Tuesday, November 6
The latest chapter
 While William N. "Bill" Peterson may be retiring from his job, John Grisham (pictured) knows that Peterson isn’t retiring from his lawsuit against the Charlottesville-area author. |
William N. "Bill" Peterson, the man who added a twist to Charlottesville-area writer John Grisham’s first foray into nonfiction, The Innocent Man, will retire at the end of the year after 28 years as a district attorney in Oklahoma. Peterson is suing Grisham and Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, alleging that the author used his skills with fiction to portray him in a bad light in the book, which is about the overturned conviction of Ron Williamson and Dennis Fritz in the murder of Debbie Sue Carter in Ada, Oklahoma. But let’s move on to the real story: Who will play Peterson in the movie, the rights for which have been bought by George Clooney?
Wednesday, November 7
Lunsford, Mallek and city Dems win big
 Democratic challenger Ann Mallek, left, knocked off Republican incumbent David Wyant for White Hall seat on the county Board of Supervisors. |
Virginia Democrats made some serious gains in statewide and local elections Tuesday night. Denise Lunsford knocked off 15-year incumbent Jim Camblos for the Albemarle County’s Commonwealth’s Attorney. County Board of Supervisors chairman Ken Boyd, a Republican, held off challenger Marcia Joseph. But the makeup of the Board will shift dramatically in January, thanks to Democratic challenger Ann Mallek’s win over Republican incumbent David Wyant. Charlottesville Democrats continued their stranglehold on the City Council. All three Democratic candidates—incumbent mayor David Brown, challengers Holly Edwards and Satyendra Huja—won easily, beating Independent challengers Barbara Haskins and Peter Kleeman.
Thursday, November 8
Stock options encourage risky business
A New Yorker piece that examines the disarray on Wall Street following the collapse of the subprime mortgage market attributes it to the incentives hedge fund managers and investment bank CEOs are given. More specifically, the New Yorker found that CEOs who are given compensation in the form of stock options are more likely to make risky investments. According to a study by two business professors—one of which happens to be Darden assistant professor Jared Harris—generous options may also encourage fraud.
Friday, November 9
Free speech wins
Tonight Charlottesville’s First Amendment Monument will receive a Jury Citation Award for Excellence in Architecture from the Virginia Society of the American Institute of Architects (VSAIA). Along with 20 other projects around the state, the monument, designed by Charlottesville architects Peter O’Shea and Robert Winstead, will be honored at the Visions of Architecture gala in Richmond. "It’s rare that you find a piece of urban furniture that invites a kind of provocation, while also being very beautiful in its own right," said the jury that selected the awards.
Saturday, November 10
Slapshot!
In the next day’s press, both the Grafton Clippers and the Western Albemarle Warriors received praise for thrilling seasons following their performances in the Virginia Group AA/A state championship field hockey game, but Western Albemarle returns home from the expansive artificial fields of the National Training Center in Virginia Beach with a more substantive sign of their efforts—the title of state field hockey champs. The Hampton Roads Daily Press writes following Saturday’s game that the WAHS Warriors nabbed the championship seconds after a 15-minute overtime period concluded. Pushing through the end of the clock was the Warriors’ Effie Nicholaou, who belted a rebound past Clippers goalkeeper Jamie Dowling to cap a near-perfect 20-game season (18-1-1). WAHS keeper Lindsay Gibson faced only five shots in the Warriors 2-1 win.
Sunday, November 11
UVA dispatches Vermont, last year’s hype
 Dave Leitao and the UVA men’s basketball team opened their new season at the JPJ on November 11 by scoring all over Vermont. |
Michael Buffer didn’t announce the starting lineups this year, but that didn’t seem to bother the UVA men’s basketball team today in their opening game at the JPJ. The Cavaliers trounced visiting Vermont 90-72, thanks to strong performances by Sean Singletary and Adrian Joseph. The three-point specialist is emerging as a top scorer now that J.R. Reynolds is playing ball in Italy, and he tied Singletary for a Hoo high 19 points.
Monday, November 12
Different drunks?
On the eternal question of whether a tequila buzz is different in some essential way from a PBR buzz, the November issue of Esquire is noncommittal. All alcoholic drinks have the same psychoactive ingredient— ethanol—says the monthly’s Answer Fella. Still, other factors may intervene. Dr. Bankole Johnson, chair of UVA’s department of psychiatric medicine, is quoted explaining that for one thing, pairing tequila with a sugary mixer may cause the drinker to absorb the alcohol faster. So if you’re hoping your beverage makes you more aggressive, go ahead and toss in that spoonful of sugar. If not, sip slowly, and think bitter thoughts.
