Charlottesville Breaking News
Probation violation: Kroboth gets six months
Kroboth was sentenced to six months for violating the terms of his probation.Courtesy ACRJAn extended vacation has turned into an extended jail term for convicted attempted murderer Kurt Kroboth, who was sentenced on May 2 in Albemarle County Circuit Court to six months behind bars for violating the terms of his probation.
It was Kroboth's decision to travel from his Arizona home to Oregon and attempt to see the younger of his two sons that landed him behind bars. His travel permit listed only San Francisco as a destination, something Kroboth described as a misunderstanding, claiming that he'd listed only that city since it was his intended final destination. On other trips while on probation, he previously testified, he'd made detours without incident.
In a March hearing in Albemarle Circuit Court, Judge Cheryl Higgins delayed ruling on the violation, citing a need for more information from Kroboth's Arizona-based probation supervisor.
As previously reported in the Hook, Kroboth's son, a student at the University of Oregon, called police when his father showed up unannounced outside his home in early January....
More classical
As a supporter of local music and a WTJU classical announcer, I thought that the recent edition of the Hook (April 25) did a superb job covering the local music scene and its support from the community. But the article ignored one essential feature– local classical musicians and ensembles. From orchestras such as the Charlottesville University Symphony Orchestra and the Waynesboro Symphony, ensembles such as Three Notch'd Road and Zephyrus, and many individual musicians, our area abounds in great classical music. I could list many more examples.
Perhaps local classical music might be featured in the future?
John Delehanty
Charlottesville
Vendor bender: Will the City Market stay or go?
The Charlottesville City Market on opening day this year. Will it ever get a permanent home?Courtesy Charlottesville City Market
The 35-year old outdoor market brings hordes Downtown every week from spring into fall. There are over 100 vendors now, and officials say they receive request from 40 new vendors a week.Courtesy Charlottesville City Market
People come to see vendors like Ignacio Becerra and Lupe Vargas, whose homemade tacos are legendary.Courtesy Charlottesville City MarketFor as long as the Charlottesville City Market Saturday extravaganza of local foods and crafts has existed on the City parking lot along Water Street–over 20 years, though the popular outdoor market has actually been around for 35 years– there's been discussion about relocating it. Earlier this year, a consulting company called Market Ventures, whom the City paid $100,000 to study the possibility of creating a "market district" downtown, presented two possible ideas: keep it in its current location with some design improvement or move it to a lot that could be leased at First and Garrett streets.
But wait. Didn't the City sponsor a $150,000 design contest to generate ideas for creating a market district in 2007? Didn't City Council have a big discussion about finding a new home for the City Market back in 2010, during which then-mayor Dave Norris noted that the market "needs and deserves" a permanent location?Indeed, Council is scheduled to discuss the issue again in June, based on the new study. But even if a decision is made, Chris Engel, the city’s Economic Director, points out that there's no time frame on when the new market relocation or improvement would be completed.
After all this time, the consensus seems to be to keep the market in its current location and make improvements– such as adding water, electricity, and seating o...
Ranunculus
Bill EmoryButtercups. Pretty but poisonous.
Ingestion causes burning of the mouth, abdominal pain, vomiting, and bloody diarrhea. Skin redness, burning sensation, and blisters following contact with cell sap. ––NCSU
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Commentator Bill Emory puts up a new photo nearly every day at billemory.com/blog.
Bucking tradition: Does Democrat Terry McAuliffe have what it takes to beat Ken Cuccinelli?
Former President Bill Clinton stumps for McAuliffe at the 17th Street Farmers' Market in Richmond in April 2009.Scott Elmquist
McAuliffe, with Democratic strategist Paul Goldman and former Republican Gov. George Allen, addresses a meeting of the Richmond Crusade for Voters after the election in November 2009.Scott Elmquist
Scott Elmquist Terry McAuliffe and Glen Besa, director of the Virginia chapter of the Sierra Club, celebrate at Democratic headquarters at the Richmond Marriott on election night.Scott Elmquist
Terry McAuliffe speaks to a political science class at the University of Virginia in April as longtime professor Larry Sabato looks on.Scott Elmquist
After explaining the key planks of his gubernatorial campaign in early April, McAuliffe greets students of Larry Sabato's introduction to American politics class.Scott Elmquist
To win the election, McAuliffe will have to overcome a perception that he's an outsider.Scott Elmquist
Terry McAuliffe kicks of his campaign for governor May 6 in Charlottesville-- and Richmond and Harrisonburg.photo by lisa provence
Dorothy and Terry McAuliffe were in Charlottesville May 6 for a multi-city campaign kickoff. In his 1997 book, he details leaving Dorothy in the delivery room while he went to a fundraiser.photo by lisa provenceby Peter Galuszka
Easter Sunday blows rainy and cold while the cell phone buzzes at 12:58 p.m. It's a surprise email from Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Terry McAuliffe. "Peter," his message reads. "My family and I are about to head out to Easter brunch but I wanted to make you aware that today's the last day we have to file our first financial report of the year." McAuliffe asks for a $5 donation.
The campaign continues through the holiday. At 2:58 p.m. another email blares from Emily Aden, McAuliffe's research director, asking for $5 or more. At 7:24 p.m., another McAuliffe staffer, finance director Andrew Smith, chimes in with his pitch for five bucks.
McAuliffe's data-mining prowess is impressive, but it also shows remarkable tone deafness. Many Virginians prefer their holidays uninterrupted by cash solicitations. Nailing the point, Larry Sabato, longtime political analyst at the University of Virginia, tweets later that evening: "Returning to email after pleasant Easter to find 11 obnoxious pleas for $$$. Now know answer to age old Q: Is nothing sacred?"
And that, in a nutshell, may be McAuliffe's biggest challenge. Can a hard-charging, if not bombastic, Washington fundraiser and businessman with no experience in elective office become governor in a tradition-loving state that he doesn't seem to understand?
It's a crucial question, because McAuliffe is going up against Republican Attorney General Kenneth Cuccinelli, an experienced...
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