In regard to your story in last week’s issue, “Tannerite explosions rattle community,” characterizing Tannerite as a fuel is only correct if you are talking about it to fire off a rocket. Note that the chemistry given for the components is backward: The ammonium nitrate and ammonium perchlorate are powerful oxidizing agents, while aluminum powder is a powerful reducing agent. The idea that it is “100 percent legal” does not make it right to use without considering neighbors. It should probably be used in a sound-muffling bunker, which is generally done with piles of sand bags. I’ve used that method…

Your “Living Safe” column by Pete Hypes (Jan. 16) brought back memories of a true story when I was living in Powhatan County and a member of the local all-volunteer fire department. It seems that back in the late 1960s, over a period of several months we received six or eight fire calls on a parcel of land owned by a couple who had a young boy (8 or 9 years old) who was somewhat mentally challenged. Following one of these fires, while chatting with one of the sheriff’s deputies, who was also a fire department member, the young lad…

The hypocrisy is simply overwhelming! Attorney General Mark Herring demanded that Gov. Ralph Northam resign because Northam admitted to appearing in blackface, or worse, as a 25-year-old medical student. Now, Herring admits that he, too, appeared in blackface whilst in college. Is Herring going to look in the mirror and resign? I doubt it. What galling and unfathomable hypocrisy! But folks, it’s even worse. Five years ago, these two same individuals (Herring and Northam) condemned Myrna’s and my relationship. They stated in their sanctimonious, holier-than-thou attitudes that I should resign from the House of Delegates while at the same time,…

By Nancy Drumheller Central Va. Waste Management Authority We must clean up our act! Recycling containers are for recyclable items only. Placing items, such as plastic bags or food-contaminated containers, that are not accepted in your curbside recycling cart/bin or the drop-off recycling containers cause contamination issues and add additional processing and disposal costs. Do not bag your recycling in plastic bags. Anything in a plastic bag will not be recycled! The authority’s recycling vendors will no longer pick up unwanted items like plastic bags and other non-recyclables, including food-contaminated containers. To avoid this, visit cvwma.com and make sure you…

I thank him and could not agree more with Jim Daniels’ letter to the Village News editor regarding the loss of Chester’s “Village Oak.” I also applaud his and Joe Hillier’s offer to pay for a professional arborist’s evaluation of this beloved tree in a valiant effort to save it. Such a certified expert would have advised that hollow trees can and do survive, even with ants. My wife and I proudly reside in “historic” Chester in front of this church, so it was just more of the same to us. We have witnessed the Methodist church’s developer-like approach to…

To the editor: I have lived in Chester for nine years after marrying a lifelong Chester Village resident. What immediately attracted me to the area was the small-town atmosphere and the great people. I’ve spent many hours walking through Chester, exploring and exercising. Although there is always room for improvement in a town, much of Chester is quaint and nostalgic. However, what should be a place of quiet contemplation and memories, Sunset Memorial Park, is a blight and an eyesore standing on the busiest intersection in the area. There is routinely garbage along the fence line, American flags and faux…

One of the objectives of Kiwanis is to build better communities. The Kiwanis Club of Chester has been working diligently toward that objective, and we have been assisted with many from our area to help us meet that goal. Over the past three years we have strived to recognize our military veterans. WWII veterans in 2015 and Korean War veterans in 2016 were invited to dinners provided by Sibley & Son. In 2017 our long-neglected Vietnam-era veterans were treated to a picnic-style dinner provided by King’s Korner Catering at the Chesterfield County Fairgrounds, where the exhibition building was renamed the…

Many in the Bruce Farms subdivision in Chester have expressed a desire to help a neighbor rebuild after an electrical fire destroyed his home at 4617 Bruce Road in the early morning hours May 18. The structural damage has been estimated at approximately $120,000. There is no insurance to help with the rebuild. The American Red Cross has provided temporary shelter for the homeowner at a local hotel. The Bruce Farms community would like to invite you to join us by demonstrating your compassion and support. Individually we may help a little, but acting as a community we can do…