"Countdown"

comics DC scored critically and commercially with last year’s weekly comic, "52." It only makes sense that the comic company would follow it up with another weekly book, this one called "Countdown" and ticking down from issue 52 to zero. But while "52" featured a cabal of DC’s best writers turning second- and third-tier characters […]

Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s

game Activision’s Guitar Hero series is that rare specimen that aces what I like to call the waking reality test: When a game effortlessly intrudes on your everyday life—in this case, when you’re walking through a grocery store, hear a Nirvana tune on the Muzak system and immediately begin flipping imaginary fret buttons—you know it’s got […]

Influx of units calms rental market

To put it mildly, the Charlottesville real estate market has suffered a beating in the last year. Mid-year sales slumped in 2007 even as the lending nightmare continues to unfold. All bad news—if you are into the whole home-ownership deal. But Charlottesville renters, especially those connected to UVA, haven’t suffered the slings and arrows of […]

What's left to master plan for Rivanna?

When the Rivanna Village at Glenmore came before the Albemarle County Planning Commission in March, neighboring residents showed up in force. Many expressed concern over the density of the project—521 units and 125,000 square feet of commercial space on 93 acres—and whether it might open up the possibility of even denser development down the line […]

One more nine-story building proposed

If you want Charlottesville to have its own version of the Flatiron building, sometimes you just have to do it yourself. Developer Neal Sansovich, employing local architecture firm Daggett & Grigg, has submitted a preliminary siteplan for a mixed-use, nine-story building on a small, triangular lot at 600 E. Water St., currently a parking lot […]

Time running out for 201 Avon St.

In order to win special-use permits for a 100-unit, high-end condo project at 201 Avon St., New York-based architect Randolph Croxton spent dozens of hours last year before various city boards, from the Board of Architectural Review (BAR) to City Council. Long conversations took place—with the BAR on the materials and the exterior aesthetics, with […]

Breaking news: Warner Senate Switch?

Virginia Senator John Warner, the second-longest serving member of the United State Senate, announced today that he will not seek a sixth term. He made the announcement in front of the Rotunda on the Grounds of UVA, where he received a law degree in 1953.

New book scrutinizes Rutherford Institute

The Charlottesville-based Rutherford Institute, a public interest law firm that assists conservative Christian causes, is the subject of a new book, Suing for America’s Soul. Given the "red and blue" nature of America’s political consciousness, many potential readers will wonder if the book is biased in any way. "For a historian like me I think […]

Everyone's a blogger (even George Allen)

It's not so much a "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em" situation. For former Virginia Senator George Allen, who lost his seat in 2006 after video of him using a racial epithet permeated the blogosphere, it's more of a "If you get beaten to a bloodied political pulp by 'em, join 'em" deal.