Teen twirlers spin their way to glory
1Korina Singh at the Jan. 26 Snow Festival. Twirling a baton isn’t as easy as one might think. Judges are continuously looking for routine content, difficulty, speed, smoothness and showmanship. The 12th annual Snow Festival baton competition was held Saturday, Jan. 26 at Thomas Dale High School. More than 90 twirlers, representing North Carolina, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, competed. “Twirlers must master twirling skills, be flexible, and physically fit,” said Diane Gunnels, director and coach of the Royalettes. “Showmanship is also very important and twirlers work to be confident in performing.” Gunnels has been working with the Royalettes for over…
Editor gives his take on local politics
0The times, they are a changin’, and no more so than in politics. A new redistricting map drawn by a court-appointed special master will result in five Republican state House seats becoming “lean Democrat” and one becoming “swing,” and one Democrat seat becoming “swing,” unless the U.S. Supreme Court – which is scheduled to hear arguments in mid-March – tosses the map. Proceeding with a new map will mean that House Speaker Kirk Cox, R-Colonial Heights, will run in a district that is 32 percent more Democrat. Party registration in the new House District 66 favors Democrats by 6.5 percentage…
Recently deceased
0Bienvenu, Ms. Amanda Wray, 24, of Chester. Butler, Mr. E. Wayne, 76, of North Chesterfield, husband of Jo Butler and widower of Kathleen Faris Butler. Childress, Ms. Laura J. Miller, of Chesterfield. Dambacher, Mr. Derek D., 54, of Chesterfield, husband of Cyndi Dambachaer. Fowlkes, Mr. Clarence Howard “Click,” 58, of North Chesterfield, a military veteran. Johnson, Elijah Miles, 3 months, of Chesterfield, son of Turone Johnson and Tianna Mondrey Johnson. Johnston, Mr. Daniel Louis, 54, of Chesterfield, husband of Shelley Johnston. Kelly, Mr. Thomas A., 64, of Chesterfield, husband of Brenda Kay Kelly. Kosco, Mrs. Ruth Murrin, 89, of North Chesterfield, wife of William Joseph Kosco. Middleton, Mrs. Anne Scherer,…
Tragedy awaits
0I do not know the details of the pedestrian who was struck on Route 288, but we passed through there after it had happened. From the little that I heard on the news, the individual who was struck and killed had been looking under the hood of his vehicle moments earlier. This is one tragedy of many that have happened on the side of a limited-access roadway. Traffic on routes 288 and 895 and interstates 85, 95, 64 and 295, the Chippenham and Powhite parkways and the Downtown Expressway, is heavy, and, in most cases, traveling above the posted speed…
Senior softball league signups
0The Chesterfield Senior Softball Association is accepting registrations. The registration deadline is March 1. Fees are $50 for country residents and $65 for non-county residents. Late registration is an extra $10. The CSSA is a slow-pitch softball league open to men 50-plus and women 40-plus. All doubleheader games and practices are played at Harry G. Daniel Park at Iron Bridge. Each season generally runs from April until the first week of October. The men’s league is played on Thursdays, and a co-ed league has games on Mondays. This year there will be recreational and competitive divisions for each league. For…
More offers roll in for Matoaca athletes
0Matoaca High School has had some exciting recruiting news over the past couple of weeks. Division I-level recruit Immanuel “Manny” Hickman, who had previously committed to Cincinnati, de-committed and now has offers from East Carolina, Tulane, James Madison and other schools. Justin Providence, a tight end/long snapper, picked up his fourth offer from UVA-Wise. Virginia State and Alderson-Broaddus also came calling. Elijah Thomas, a defensive lineman who tallied 30 tackles, six for a loss, and recovered two fumbles last season, picked up his first two offers: St. Andrews University of Laurinburg, N.C., and Virginia State. Running back Jonathan Coleman also…
Anderson and Dancey commit, Virginia Tech makes offer to Brown
0Ramon Brown in action last year. L.C. Bird High gridiron stars may not have reeled in an Alabama offer, but it was most certainly a productive week for four Skyhawks standouts. Two athletes committed to colleges last week: Mykey Anderson and DeMarkus Dancy. They’ll continue their academic and football careers at UVA-Wise. “Mykey was a shutdown corner for us and a dynamic player on offense,” L.C. Bird head coach Troy Taylor said. “DeMarkus played both ways for us,” Taylor said. “He is a tough kid [who] works hard, and he will get after it on the field.” Freshman running back…
Thomas Dale’s Tyree adds Alabama to list; Carter and Sterling get attention too
0Chris Tyree carries the pigskin in football action last year. It has been an epic climb from Thomas Dale High running back/defensive back, but Chris Tyree has seemingly reached the pinnacle. This past week, Alabama extended an offer to the junior. “Extremely blessed to receive an offer from the University of Alabama,” Tyree said on his Twitter account, @chris_tyree4. With world-class speed, high academics and a positive attitude, the student-athlete checks the boxes every major college coach looks for. It’s no surprise that he’s racked well over 30 offers and could essentially play for which college he chooses. His speed…