Rolling Stone resists
The magazine was back in court February 9 in Roanoke to ask a judge to throw out a $3 million jury award to UVA administrator Nicole Eramo for defamation, arguing Eramo didn’t prove reporter Sabrina Erdely acted with actual malice and that running a correction isn’t defamatory republication. Judge Glen Conrad will rule in a few weeks.
Behind-the-scenes civil rights activist
Paul Saunier, who helped recruit black students to UVA in the ’60s, support them once here and who convinced most Corner businesses to desegregate in 1962 while he served as an adviser to the university’s then-president Edgar Shannon, died February 8 at age 97.
Patriot boycott
Super Bowl winner Chris Long, a St. Anne’s-Belfield and UVA grad and son of Howie, says he will not join his fellow New England Patriots in the traditional visit to the White House.
Still powerful
Music and development magnate Coran Capshaw comes in at No. 11 on Billboard’s Power 100 list—he was No. 7 last year.
Psychic’s husband sentenced
Donnie Marks will spend 33 months in prison and was ordered to pay $5.5 million in restitution to the victims he and his wife, Sandra Marks, aka Psychic Catherine, bilked when she claimed she could remove curses by cleansing large sums of cash. Marks, who is serving 30 months, met her marks at Synchronicity, a spiritual facility in Nelson.
Brazos bandits
The Austin-style taco shop posted a video of two hooded thieves attempting to break into its cash register with what appeared to be a hammer over the weekend. The “knuckleheads,” as Brazos Tacos called them on Instagram, were caught by the Charlottesville Police Department.
Weekend warriors
Demonstrations are becoming the new norm since the election of Donald Trump, and last Saturday saw at least three occasions of citizens exercising their rights to assemble. Although mostly peaceful, the demonstration and counterprotest at Lee Park got loud.
Gubernatorial candidate Corey Stewart came to denounce City Council’s decision to remove the statue of General Robert E. Lee, bringing with him Thaddeus Dionne Alexander, who became a social media sensation for telling Hillary Clinton supporters to “stop being crybabies.” Stewart was met by protesters shouting, “Hey hey, ho ho, white supremacy’s got to go,” and his campaign described them as “an aggressive mob of liberal protesters.” WINA’s Rob Schilling captured on video WCHV’s Joe Thomas being verbally blasted by a bullhorn-wielding demonstrator.
Congressman Tom Garrett’s Berkmar Crossing office has been the venue of regular Tuesday protests since he was sworn in, and Charlottesville NOW’s February 11 protest brought hundreds to decry the defunding of Planned Parenthood. Down the road, a smaller anti-abortion group carried signs outside of Planned Parenthood’s facility.
Richmond watch
Last week was crossover week, when each chamber had completed work on its own bills and began considering legislation passed by the other body. Local delegates had these bills passed.
Steve Landes, R-Weyers Cave
Free speech on campus bill: For when the First Amendment isn’t enough.
Beloved bill redux: Requires boards of education to notify parents when materials have explicit content that would be defined as felonious sexual assault.
Rob Bell, R-Albemarle
Tebow bill: Bell carries his bill for about the 18th time that would allow homeschooled kids to play public school sports. The governor vetoed it last year.
David Toscano, D-Charlottesville
Misdemeanor DNA: Resolution requesting a study on expanding the use of DNA is headed to the Crime Commission for consideration.
Matt Fariss, R-Rustburg
Dangerous dog: Amends law to specify a nip doesn’t make a canine a menace.
Quote of the week
“Newby Gov candidate @Denver4Governor’s inexperience is showing. Doesn’t he know I voted AGAINST moving Lee statue?!”—Mayor Mike Signer responds to Denver Riggleman on Twitter