Magna cum late

Dashed hopes have become commonplace in this year of the pandemic, but UVA President Jim Ryan’s announcement on March 3 still stung: No friends, family, or guests will be allowed at the university’s 2021 graduation. Last year’s festivities were canceled too, and this year the school had hoped to hold two ceremonies on consecutive weekends […]

Fate uncertain: Historic Crozet home in path of subdivision

Wayland House, on Pleasant Green Street in Crozet, may be the oldest existing house in town, dating to about 1814. And it may disappear as a new development arrives. The house was built by a reverend, whose more famous son, Benjamin Franklin Ficklin Jr., operated stagecoaches and helped establish the legendary Pony Express mail service […]

Still together: Diamond anniversary for Afton couple

Valentines, imagine getting hitched this month. Then imagine celebrating your 75th wedding anniversary in February 2094. A 75th anniversary is so rare that the U.S. Census Bureau keeps no statistics on it. Estimates are that fewer than 0.1 percent of marriages make it to 70 years or more, according to the University of Nebraska Omaha […]

Suspicious minds: Gift larceny low, but other thefts are afoot

As if we didn’t have actual problems to worry about, national news has been filled with stories of porch pirates stealing gift-laden packages. But for those worried that their Amazon deliveries will be snatched by the end of the work day, rest assured: So far this holiday season in Albemarle County, only two missing packages […]

Ticked off: UVA physician connects the dots on a perplexing allergy to meat

Frank Morris had trouble breathing. Victor Taylor woke up in the middle of the night, with “pancake-sized hives.” Author John Grisham’s ears were “really, really itching.” “We got in the car,” Grisham told Allergic Living magazine, “and I was so desperate I stripped down, took off all my clothes but my boxer shorts, and I […]

Arbitrate this: Clause for concern kills car sale

Devoted Audi owner Deborah Wyatt was set to buy her third car from Flow Automotive in Charlottesville in August—until she was presented with a separate arbitration agreement after signing the sales contract. Arbitration agreements, which are more often part of banking or credit card terms, are usually designed to block your ability to sue in […]