Community

JTCC announces art award winners

By Press release on January 29, 2019 Art, Community, Schools

Tabitha Buchanan’s art project shows a crystal ball in a stream. Tabitha Buchanan’s “Stream at Mid-Lothian Mines” recently won the 2019 John Tyler Community College Foundation’s art award. While working on a freelance photography job, Buchanan visited Mid-Lothian Mines Park, and as she scouted the area and took photographs, she decided to place a crystal ball in a stream, a press release states. The resulting image is ethereal, showing a world within a world and highlighting nature’s beauty. In addition to Buchanan, the following students created artwork that were finalists for the art award: Janet Burgos, Joshua Cloninger, Julia DiMartino,…

Chester resident has bit of Nashville in his soul

By Becky Wright on January 29, 2019 Community, Entertainment

Shawn Fenner Shawn Fenner penned his first song, “Love Triangle,” when he was 11 years old and not yet guitar savvy. The song stayed with him as he moved forward. Today, he has a promising musical career with some exhilarating experiences under his belt. Fenner attended Bellwood Elementary, Salem Middle and L.C. Bird High schools. He also took an automotive class at Chesterfield Tech Center. As a Marine Reservist, he trained at Parris Island, S.C. “When I was in middle school, I wrote a play,” Fenner said. “I got paid $10 for it.” Song writing came later. Singing karaoke helped…

County to link with East Coast Greenway

By Press release on January 29, 2019 Chesterfield Government, Outdoors

CHESTERFIELD — A path near Pocahontas State Park has become a designated part of the East Coast Greenway, which aims to develop a biking and walking route from Canada to Key West, Fla. The nonprofit East Coast Greenway Alliance selected the Woodpecker Road Multi-Use Path because it could provide an essential connection along the 3,000-mile route. This is the first designation for Chesterfield. Additional portions of the East Coast Greenway are being considered throughout the county. “Chesterfield Parks and Recreation is excited to have the Lake Margaret Trail formally recognized as part of the East Coast Greenway,” said Stuart Connock,…

Woman’s Club hears about Soles for Souls

By Caleb M Soptelean on January 29, 2019 Clubs, Community

Hospitality for the Jan. 15 meeting was provided by Jamie Frasier and Brenda Grant. Stephanie Hathaway recently spoke to the Matoaca Woman’s Club about Soles for Souls, a Nashville, Tenn.-based nonprofit that gives women the opportunity to learn a skill and earn money by selling shoes. The club has already collected 40 pairs of shoes and will be collecting them through June. The club is asking for slightly-used shoes, including women’s, men’s, and children’s. It is a way to recycle, reuse, and raise money to help people who are less fortunate, and it also keeps shoes out of the landfill.…

Five new voting precincts approved, public hearing set for property tax rate

By Caleb M Soptelean on January 29, 2019 Board of Supervisors, Chesterfield Government

Voting and taxes were on the agenda of the Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors last week. The supervisors voted unanimously to split five precincts as a result of higher than normal turnout in last November’s election. In addition, the voted 5-0 to advertise the county’s real estate property tax rate at 95 cents per $100 of assessed value. The latter represents the same rate as 2018. The new precincts are Iron Bridge North at the Cultural Center of India, Ridgedale at Swim RVA, Longhouse at Union Branch Baptist Church, Magnolia at Chesterfield Baptist Church and Clover Hill at Clover Hill…

‘Crowder bench’ dedicated at Ecoff Elementary School

By Press release on January 29, 2019 Community, Schools, Teachers

Harold Crowder sits on a bench dedicated to the memory of his wife, Mary. Also pictured are former teachers. From the day the doors of Ecoff Elementary School opened in 1990 until her retirement in 2011, Mary D. Crowder was a beloved primary teacher at the school. When she died in August, a group of her former colleagues decided to place a lasting memorial to her at the school she loved. A bench with a sunflower design was recently purchased and placed in the school garden outside of the library. Crowder’s family and her coworkers held a ceremony when the…

Superintendent seeking $7.7M more from Chesterfield

By Caleb M Soptelean on January 29, 2019 Board of Supervisors, School Board, Schools

The new Chesterfield school superintendent is asking for a 3-percent raise for teachers and staff and an additional $7.7 million from the county to help fund a proposed $17.5 million budget increase for Fiscal Year 2020. The salary increases alone would cost $12.9 million in the $672.2 million budget. Staff received increases of 2, 3, 2 and 2 percent in each of the past four years. Mervyn Daugherty made the proposal during the school board’s budget work session Jan. 22. The increase would support an additional 54 staff members because of an estimated increase of 520 students. This includes an…

Miller named executive director of arts center

By Press release on January 29, 2019 Art, Community

The Chesterfield Cultural Arts Foundation recently announced that it has hired Bruce Miller as its new executive director. Miller will begin later this spring following the groundbreaking of the new Baxter Perkinson Center for the Arts. The new venue, the first nonprofit performing arts center in Chesterfield, is a collaboration of the Chesterfield Economic Development Authority and the Chesterfield Cultural Arts Foundation. The arts center – to be built next to the Chester Library – will have the 350-seat “Jimmy Dean Theatre,” a multi-purpose room with adjoining patio, a dividable classroom and an art gallery, along with all support amenities…

Consensus reached on coal ash cleanup: Jaeckle questions whether access to Henricus will be protected

By Caleb M Soptelean on January 29, 2019 Community, Politics, State News

Visitors to Henricus Historical Park and Dutch Gap Conservation Area, including a boat ramp and trails, must pass by Dominion Energy’s coal ash ‘ponds’ to access those sites. A bipartisan agreement was reached in the state Legislature last week to deal with 27 million cubic yards of coal ash. Although House Speaker Kirk Cox, R-Colonial Heights, state Sen. Amanda Chase, R-Chesterfield, and others got behind the deal, Chesterfield supervisor Dorothy Jaeckle questioned whether Henricus would be protected. Dan Genest, a Dominion Energy official, said access to the area will remain open. A Jan. 24 email from Jaeckle asked constituents to…

Horse rescued by firefighters

By Becky Wright on January 23, 2019 Community, Fire & EMS

A 35-year-old Polish Arabian horse named Tigre was down in his stall, in the 7900 block of Cogbill Road, and the owner and vet had done everything possible to get him up, Chesterfield firefighters and a large animal special rescue team was soon on the way to help. It all began around 2:30 p.m. on Jan. 10. The Little Fork Volunteer Technical Large Animal Rescue Team and firefighters from Centralia Road fire station along with Chesterfield Fire and EMS Battalion Chief 2 were dispatched to the emergency. Working as a team, rescuers set up a tool staging area; a tripod…

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