Happy Trails! Youth Conservation Corps helps at Pocahontas State Park
0ABOVE: Hunter Faison shows a tree he removed while trail building at Pocahontas State Park recently. On a hot, humid August day in the depths of Pocahontas State Park, a group of young people with the Youth Conservation Corps helped build a new hiking trail. “We’re doing something productive,” 16-year-old Daryl Brown said, smiling as he gazed at the fresh path winding through forest vegetation. “I didn’t want to be here at first, but it ended up being fun. The hard work is worth it.” “When we get older and have our own kids, we can show them what we made…
Childrey wins GOP nod
0John Childrey won the Republican nomination for Chesterfield County’s commonwealth’s attorney Saturday with 80 percent of the vote in a canvass at six locations. Childrey, chief deputy commonwealth’s attorney in Chesterfield, defeated Stacey Davenport, a Henrico County domestic violence prosecutor. The two were vying for the Grand Old Party’s nod to replace longtime former commonwealth’s attorney Billy Davenport, who resigned July 1. Childrey will square off with Democrat Scott Miles, a Chesterfield defense attorney, in the Nov. 6 general election. Independent candidates have until Aug. 17 to file, according to county registrar Constance L. Tyler. Childrey garnered 935 votes to…
Third Thursdays: Burrito Riders League to perform Aug. 16
0The Chester Village Green’s Third Thursdays concert series continues Aug. 16 when Burrito Riders League takes the stage. The band came together in the spring of 2015 after Chester musician Slim Stanton posted on Facebook something to the effect of: “Before I die I need to play in a 1970s country-rock cover band.” Immediately, singer-songwriter Paulo Franco took up the challenge. Stanton had played on a CD of Paulo’s and occasionally sat in with Franco’s backing band, The Rateros. The two originally planned to add a lead guitar and rhythm section, but the first order of business was to get…
Chesterfield gets new rescue vehicle
0ABOVE: From left, firefighters Jacob Newton, Joe Schwickerath and Andrew Olsen are pictured with a new technical rescue unit. Chesterfield Fire and Emergency Management Services has a new technical rescue unit. The new tractor trailer, which cost $443,565, was delivered in April. It will carry shoring equipment that can be used when responding to building collapses, trench rescues and other calls, Capt. Dave Schweiger said. The new unit, which will be housed at Fire Station No. 17 at 9501 Chester Road, replaces a 1994 trailer that had reached end of life and had no additional room for new equipment due to…
Hummus plant set to expand
0SOUTH CHESTERFIELD – Sabra Dipping Co. broke ground July 24 on an expansion of the world’s largest hummus-making facility. The 40,000-square-foot expansion of the 220,000-square-foot factory in the Ruffin Mill Industrial Park east of Interstate 95 will enable Sabra to further expedite product delivery to retail, which means getting freshly-made hummus into consumer hands and homes sooner. The new addition more than doubles Sabra’s finished goods storage capacity, lays the groundwork for future packaging customization capabilities and will result in an improved carbon footprint, a press release states. Sabra expects to add 12 full-time employees to the more than 700…
Two vie for GOP nomination: Canvass for top attorney slot to be held Aug. 11 at six county locations
0Chesterfield County voters can choose the Republican nominee for commonwealth’s attorney in a canvass election Aug. 11. The contest is between John Childrey, chief deputy commonwealth’s attorney in Chesterfield, and Stacey Davenport, a domestic violence prosecutor in Henrico County. The candidate elected to the position Nov. 6 will serve the remaining year or so of Billy Davenport’s term, with another election to follow in November 2019 for a four-year term. The Republican Party canvass is open to all voters registered in the county, but the party asks those who participate to support all of the Republican candidates in…
‘Mama B’ is the new principal at L.C. Bird
4When Adrienne Blanton wrote a paper in seventh grade on wanting to be a sixth-grade math teacher, she had no idea her educational journey would lead to her being a high school principal. Blanton, who replaces Laura Hebert, is only the sixth principal at the school since 1978. Blanton majored in math at Longwood University. She taught sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade math for 12 years at Salem Church Middle School, and was named the school’s teacher of the year in 2008. She went on to be dean of students at Bird for three years, assistant principal for six and associate…
Central Library opens after long renovation
0ABOVE: Jackson Taylor reads a book in ‘The Shell.’ A $3.8-million renovation of the Central Library caused one local resident to gush when she saw it. “I’m really impressed with how they spent my tax dollars,” Chester resident Janet Bishop said last week. “It’s beautiful. I’m getting goose bumps just talking about it. Nobody should complain.” The RRMM-designed building – which now has an address on Lucy Corr Boulevard – opened July 30 after an 18-month renovation. Jennifer Hayek, library branch manager, was also excited. She has worked in that capacity for four years and has been with the Chesterfield…