When the lights go dim
0My wife had noticed that the kitchen light seemed a little dimmer than normal. I will cut to the chase and tell you that yesterday, in the torrential rains, the lights, from the kitchen to the back bathroom, were not working well. One example was when you turned the switch on in the front bathroom, one bulb came on very dimly, while the other two bulbs did not come on at all. I called an electrician and he believed that the problem was on the outside of our house. I contacted Dominion, and they sent a technician to check the…
Blessings
0Hello and welcome back to the wonderful world of the Dogpound. Is it Thanksgiving yet? Is 2020 over yet? To the first, almost, and to the second, not yet! Bummer! Anyway, the day is almost here that we stop for a whole day – at least most of the day – and give thanks for all the blessings we have received, and will receive. I know we focus on the big blessings, but we need to be mindful of all of the blessings we receive every day. We get up and flip the switch, there is electricity. We turn the…
30-year-old COVID survivor shares his story
0On Aug. 10, Scott Prichard fell asleep, or so it seemed to him. When he woke up, it was mid-September. “I didn’t know I was in a coma,” he latered reciunted. “I woke up and didn’t know what time it was or what the date was. I thought I had just been in the hospital for a few days, and it had been a month and a half.” The nightmare scenario that Prichard is still living began in late July, when he woke up one morning with a sore throat and stuffy nose. “I didn’t think twice about it,” he…
School district’s health panel votes to bring grades 6-12 back Nov. 9
0Two of five school board members in opposition By a split decision, the Chesterfield County Public Schools’ health panel decided to move forward with Project Restart by bringing Cohort 4 back into school buildings. The decision – which was announced at the school board’s Oct. 27 meeting – will allow any sixth- through ninth-graders who weren’t already attending school in-person to begin doing so two days a week on Nov. 9. In reaction to the panel’s decision, two members of the five-person school board voiced their objections: Clover Hill member Dot Heffron and Midlothian member Kathryn Haines. Nick Oyler, the…
Raising police, fire salaries would take $22M, study says
0Public hearing set for regional transportation authority budget A study projects that Chesterfield County needs $22 million to fund salary and benefits increases for police and fire personnel. Commissioners received study results during an Oct. 28 work session presented by Evergreen Solutions LLC of Tallahassee, Fla. The study calls for $5.87 million in salary and benefits in Phase I and $16.5 million in Phase II. County administrator Joe Casey said the timing of the study is “perfect” as the county begins preparing for the Fiscal Year 2021-22 budget. He noted that $22.38 million would be a “base injection plus a…
Nature helps us to stand tall
0Fall has always been my favorite time of year, a season with unparalleled beauty. Ironically, the splendor I see, the variety of shapes and textures combined with a spectrum of warm colors, leads unforgivingly to death. Yes, as my husband bluntly says “the leaves are dying.” But what causes the leaves to change color and form, or as my husband says, to die? During this process, chlorophyll in the leaves breaks down, which causes the green colors to disappear, and yellow and red to become visible. Chlorophyll is an important molecule in plants. In fact, natural medicine enthusiasts tout the…
Police Blotter
0ARBOR LAKE DR (67xx block) 10/22/2020 12 a.m. – Vandalism to a vehicle. ALCOTT RD (27xx block) 10/23/2020 8 p.m. – Miscellaneous items stolen from vehicle. ARBOR LANDING DR (67xx block) 10/18/2020 12:50 a.m. – Rear window entered. Rape-Attempted. BERMUDA CROSSROAD LN (123xx block) 10/26/2020 7:20 p.m. – Injury-Accidental – Heroin Overdose BEULAH RD (39xx block) 10/22/2020 1:45 a.m. – Weapons Violations-Illegal Discharge BRENSPARK RD (99xx block) 10/24/2020 8:56 p.m. – Money and miscellaneous items stolen from vehicle. BURLEY RIDGE TR (29xx block) 10/02/2020 11 a.m. – Electronics stolen from residence. BURNT OAK DR (49xx block) 10/24/2020 12:05 a.m. -…
Fall back
0As much as I do not like this time change, our clocks were turned back one hour Sunday morning. The cliche is, Change your clocks, Change your batteries. In other words, for those of you who have battery-operated or battery-backup smoke alarms, it is important to ensure that you have working batteries. The bottom line is that you need to at least check your smoke alarms by pushing the test button. Smoke alarms should be tested monthly. If your smoke alarms have yellowed or are more than 10 years old, then you need to replace them. The ultimate goal is…