Editor: I am writing to express my concern about the mistreatment of inmates in our prisons. While inhumane treatment is fairly common in many of our Virginia Department of Corrections prisons, possibly the worst female prison is Central Virginia Correctional Unit 13 located at 6900 Courthouse Road. I have heard numerous complaints from current inmates of the severely unsanitary conditions there. Below are a few examples: •The entire institution is extremely filthy and run-down, and it smells like urine and mildew. •There are many leaks in the building. Ceilings leak even when it is not raining – these are plumbing…
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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…
The lower coal ash "pond" at the Chesterfield Power Station.
The potential for Henricus Historical Park to be closed for 15 years is a possibility as the state deals with a solution for coal ash at the Chesterfield Power Station, according to a Chesterfield County supervisor. However, a Dominion Energy official said access to the area will remain open. A Jan. 24 email from supervisor Dorothy Jaeckle asked constituents to contact House Speaker Kirk Cox, R-Colonial Heights, to express concern about pending legislation and potential closure of the historical park, boat ramp and adjacent trails. “There has been absolutely no local input on this deal,” Jaeckle said. Dominion spokesman Dan Genest…
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…
In recognition of the 400th anniversary of the first meeting of elected members of the House Burgesses in Jamestown, the House Clerk’s Office on Jan. 3 unveiled the culmination of an ambitious, multi-year project – DOME, or Database of House Members – that offers biographical and legislative service information on every House member since the first burgesses convened in July 1619. Now available in one convenient place is a treasure-trove of interesting data chronicling the 9,700-plus men and women who served as burgesses or delegates in the Virginia General Assembly over the past four centuries. The first-of-its-kind compilation is an…
U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger In the Jan. 3 vote for U.S. House Speaker, Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., voted for Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Ill. Spanberger, who represents part of Chesterfield County, said she would not vote for Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who was elected with 220 votes compared with 192 votes for Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. Despite saying they would not support Pelosi during the campaign, numerous other Democrats changed their minds and voted for her. During the campaign last year, incumbent Republican Dave Brat tried to tie Pelosi to Spanberger, but the former law enforcement officer for the U.S. Postal Inspection Service…
House Speaker Kirk Cox speaks to the Chester Lions Club March 27, 2018. State House Speaker Kirk Cox, R–Colonial Heights, released the Select Committee on School Safety’s final report to the General Assembly on Dec. 19. The report contains 24 priority recommendations for consideration during the 2019 General Assembly session. The committee presented a comprehensive set of recommendations to make students and schools safer through threat prevention, counseling realignment and increased mental health services, and increased training for school personnel and school security. “Though Virginia has taken steps in recent years to bolster school safety and is widely viewed as…
All state parks will offer free parking all day, Jan. 1, 2019, and the first 100 visitors to each park will receive a special bumper sticker. Two contests give visitors two opportunities to win gift certificates valued at up to $500. Participants can be eligible to win prizes by registering, hiking and then recording the hike Jan. 1. An annual photo contest is also an opportunity for visitors to win gift certificates that can be used for camping and cabin reservations or to purchase annual passes. For complete contest details, visit vasp.fun/2019firstdayhikes. Pocahontas State Park in Chesterfield offers an adults-only…
ABOVE: Matoaca District school board rep Rob Thompson, center, speaks while state Sen. Rosalyn Dance and House Speaker Kirk Cox listen. Adding school resource officers at each of the 38 elementary schools in Chesterfield County was one topic discussed at a joint meeting of school board members and local state legislators last week. The school board made some of their requests known during the Nov. 27 meeting with seven state legislators at the Chesterfield Career and Tech Center. “We would be grateful for any help,” board member Dianne Smith said. The SRO funding is part of a list of recommendations from…
ABOVE: Left, A Native American yehakin, or longhouse, is pictured at Henricus Historical Park. On right, Tamsye ‘Little Dove’ Stover of the Chickahominy Tribe has appeared at past Henricus events and demonstrated beadwork and crafting. Since 1996, Virginia has recognized November as American Indian Month. In Virginia, there are seven federally recognized tribes: Chickahominy, Chickahominy Eastern, Monacan, Nansemond, Rappahannock, Upper Mattaponi and Pamunkey. Virginia is home to four state-recognized Indian tribes: the Cheroenhaka (Nottoway), Mattaponi, Nottoway of Virginia and Patawomeck. “Thousands of American Indians from outside of the Commonwealth have moved to Virginia and made it their home,” Gov. Ralph…