Community

Bermuda Hundred

By Mark Fausz on September 2, 2020 History

The Foundation of Our History History is like a rich vein of gold that runs through the community of Chester. A conversation with just about anyone who lives here will eventually find its way to the subject of our past. And Chester’s history runs deep and spans many centuries. It’s not just about who used to live in the old stone house or even about how Snead and Stebbins developed what we now know as “the village” in the mid-nineteenth century. The history of Europeans who lived and died working the land we now call home goes back almost 400…

ChesterFest canceled

By VN Staff on September 2, 2020 Community, Events

The Chester Community Association announced that it has canceled ChesterFest that was schedule to take place at the end of this month. “We held out as long as we could but it was time to go ahead and call it,” said ChesterFest manager, Elliott Fausz. Fausz cited COVID-19 as the reason for cancellation. “Being an outdoor event, I think we could have maintain social distancing and made it a safe environment for everyone,” said Fausz. “But we rely heavily on buses and that would have been very irresponsible of us to stuff people in such a tight area.” This year…

Chesterfield NAACP holds annual Freedom Fund banquet, but virtually

By Press release on September 2, 2020 Community, Events

By Tiffany Marks On Saturday, August 22nd, the Chesterfield County Branch of the NAACP held its 35th Annual Freedom Fund Banquet and Awards Gala, online. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the local branch adapted in order to hold the 111-year-old civil rights organization›s signature fund raising event. This year’s theme was “Fighting for the Soul of a Nation.” Tavorise Marks hosted. The keynote speakers included civil rights legend, Joan Trumpauer Mulholland, and her son, Emmy award-winning filmmaker Loki Mulholland. Joan Mulholland, whose iconic mugshot is a staple in civil rights history, is known for taking part in numerous sit-ins, being the…

Rendering of proposed apartments to be built along Chester Road between Vogue Flowers and Chester Recreation Association.

Spending plan for $51.6M in CARES Act funding approved

By Caleb M Soptelean on September 2, 2020 Board of Supervisors, Chesterfield Government, Development

The Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors approved a spending plan for $51.6 million in CARES Act funding during its Aug. 26 meeting. Deputy county administrator for finance Mark Harris said the supervisors had previously appropriated $10 million of federal funds from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, including $5 million for business grants and $500,000 for mortgage and rental assistance. Harris presented what he called “a very thoughtful plan” to the supervisors. “We didn’t ask for this,necessarily, but it’s here,” he said of the funds. “We need to find ways to serve our community … and have a…

Chelsea Longbottom and husband Danny with their four children. Longbottom was chosen to represent Chesterfield at the Mrs. Virginia America competition.

Local volunteer to compete for title of Mrs. Virginia America

By Press release on September 2, 2020 Community

Chelsea Longbottom, a home educator, committed volunteer, wife, and mother, was chosen to compete for the title of Mrs. Virginia America from a field of applicants throughout the area. Longbottom’s commitment to raising her children with a strong sense of giving back to the region through volunteerism, community outreach, and social and educational activities throughout the county were significant in her being chosen for the title of Mrs. Chesterfield. “I want to use this time and platform to restore morale during a trying year, support and promote small and local businesses, and do my part in continuing to serve our…

Swift Creek Mill after Swift Creek swelled from rains received on Aug. 15.

ROAD TO RECOVERY

By Linda Fausz on August 27, 2020 Community

Swift Creel Mill Theater, a beloved 200-seat theater, dinner destination, and professional troupe are recovering from flash floods in the wake of heavy down pours that hit on August 15. Housed in a historic gristmill dating to 1663, the nearly 55-year-old playhouse and its structure lay in the path of a swollen Swift Creek brought on by the 10-inches of rain the area received on Aug. 15. Water filled the basement and more than a foot rose into the main floor destroying all fixtures, furniture, and permanent art. ”I have been through many floods during my 44 years at the…

Art center nears completion, board in search of new director

By Elliott Fausz on August 27, 2020 Community

Over the last 14 months, the Baxter Perkinson Center for the Arts has sprouted from the ground that has been patiently waiting for its arrival for nearly two decades. The theater that will host a bevy of artistic programs for Chester and the surrounding area is expected to be completed in the next five to six weeks. And according to the Chesterfield Center for the Arts Foundation (CCAF), it’s like something Chester has never seen before. “It’s the type of facility that people will come to regardless of what show is playing,” said Hugh Cline, chairman of CCAF board. “It’s…

School board approves metrics for reopening schools

By Caleb M Soptelean on August 27, 2020 Chesterfield Government, School Board

Metrics to gauge and allow a phased-in return to in-person learning for students were adopted by the Chesterfield County Public Schools Board during its Aug. 11 meeting. If health data related to COVID-19 keeps improving, all students — or those who want to — could return within a seven-week period, a Project Restart board document states. The metrics would use a seven-day average of coronavirus cases per 100,000 people, the positivity test rate and the rate of hospitalizations. In the document, superintendent Merv Daugherty said, “This is a dynamic plan that will change as guidance does.” Noting Chesterfield is one…

James Worsley

Chesterfield names new deputy county administrator

By Press release on August 27, 2020 Chesterfield Government

Parks and recreation director to oversee county’s Division of Human Services Chesterfield County announced today James D. Worsley as its new deputy county administrator for Human Services. Worsley currently serves as the county’s Parks and Recreation director. The Board of Supervisors is expected to appoint him at its Aug. 26 meeting, and he will begin his new role effective Oct. 1. In his current role, Worsley leads the county’s Parks and Recreation Department serving as a key advisor to the county administrator and the Board of Supervisors. Responsible for maintaining more than 180 parks, playgrounds, and athletic facilities and leading…

Chris Holt, center, explains the mission of the newly formed 1st RVA Volunteer Militia to attendees during the first Chester muster at R. Garland Dodd Point of Rocks Park on Saturday. Also pictured are co-founders Vincent Kuzminski, left, and Kenneth Swanson, right.

Militia Men

By Linda Fausz on August 12, 2020 Community

Locals gather to begin formation of a formal militia Chris Holt, a 22-year-old in Chester sees that the U.S. Constitution is under attack. He may be young, but he is passionate about educating the public on the Constitution. Along with three other passionate young men (Vincent Kuzminski, Trevor Freeland, and Kenneth Swanson), he welcomed attendees who’d seen a Facebook post. It read in part: “As defined in Virginia Code 44-1, all able-bodied residents of the Commonwealth who are at least 16 years of age” may openly attend the muster for the 1st RVA Volunteer Militia. The post read that the…

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