—Wyclef Pawn A: Well, Wyclef, as we all know, this little old One-Nation-Under-God is doing its damndest to make sure that no Miss Nelson is missing and every little Mohammad and Jesus can “See Spot run.” And, if you’ve noticed our fresh-off-the-boat Somali Bantu refugees wandering down Preston looking a little dazed and confused, then […]
Charter bust
For nearly three years, the tenacious Jan Cornell has been the backbone of the Staff Union at UVA (SUUVA). Taking on the region’s largest employer as the only full-time member of SUUVA is taking its toll on her, though. As alarmed workers look to Cornell to explain the school’s quest for charter status, will she […]
Chain of demand
—Donna Bummer A: Hate to break it to you Donna, but the old “she’s working hard for the money, so you better treat her right” philosophy just doesn’t cut it on the boardroom floor. Such is the case here. First, some background. The deal is that during UVA’s home football and basketball games, local nonprofits […]
All the news that’s fit to gag
www.alternet.org In Minot, North Dakota, in 2002, a train derailed at 1:30am spilling 200,000 gallons of deadly gas. All six commercial radio stations in the area were owned by Clear Channel, and all six were fully automated. As a result, the stations weren’t switched over to the emergency broadcasting frequency and the news wasn’t properly […]
Eat your heart out!
Who doesn’t love to eat? O.K., who besides Mary-Kate Olsen doesn’t love to eat? We’re so lucky we live in Charlottesville, where therestaurants rival Volvos for per capita representation. It’s like an open invitation for a long-term love affair. To help you organize yourmany food choices, the always-hungry staff of C-VILLE went on a hunt […]
Statue of limitations
—Pex Sistol A: Mr. Sistol, some things are easier said than done. Take, for example, your illustrious Mr. Lewis and Mr. Clark. These bold explorers indeed went where no white man had gone before, but had it not been for the aid of their faithful guide Sacagawea, they wouldn’t have gotten so far (although Ace […]
Research sample
Ask most Americans about the periodic table and you’re likely to get vague descriptions of rarely used furniture or perhaps faint memories from a high school classroom. Even here in Charlottesville, science is a murky mystery, the domainof white coat-wearing magicians. Yet over on the west side of town sits one of the most active, […]
Happy Birthday TO US!
Happy 15th to the best old RAG of Charlottesville. You truly reflect the town and that makes the C-VILLE the perfect complement to certain (three) local radio stations in town. May your next 15 be as disruptiveto the normalcy of our great townas your first 15. Brad Eure Owner, Eure Communications, Inc. (3WV, Z95 and […]
Rag time
A: Thanks, Backinda. How does this, one of the great journalistic sagas of our time, begin? Well, it was a dark and stormy night… But seriously, the official story credits two skinny kids from that gentlemen’s establishment, Hampden-Sydney College, who had pockets full of lint and heads full of dreams. “Hey,” said Bill Chapman, Charlottesville […]
Fire, man!
Earl Smith thinks big. Straining to hit the highest notes of a Judas Priest anthem, tossing cheerleaders in the air or standing up to the mayor, Smith lives to the tune of a rock and roll chorus. Too loud for you? Too bad. “I thought he was the most obnoxious man I ever met,” says […]
It’s a Dyke, by George
A: Sad but true, Anne (and not exactly breaking news): Virginia has its issues with gay people. The extent of the discomfort, however, does not reach to renaming towns whose highway exit signs prompt pointing and giggling. In fact, according to the Greene County Administrator’s office, the town of Dyke does not even exist. See, […]
Pillow talk
“All I want to do is fall asleep,”says Matt (not his real name), a new Charlottesville resident. Since moving to town, Matt describes his sleep pattern as “very intermittent. I can’t seem to fall into a deep, sustained sleep.” After a restless night, when morning comes he says he feels tired and “resigned that I have […]
Tough on plaque
A: Hold your horses, Howard. Redesigning history is not part of City Council’s charter, and when one plaque departs another arrives—or so it would appear. Ace took a turn up Court Square way and, after dodging jackhammers and cement rollers, found himself in front of Number Nothing, Court Square. There, a plaque most certainly marks […]
Frequent flyer trials
A: Cry “censorship” if you please, Indie, but it’s the law: No young whippersnappers and their flyers are allowed to put their paw prints all over our city’s sacred utility poles. Maurice Jones, ever civic-minded director of communications for the City, explains the restrictions this way: “A proliferation of flyers throughout the city would take […]
Pleading the fifth
It’s a steamy Friday afternoon in July, and the gates are opening on one of Southside Virginia’s biggest summertime bashes, the Cantaloupe Festival, near South Boston. Cars park on the grass outside of the Halifax County Fairgrounds, just 10 miles from the North Carolina border. The entrance road to the fairgrounds is decorated like a […]
Distressed signal
In the late 1960s, when Turner Communications was a business of billboards and radio stations and I was spending much of my energy ocean racing, a UHF-TV station came up for sale in Atlanta. It was losing $50,000 a month and its programs were viewed by fewer than 5 percent of the market. I acquired […]
The little Frenchman who could
A:Well, John, take the first clue regarding the personal history of one Claudius Crozet: As we oh-so-continental locals know, “Crozet” is pronounced “Crow-zay” and not “Crow-zette,” indicating a connection to which country? Oui, mes étudiants adorables, vous avez raison! Monsieur Claudius Crozet était francais! To find out about ol’ Claude, Ace took a trip to […]
And the winner is…
RESTAURANT Bizou There is something pretty special about a restaurant that can defeat not one, but two upscale French cuisineries (C&O and OXO) in a close race, only to have our unpaid intern stand up and declare, “That’s where I’m going for lunch!” Bizou is the bread-and-butter for restaurateurs Tim Burgess and Vincent Derquenne. The […]
In limb-o
A: Michelle, Ace understands your concern. It’s not unusual for us humans to get attached (sometimes unhealthily) to our verdant friends. Consider Julia Butterfly Hill, who lived in her pet redwood, “Luna,” for two years out in California to protest logging. But while Butterfly Hill may have been crusading on the behalf of a 1,000-year-old […]
Five-card STUDS
Game on “Oh no!” Twelve-year-old Reid stares at the television in dismay. An Atlanta Braves batter has jacked a pitch deep into the left-center power alley. Reid holds his breath, watching the white dot arc toward the stands…then he sighs, relieved, when the ball plops into the mitt of a Boston Red Sox outfielder. “Reid, […]
Motor city
A: If one thing’s clear it’s that you, my dear Pia, have been doing some serious wishful thinking. Not that you’re totally off the mark. The dude in question is David Sloan, a real estate agent with Roy Wheeler Realty. But he sure ain’t just giving the scooters away. To get your hands on those […]
Come here often?
Restaurants help define a place. The world’s great cities are known for their dining rooms: Maxim’s in Paris, Katz’s Deli in New York, Chez Panisse in Berkeley. And Charlottesville is no different. l But behind a restaurant’s feel are its customers, particularly the cast of characters who regularly pull up a seat. l So who […]
Red, red wine
A: Well, Eubie, first thing Ace wants to say is vitners are farmers, too! Moreover, according to the website www.mountaincovevineyards.com, Weed’s an old hand at the business. He and his wife Emily founded Mountain Cove Vineyards in 1973, and they claim it’s the "oldest continuously operating winery" in the State. But you’re not wondering […]