Hillary, shmillary: What about local races?

Odd years may be off years as far as national elections are concerned, and one can’t watch five minutes of U.S. news without learning of the latest nuance in a presidential race that’s still 20 months away. But the November 2007 election, a mere eight months away, will arguably be more important in locals’ daily […]

Jefferson School gets new owners

The city has announced the Jefferson School General Partnership, a private entity that will purchase the Jefferson School, keeping it eligible for $8 million in federal tax credits to restore the historic site.

A look at the per capita budgets

Budget talk is heating up (well, as much as budget talk ever heats up): Should the city and the county lower the tax rates in the wake of double-digit rises in real estate assessments? If so, what should get cut? What should the government do to help middle-class homeowners? Are the schools getting all the […]

Rivanna village project goes forward

Six years after the Rivanna Village at Glenmore was first proposed, the project to add up to 521 new residential units and 125,000 square feet of commercial space to the community in eastern Albemarle is at last going before the Board of Supervisors. The county Planning Commission voted 5-1 to approve the project, with numerous […]

Neighbors battle over elevated road

A little over a year ago, photographer Michael Higgins opened the front door of his house to see local farmer George Cason standing there. “He said I want to be a good neighbor,” remembers Higgins. “He brought over pumpkins and gave apples to my kids.” A month later, Higgins says Cason was hurling inflammatory threats […]

Code red, white and blue

Dear Ace: On a recent trip to Richmond, I noticed that all the state buildings were flying the Commonwealth flag at half-staff while the U.S. flag was at full-staff. Isn’t this a deviation from flag-display protocol?—Fannie Flagg Fannie: No offense, but prior to receiving this question, when Ace heard phrases like “deviation from flag-display protocol,” […]

A sorry state

Let it never be said that we here at Odd Dominion HQ (hidden deep beneath the streets of Belmont, with just a modem, a cable-news feed and a donut-delivering pneumatic tube from Spudnuts to sustain us) refuse to acknowledge when our fine Commonwealth’s elected representatives get something right for a change. So kudos to our […]

Neon Bible

cd The Arcade Fire’s actual music can get lost in the unusual media frenzy that has surrounded the band over the past three years. On the eve of the release of their second album, Neon Bible, both The New Yorker and The New York Times ran lengthy profiles. (Not to mention the adoration that extends […]

Gulag Orkestar

cd In the quest for authentic world musics, few labels support young white teenagers eager to re-live other cultures. Not all traditions (so they assume) have a universal code that can be broken without living the history embedded in the lyrics. Beirut channel the spirits of gypsies, tramps and thieves on the worldly debut, Gulag […]