Stand up paddle boarding (SUP) on the Rivanna Reservoir, Charlottesville

By Kurt Michael

The September day was sunny and warm as I launched my stand up paddle board (SUP) in the South Fork Rivanna River Reservoir (see map) just outside.... (Continue reading here)

Jesse Matthew arrested in Galveston, TX, in case of missing UVa student Hannah Graham

I was on the phone with my Texas sister tonight who was in Houston, about an hour from Galveston. I had texted that Jesse Matthew, 32, had been captured in Galveston, a location that was.... (continue reading here)

UVa student sues; ABC agents should be reminded of Alicia Showalter Reynolds tragedy

 Elizabeth Daly

From the Roanoke Times:

A University of Virginia student charged with assaulting two Virginia ABC agents attempting to arrest her for the underage purchase of beer that turned out to be sparkling water has filed a $40 million suit against the state and seven agents.

I don't agree with frivolous lawsuits. However, I support this lawsuit and hope Elizabeth Daly, who was 20 at the time, prevails because no law-abiding student should have to endure what she encountered the night of this scary incident. Here's a repeat of the post I wrote last summer about this incident. I feel just as strongly about it today as I did then because, as I look at her tear-streaked face, it brings home that something similar could have happened to my daughter....

Tuesday, July 02, 2013

Charlottesville ABC agents should be reminded of the Alicia Showalter Reynolds tragedy

I had no intention of writing about the Charlottesville ABC agents who apprehended a UVa student in the false belief she was underage with beer. Her "beer" turned out to be sparkling water but a series of events led to her arrest and she was thrown in the slammer overnight. ABC agents thought their lives were in danger, and the young lady thought her life was in danger, and it ended up in a big mess.

The actual incident occurred in April but came to light at the end of June when the Daily Progress reported on it after charges were finally dropped against Elizabeth Daly. Reporter K. Burnell Evans wrote "Bottled-water purchase leads to night in jail for UVa student:"

When a half-dozen men and a woman in street clothes closed in on University of Virginia student Elizabeth Daly, 20, she and two roommates panicked.

That led to Daly spending a night and an afternoon in the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail. Her initial offense? Walking to her car with bottled water, cookie dough and ice cream just purchased from the Harris Teeter in the Barracks Road Shopping Center for a sorority benefit fundraiser.

A group of state Alcoholic Beverage Control agents clad in plainclothes approached her, suspecting the blue carton of LaCroix sparkling water to be a 12-pack of beer. Police say one of the agents jumped on the hood of her car. She says one drew a gun. Unsure of who they were, Daly tried to flee the darkened parking lot.

"They were showing unidentifiable badges after they approached us, but we became frightened, as they were not in anything close to a uniform," she recalled Thursday in a written account of the April 11 incident.

And then there's this:

Prosecutors say she apologized profusely when she realized who the agents were. But that wasn't good enough for ABC agents, who charged her with three felonies.

She was charged with two counts of assaulting a police officer and one count of eluding police.

What stands out to me is that half a dozen agents closed in, at night, on several young college students. The agents were in street clothes, unrecognizable as law enforcement, and apparently their quick flashing of badges was not enough to be seen or confirmed. It was dark, the agents banged on the windows and jumped on the hood of the vehicle. The girls fled, terrified they were being assaulted. Stopped a short distance away by another police officer, Ms. Daly was told the car-jumping, window-banging shadows in the night were actually agents, and she apologized profusely. They slapped the cuffs on her and hauled her to jail.

Local and national news outlets have picked up on it.

As I read yet another account of the incident, I thought about Alicia Showalter Reynolds who was abducted and murdered 17 years ago on Rt. 29 north of Charlottesville, reportedly by a man who had a flashing police light on the roof of his truck and pulled her over. She went missing for two months until her body was found in Culpeper. The murder was never solved ... the case is still open.

That incident was an alarming event for women in the area. Still unsolved, Virginia State Police issued a statement in March of this year:

CULPEPER – Apprehending the person responsible for the disappearance and death of Alicia Showalter Reynolds remains a priority for the Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation’s Culpeper Field Office.

March 2, 2013, marks 17 years since Ms. Reynolds was abducted in Culpeper County on Route 29 while traveling from Baltimore, Md., to Charlottesville. Since then the Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation’s Culpeper Field Office has received more than 10,040 tips relating to the ongoing case, with 27 of them coming in within the past 12 months. State police continue to ask the public to come forward with any information related to the investigation.

According to witnesses who observed Ms. Reynolds’ vehicle parked on the southbound shoulder of Route 29 on March 2, 1996, a white male, approximately 35-45 years old with a medium build and light to medium brown hair was stopped out with her vehicle. The man, described as between 5’10’ to 6’0 tall, was driving a dark colored pickup truck, possibly a green Nissan. Ms. Reynolds’ remains were found two months later on May 7, 1996, in the Lignum area of Culpeper County.

As news spread about Ms. Reynolds’ abduction, several other female subjects came forward advising that a white male had either stopped them or attempted to stop them while they were traveling along Route 29 in Culpeper County.

Despite the passage of time, state police continue to pursue this case. “Within the past year, the investigation into Ms. Reynolds’ murder was the focus of review by State Police violent crimes investigators from around the state,” said Capt. Gary T. Settle, commander of the Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation Culpeper Field Office. “These investigators poured over the entire case file, leads, witness statements, interviews, suspect profiles, evidence, etc., to strategize and pursue any new evidential or technological avenues that could benefit and, ultimately, advance the progress of this ongoing investigation.”

Anyone with information pertaining to the abduction and murder of Alicia Showalter Reynolds is asked to contact the Virginia State Police Culpeper Division toll-free at 1-800-572-2260, or the Bureau of Criminal Investigation toll-free at 1-888-300-0156 or by e-mail at bci-culpeper@vsp.virginia.gov.

At the time, police advised women who were apprehended by a "police" vehicle to find a safe area before stopping, and were assured real officers would know they were not fleeing.

With that in mind, perhaps ABC officers, especially those working in college towns, should be reminded of the Alicia Reynolds tragedy.

UPDATE: A number of newspaper editorials have questioned the validity and wisdom of ABC agents' actions during this incident including the Richmond Times-Dispatch, posting the editorial, Drunk on power? 

Celebrate Thomas Jefferson's birthday at Monticello

Friday, April 11
At Monticello

Monticello will mark the 271st anniversary of Thomas Jefferson's birth with a celebration and ceremonies on the West Lawn. Held in conjunction with Founder's Day at the University of Virginia, the event will feature remarks by James H. Webb, Jr., former U.S. Senator from Virginia and the 2014 recipient of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medal in Citizen Leadership, and the presentation of wreaths honoring Jefferson by local, state, and national organizations. 10 a.m., free and open to the public. (Admission required for house tours.)

Other Events
You may also be interested in related events being held at the University of Virginia as part of Founder's Day:

April 11

• 12:30 p.m. Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medalist in Citizen Leadership The Frank Batten School of Leadersip and Public Policy will host a talk by James H. Webb, Jr., former U.S. Senator (D-Va.) and Secretary of the Navy, decorated Vietnam veteran and successful author, journalist and filmmaker, in Old Cabell Hall Auditorium.

April 12

• 10:00 a.m. Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medalist in Law: A public talk will be held in the Caplin Pavilion featuring Kenneth R. Feinberg, an attorney who has administered the compensation funds for victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the 2007 shootings at Virginia Tech and the Boston Marathon bombings.
• 3:30 p.m. Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medalist in Architecture
  The School of Architecture will host a public talk by Toyo Ito, a Tokyo-based architect who combines conceptual innovation with superbly executed buildings, as in his masterpiece, the Sendai Mediatheque, which reimagines what a public museum and library should be in the digital age, in Old Cabell Hall Auditorium.

Learn more about all Founder's Day events

The 12 Days of Christmas ... Day 3: Experience Colonial Virginia with Monticello $5 admission

Experience the magic of the holiday season at the home of Thomas Jefferson, open today from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. with 1987 admission prices of $5.00. Here is the information from the website:

Sun, December 15, 2013, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm

Reservations: Required

WE'RE GOING BACK TO 1987!

In celebration of 26 years as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, we're going back to 1987 ticket prices for 2 days December. Individual General Admission prices are $5 from December 14 - 15, 2013. Tours Subject to Availability; reservations can be made by calling (434) 984-9880

Advance tickets can be purchased online at www.monticello.org

And while at Monticello, you may want to participate in the Gingerbread House workshop:

Embrace your inner architect during our My Monticello Gingerbread House Family Workshop. Kids and grownups alike will enjoy this icing intense program. Try your hand at creating your own architectural masterpiece, just like Mr. Jefferson! Escape the hustle and bustle of the outside world, and enjoy special family time during this two-hour workshop. Fuel your creativity with hot chocolate and cookies as you work together to craft a hand-made addition to your home’s holiday décor. Recommended for families with children ages seven and up. Children must be accompanied by an adult. 2-4pm. $49 for a family pass (admits up to 4 people and includes supplies).

Step back to the days of Colonial Virginia and enjoy Christmas at Monticello.

2013 Yuletide Feast at Michie Tavern

2013 Yuletide Feast

Friday, December 13th and Saturday, December 14th

Tickets remain for Friday, December 13 at 8:00,
all other seatings have sold out.

Each evening strolling Tavern musicians will entertain guests dining by candlelight.  The Ordinary will be decorated in festive 18th-century tradition, featuring fresh greens and fruits.   There will be 6:00 and 8:00 p.m. seatings each evening.  Advance ticket purchase required. The Candlelit Tavern will be open for our dinner guests.

The Bill of Fare features a traditional Virginia holiday banquet including such favorites as country ham with raisin sauce, roasted turkey and giblet gravy, cornbread stuffing, candied yams, mashed potatoes, green beans with carrots, squash casserole and homemade biscuits.  For dessert we will offer our hot peach cobbler a la mode and introduce other traditional favorites. To complement your meal, assorted wines along with traditional lagers and ales are available.

• Advance ticket purchase is required (see ticket information)
• Price includes full buffet, non-alcoholic beverages and dessert
• 9.3% sales tax, alcoholic beverages and gratuity are not included

Ticket Information

Tickets are available by phone or in person on a first come, first serve basis. (see below)

• Date of ticket sales: Monday, November 4, 2013 beginning at 8:30 a.m. Phone in: please call (434) 977-1234 with your desired date and seating. In person sales: doors open at 7:30, sale will begin at 8:30 a.m.  Major credit cards accepted.

• 2013 Adult: $37.95 plus tax
• 2013 Youth (10 years of age and under): $18.95 plus tax

To download or to print our Yuletide Feast flyer click here Please e-mail us at info@michietavern.com if you would like to be on our Special Events mailing list which includes Yuletide information.

Michie Tavern 683 Thomas Jefferson Parkway Charlottesville, Virginia 22902

Charlottesville: Trump Winery's Eric Trump nominated as rising star

There's celebrating going on at the Trump Winery, located in the shadow of Mr. Jefferson's mountain outside Charlottesville, Virginia. Eric Trump, 29-year-old son of famed real estate mogul Donald Trump, familiar face from NBC's "The Apprentice," and president of the winery, is in no danger of hearing the words, "You're fired!" anytime soon. He's up for a prestigious wine industry award.

Since acquiring the 1,300-acre vineyards in along the historic Monticello Wine Trail two years ago through the bankruptcy of Patricia Kluge, Trump Winery under the leadership of Eric has defined and perfected the art of marketing a Virginia wine. Distribution now covers twenty states and Trump wines can be found in such unexpected places as the Loft Mountain gift shop in Shenandoah National Park. They also export to three countries.  Along the way they have picked up gold medals and top awards at international wine festivals and even received the highest rating ever of a Virginia wine in early 2013.

All that detail has not been missed by those in the industry. He has been nominated by Wine Enthusiast magazine for the 2013 Rising Star award to be presented in January 2014 in New York City.

Governor Bob McDonnell, who was at Trump Winery for its grand opening in October 2011, and has been a big supporter of Virginia's wine industry, noted Eric's nomination:

“Eric Trump is truly a rising star in the global wine industry and could not be more deserving of Wine Enthusiast's Rising Star Award nomination.  We are very pleased that he and his family decided to invest in Virginia's wine industry.  It was clearly the correct decision for both Eric and the Commonwealth.  In just two short years, Eric has significantly expanded the distribution of Trump wines both nationally and internationally, while elevating the overall integrity of the wines.  I'm confident that Eric and the team at Trump Winery will continue to raise the bar for Virginia wines in the coming years.  I wish him good luck at the award ceremony in January.”

Eric's plans are to continue building and widening Trump Winery's reach, commenting on the website:

"We're going to continue to grow; we are going to continue to plant vines, we are going to continue to expand our distribution. People love the Trump brand and our wines. They love what we stand for, what we're doing, and most importantly, we're having a lot of fun doing it. There is a lot more to come from Trump Winery."

I've said it before and I'll say it again. It's good to have the Trumps in Virginia's wine country.

A day at Monticello ... part 2

Photos by Lynn R. Mitchell
September 5, 2013

A day at Monticello ... part 1

Photos by Lynn R. Mitchell
September 5, 2013

'The Hook' is folding

"The Hook," Charlottesville's popular free weekly magazine found on grocery store and convenience store news stands around the central Virginia area, is folding at the end of September and joining forces with "C-ville Weekly."

NBC-29 published the announcement Friday:

The Hook will publish its final issue on Thursday, September 26, the free weekly newspaper's parent company announced today, and its editorial and business resources will be folded into a bigger, better version of C-VILLE Weekly.

Two-and-a-half years after a parent company was formed to run the two competing weeklies, its owners have decided that the readers, advertisers, and staff would be best served by combining the resources of the two papers to create a more robust print and online hyperlocal media organization.

"Charlottesville is an amazing media market that has allowed two weekly papers to co-exist, basically because people demand high quality local journalism. After taking our time to look at it from nearly every angle, we came to the conclusion that the best way to serve the community was to combine the papers," said Blair Kelly, a partner in the parent company, Charlottesville Publishing Group (CPG). "We think the decision is the best way forward from both a business and an editorial perspective, and we look forward to serving the community with outstanding journalism for another 25 years."

The Hook has built a reputation for feisty, timely local news reporting. The new version of C-VILLE will carry that legacy forward while building on its own 25-year history as an intelligent, progressive journalistic voice for news, arts, and culture in one of the country's great university towns.

NBC-29 has more information about this change in the hard-copy publishing world.

Nelson County: A trip to Saunders Brothers for Virginia apples and peaches and garden veggies

 One of the best things about summer in Virginia is the fresh produce available from local growers. My Richmond sister and I met up in Charlottesville Wednesday and headed down Rt. 29 to Saunders Brothers Produce in southern Nelson County. The ride was gorgeous through the rolling countryside with vistas of the nearby Blue Ridge Mountains. We passed through Lovingston and on to Rt. 56 where we turned toward the mountains. Just a couple of miles up the road on the right was Saunders Brothers.

 What a treat to find Gala apples available as well as late summer peaches -- white and yellow -- and a variety of other fruits and vegetables. We loaded up on Galas, peaches, watermelon, cantaloupe, corn on the cob, and yellow squash. Who needs meat for dinner with all those veggies?

 So for lunch and dinner I've been cooking squash and onions and corn on the cob, and adding them to the tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers out of our garden. Oh man ... that's good stuff. I'm trying to enjoy as much of this as possible because it's getting late in the summer growing season which means the fresh goodies will begin to play out. My kitchen smells like ripe peaches as I wait for them to get to just the right ripeness to peel and cut up for the freezer. That will extend summer for a little longer.

 Saunders has lots of fall apples that will be coming in through October plus whatever other produce will be available. This was our third trip this summer ... we'll be back before too long.

Saunders Brothers is a family business that started in 1915. Through trials and tribulations, they have made it to the point where they are today. Virginians supporting Virginia businesses....

Cross-posted at Bearing Drift

Photos by Lynn R. Mitchell
August 21, 2013

Charlottesville: Fry's Spring Station restaurant

In a renovated 70-year-old service station on the corner of Charlottesville's Jefferson Park Avenue and Maury Avenue, Fry's Spring Station is an award-winning restaurant offering gluten free, vegetarian, and vegan courses that are appetizing for all palates.

A brick oven is capable of cooking 22 wood-fired pizzas at once. They also offer crisp and crunchy salads, pastas, and Paninis on Foccacia bread, with a variety of entrees, sides, and appetizers as well as a large selection of adult beverages, many from local vineyards and breweries.

Plentiful outdoor seating beckons guests on warm and cool evenings, thanks to year-round heat lamps, while inside 100-person seating ofers exposed brick and reclaimed heartwood pine floors. With a mixture of Spanish, Jeffersonian, and Art Deco architecture, Fry's Spring Station offers a sophisticated, one-of-a-kind dining experience in the heart of Charlottesville.

Margherita Supreme wood-fired pizza: roma tomatoes, fresh basil and fresh mozzarella. Scrumptuous.

Fry's pretzel appetizer with three dipping sauces -- honey mustard, ranch, and marinara. Also pictured: spinach salad with roasted red peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, hard boiled egg, bacon, and tangy vinaigrette.

Chicken Club panini with side garden salad. Not shown: Bold Rock cider from Bold Rock Cidery in nearby Nellysford, a crisp and refreshing hard cider crafted with care using Virginia Apples. The guys in our group proclaimed it some of the best they had ever tasted.

The Jefferson wood-fired pizza: white pizza with fresh arugula and prosciutto. Not shown: Pear and Gorgonzola salad made of mixed greens, grape tomatoes, candied walnuts, sliced pear, gorgonzola, and orange vinaigrette.

Framed prints on the walls are scenes reminiscent of service stations from an earlier time. By the time we left, patrons were inside and enjoying the outdoor patios.

One down side: There are five tight parking spaces behind the building and no on-street parking. It's obvious they have a lot of foot traffic. Other than that, the food and atmosphere definitely make it a popular choice for lunch or dinner.

Photos by Lynn R. Mitchell

August 1, 2013