Surprise indeed

May 16

Did the Progress Cheat? Critics blame paper for Schilling victory

Can a single newspaper article swing an entire election?Yes, according to some local critics who blame an election-day piece for Republican Rob Schilling’s City Council victory. A May 7 Daily Progress article by Jake Mooney described a long-shot tactic some Republicans were planning.In a race with two open seats, single-shot voting is a strategy of voting for only one candidate. That way, a minority party– the Republicans, in this case– can avoid diluting its fewer numbers by not adding votes to another candidate with a larger voter base– i.e., a Democrat.

How'd a Dem lose? Searls speaks out
Within hours of the Democrats’ first City Council defeat in 16 years, a lot of finger-pointing, self-flagellation, and speculation was going on. So why was Alexandria Searls the first local Democrat to lose an election since 1986?Had she been hung out to dry by the Democratic machine? Did the Daily Progress influence the race with its election-day article on single-shot voting? Did Searls’ preservation and environmental platform swing too far left– even for those in her own party? Or did Republican Rob Schilling just run a better campaign?

4Better Or Worse

The week in review
Best display of voter appreciation: Newly elected councilor Rob Schilling and his wife Joan stand on the corner of Ridge-McIntire and Preston the day after the election and...

The Dish

Fill 'er up-- and fill you up
The winds of change blow inexorably, and recently they’ve been gusting over Pantops Mountain. There, locally based Virginia Oil Company has just opened its the Liberty ga...

Essays

"I Hate Hella, All Montagues, and Thee"
By David Gentry

Real Estate - On the Block

On a clear day: You can see Charlottesville
ASKING: $2,500,000SQUARE FOOTAGE: Three residences total 6,006YEAR BUILT: 1974ADDRESS: 3722 Foster’s Branch RoadNEIGHBORHOOD: Stony PointCURB APPEAL: 9 out of a possible ...

Movie Reviews

Falling Star
The Summer of Love continues as Peter Parker’s pursuit of Mary Jane Watson is followed by Anakin Skywalker’s (Hayden Christensen) wooing of Padme Amidala (Natalie Portm...

Music Reviews

John Moossa Band at Miller's
Corona Light. It's a summer-time beverage– takes me back to junior high. It's cheap, it's watery, and it's easy to down a good number of them. And while you'd rather ...
Wilco: Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
By Mark Grabowski

News

Investigation at local spy shop
By Timothy W. Maier
Votes are in
The much-ballyhooed electronic voting machines used in last week’s city elections found favor with election officials and the majority of voters. “We’re so tickled,�...

Strange But True

Buttoned up
Q: Why does women's clothing have buttons on the left side, whereas men's buttons are on the right?—G. VersaceA: The most widely accepted explanation points to the fact t...

Facetime

Former fiction winner gets book deal
By Elizabeth Kiem

Letters

I won't miss Savage
Thanks for publishing the letters from readers who are upset that you dropped Dan Savage's column. [Mail, May 9]It was hilarious to read words such as "progressive," "toler...

Cultural preview

A man in fuel
By Elizabeth Kiem
A modern classic
By Mark Grabowski
Catch the one-act line-up
Last weekend Offstage opened four new one-acts: “Elephants and Coffee,” “Heathens,” “Shakespeare on the Rocks,” and “Mornings After.” The shows were c...
Double-Crossed
With this exhibit, Karla Berger may technically qualifies as a nature photographer– at least by the very general measure that she takes pictures of little bits from n...
Hie thee to Batesville!
Country festivals tend to bring out the best in a community. More than a showcase for local talent or prize-winning peonies, country festivals bring together townsfolk and ...
Stay tuned: Program considers slavery reparations
By Mara Rockliff
Summer in the city
It was January when my neighbor started asking me what my kids were doing for the summer. Parents like me who couldn’t bear the idea of filling out summer camp applicatio...