December 20th, 2012 issue #1151

December 20th, 2012

Big year: Bruce unplugs and lots more

The year 2012 was another big one in the annals of Charlottesville music history. It would have been news enough to have "The Boss," Bruce Springsteen in town, but it's what he did with his time in town that created an everlasting glow. Appearing here just a few days before the election, in addition to his evening performance at John Paul Jones Arena, he gave a free afternoon acoustic show at the nTelos Wireless Pavilion.

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Cliffhanger: The best-- and worst-- of 2012

When Mark Warner was governor, he once told the Hook the most annoying thing about Charlottesville was its belief that it is the center of the universe. Guess what? In 2012, Charlottesville was the center of the universe. During the contentious presidential campaign, President Barack Obama, Bruce Springsteen, and Republican vice-presidential candidate Paul Ryan all flocked here. So did the Dalai Lama. And when the Olympics were happening in London, UVA athletes brought home the gold.

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The week in review

Latest abduction: Mark L. Weiner, 52, of Barboursville, is charged after allegedly giving a ride from Charlottesville to Pantops to an adult female early December 13 and ...

Farewell

With this issue, I bring more than a decade at the helm of the Hook to a close. The timing is right for me to make the move for personal and professional reasons. And unlik...

Food explosion: The 2012 restaurant round-up

The year in food was marked by something surprising, considering the economy: the opening and/or re-purposing of a lot of new restaurants and eateries, over 40 at least. Of...

Looking forward, looking back

Our local housing market saw a bit of a rebound in 2012, as reported by both Nest Realty and CAAR (the Charlottesville-Albemarle Association of Realtors)...

Property auctions

December 20 at 10am at the Albemarle Courthouse Property: 381 Minor Ridge Road Debtor: Bart C. Neumann Original amount owing: $192,000 Bidder brings: $11,000 or 1...

Ebert's picks: Tigers, beasts, heroes, and therapists compete early for Hollywood's biggest prizes

With the 2013 Oscarcast moved up to February 24, movie fans are already in a lather over the possible nominees, especially since again this year there can be "up to" 10 fin...
Unlikely duo: Story of two women nominated for 7 indie awards

In another time and another place, Starlet could have inspired a short story by Chekhov or O. Henry — a story about two women, one 22, the other 85, who are linked by o...

Table of contents

COVERYear in ReviewFrom a hunger strike to a Presidential ouster and reinstatement, UVA made headlines all year, but there were plenty of other dramatic moments in 2012 fro...

Bald eagle in Greenwood

Afton resident Ruby Hutchinson was making her usual morning commute to Charlottesville on U.S. 250 recently when she spotted an example of our national bird perched on a tr...
Jefferson School: Ready for its closeup after $18 million rehab

When classes ceased in the historic Jefferson School about 10 years ago, the discussion began about what to do with the structure on 4th and Commerce streets that is an imp...
Judgment day: 6 lawyers vie for juvenile court bench

Six attorneys sat before their Charlottesville Albemarle Bar Association peers to argue why they were the best person to take a soon-to-be vacated seat in Juvenile and Dome...
Pie tech: Local start-uppers meet... and eat

Used to be, having your head in the clouds wasn't such a good trait if you wanted to start a business. Not anymore. In fact, sitting around a conference room table in Lewis...
Seeking Sage: Reward offered in case of missing teen

Nearly a month after Charlottesville teen Dashad "Sage" Smith vanished on November 20, after last being seen around the 500 block of West Main Street, Charlottesville Polic...
Smoking on McIntire

Workers were revving up the resins Thursday morning as Tri-State Utilities rehabbed underground stormwater pipes along McIntire Road. The Chesapeake-based company touts it...
The wheels on the bus...

A school bus gets a workout Saturday as a 16-year-old drives the retired-from-service vehicle through a Greenwood-area cow field.

People Project: Sprouse clicks with Cville's everyman

“I believe that we come to know a city through the people who live there, so my goal is to depict the city of Charlottesville through its inhabitants,” writes Keith Ala...

Video by the Lake thrives by competition

I just wanted to alert you to the fact that my son owns a successful video store in Palmyra, Fluvanna County. [News, December 13: "Fiscal cliff: Sneak Reviews may not last ...

Redevelopment

Charlottesville Albemarle is no stranger to greenfield development. So it's heartening to encounter some re-development. Here, the ghost-box of Circuit City, closed three...