May 17th, 2012 issue #1120
May 17th, 2012
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Caveat emptor: How $2.75 generates $145
–An essay– By David M. Post I don't begrudge anyone running a successful business in a capitalistic society. I do, however, want people to have the ability to make an informed decision; and anyone considering parking downtown might be wise to consider the clear and unambiguous message sent by the owner of the lot across from Lee Park: maximize profits at the expense of patrons. -
Tough business: Collier's boss talks shop
It's early afternoon at Collier's Towing Service, and owner Glenda Jones takes a break from the phones to greet a reporter in the impound lot for cars towed from Keith Woodard's and other parking lots. Her purple shirt, earrings, and necklace all sport the Harley Davidson logo, a tribute to her favorite pasttime and a suggestion that this woman's tough. To run a business that puts her in the company of angry vehicle owners takes nerve of steel. But hardness, she says, doesn't mean heartless. -
Towing tales: Like hassles, everybody has one
It was supposed to be a fun night out on the Downtown Mall for a pair of mothers: dinner followed by a show, then home to their families. But on April 17, after shelling out nearly $80 for tickets to see Nanci Griffith at the Paramount, and dropping another $140 at Hamiltons' restaurant, not to mention paying $10 for four hours of pre-paid parking, the good times came to a screeching halt when the two women returned to the lot across Market Street from Lee Park just before 11pm to an unwelcome discovery. The minivan was gone.
4Better Or Worse
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The week in review
Harshest budget cutting: The Fluvanna Board of Supervisors slashes all funding to JAUNT, Jefferson Area Board for Aging, and Offender Aid and Restoration in a last-minute d...
The Dish
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Goodbye, Expresso: Venerable food family exits Pantops space
About a year ago, the former owners of the famed Expresso Italian Villa on Emmet Street (now The Villa under new ownership), known by countless students and townsfolk for i... -
Hog heaven: Brookville's pork party pleases
On Friday, May 4 Brookville Restaurant became a BBQ joint, complete with pig roast, and we have the pictures and video to prove it. "We had a lot of great people come up th... -
Pei in The Box: Ten chef brings new menu
For several years now, The Box on the Downtown Mall has been a beacon of downtown night-life with its solid music line-up and dance scene vibe into the wee hours, but owner...
Essays
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Birth defects: When a 37 percent jump doesn't matter
Children conceived by means of some assisted reproductive technologies run a higher risk of being born with birth defects than do children conceived spontaneously, accordi...
Question of the Week
Real Estate - $old
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The benefits of getting clean?
3/28/12 Albemarle Matthew A. & Cynthia S. Guch to Marty W. & Tara E. Fontenot, 287 Starcrest Road, $350,000 Ella J. Bullard to W .D. A. Carpenter, 1555 Gray Fox Tra...
Real Estate - On the Block
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A brick house: This lady's stacked... with elegance and comfort
Address: 2985 Earlysville RoadNeighborhood: Earlysville in Western AlbemarleAsking: $625,000Assessment: $720,100Year Built: 1948Size: 3,662 finished sq. ft.Land: 5.0 acresC...
Real Estate Property auctions
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Property auctions
May 17 at 5pm at the Albemarle CourthouseProperty: 1220 Amber Ridge RoadDebtor: Ronald D. and Frances D. CarterOriginal amount owing: $260,000Bidder brings: $25,000 or 10 p...
Movie Reviews
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Sauntering Shadows: Burton offers beautiful identity crisis
TIM Burton's Dark Shadows is all dressed up with nowhere to go, an elegant production without a central drive. There are wonderful things in the film, but they aren't what'...
Contents
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Table of contents
COVER STORYTowing talesFew things ruin a good night faster than finding out your car's been towed. Some say aggressive towing practices by the owners of two city lots are s...
News
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Bank battle: VNB titan wants back in (and Craig out)
Just days before the annual shareholders meeting, former Virginia National Bank chairman Mark Giles, whose Christmas-time resignation led a wave of defections from the boar... -
Barefoot's baby: Earless Rabbit jumps out
He's best known in Charlottesville as a WINA radio host, but author and historian Coy Barefoot now has an addition to his resumé: co-founder and creative director of Earle... -
BofA Day: Protesters mark shareholders meeting
In Charlotte, North Carolina, five people have already been arrested at the Bank of America shareholders meeting today. In Charlottesville, members of a group called Blue R... -
Bypass spins: Low bid cheers some, not others
To the delight of highway supporters, the bids for the controversial Charlottesville Western Bypass have come in below budget– with the apparent low bid of $136 milli... -
Culpeper silence: Citizens, top cop slam shooting inquest
Three months after a Culpeper police officer gunned down an unarmed woman and despite an official explanation that has been contradicted by at least two witnesses, there's ... -
Highway crashes: 'Economist' bureau chief among two killed
Two people including an internationally renowned magazine writer died in separate incidents on Albemarle roads May 10. The first of the Thursday accidents occurred around 2... -
Katie to UVA: And Monticello gets Nadia on July 4
The University of Virginia's 183rd Final Exercises will be held May 20 with a Lawn-centric ceremony begins featuring Katie Couric as commencement speaker. But in another ma... -
River law update: Charlottesville angler gets a day in court
Back in January, the Hook profiled local angler Dargan Coggeshall, a Charlottesville business owner and long-time fly-fisherman, who was being sued for fishing in the Jacks... -
Shadwell surprise-- for some, anyway
Beginning May 1, drivers on the east side of town have been dealing with an interruption as the Virginia Department of Transportation rebuilds the 73-year-old bridge carryi... -
The Huguely tape: Court finally allows glimpses of evidence
During his trial, spectators could hear George Huguely's interview with police in which he went from matter-of-fact discussion of Yeardley Love "freaking out" to near hyste... -
Where's the fire?
A stove fire at the Nook around 1:30pm May 9 brings at least four Charlottesville firetrucks to the Downtown Mall and evacuates the restaurant. Damage is minimal, according...
Online only
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Keeping our fountains flowing
Twobears Burgos is the fountain expert with Charlottesville Parks & Rec, and he's performing maintenance on the Central Place fountain on the Downtown Mall to keep it f... -
Those Darlins at the Haven
Those Darlins helped open the big final weekend of the Tom Tom Founders Festival by performing May 11 at the Haven, the downtown church turned day shelter for down-on-their...
Facetime
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Taliban blowback: Fiction tackles reality in debut novel
Fathers quietly bring home the burdens and responsibilities of their work, which their children often notice in his tired eyes or a heavy sigh. For local author Mark Saunde...
Letters
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Bypass a monster built for out-of-towners
Having followed our recent spate of contentious public works issues, i.e., reservoir use, Bypass, Belmont Bridge, I wish to join the ranks of those who have said THANKYOU, ...
Black and White
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Ix
The Elby Brass Rock-Marching Band performs at the Closing Day Gala of the Tom Tom Founders Fest.~Commentator Bill Emory puts up a new photo nearly every day at billemory.co...
Cultural preview
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FunStuff: Charlottesville events May 17 and beyond
Batesville Day