Scenic treasure: How conservation lines the pockets of the rich
What if Biscuit Run were the tip of the iceberg, just the latest and largest in a litany of public payments to private citizens? What if the state gave away vast sums– some measuring in the millions of dollars– to induce millionaires to "conserve" luxurious estates that they may have had no intention of developing anyway? And what if Virginia, which forces the humblest homeowners to place their real estate transactions in public view, created a special law allowing the millionaires to shroud such deals– currently measured at $106.8 million a year in taxpayer money?
Welcome to Virginia, where "conservation" makes it all possible.
4Better Or Worse
Better state budget news: The General Assembly only runs one day over before both houses agree on a two-year $78 billion budget February 27, which increases spending for pu...
The Dish
Yes, Carmello's is closed. No, it is not permanent.
Looks like there's yet another restaurant coming to the Downtown Mall, The Livery Stable Restaurant and Bar, which will be located at 218 West Market Street, adjacent to th...
Now & Zen, the little Asian/sushi place on 2nd Street in front of the McGuffey Art Center, opened quietly for lunch Monday, February 28, at 11:30am.
Polls favor Ix for City Market
The task force created to study ideas and options for a permanent home for the Charlottesville City Market has come up with a list of suggested locations. According to an i...
X-games: March Madness, NBA comes to X-Lounge
This is very cool news. The X-Lounge, known for its trendy architecture in the Glass Building, inventive cuisine, and happening dance parties, is laying it down for sports ...
Essays
Twain's Huck: Racist and anti-racist at different places
What's new about Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn? Stephen Railton, an English professor in the University of Virginia's College of Arts & Sciences, has ju...
Real Estate - $old
6/29Holly P. Hilton, special commissioner, to James A. Heetderks, 4.53 acres at 5347 Markwood Road, Earlysville, $281,000.Matthew A. Baratz, trustee, to Jon G. Wolfe, 3641 ...
Real Estate - On the Block
Storybook style: Whimsy and charm near Downtown
Address: 1012 Belmont AvenueNeighborhood: North BelmontAsking: $309,000Assessment: $309,700Year Built: 1908Size: 1,546 fin. sq. ft., 50 unfin.Land: 0.14 acresAg...
Real Estate - Update
APPEARED IN THE HOOK: October 14, 2010 in issue 0941 of the HookADDRESS: 1401 Forest Ridge Road, Forest HillsASKING PRICE: $245,000 ASSESSMENT: $233,900 SELLER'...
Real Estate Property auctions
March 3 at noon at the Albemarle County CourthouseProperty: 4257 Seminole TrailDebtor: Kerry L. HallAmount owing: unknownBidder brings: 10 percent sale priceInfo: Richard A...
Art Features
That '70s show: UVA paints an era
No artist works in a vacuum. Whether consciously or un-, artists constantly respond to a host of factors: exposure to other artwork, the immediate environment, ideas discus...
DR. HooK
Think positive: Placebo effect can have real results
“There’s a sucker born every minute!” Rip-off artists chant this phrase like a mantra. I don’t think victims of crime and scandals are suckers: many people think ot...
Movie Reviews
Derivative: 'Number Four' flawed in countless ways
I Am Number Four is shameless and unnecessary. That's sad, when a movie casts aside all shame, demonstrates itself willing to rip off anything that might attract audiences,...
Music Reviews
Blue Man? Local Americana up-and-comer explains his twenty-something woes
Isn't it a little too soon for a twenty-something to have the blues? Not so, says local bluegrass guitarist Carl Anderson, whose premiere solo EP, 20 Something Blues, came ...
News
Charges filed: Ousted developer Toomy blamed for fire
It's been a tough time for Alex Toomy. Last year, he moved out of the 7,000-square-foot house he built on 106 acres and lost, via foreclosure, the adjacent Ragged Mountain ...
Martha Jefferson wants $11 million for leftover houses, buildings
Offering 26 parcels ranging from a $225,000 house on Lexington Avenue to the "iconic, modernist-style" Physicians and Surgeons Building at the corner of High and Locust, Ma...
Mitchell's suit: City released as crosswalk trial advances
More than three years after disabled artist Gerry Mitchell was struck by an Albemarle County Police cruiser and then ticketed, his $850,000 lawsuit against the City of Char...
Remembering Emily: Sister Katie helps unveil Couric Cancer Center
More photos Nearly a decade after losing her battle to pancreatic cancer, state senator Emily Couric was commemorated Saturday by the dedication of a 150,000 square-foot Un...
On Architecture
Mall econ: Is downtown café space handed out fairly?
With spring just around the corner, it's time again for an annual tradition on the Downtown Mall: arguing about outdoor café space. City planners have proposed a revised o...
The Brazen Careerist
Problem employees: Why they're so hard to get rid of
We finally got a dog. Sparky. His original name was Prince. But I decided you can’t have a Prince on a farm. So we changed the name. Sparky is five years old, so he was...
Sports Doctor
He's gotta go: Pistons' owner didn't listen to players
Before I get to anything else, let me thank heaven the Carmelo Anthony trade is over and we don’t have to hear the entire world talk about it anymore. We only have to hea...
Strange But True
U R 2 cool: Texting shorthand much older than phones
Q. How did the crazy new language of cell phone texting get its start anyway? –S. M. Garcia A. Textisms may seem hip, streamlined, and clever; but they're hardly new, sa...
Black and White
My sister Gray was diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic cancer in November of ‘09. Gray never asked the Doctor about prognosis, never Googled. She went about her life. I...
Full Stories List for March 3rd, 2011 issue #1009
4Better Or Worse
News
Happy hour: Why your pals at Blue Ridge Numerics should buy the drinks tonight
Martha Jefferson wants $11 million for leftover houses, buildings
Remembering Emily: Sister Katie helps unveil Couric Cancer Center
As promised: Halsey Minor chooses bankruptcy for mansion's LLC
Art Features
Cover Stories
Black and White
On Architecture
Music Reviews
Essays
Corrections
DR. HooK
Movie Reviews
The Dish
Real Estate Property auctions
Real Estate - On the Block
Real Estate - $old
Real Estate - Update
Sports Doctor
Strange But True
The Brazen Careerist
