St. Anne’s-Belfield sex scandal
Former coach LeRoy Tyvienne Hurd, 36, was sentenced to three years in prison June 8 for using a computer to solicit a 17-year-old student in 2014, despite the alleged victim, now 19, sending a letter to Judge Cheryl Higgins with her wishes he not be prosecuted, according to the Daily Progress. The victim’s mother testified that the young woman was still “in love” with Hurd.
Relay Foods merger
Homegrown online grocer Relay joins forces with Colorado-based Door to Door Organics in a move that puts the companies in 63 markets across 18 states and Washington, D.C. Relay CEO Zach Buckner founded the company in 2009. An additional $10 million in equity financing will aid the online food marriage.
Spycam pet sitter pleads guilty
Forest Lakes resident Thomas Eagleson, 45, pleaded guilty June 8 to four felony counts—two filming a juvenile and two B&E—and three misdemeanors for unlawful filming. Eagleson was caring for a neighbor’s pet and installed the camera, which was discovered March 29, in the master bathroom.
‘Dukes of Hazzard’-style eluder enters plea
Jeffrey Owen, 38, pleaded guilty in Albemarle Circuit Court June 7 to a felony charge of eluding police after being chased through the county at 100 mph speeds last June. Prosecutor Richard Farley said the defendant almost struck a couple of civilians, drove through a backyard, ran out of gas and took off on foot in a scene that “frankly resembled something out of ‘The Dukes of Hazzard.’”
The Dewberry to open July 1…in Charleston
Charlottesville isn’t the only town long awaiting a John Dewberry venture. His eight-years-in-the-making luxury hotel in Charleston, South Carolina, postponed a June 9 opening—and canceled plans for a deluxe rooftop bar called the Citrus Club—because it did not have city approval, according to the Post and Courier.
Sacred corn to ward off pipeline
The Cowboy & Indian Alliance, made up of fracked gas pipeline-opposing farmers and ranchers who worked to defeat the Keystone XL, planted sacred Ponca corn last week on four Virginia properties in the pathway of the proposed Atlantic Coast and Mountain Valley pipelines. “Seeds of resistance,” they called them.
There’s a gold medal for that
Professional skydiver and city resident James Hayhurst, 63, won a gold medal in style and accuracy and a spot on the U.S. Parachute Team at the June 7 National Parachuting Championships. Hayhurst, who has completed over 11,000 jumps, will compete in the world championships this September.
Emergency expansion
UVA Medical Center is about to get a dramatic new look over the next three years with a $394 million expansion that broke ground June 8. The health system is adding 440,000 square feet and renovating 90,000. Among the enhancements are 84 new private rooms and the ER gets its first renovation in 15 years.
- Six-story bed tower with 28 private rooms on the first three floors, with room to add another 84 rooms on the top three floors.
- Emergency department adds two trauma rooms and grows to 52 private treatment rooms, with 10 dedicated to mental health and 10 for assessment.
- Four more operating rooms, three new procedure rooms and more prep, recovery and support space.
- Rooftop helipad
Quote of the week
“I would support a random name in the phone book” over Trump. UVA history prof Philip Zelikow, a former State Department official in the George W. Bush administration, tells the Washington Post.