The Village News traveled to Orlando and visited the Disney Hollywood Studios Jan. 5. From left, Sally and Cliff Noe, Bryan and Mary Schiano and Kathy Peebles, all of Chester. They were celebrating Bryan’s 60th birthday.
Browsing: Community
CHESTERFIELD — The Maggie Walker Community Land Trust recently closed on its first home in Chesterfield County. The land trust will repair and rehabilitate a vacant home at 5616 S. Melbeck Road and sell it to a new homeowner later this year. Funding will come from a federal Community Development Block Grant. The funding will also allow the land trust to purchase, repair and sell additional unoccupied homes this year. Melbeck Road is located west of Route 10 and south of Route 150. Under the community land trust model, each home remains permanently affordable through the program’s long-term ground lease…
By Carelynn Shephard Bridget Fitzpatrick spoke to the Chester Lions Club Jan. 15 about the Bon Secours St. Francis Medical Center and their proposed improvements for Chesterfield County. Fitzpatrick, the administrative director of operations at St. Francis Medical Center, explained that an expansion is necessary because of the county’s rapid population growth. There are four primary initiatives which include: an ambulatory surgery center/medical office building, 55 new acute care beds at St. Francis, a free-standing emergency department in Chester, and a partnership with Virginia Commonwealth University to bring level 2 trauma services to the area. Future projects may be of…
Howard Corey Howard Corey moved to Chester from Boston 12 years ago. But the positive impact he’s made in the community during that time is so profound, the retired professional leader was honored Jan. 21 at the Chester Family YMCA’s Service Awards Celebration. “Our kids are our responsibility,” said Corey, who received the Youth Development Award. “Basically, I see myself as one of those kids,” he said. “I grew up in Chicago … probably didn’t have any direction until 11 or 12.” He recalled one mentor, a relative, who sparked his interest in math and reading by recognizing his love…
“My vision is that we come together as a community, everybody with their talents and abilities, for the common good.” These are more than words from the Rev. Shawn Franco, lead pastor of Cornerstone Assembly of God. Chester Family YMCA gave Franco the Social Responsibility Award in a special Martin Luther King Jr. Day service awards celebration Jan. 21. “We are all sons, daughters, moms, or dads. We all need family, but not everyone has the same support,” Franco said. “We can improve the lives of those who haven’t had a chance, to help form a life that’s healthy and…
CHESTER – A famed former Harlem Globetrotter, “Jumpin’ Johnny” Wilson died Jan. 11. He was 91. Wilson moved to Chester about two years ago to live with his son, John Wilson Jr., an assistant athletic director at Virginia State University. A native of Anderson, Ind., John E. Wilson was the fourth of six children of Randolph “Ran” and Hazel Wilson. Wilson played professional baseball – his first love – for one year for the Chicago American Giants, a Negro League team. He then played for the Globetrotters from 1949-54. With the Globetrotters, he played alongside such legends as Goose Tatum,…
Carrie Coyner believes in girl power. The 37-year-old Chester resident announced last week that she is seeking the Republican nomination for the House District 62 seat currently held by state Del. Riley Ingram, R-Hopewell. Coyner said she wants to offer “a different voice,” that of a “young female business owner.” Coyner is in her eighth year representing the Bermuda District on the Chesterfield school board. Ingram said he is not running again. “He’s done an amazing job,” said Coyner, a business and real estate attorney and the daughter of George and Darlene Emerson. Ingram said he is supporting Coyner and…
Later this year, Chesterfield supervisors likely will consider approving performance agreements in an attempt to lure business to the northern Jefferson Davis corridor. County Planning Commissioner Gib Sloan spoke about the development tool during the Jefferson Davis Association’s luncheon last week at Bensley Community Center. Sloan said some developers prefer performance agreements. These entail a rebate of real estate taxes over a 5-to-10-year period. “The percentage refunded goes down” each year, he said, adding that the county would not have a long-term financial obligation. The performance agreement proposal is part of the work of the North Jefferson Davis Special Area…
Caleb M. Soptelean With the first month of the new year in full swing, I decided to take some time and reflect on 2018 and the new year. 2018 was a good year overall. The economy kept humming along, and we had more money in our pockets, thanks to federal income tax relief. How that plays out in relation to our state income taxes remains to be seen, which is something the General Assembly will be tackling soon. This year’s legislative session began Jan. 9. Concerns about tariffs and a “trade war” with China and other nations didn’t seem to…
Amy Bartilotti and Melissa Ackley hold a poster about ‘The Basics.’ Getting more social and emotional human interaction with low-income children, especially boys, is the goal of a new initiative. The Basics are five principles that parents and others can use while interacting with their children from newborn to age 3. Amy Bartilotti heard about the initiative while attending a class at Harvard University in the summer of 2017. Promoted by Ronald Ferguson, director of the Achievement Gap Initiative, The Basics is one of 30 such initiatives in the country and the first in Virginia, said Bartilotti, coordinator of the…