 Rhyming for a reason: Last Friday, protesters gathered in front of Allied Cash Advance on Emmet Street to voice their concern over the practice of payday lending. |
Tuesday 2/5
UVA historian implicated in 9/11 commission cover-up
A new book, The Commission: The Uncensored History of the 9/11 Investigation, claims that Philip Zelikow, a UVA historian and former director of the Miller Center who was hired to be the 9/11 Commission’s executive director, worked behind the scenes for the White House. As a longtime friend of Condoleezza Rice’s (the two had worked for the first President Bush and had co-authored a book), Zelikow repeatedly went to bat for Rice and the White House, according to author Philip Shenon, so much so that one investigator even threatened to resign.
 According to a new book, UVA historian Philip Zelikow advocated for his friend Condoleezza Rice as head of the 9/11 Commission. |
Wednesday 2/6
Second student arrested for gun-toting
Following Monday’s arrest of one Walton Middle School student in connection with a pistol seized from a locker on February 1, a second boy was charged on Tuesday, according to Albemarle County police. As both students are under 14, police are especially tight-lipped about what particular charges have been brought. In a letter to parents dated Monday, principal Betsy Agee explained that on Friday, one student had brought the pistol onto school property, then passed it off to another. School officials were notified about the gun that evening; they in turn called police. [Read more about the arrest on here.]
Thursday 2/7
Royal treatment for King Family Vineyards
The February issue of Wine Business Monthly contains some great news for King Family Vineyards in Crozet. The magazine puts King in the top 10 “Hottest Small Brands of 2007.” Not only was it the only winery of the 150 or so in Virginia to be picked, but it was also the only winery on the entire East Coast to be picked. The magazine describes the winners as having “achieved success by delivering on quality,” and having “emerged as leaders within the region they represent.”
Friday 2/8
Teachers will get raise
County teachers can breathe a sigh of relief, for now, as the School Board unanimously approved a $151.7 million operational budget Thursday night that incorporates teachers’ annual 4 percent increase. Meanwhile, the Board slashed various programs to meet a diminished county revenue. $400,000 was cut out of central office operations and $500,000 from the school bus replacement fund. Despite the cuts, the school budget exceeds projected revenue by $1.3 million. “We are trying to be as efficient as possible with our operations,” says chair Brian Wheeler.
Saturday 2/9
Because basketball sucks…
There’s no wrong way to write a UVA football press release, especially if the occasion is to announce the schedule for the 2008 season. And, from the looks of the schedule, there’s an awful lot to get your oversized foam fingers in a twist over: eight teams that made trips to bowl games in 2007, a home opener against the University of Southern California Trojans, and, according to the release, games against “three bowl championship subdivision non-conference opponents.” Er, yay? Season tickets go on sale February 22.
Sunday 2/10
Breezy apocalypse
Traffic lights go dead and chaos erupts on area highways today after high winds knock out power for thousands of customers. In the county, several brush fires rage after sparks from downed power lines are fanned by the 54-mile-per-hour breeze. Oakencroft wine lovers are especially tense—crews have to contain a fire threatening the vineyard, according to The Daily Progress.
Monday 2/11
Dubious honor
UVA has made a top 10 list that, we imagine, hardly inspires pride around the academical village. According to the Universities Weblog, a Reader’s Digest campus safety report puts UVA in the top 10 schools for forcible sex offenses, based on data from 2005. In that year there were 20 sex crimes involving force at UVA, the same number as at Vanderbilt University; the University of California-Davis topped the list with 34 such crimes in 2005.