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 […]

Stoned love

A: Ace has to agree: The house to which you refer is certainly striking. Seen on its own, it could be mistaken for the last remaining house on earth after nuclear warfare. But in reality, it is one of two structures that once called the Target construction site home. Wendell Wood, whose United Land Corporation […]

The politics of the pump

The rise in gas prices has given the Democrats yet another sharp stick with which to poke George W. Bush. They should enjoy the advantage while they can, for come the fall we could very well see gas prices moving dramatically in the opposite direction, an October surprise that would be most welcome to the […]

Fuzz at the Food Lion

Q: Ace, the other day I was shopping at the Food Lion on the corner of Fifth and Harris and saw a cop, in full cop attire, apparently on the job but nothing doing. If our police department is sending officers to hang out at Food Lion, when my neighborhood could use an extra patrolling […]

Uncharted waters

In 2002, during the height of the drought, people all over Central Virginia ate off paper plates and drove around in dirty cars. Meanwhile, elected officials crossed their fingers that existing water supplies would hold out, and they wouldn’t have to truck in emergency provisions of bottled water.  That summer, the Rivanna Water and Sewer […]

Busted baritone

Q: Ace, I recently read on George Loper’s website that a man named Uriah J. Fields had been asked to leave City Market for singing too loudly. Loper’s website mentioned that this man often sings on other, political “occasions.” Could you offer me a bit more information about the City Market incident, but perhaps more […]

This is your government on drugs

It sounds a bit like the answer to one of those old late night “so whatever happened to…” questions. Tommy Chong, 65-year-old grandfather, the lesser-known half of the goofy late-’70s burnout comedy duo Cheech and Chong, was convicted of the illegal sale of drug paraphernalia over the Internet (i.e. he marketed a line of glass […]

Coffee tawk

Q:Ace, while grabbing a bite to eat at everywhere from Michael’s Bistro to McDonald’s I’ve noticed a paper called Coffee News in distribution bins. It’s not exactly “news” and it’s not exactly about coffee, so what’s the deal? Has it been around long? And what purpose does it serve?—Sugar Ann Milkie A: Sugar Ann, sit […]

The Price is Right

Among the 115 police officers of the Charlottesville Police Department, fewer than 10 actually live in the City. Soaring real estate prices have pushed many cops, particularly new hires, to homes in Greene County, Buckingham County, Lake Monticello or Waynesboro.  “Charlottesville is a very expensive place to live,” says Sgt. Mike Farruggio, a 16-year veteran […]