No apology: How NBC29 got spanked

Jun 5

Art Baugher has known Jesse Sheckler virtually all his life. Baugher knew that his cousin adamantly opposed illegal drugs, and yet, when WVIR-TV Channel 29 reported that police had found cocaine at Sheckler's house, Baugher believed it. "I never knew you couldn't believe the news," says Baugher, two years later. Today, he calls himself "naïve."

Sideshow: The crying game

One sidelight– or sideshow perhaps– of the $10 million defamation verdict involves confusion over which reporter may have cried– or lied. In the trial, U.S. Attorney Bruce Pagel testified that he'd met with a reporter who told his legal assistant that he'd given her permission to look at the investigative file for the criminal case. He says he gave no such permission, and when he called the reporter on the alleged deception, she "lost her composure," cried, and mentioned that her grandmother had just died.

4Better Or Worse

The week in review
Best catch by a rookie: Twenty-one-year-old cop Jeff Postell nabs Eric Robert Rudolph, a suspect in the 1996 Olympic bombings and subject of a massive manhunt in the mounta...

The Dish

Coffee today... New cafe now, gelato soon?
Ever since Caldo and Freddo died last Fall, Dish has been circling the vacant Seminole Square space like a hungry hawk. Well, last week's rounds brought an end to our hunt....

Essays

France matters: Don't mess with Texas-sized state
During the recent summit of G-8 countries in the French city of Evian, American and French officials worked hard to get over the bad blood between the two countries since F...

Real Estate - $old

$old!
ALBEMARLE 3/31 Carl R. and Noel M. Purdy to Per O. and Pamela S. Sjolinder, 0.011 acre at 646 Miller School Road, $3,000. Fonda P. and Albert Crawford Sr. to Dragan...

Real Estate - Off the Block

Off the block
APPEARED IN THE HOOK: May 15, 2003, in issue #0219 ADDRESS: 700 Graves Street, Belmont ASKING PRICE: $185,000 SELLING PRICE: $168,000 DAYS ON MARKET: 21 SELLER'S AGENT: Rog...

Real Estate - On the Block

Swan on Seventh: Starr Hill hovel goes glam
ASKING: $155,000 SIZE: 1260 fin. sq. ft. YEAR BUILT: 1925 ADDRESS: 305 Seventh Street, NW NEIGHBORHOOD: Starr Hill CURB APPEAL: 5 out of a possible 10 LISTED BY: Steven C. ...

Movie Reviews

Far from home: Nowhere in Africa defies stereotypes
Like any film about the Holocaust, the deserving Oscar winner Nowhere in Africa is concerned with survival, but it's even more about questions of identity. In this true sto...

Music Reviews

Long night: Music better in small bites
Jets To BrazilTokyo RoseThursday, May 29
Mixed reviews: Rappers score; covers bomb
Floetic Etiquette at Mellow MushroomMajahkamo at Starr HillFriday, May 30, 2003 Friday night I scoop up my partner, A.D., to check out some music, and off we go to Mellow...

News

Blobville: Kuttners' New York pad oozes love
It's good to be a Kuttner. At least it looks good on the May 18 cover of The New York Times Magazine. That's where Ludwig Kuttner and Beatrix Ost loll in various stages of ...
Blue Wheel: Article says the shop's smokin'
For Roger Friend and Scott Paisley, owners of Blue Wheel Bicycles on Elliewood Avenue, work is pleasure. "It's the one payback for living the monk's life for 30 years," lau...
High life: new mag showcases Virginia
Clear off your coffee table– there's a new publication in town. With bold splashes of color on each glossy cover and stories celebrating the vibrant lives in the Comm...
Low rollers: Albemarle supes go a-Homesteadin'
In April, the Richmond Times-Dispatch published a story about county officials throughout Virginia spending $300,000 at a meeting at the posh Homestead resort in Hot Spring...
When it rains: Showers spell trouble for businesses
In an ironic twist, the very businesses hit hardest by last summer's extreme drought conditions are now suffering from the heavy rainfall. "We're harmed by it," says Henry ...
Where's Waldo? Not at UVA-- after three tries!
He owns a company, has run for City Council, moderates a top local news website, and has won two VH1 awards– all at the tender age of 24. But despite these and other ...

Strange But True

20-20: Ping-pong perks up peepers
Q. What's a fast, cost-free, pain-free way to improve your visual acuity? B. Bunny A. Running a race may do it, say V. Gregory Payne and Larry D. Isaacs in Human M...

Facetime

Take two: Starsia savors victory
Being national champions makes almost anything bearable. So Dom Starsia, head coach of the NCAA lacrosse champion Virginia Cavaliers, says his traditional celebratory soaki...

Hotseat

Busy funnyman: Why Mark Warner loves orange cones
When Mark Warner was running for senator in 1996 against incumbent John "No Relation" Warner, the challenger jogged down the street at a small-town Virginia parade in a dre...

Letters

Far out!!
In The Hook of May 29, 2003, your cartoon "Slow Wave" makes Charlton Heston the butt of a sad attempt at humor, or perhaps political satire. In any event, I believe it fall...
Modulars don't compromise care
I understand that The Hook does not pretend to be anything other than entertainment, and that you are a writer as opposed to being a journalist. That is why I am sure when ...
Morrell has a story, too
I understand it's a newspaper's job to find stories, maybe develop them a bit, and write them up for us to read. We all love good stories. The "Unhappy camper" story [Cover...
Trailer wags are wrong
What a shame you felt the need to print such a demeaning article in the News section, May 29, "O.R. in a trailer." (http://www.readthehook.com/93533/news-or-trailer-uvas-ne...

Cultural preview

Elementary! Help Mr. Holmes catch the crook
Several years ago, my kids pulled a dusty tome, three inches thick, off the bookshelf…their father’s ancient copy of The Complete Sherlock Holmes. We’ve read aloud al...
Fun for all: Follow herd to Nelson fest
If, in the past 10 years, you’ve never taken the scenic drive down 29 South for Nelson County’s Summer Festival, which takes place on the gorgeous grounds of the Oak Ri...
Getting straight: Exhibit answers common question
When I last visited the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal art gallery, I was accosted by a short, fuzzy-headed woman clearly in thrall to a certain object in the exhibit. “Woul...
Helpful? Readers rate Bronfman book
Here’s a confession that will shock none of you. The Hook’s Words columnist doesn’t always read the book in question. There are occasions when poor planning has sent ...
Storytime: Strong lyrics set jamgrass band apart
Straight from the opening note of “Ricky Dunbar,” the first song of jamgrass band Cast Iron Filter’s (CIF) March performance at the Outback Lodge (the Outback folks w...
Variety shows: Heritage opens 30th season
The Heritage Repertory Theater box office opened for business this week. Now in its 30th year of production, HRT is the summer professional theater operating out of the Uni...