Jury recommends 39 years in revenge killing

Antonio Washington was fatally stabbed at Al Hamraa restaurant on May 10, 2014, and a year later, his best friend, Avery Fernando Gray, 39, was found guilty of second-degree murder in the death of the uncle of the man charged with killing Washington. The jury deliberated for six hours and at 2:30am Saturday, May 2, […]

Judge blocks Sweet Briar from selling off assets for six months

An Amherst County judge ruled Wednesday that Sweet Briar, whose board wants to close the women’s college, may not sell any assets for six months. The move provided a partial win in a student-based lawsuit to halt the closing, but the plaintiffs said there was cause to celebrate. “This was a huge victory,” said attorney Elliott […]

Rescinded: Meeks booted from Scottsville ARB

Steven G. Meeks is president of the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society. He’s Albemarle’s elected rep on the Thomas Jefferson Soil and Water Conservation District. And until April 20, he served on Scottsville’s Architectural Review Board. That’s when Scottsville Town Council unanimously voted to rescind his appointment to the ARB because a house he managed in […]

Faculty jumps into Sweet Briar legal fray as school remains defiant

A group of 55 Sweet Briar faculty members has filed yet another lawsuit attempting to block the planned closure of the 114-year-old college, claiming breach of contract. But the school’s leaders have fired back with a legal memorandum opposing the suit—the third filed against the school in a month—and have accused the faculty of trying […]

Second suit filed in fight to keep Sweet Briar College open

As both sides in a legal battle over the announced closure of Sweet Briar College weigh their options after a judge put a 60-day hold on efforts to shutter the school, another lawsuit looms. Filed April 17, it comes from students who say they are victims of a breach of contract who may incur tens of thousands of […]

Sex for sale: Or, how to become a confidential informant

For a good time, call “HoTT & spicy,” “IHOP—International House of Pleasure,” or “SeXy HoT” under the escort section of Backpage.com, where dates can run $200 an hour—or $70 for 15 minutes. Back in February, Albemarle County Police arrested six people at the Courtyard Marriott on Hillsdale Drive who posted or were lured by ads […]

Crozet man charged in fatal Augusta crash

A Crozet resident has been charged with two counts of DUI manslaughter and failure to yield stemming from an April 20 car crash in Augusta County that claimed the lives of a Waynesboro mother and daughter. According to a release from the Virginia State Police, a 2001 Pontiac Grand Am was westbound on Route 250 […]

Supe questions sustainability as red light camera program expands

A second Albemarle County intersection is set to be equipped with red light cameras after years of discussion and studies, and while the expansion of the photo ticketing program enjoys wide support on the Board of Supervisors, not everyone is happy about it. Police and county officials have enthusiastically announced the installation of cameras at the […]

Judge denies effort to block Sweet Briar closure

Activists seeking to keep Sweet Briar College open had their hopes dashed yesterday when a Bedford County judge denied a motion to kick out the school’s governing board and permanently block a plan to shutter the women’s college. After a contentious morning in court that saw emotional witness statements, the crowd thinned slightly from around […]