HookCast for October 5th, 2006
Oct 5th 2:55pm
by Hawes Spencer
Boar War- Questions have been raised in the government-sponsored slaughter of nearly 80 pigs in western Buckingham County. The pigs were part of a business that might have meant their slaughter one-by-one anyway, but controversy rages over the pre-dawn government raid there and at another such hunting preserve in Cumberland.
ALSO IN THIS WEEK'S ISSUE:
Tax brake: Late taxpayers lose car-tax relief- The County says that nearly 13,000 tax bills are suddenly a lot steeper.
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Macaca’s replacement blocked at CHO
Oct 4th 6:47pm
by lindsay
Since Senator George Allen's "Macaca" scandal broke in late August, it has become common knowledge that political campaigns in high-profile races send "trackers" to follow the opposition with video cameras, so any gaffe can be captured for the whole wide world to see.
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Morgan Freeman blesses Film Fest
Oct 4th 12:38pm
by Lisa Provence
He kept a pretty low profile when he was here earlier this year as God in Evan Almighty, but actor Morgan Freeman will face his adoring fans at this year's Virginia Film Festival. And with Freeman following Robert Duvall's appearance for The Apostle on Friday at the Paramount, October 27 is turning out to be the high star-wattage night at this year's fest.
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ââ?¬Å?If you wanna get down, down on the groundââ?¬ÂŠ.ââ?¬Â
Oct 3rd 11:54am
by Dave McNair
When Eric Clapton plays the John Paul Jones arena next week, October 12, concert goes may get to hear one song he hasn�t played live in a long time. Can you guess?
According to a recent AP report, Clapton has started playing ââ?¬Å?Cocaineââ?¬Â on tour.
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Joke’s on Roanoke in upcoming movie
Oct 2nd 3:03pm
by lindsay
Last January, when a man purporting to be a Kazakh journalist shooting a documentary addressed a Salem Civic Center rodeo crowd by saying, "I hope you kill every man, woman and child in Iraq, down to the lizards. And may George W. Bush drink the blood of every man, woman and child in Iraq," the event organizers had a pretty good idea they had been duped.
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UVA to host fireworks show, close University Avenue
Sep 28th 6:02pm
by lindsay
UVA will light up the lawn Friday night with a fireworks display visible over the Rotunda beginning at 9:45pm. You would too...
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New Sparklehorse record acclaimed to varying degrees
Sep 28th 5:01pm
by lindsay
After five long years, Sparklehorse fans finally got their wish this week for a fourth album from Albemarle High School alum and former Fluvanna resident Mark Linkous.
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HookCast for September 28, 2006
Sep 28th 11:59am
by lindsay
Remembering UHall, binge institute at UVA, tortured elephatns, DMB wrap up and more.
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UVA grad student discovers unknown Robert Frost poem
Sep 27th 6:10pm
by Dave McNair
"Two roads diverged in a wood, and Iââ?¬â?
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference." - Robert Frost, from "The Road Not Taken"
One Frost poem certainly took the road less traveled.
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Robert Duvall to headline Film Fest
Sep 27th 5:03pm
by Lisa Provence
Virginian Robert Duvall will head down from Warrenton to pick up the Virginia Film Award and screen his 1997 film, The Apostle, at this year's spiritually themed Virginia Film Festival, fest director Richard Herskowitz announced today at the Music Resource Center.
Herskowitz unveiled special guests and events for the 19th festival, this year with the subject "Revelations: Finding God at the Movies," which runs Oc
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HookCast for September 21, 2006 (yeah, late)
Sep 27th 4:59pm
by Hawes Spencer
Nelson County: flooded with memories 37 years after the fatal deluge, peeping pastor gets 60 days, Lethal driver guilty in life-changing wreck, and DMB superstars Boyd Tinsley and Fenton Williams talk about what it all means.
It's all here in this week's edition of the Hook. (Sorry for the technically glitches that delayed this week's HookCast!)
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Skimpy crowds at fall Foxfield
Sep 26th 6:00pm
by Hawes Spencer
Has the anti-drinking crowd succeeded in crushing Foxfield? On Sunday, the quiet fields, line-less port-a-johns, and absence of vehicular traffic seemed to tell a story.
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UVA dumps early decision
Sep 26th 5:42pm
by Hawes Spencer
UVA has dumped its early decision admission program in the wake of similar decisions by Harvard and Princeton universities, the school announced yesterday. The program, which accounts for 30 percent of accepted students, was eliminated in an attempt to provide greater accessibility to low-income students.
"The opportunity of early decision," said UVA President John T.
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Housing slide: Not so bad here?
Sep 26th 3:12pm
by Lisa Provence
A national realtors' report that home prices dropped for the first time in 10 years in August doesn't have dire implications here yet– although prices of properties in the $500,000 range and above could be lower than a year ago, according to local real estate guru Dave Phillips.
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Swiftboated? Allen roiled by racist allegations
Sep 25th 5:25pm
by Courteney Stuart
There's more bad news for Senator George Allen, who's spent the last several weeks of his campaign first doing damage control for his "Macaca" incident and then adjusting to news that he's from a Jewish family.
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Gibson reveals early I’m-no-Jew Allen denial
Sep 24th 9:30am
by Hawes Spencer
Bob Gibson, the dean of political reporting at the Daily Progress, reveals today in his Sunday column another bizzare Jewish roots denial from Senator George Allen– this one from way back in 2003.
As Americans have been learning over the past week, unlike some public figures such as Madeleine Albright, who revel in revelations about their ancestry, Allen initially took a stance conveying
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Frosh QB here to stay?
Sep 22nd 11:34pm
by Hawes Spencer
UVA's third-string quarterback is on his way to a second start, the coach confirmed tonight, and some are talking about an entire season.
Despite the lopsided loss to Georgia Tech yesterday, Jameel Sewell, a Richmond-area redshirt freshman will start another game as UVA's starting QB when the Cavalier's play Duke September 30. "In staff discussions today, we all felt he handled himself positively," head coach Al Groh said tonight in a conference call.
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Eco-Mod on the block
Sep 22nd 12:17pm
by Dave McNair
With its angular lines, large windows, three decks, and galvanized steel roof, the Eco-Mod house on 7-1/2 Street off Cherry Avenue looks like it could have come right out of the pages of Architectural Digest.
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Beer co. salutes UVA with $2.5 million
Sep 21st 5:27pm
by Hawes Spencer
The company whose "we salute you" Bud Light commercials often thank people for minor accomplishments has made a major gift to the university that prides itself on taking a leadership role in fighting risky drinking.
"We salute you, University of Virginia," Anheuser-Busch spokesperson Francine Katz declared today in a Rotunda Dome Roo
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JADE makes undercover ecstasy bust
Sep 21st 4:39pm
by Dave McNair
Last night, the Jade Task Force (the Jefferson Area Drug Enforcement Task Force) seized 1000 Ecstasy tablets with a street vale of $25,000 during an undercover operation in the 1700 block area of Hydraulic Road, according to a press release. Hung Ngoc Nguyen, 49, was arrested on two counts of distributing the drug and is being held without bond at the Albemarle/Charlottesville Regional Jail.
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Earth, Wind & Fire to tip off basketball at JPJ
Sep 21st 12:11pm
by lindsay
With the opening of the John Paul Jones Arena, UVA hopes to see its fair share of hoops luminaries pass through its doors playing for the Cavaliers in the next several decades. What better way to get the new era started than with the band whose #1 hit was called "Shining Star"?
That's right, funkophiles.
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Mark Warner gets down with the kids on Facebook.com
Sep 20th 3:32pm
by lindsay
Former governor Mark Warner has been called a lot of names in his political career, but luddite isn't one of them. From founding what would become cell phone giant Nextel to being one of the first politicians with his own blog, Warner has always been on the cutting edge of communications technology.
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Bomber dad escapes contempt charge
Sep 19th 5:28pm
by Hawes Spencer
The father of the 15-year-old ensnared in Albemarle County's bomb conspiracy dragnet escaped his own possible bout behind bars today, as a judge agreed that the dad's intent wasn't sufficient to warrant a conviction.
"Technically, I think you violated the court order," said Circuit Court Judge Paul Peatross. "I'm dismissing the contempt.
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CDC reports on meningitis case
Sep 19th 5:04pm
by Courteney Stuart
The UVA fourth-year student who died of bacterial meningitis last week had Strain B, the least infectious strain of the disease, the Centers for Disease Control reported on Monday.
The news is what UVA administrators were hoping to hear. "That strain is less likely to cause outbreaks among several people, and generally causes isolated, single cases," said UVA's executive director of student health, Dr.
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Architects for new Crozet Library chosen
Sep 19th 3:30pm
by Dave McNair
On the steps of the main branch on East Market Street Thursday, September 21, at 10am, officials from Albemarle County and the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library will announce that they have selected Grimm & Parker Architects of Mclean (in association with Heyward Boyd Architects here in town) to design the new
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Sally Hemings dissed again
Sep 19th 3:13pm
Cavalier Daily apologizes for Jesus cartoons
Sep 15th 3:44pm
by lindsay
Two days after refusing to apologize for running two controversial comics depicting Jesus Christ, the Cavalier Daily issued a statement today apologizing for the cartoons. UVA third-year Grant Woolard drew the cartoons for his comic strip Quirksmith. The statement reads, in part: "Offense was not our intent-ââ?¬â??
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If it’s Sunday, it’s Allen and Webb
Sep 15th 12:26pm
by lindsay
Political junkies across the Commonwealth and the nation will rise and shine at 9am this Sunday morning, when Senator George Allen and his Democratic opponent, former Navy Secretary
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Gas prices high? Yes, but…
Sep 15th 10:59am
by lindsay
If you've tuned in to the morning show on WINA news radio in the past few days, you've likely heard hosts Jay James and Jane Foy bemoaning the high gasoline prices in this area and talking about some poll in which 82 percent of their listeners believe they're getting gouged.
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HookCast- September 14, 2006
Sep 14th 10:38am
by lindsay
Finding humor in H.I.V., Iranian president shuts down Monticello, an interview with legendary Allman Brothers and Gov't Mule guitarist Warren Haynes and much more...
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O’Reilly puts Casteen, Cavalier Daily on notice
Sep 13th 10:19pm
by lindsay
In a segment on the September 13 broadcast of the O'Reilly Factor, Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly called out University of Virginia president John Casteen, saying that he was "hiding behind his desk" and called on his viewers to flood Casteen's office with letters.
Those remarks came during a segment about two cartoons run in the August 23 and 24 editions of the Cavalier Daily.
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Biscuit Run sculptor dies
Sep 13th 3:52pm
by Lisa Provence
David Breeden, the soapstone sculptor of Biscuit Run and patriarch of a clan that includes seven offspring, died Tuesday of heart failure at age 68, according to his obituary in the Daily Progress.
Seven of his 89,200 signed, original works adorn Charlottesville and are found in other American cities and in the Caribbean.
Last year, when the 1,365-acre Forest Lodge tract that surroun
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DeLuca revels in his hypnotism
Sep 13th 1:59pm
by Hawes Spencer
Approximately 5,000 people piled into UVA�s amphitheater last night. That volume of people on a Tuesday evening can only mean one thing: Tom DeLuca's back in town.
Postponed two weeks by tropical storm Ernesto, the popular annual visitor is a hypnotist who performs for colleges and corporate audiences across the country. But he says UVA is by far the biggest show he does.
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UVA fourth year shot and robbed
Sep 11th 4:12pm
by lindsay
Charlottesville police are on the lookout for two suspects who allegedly shot and robbed a UVA fourth year who was sitting on the porch of a residence in the 1000 block of Wertland Street early Sunday morning.
According to a press release, emergency personnel received a 911 call at 3:50am yesterday and found the 21-year-old male with one gunshot wound in his abdomen.
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‘Randy Mac’ needs new name
Sep 10th 12:20am
by Hawes Spencer
On Saturday, the trustees of Randolph-Macon Woman's College, despite the chants of critics and a possible legal threat by former gubernatorial hopeful Wyatt Durrette, voted to admit men to the Lynchburg institution. Yesterday's showdown comes to life in an Associated Press story. Left unstated is what a coed R-MWC might be called.
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Jury: UVA student lied, owes $500
Sep 9th 9:48am
by Hawes Spencer
A Charlottesville jury decided yesterday that UVA student Tamira Roberson, charged as part of an alleged break-in and brawl at a fraternity house in March, lied about her presence at the scene but did not actually trespass.
According to a story in this morning's Daily Progress, Roberson was seen lying on videotape in an initial police interview when she claimed not to have been present in the Delta Upsilon house, which was the site of an alleged mutli-person
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It’ll be cold day in… Monticello closes for Khatami
Sep 8th 5:48pm
by Hawes Spencer
Monticello plans to close tomorrow morning for three hours, at the height of the weekend tourist rush, for a visit from former Iranian president Mohammed Khatami.
"We do realize that visits of this nature are an inconvenience to our staff and visitors, but in the long run, they're rewarding and beneficial," says Monticello spokesperson Wayne Mogielnicki.
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HookCast-September 7, 2006
Sep 8th 5:21pm
by Hawes Spencer
This is the HookCast of September 7, 2006, and there are some amazing stories in this week's edition: tales of surviving 9/11... and not surviving 9/11. Plus, the "ringleader" in the alleged teen bomb plot takes a plea that spares him jail time. But it's not over yet. Now, one of the dads faces contempt charges for writing a letter to the Albemarle County School Board.
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Locally-set Swedish Auto to open Film Festival
Sep 8th 5:08pm
by lindsay
Following in the grand tradition of the Golden Globe-winning The Four Seasons, the James-Spader-and-John-Cusack-starring True Colors and even the Alan Smithee-directed Morgan Stewart's Coming Home
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Former Iranian president addresses UVA amid tight security
Sep 7th 5:13pm
by lindsay
In his 2002 State of the Union address, President Bush said, "Iran aggressively pursues these weapons [of mass destruction] and exports terror, while an unelected few repress the Iranian people's hope for freedom," and called the Iranian government one-third of "an axis of evil."
Over four years later, the man who was leading Iran at the time, former president Muhammad Khatami, lectured in the Dome Room of t
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