To the Editor: My perspective comes from a background in mitigation of high level defense and security operations for the headquarters of the Department of Defense. The core complement I have for the overall countrywide communication exercise can be summed up in the following statement in the briefing document: “During this simulation keep in mind that we are to operate in an environment of kindness with the goal of getting to ‘yes’ and having a ‘Good Hello’ and ‘Good Goodbye.’” The focus on civility and positive character traits is the driving force for true success. I say this as an…

To the Editor: This project is essentially a large gas station with, typical, enhanced experiences (alcohol and lottery opportunities) – picture a Sheets, or another Wawa like the one 1.5 miles away – and a retail strip center – maybe as nice looking as the one going up one mile away, maybe not; apartments and a storage facility – and a projected additional 22,000 vehicles each day. Yes, that’s the projection. It is being called Courthouse Landing by the developer. Notice the reference to the airport and “landing.” The developer is selling it as “the Gateway to Chesterfield.” The County…

To the Editor: I am strongly opposed to the Courthouse Landing Project. My immediate concern is the the virtual planning meeting set for May 19. There will be no public comments at the meeting, so the county has set up Portal to leave comments online. I’m concerned because the previous virtual meeting comments had an unusual amount of comments from the Matoaca District in favor of the project. I’m also concerned about the data obtained from Gatesgreen Drive corridor has 2,750 vehicles per day currently and there will be an additional 2,700 vehicles per day with completion of the project.…

To the Editor: As a longtime resident of Chesterfield County, where my three children attended school and my wife was a teacher and elementary principal, the choice to join Communities In Schools of Chesterfield’s (CIS-C) Board of Directors was a good fit. When I first joined the board, I knew the county had poverty but didn’t realize the extent – I learned that since 2000, poverty in Chesterfield increased by 110 percent, affecting thousands of our community’s youth. CIS-C is doing something about it. Our work to serve 9,000-plus vulnerable students in Chesterfield schools levels the playing field for at-risk…

To the Editor: A main character in one of Aesop’s fables was a crow. In a spell of dry climate, when the flying creature could discover next to nothing to drink, a parched crow found a pitcher with a little water in it. Be that as it may, the pitcher was high, with an extended neck. Regardless of how he attempted, the crow couldn’t arrive at the water. The poor thing felt as though he would perish from thirst. At that point, a thought came to him. Getting some little stones, he dropped them into the pitcher individually. With every stone,…

To the Editor: I believe we can all agree that we are in the midst of an unprecedented crisis. People are deeply concerned about jobs, paychecks, kids out of school, and putting food on the table, getting sick, and loved ones dying. This is not the time for zoning cases to be pushed through the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors meetings without proper PUBLIC citizen comment. While the Public is completely occupied by the COVID-19 Corona emergency, Zoning Cases, including the huge Courthouse Landing case, are poised to progress through the Planning Commission and/or Board of Supervisors without proper…

To the Editor: “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.  I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord.                                                                                                 (Jeremiah 29:13-14)  During the coronavirus pandemic, we constantly hear of the rapid spread of this disease and the problems it is causing throughout the world. We are now instructed to stay in our homes, if possible, then we must stay at least six feet away from anyone outside with us. Soon masks may…

To the Editor: The middle of a global pandemic may not seem like the best time to open a bus route, but for many who live along Jefferson Davis Highway in Chesterfield County, GRTC’s new Route 111 between John Tyler Community College and Richmond is a lifeline, just when they need it most. The neighborhoods along Route 1 have some of the lowest rates of vehicle ownership in an otherwise car-centric county. Residents’ only option has been to walk or bike along the gutter of a treacherous four-lane highway. Commuting to and from work I witness such dangerous scenes every…

When Chesterfield County schools announced recently that students would be out of classes for a month, several concerns crossed my thoughts. The coronavirus was a concern for elderly citizens in the community. The additional pressing matter of interest was that the education in public schools was at a standstill. Personally, for me, all of my extracurricular activities have been postponed for an undisclosed amount of time. In spite of my doubts, I was pleasantly surprised that those matters have not become a reality. My grandparents have remained healthy at this time. I have experienced less stress over academic due dates…

Letter to the editorTo the Editor: In response to Del. Coyner’s message on the legislature that the additional taxes that she objects to are necessary to meet critical infrastructure needs that were ignored while her party was in the majority: unfortunately, we have become a country where people think they can get nothing for something. Herbert Loveless