawford Amount owing: $183,000 Bidder brings: 5 percent sale price...

Wolf on the horizon: McCarthy channels Kahn landscapes

“There's nothing new under the sun” and “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” are two sayings repeated whenever an artist’s work is deemed derivative. Any...

Testicular cancer: To screen or not to screen?

Friends is a show I just never appreciated. You remember: that's the show where three men and three women live in NYC without having any significant gay friends. ...

The Rock rolls: 'Fast Five' a fun ride

I don't think you can do this. I don't think you can take two midsize sedans, chain them to a bank vault, and haul it behind you on a high-speed chase through the streets o...

Homecoming: Making a map of Mariana Bell

As an Australian-born, Charlottesville-raised, New York-trained artist who's moved to Los Angeles, Mariana Bell knows the effect that location can have on her work. "...

Appeal play: McIntire plan still calls for nixing softball

As Yogi Berra liked to say, "It ain't over 'til it's over." While softball enthusiasts at McIntire Park may think the fields are safe, the City's master plan for the park s...
Homeless? Kluge house under foreclosure-- again

The first foreclosure in Patricia Kluge's life is now also her latest. And this time it's personal: the house in which she and her husband live. A year ago, the 6,600-squar...
Local produce: New film, 'Take Shelter,' wins acclaim in Cannes

Charlottesville seems to be a lucky charm for filmmakers these days. Several recent locally made documentaries have found wider audiences at international film festivals an...
Obama kills Osama: Mixed reactions to bin Laden slaying

Some Americans responded to news about the death of Osama bin Laden much like the Munchkins did when Dorothy vanquished the Wicked Witch in the Wizard of Oz: with jubilant ...
Poe's room: #13 West Range to get renovation

The room reportedly inhabited by Edgar Allan Poe when he was a student at the University of Virginia is getting a makeover, thanks to a $15,000 grant won by the Raven Socie...
Shenandoah unburned: Rain, humidity cancel planned Park fire

A planned burn of 500 acres in the Jarman's Gap area of Shenandoah National Park that was to commence Sunday was canceled due to weather, says Park spokesperson Barb ...

SRO time: The Crossings begins its rise downtown

The Crossings, an apartment complex designed to prevent the phenomenon of "Million Dollar Murray," has begun its rise at the corner of Preston Avenue and Fourth Street.

Think about it: Schedule quiet time to exercise your brain

Everyone wishes they’d had one or two great ideas in life– if not grand enough to change the world, at least enough to make a little impact at the office.When was t...

Bowled over: NCAA lets foxes guard the henhouse

On April 23, 2010, the NCAA Football Issues Committee reviewed 37 applications and licensed 35 bowl games for the 2010-2013 seasons. Two new bowls, the Dallas Foo...

Hand signals: Without gestures, talk is hard

Q. Two friends walked along on a bitterly cold winter day, one chattering away while the other just nodded. Eventually, the first asked, "Robert, why aren't you saying anyt...

Ending speculation: Katie Couric says she's leaving Evening News

Katie Couric, the UVA grad with the stellar broadcast news career, has ended weeks of speculation by announcing that she has decided to end her tenure at the helm of the CB...
Ivy tornado: The story of the killer twister of 1959

With the deadliest tornado day in decades having just hit the South, it's interesting to note that in 1959 calamity struck when tornadoes killed 12 Charlottesville-area peo...
New owner of Kluge winery suffers political setback

Donald Trump, the man who would be president and the man who bought a foreclosed local winery, suffered a setback April 27, as the actual president unveiled his actual birt...
Snap: Clouds cleared over West Main

This was the scene early Thursday afternoon, April 28, after the rain stopped falling on a succession of rain storms that helped reduce some of the rainfall deficit that ha...
Snap: Rainbow after the storm

The storm that roared through Charlottesville in the early evening of Tuesday, April 26 left behind an attractive rainbow. The storm dropped pea-sized hail and what appeare...
Snap: We stand for freedom...

An American flag, made of glazed tiles handmade by schoolchildren, hangs on the second floor of the main Albemarle County Office Building.
Snap: When Rugby Road is 3 buses wide

How serious are local officials about getting beverage-minded students to and from the Foxfield races? Serious enough to let motorcoaches take over Rugby Road on the Saturd...

Divorce file insufficient evidence for big story

I was shocked by Courteney Stuart’s April 4 article titled “Broken Trust: Sex allegations against therapist prompt investigation.” My shock did not have to do with th...
Hook team plans for non-existent Pulitzer

The monster, Genoways, lives. And worse, he's winning more awards. [April 21 cover story: "Submission guidelines: Will the Fallen VQR rise again?"] Who among us can choke b...

Capra aegagrus hircus

Nigerian miniature goats Ella and Zinnia win a smile from two friends from Staunton with owner Laura Covert (rear) in their new home, Covert's yard in the Woolen Mills. Las...