No bond for psychic

Sandra Marks, 41, who was known locally for her Readings by Catherine business on U.S. 29 North until she disappeared following a big raid a year ago, made it back to town August 28 for a bond hearing in U.S. District Court. Marks was arrested in New York, and a 34-count indictment accuses her of […]

Police called to Carter Mountain twice last week

Carter Mountain, Charlottesville’s popular site for fall apple picking and barbecue, has become the scene of police investigations for the third time in a year as the latest in a string of strange happenings was reported this past Wednesday. First was the discovery of skeletal remains found August 26 along Route 20 near the I-64 […]

Exempt or not exempt? Judge considers FOIA lawsuit

The Public Housing Association of Residents and local branch of the NAACP passed the first hurdle in their lawsuit against the City of Charlottesville for police records of stops and frisks when a judge refused the city’s request to throw out the suit August 25. The case is also raising questions about how government bodies […]

Courting disaster: Republicans pick a losing judicial fight

In our experience, the current Republican majority in the General Assembly excels at exactly one thing: grandstanding. Not great at legislating, consensus-building or acknowledging basic reality, but boy do they know how to make a ruckus. If the definition of a conservative is, as National Review founder William F. Buckley put it, someone who “stands […]

UPDATED: Two Virginia journalists slain by former station employee

On August 26, viewers of Roanoke’s WDBJ morning news show initially didn’t know what had happened when the camera abruptly dropped and multiple pops could be heard. Later, they were shocked to learn they’d witnessed the execution of a reporter and cameraman on live TV during the interview of a third victim about Smith Mountain […]

Shattered Glass? Kroboth’s name change lands him in jail

If Kurt Kroboth was hoping for a better life with a new identity in California, the ex-convict received a painful surprise last week when he was arrested for a parole violation that may, ironically, have stemmed from something he put on his name change application. Kroboth is being held (under that name) without bond at […]

Dangerous time of year on Grounds

Those heady first weeks of freedom as a college student have a name: the red zone, the time when freshman females are most at risk for sexual assault. And this year, the University of Virginia is mandating two online classes on alcohol and substance abuse, and sexual violence for both male and female students. UVA […]

Senator Mark Warner discusses on-demand economy

On August 19, Senator Mark Warner attended a round-table discussion hosted by local hiring platform Moonlighting about employment, the government’s role in a sharing economy and efforts to help people make more money. More than a dozen local workers from freelance and independent contract companies like Uber, Etsy and Airbnb attended the discussion, in which […]

Middleditch sued by family of man who died in accident

The family of the man killed in a May 25 Barracks Road traffic accident is now suing the driver police say caused the crash in a wrongful death lawsuit. Andrew Middleditch, 55, was turning left when officers say Lonnie Branham, 78, attempted to pass him. The cars collided and Branham crashed into a ditch. He […]