Tuesday, December 11
Squirrel shuts down Charlottesville
Charlottesville, we have a squirrel problem. In addition to absconding with all our nuts and generally chattering loudly, squirrels have now attacked our power grid, depriving 1,400 buildings in the Downtown area of electricity from early Monday morning into mid-afternoon, reports The Daily Progress. Apparently, a squirrel got wedged between two power lines and was electrocuted, causing the electricity on the wires to be interrupted. "It’s very unfortunate for the little squirrel," said a Dominion Power spokesperson, "but this is not an uncommon thing."
Wednesday, December 12
Wanted: one large trophy case
 UVA defensive end Chris Long can’t stop the awards from rolling in. The latest: He was named to the Associated Press’ All-America first team. |
The awards just keep rolling in for UVA defensive end Chris Long. After garnering enough votes to finish 10th in the Heisman race (a contest that’s perennially content to ignore defensive players), Long has been named to the Associated Press’ All-America first team, as reported by…well…the Associated Press. The honor comes after Long won the Dudley Award, given to Virginia’s top player and the Ted Hendricks Award for being the best defensive end in the country. Now if UVA could just sell those Gator Bowl tickets.…
Thursday, December 13
Highway to hell
On the same day that Creigh Deeds announces he is running for governor, the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) releases a report that paints a dire picture of the current patterns of growth in Virginia, linking the energy costs of suburban sprawl to global warming. Transportation accounts for 43 percent of all energy consumed in Virginia, calculates the SELC’s Trip Pollard, and a lot of that gas is guzzled to get people to work from outer suburbs, which were built on cleared forest and farm land that would have mitigated all those CO2 emissions. Bleak! But Pollard says that the Commonwealth can cool it with compact development, green building, cleaner fuels and more money for alternative transportation.
Friday, December 14
Ex C-VILLE writer shows a pit bull the love
 Dog lover and former C-VILLE staff writer Nell Boeschenstein is getting the word out that pit bulls aren’t born mean. |
Nell Boeschenstein, former C-VILLE staff writer, current graduate student at Columbia University, and the brains behind this newspaper’s ever-popular "Hit This Site" column, has a new article on the website The Morning News about 1) her determination to adopt a pit bill and save it from possibly becoming one of "the victims of some of humanity’s worst habits"; 2) how badly she misses Crystal (that would be the pit bull), who’s living for now with Nell’s parents in Charlottesville; and 3) many other related things wrapped in Nell’s sparkling writing style that anyone would be plain crazy to miss.
Saturday, December 15
Don’t meddle with his pedals
Fifty-six-year-old cyclist Fred Wittwer dealt with more than the usual troubles that ail local bicyclists on Saturday as he competed in the 2007 Cyclocross National Championships in Kansas City. The cycle-centric website Pedal Pushers Online reported today that Wittwer, a bicycle racer that competes as part of the Charlottesville Racing Club, raced against riders in three age groups in addition to his "Masters Men 55-59" division, not to mention a snowfall that froze the surface of the outdoor race track. "On the last lap, I didn’t have any brakes," Wittwer told Pedal Pusher following his first place finish in his division. "My rims iced up so when I hit the brakes, I just kept going." Wittwer bested the 43 other cyclists in his division, finishing the 12.4 kilometer race more than 40 seconds ahead of the pack with a time of 43 minutes and 34 seconds.
Sunday, December 16
How it works
 Local author Jennifer Ackerman found herself in the pages of the New York Times Book Review for her new book, Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream. |
Today, The New York Times Book Review takes a look at Charlottesville author Jennifer Ackerman‘s new book, Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream. The review calls the book "an enthusiastic tour through 24 hours in the life of a typical human body" and highlights a couple of interesting facts: The majority of people are the most mentally acute three hours after waking, and the liver detoxifies best between 5pm and 6pm. (Plan your day accordingly.) While Dunn emphasizes the book’s welcoming, accessible language and useful explanations, she says that Ackerman’s personal anecdotes and literary references are sometimes out of place. In addition to being a writer, Ackerman also serves as president of the Charlottesville High School Orchestra Boosters.
Monday, December 17
Power out; no squirrels involved
Locals woke this morning and cast a wary eye on downed trees and damaged roofs—the results of the previous night’s blustery winds, with gusts up to 50 mph. Some locals also woke to find themselves out of power. According to The Daily Progress, 2,800 Dominion Virginia customers lost electricity because of the wind. But the all-knowing weather.com promises that we’ve seen the last of the blasts. And it could have been worse: The wind is a remnant of the big snowstorm that [choose your verb: hammered? pounded? blanketed?] the Northeast over the weekend, and those people are hurting, what with up to 20" of snow and temperatures in the teens. Makes a blinking alarm clock seem tame by comparison.
