December 8th, 2005 issue #0449

December 8th, 2005

For God and country, sir! While they fought for our freedom, who was fighting for theirs?
PHOTOS BY JEN FARIELLO JEN@READTHEHOOK.COM Even now, 59 years after he was mustered out of the U.S. Army, Howard "Hank" Allen still bristles when he remembers his experience during World War II. It wasn't the danger– even though he was in the fiercest war zones in Normandy and other parts of France, where, as he says, "We were getting our butts kicked by the Germans." It was the insult.
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The week in review
First snow: The threat of precipitation closes local schools before the first snowflake hits the ground December 5, much to the delight of children and chagrin of their par...

Meat and sweets: Main St. butcher, Water St. crêpes
Tired of the meat market? We're not talking about the bar scene. We're talking about the rows of glistening packaged flesh in local supermarkets. Here's a suggestion to liv...

Think again: Kaine should revise tax stand
On November 8, Virginia voters elected a new governor. They chose between three candidates who presented sharply contrasting views on many issues. Yet on one important issu...

What do you think of the snow?
Marla Muntner: "I think it's beautiful. I wish it would snow a little bit more so I could cross-country ski." Martha Haertig: "I'd love to have one of those huge storms l...

$old
ALBEMARLE 8/4 Raymond G. Kram and Hoi-Ling Wong to Gerald T. Fitzgerald and Rana Culler, 1 Georgetown Green, $220,000. J.D. and Nancy T. Catlett to Tammy Swingle an...

The Arnold: Know what you're getting into
BY BREVY CANNON BLOCK@READTHEHOOK.COM ADDRESS: 528 Valley Road NEIGHBORHOOD: University/ JPA ASKING: $595,000 CITY ASSESSMENT: $370,300 YEAR BUILT: 1937 SIZE: 2337 finish...

Update
APPEARED IN THE HOOK: September 30, 2004 in issue 0339 ADDRESS: 2.0 acres at 715 Bersch Drive, Arvonia, Buckingham ASKING PRICE: $180,000 SELLING PRICE: $152,500 DAYS TO CO...

Property auctions
December 13 at 3:30pm at the Albemarle County Courthouse Property: 1485 Shadow Oaks Place, Raintree Debtor: Mark C. and Lisa A. Hearl Amount owing: $148,450 Bidder brings:...

Fruitcakes: You who think diet pills work
I love fruitcake. Does that make me odd? Hey, anything soaked in rum long enough tastes like– well, rum! Yum, yum! I'm starting to tell all my patients, "If I see you...

Narnia 1: The passion of the lion
In the Queen's English, a wardrobe is a freestanding closet, what we, preferring French to English, would call an armoire. In The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch...

Lil Bro: Emcees bring the show to life
The band O.A.R is considered to be one of the hottest new groups on the touring circuit right now. Earlier this year, the group played Starr Hill and later the Charlottesvi...

Fast track: ALS drug moves forward
Getting a medication from drug trial to drugstore shelf can be a trial in itself, one local doctor has learned. But after a frustrating year in which a UVA ethics committee...
Goode times: Ewert joins 5th District race
It was the birth of Bern Ewert's two granddaughters in January that inspired him to challenge Congressman Virgil Goode for his firmly held 5th District seat. "I just finall...
He's back: Greenleaf attacker strikes again
He'll be back. That was the prediction of Charlottesville police two years ago when Robert Terrell Haskins received what they believed was a slap on the wrist– six mo...
Near miss: Professor dodges bullet.... really
The clash between traditional rural culture and sweeping development in Albemarle County took a precarious turn Saturday, December 3, when a bullet ripped through an Ivy ho...
Staying firm: Bowers' backers won't give up
More than two weeks after her abrupt termination as a UVA Human Resources employee, Dena Bowers' struggle is known to most of Charlottesville. A classified staff member at ...
Unflinching: Dramatic rescue at Moorman's
Peter Leddington seems uncomfortable with the suggestion that he's a hero. But when you leap into a burning car and rescue the driver moments before the car explodes, peopl...

Talking the walk: Is Antiquer's Mall salvageable?
In a recent full-page advertisement in the Daily Progress, the new owners of the Riverside Mall, more popularly known as Antiquer's Mall, announced a "Stop, Shop, & Str...

Bad answers: How interviews go astray
Recently I interviewed for a job. I haven't interviewed for the last three years, since my first son was born. I felt that awkward feeling that people describe when they br...

Backlash: Dino tails lethal weapons
DRAWING BY DEBORAH DERR McCLINTOCK Q. Speculating a little, what really weird thing might dinosaurs have done with their tails? –H. Hefner A. It's not hard to imagi...

FACETIME- Funny girl: Horne brings improv to town
Lots of people love their work, but few can make the same claim as Jennifer Horne, founder of the Bent Theatre Company (formerly Whole World Theatre Charlottesville). "Peop...

Brown's law: The art of the 'necessary no'
Santa comes early for the city of Charlottesville– December 5, to be exact, the date when all property owners better have their real and personal property tax checks ...

Conservatives aren't bizarre
Janis Jaquith claims to know what conservatives think [November 24: "Say what? What we mean when we talk"], but I'm puzzled about why she's attempting to argue that conserv...
Hook dishonors community
Lack of responsibility comes in many forms. Drinking a fifth of a gallon of an alcoholic beverage before noon is one form. Claiming to do so as part of tradition at UVA is ...
Open up, PPBR!
As a long time volunteer and donor who passionately supports the mission of Planned Parenthood of the Blue Ridge, I am unwilling to believe that the recent resignation of t...

Cultural Calendar 12/08/2005 - 12/15/2005
THURSDAY, December 8 STAGE Blackfriars Theater 10 S. Market St., Staunton. 540-885-5588 Santaland Diaries: For those who missed him last year and for those who ne...
Cultural Calendar: 12/1/2005-12/08/2005
THURSDAY, December 1 STAGE Blackfriars Theater 10 S. Market St., Staunton. 540-885-5588 Santaland Diaries: For those who missed him last year and for thos...