Dahlia Lithwick

There are a lot of fine writers in and around Charlottesville. Always have been. I have read a lot of them - John Casey, Henry Wiencek, Jennifer Ackerman, George Garrett, John Grisham, Maude Casey - the list goes on and on.

But my current favorite may be Dahlia Lithwick, who is a columnist for Slate. Normally she covers the Supreme Court and other legal issues. Lately she has done a great job skewering Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez.

And yesterday she penned a hilarious Mother's Day column, on the absurd selection of Mother's Day gifts at Barnes and Noble.

Happy Mother's Day, Dahlia.

Number 17

Charlottesville has dropped from Number 1 to Number 17 in Cities Ranked and Rated. Gainesville, Florida is the new Number 1.

The culprit? Cost of housing and cost of living.

Gainesville better watch out.