Rural connections: Some Rhodes Lane residents waiting for broadband access
0Rhodes Lane curves past a pond. (Caleb M. Soptelean photos) Tyler Moody stands next to some high-tech electrical wiring that was left at his home by the previous owner. Tyler Moody’s homemade computer. Hurry up and wait. That’s pretty much what some residents of Rhodes Lane have been doing for several years, according to Bonnie and Tyler Moody, a mother and son, who have been living at 16111 N. Rhodes Lane since March 2015. “We never thought there wouldn’t be Internet out there,” Bonnie said, noting that she and her husband, Thomas, purchased the home on a foreclosure sale in…
Police identify teen killed by train
0Chesterfield County Police last week identified a 16-year-old who was struck by a train near the 15900 block of Woods Edge Road at about 2:15 p.m. Wednesday, May 8. Aaron Groome, of no permanent address, was walking south on the train tracks between Jefferson Davis Highway and Interstate 95 when he was fatally struck by a southbound train, police said. Groome was reported missing from Newport News on March 23. According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Groome may have been in need of medical attention. The blonde-haired, blue-eyed boy was 5 feet 11 inches tall and…
Two meth labs discovered, five arrested
0Two methamphetamine labs were recently discovered in eastern Chesterfield County, resulting in five arrests. On May 14 at 10:23 p.m., county police went to the 2400 block of Arcadia Avenue for a wanted person. “Officers had obtained a search warrant for the residence and found the wanted person inside,” police spokeswoman Elizabeth Caroon said, noting that police found a meth lab. “The wanted person, Turner L. Littlefield, 43, of the 2400 block of Arcadia Avenue, was arrested and served with his outstanding warrants, one of which was a felony larceny – third offense,” Caroon said. On May 12, a different…
Cold treats
0Holly Willis, 13, on right, and Taylor Nestor, 19, passed out ice cream sandwiches at Tyler’s Retreat nursing home May 14 as part of National Nursing Home Week. Pet Dairy donated the ice cream. Willis, an eighth-grader at Elizabeth Davis Middle School, also recently gave Sweet Frog gift certificates to 35 nursing staffers at Tyler’s Retreat as part of National Nurses Week, courtesy of Sweet Frog owner Manju Singha. Willis wanted to honor her great-great aunt, Christine Burnley, who resided at the facility until she died at age 99 several years ago. Willis volunteers at the facility several hours a…
Augustus H. Drewry and the Battle of Drewry’s Bluff
0Capt. Augustus H. Drewry is pictured, center, with his family after the Civil War. By George “Buddy” Cranford Many years have passed since a combined naval/land battle raged in Chesterfield County. Back in the mid-1800s, what is today known as Drewry’s Bluff was just a high hill on the James River, a small portion of land owned by a Chesterfield farmer. Augustus H. Drewry was born at “Brandywine,” his grandfather’s plantation in King William County, the son of Mildred Stevens Fox (1798-1872) and Martin Drewry (died 1862). Young Augustus was educated at the Richmond Academy. Prior to the Civil War,…
Food Bank has been helping those in need since 2010
0Kim Hill speaks to the Chester Lions Club. (Carelyn Sheppard photo) By Carelyn Sheppard Children, seniors, veterans, homeless, struggling families, and the disabled in the community are among those being helped by the Chesterfield Food Bank. Food bank CEO Kim Hill spoke to the Chester Lions Club recently. Many people are struggling to keep nutritious food on the table and available, Hill said. Since 2010, the food bank’s mission has been to serve and meet that need because the founders, Travis and Karie Whittle, recognized that many people were ineligible for government programs. Some may fall through the cracks because…
Argent Credit Union awards $5K in scholarships
0William Bigger and Daisa Williams are this year’s recipients of the Ruby A. Robinson scholarships. Each received $2,500. Bigger attends L.C. Bird High School and the Governor’s Academy for Engineering Studies. Williams attends Matoaca High School. Both plan to enroll at the University of Virginia.
Layman enjoys making math fun at Carver Middle
0Victoria Layman is a third generation teacher who says she has the genetics for teaching. Layman, a sixth-grade math teacher at Carver Middle School for eight years, said she went into education because she is a “natural-born helper with the ability to build relationships with kids.” Layman started her educational path in high school through career-and-tech centers in Early Childhood Education. She switched to Middle School Education at Longwood University. Layman said she focused on math because of what she sees as a “math stigma” at the middle school age, and she wanted to influence students before they got to…