hat makes a restaurant stand out (in a good way) isn’t usually what it’s lacking.  However, in the case of Plaza Mexico, the new south-of-the-border eatery on Main Street in the Fan District, the lack of almost anything Mexican-themed is exactly what caught my eye.  Thank goodness it did. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have given this place a second glance.

People gathered on the banks of the James River in Charles City County to commemorate America’s first Thanksgiving, in honor of the safe landing of English settlers 390 years ago.

The Wahoos led 17-12 with 12 minutes remaining but succumbed 28-17 in a loss that will make it even more difficult for Virginia to achieve bowl eligibility.

Virginia Union persisted in giving the football to Elizabeth City State. Now the Panthers’ fate, too, has been placed in someone else’s hands. A macabre offensive effort that seemed somehow appropriate on Halloween—five interceptions and two lost fumbles—doomed the Panthers to a 21-13 loss to the Vikings yesterday at Hovey Field.

Matoaca was ever-so-close to the end zone once again, facing fourth and 1 at the Meadowbrook 9-yard line late in the third quarter last night. DeQuan Turner took the handoff and followed a pulling lineman off the right side. He was cut down by Meadowbrook defensive end DeQuan Chatmon a half-yard short of the first down.

Having previously distanced himself from the president as a potential liability, R. Creigh Deeds now is embracing Barack Obama in what may be the Democratic gubernatorial candidate’s last chance to shift momentum.

BOYDTON In 1977, U.S. News & World Report declared Boydton “a small town that refuses to die.“ Despite some tough times in the ensuing years, Boydton is still not dead, although it is kind of quiet. If you stop and listen, however, you can hear the town’s heartbeat—the rhythmic hammering coming from the historic courthouse.

Bob Rose made his first visit to the Meadow Highland Games & Celtic Festival a memorable one. Goaded by friends and family, Rose good-naturedly volunteered to have a ferret placed down his pants to demonstrate the ancient sport of ferret legging. Twice yesterday afternoon, a ferret was placed down Rose’s sweatpants, only to pop its head out of the elastic waistband. Rose took it in stride, yet the finicky ferret refused to remain still. The third time was the charm when the ferret was placed down the rear of his pants.

Traci Johnson dances “soulsa,“ a combination of African and Latin dance, during the Drums No Guns performance at the Imagine Festival at Broad Rock Park.

To running back Jonathan Grimes, it was almost business as usual. William and Mary’s 24-3 Colonial Athletic Association victory over James Madison yesterday was, of course, anything but that. The fifth-ranked Tribe (3-1, 6-1) cleared another hurdle in its run toward the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs by breaking a streak of five losses to struggling JMU.

A break-up would have sufficed. University of Richmond safety Derek Hatcher yesterday arrived as the passed ball did. Instead of the break-up, Hatcher went for the interception, and got it by prying the ball from the Massachusetts player who momentarily had possession in the third-quarter sequence. UR coach Mike London called Hatcher’s thievery “one of the best plays defensively I’ve ever seen. . . . Talk about ball awareness.“

It didn’t take Jameel Sewell long to pick up on what was going on—Georgia Tech was disrespecting the Virginia passing game. The Yellow Jackets manned the trenches to shut down the run, then watched a combination of missed throws and dropped footballs doom Virginia in a 34-9 loss yesterday. This one could have been close, though—Virginia found its way into the red zone three times but mustered just six points from those possessions.

A steady, raw drizzle descends on Petersburg as the Chevy Suburban carrying Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Creigh Deeds pulls into the parking lot of Virginia State University. On this soggy Thursday night, VSU is playing host to Virginia Union University in the annual gridiron clash between the historically black schools. Deeds, 51, a state senator from rural Bath County, isn’t about to play favorites. To have any chance of winning Nov. 3, he will need just about every eligible vote in the sodden stands.

The Little Sisters of the Poor in Richmond are quite serious about their mission of caring for the elderly. Their selfless nature typically keeps them out of public view, but the recent canonization of their order’s founder, Jeanne Jugan, and their own 135th anniversary have them planning a rare celebration or two. They are returning to the Fan tomorrow, Jugan’s 217th birthday, for an open house at the Warsaw Condominiums, their home from 1877 to 1976. They will celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving for the canonization of Jugan on Thursday at Cathedral of the Sacred Heart. They also will host a touring stage production about Jugan next month.

Beware of flying balls this afternoon at Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School. Two seniors are organizing what they hope becomes the world’s largest dodgeball game. Wil Van Winkle of Richmond and Carter Hadley of Chesterfield County are rallying their classmates and teachers to help break the world record of 120 participants set on March 13 by Portlethen Academy in Portlethen, Scotland.