A former resident at a Charlottesville center for troubled teens is suing the facility’s parent company for $10.35 million, claiming he was physically and sexually abused there.

ARLINGTON - Anti-war libertarian Republican Ron Paul won Saturday’s informal straw poll among Virginia Republicans at the state party’s annual Advance, defeating runner-up Fred Thompson by 70 votes.

A massive fire destroyed the western Albemarle County home of Dave Matthews Band bass player Stefan Lessard on Thursday morning.  The blaze started at 7:30 a.m. at Lessard’s house on Morgantown Road. Lessard, 33, and his son were in the house at the time of the fire and escaped unharmed.

Randy Pausch, who taught at UVa from 1988 to 1997, gave his final lecture at UVa on Tuesday. With little time left, he said, he wanted to pass along a few tips to UVa students and his former colleagues about how they can maximize the time they spend with loved ones.

Authorities dropped charges Wednesday against a former mental health specialist accused of sexually abusing two teenage residents at a Charlottesville home for troubled teens.

Charlottesville authorities this morning announced two arrests in connection with the killing of a 26-year-old woman in her St. Clair Avenue home last week.

Virginians go to the polls today to choose local government officials and to fill all 140 seats in the General Assembly, although most legislative elections are uncontested.

Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama drew more than 4,250 people to an outdoor rally and fundraiser Monday night at the Charlottesville Pavilion, surpassing a fundraiser that Hillary Clinton staged Sept. 23 several blocks away by more than 3,000 paid attendees.

When community activists and Charlottesville officials describe the potential redevelopment of Westhaven and other public housing complexes, they depict a sweeping, audacious vision.

The challenger for Albemarle County’s top prosecutorial position said Thursday that there are systemic problems in the office of Commonwealth’s Attorney Jim Camblos, who in turn disputed the allegation and praised the professionalism of his staff.

University of Virginia employee Zach Wheat has 50 friends, enjoys nonfiction books and blues music, and recently took a vacation to Florida with his family.

Tom Perriello has worked in Afghanistan, Sierra Leone and the Sudan and now is seeking a job in Washington.

On a 6-acre site off Jefferson Park Avenue, dozens of contractors last week laid massive concrete cylinders that will soon serve as the foundation for the University of Virginia’s most ambitious construction project in a century.

Patrick J. Michaels’ role as state climatologist at the University of Virginia came to a quiet end this summer, UVa officials and Michaels say.