Charlottesville Breaking News

Dear Carolyn:
     Our daughter, 27 and married for just over two years, is feeling she "is living the wrong life, like, I'm not in the right place." We are very fond of our son-in-law, but our primary concern is our daughter.
     He is 10 years older and wanted to start a family, but his, "When do you think you will be ready?" has caused her to put the brakes on and have a rethink – of where she is, where they are as a couple, etc. Bottom line is that she doesn't love him the way you would expect a "newly" married couple to feel for each other. There has been no passion, she states, for a long time.
     I believe they have laid everything on the table for discussion, but I can tell from my daughter's personality, etc., that she has basically decided that she doesn't love him the way a wife should, rather thinks of him as a wonderful friend. She is very worried about his reaction toward a separation. He has had some trust issues from the past.
     I have suggested professional counseling, to help her figure out what she does want and need, but she is hesitant and/or embarrassed with the notion of being a "statistic" and "stupid" for such a serious lack of judgment.
     – Concerned Mother and Mother-in-Law
   
     I...

The recent shooting outside the Elks Lodge on the Downtown Mall, which holds regular Friday night dance parties that cater to the African-American community, left two party goers wounded and a community wondering: can a club servicing a largely African-American clientele exist in town without violence?

The track record isn't good. In addition to a long history of disturbances outside the Elks Lodge, the now defunct Outback Lodge on Preston Avenue tried to have a weekly hip hop night, but a 2007 shooting in the parking lot put the kibosh on that. Later, when Deuce's Lounge opened in the Outback building and tried to feature hip hop shows, regular altercations ended up shutting it down. And when the now defunct IS Venue on West Main tried the same thing, well, you get the picture.

The Main Street Annex is trying to change that perception. While the year-old club is white-owned and managed, they are heavily promoting hip hop and go-go acts and providing one of the few, if only, public venues for the musical genre.

Indeed, on a recent Friday night, a reporter stopped by to check out the club, a small space located on Water Street right next to Escafé, and part of the Main Street Arena. While mostly white kids talked and tapped their toes at the Whiskey Jar, where a bluegrass band named the Green Boys were playing, and the crowd over at Escafé geared up for a night of pop dancing, the scene outside the Annex provided a sharp contrast. While...