Stay vigilant
0As we pass from 2018 to 2019, be vigilant to prevent a fire in your home. I am giving each of us the benefit of the doubt that we have been mindful of fire safety up to this point. There are still cooking-related fires that are displacing people from their homes every day. The reason for this is that the heat, fuel and oxygen are present on a regular basis. If there were other rooms where heat and fuel were together, then fires would occur there as well. Unless we want to live in a hotel room or move in…
Matoaca’s Providence gets several college offers
0With Matoaca High School’s long history of producing quality linemen, it may come as no surprise that they have another to ascend to the college ranks: senior Justin Providence. “Justin is hard working, versatile and smart,” Matoaca coach Jay Parker said. “He brings a lot to the table as a tight end as well as a long snapper.” The 6-3, 230-pounder can long snap, play tight end, defensive end or on the offensive line. Virginia State was the latest school to notice, hence their offer. Riverside City College, a junior college in California, was the first to make him an…
Starting the new year
0Hello and welcome back to the New Year Dogpound, and welcome to 2019! Wow! Another year under our belt, and where do I start? As I have mentioned before sometimes, it is difficult to decide what to write about. In this case, do I recap 2018 or do I go out on the limb and predict what the new year will bring? Then it hit me. I had a car accident. My poor Betsy (a Honda CR-V) got smacked on the driver’s side by a huge Chevy truck that is at least three times the size of Betsy! Last Saturday,…
Cox presents school safety report to General Assembly
0House 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…
Sign of the eagle? Megasite, east-west freeway shelved
0Mike Uzel speaks at a community meeting in April 2018. Until last year, I was not much of a believer in “signs” and what they might mean. But my mind is changing. Back in November 2017, I attended the first of many Chesterfield Economic Development Authority monthly meetings. The meetings have generally been very short and often involve the EDA members going into closed session, where the public cannot observe, due to “confidential” information being discussed about existing or future projects. Our group, Bermuda Advocates for Responsible Development, was building strong opposition to stop the “Matoaca Megasite,” a large-scale project…
World traveler: TDHS grad enjoys helping others
2Wyatt Gordon in Indonesia. When I sat down across from Wyatt Gordon at a local Panera, he had been home from Germany for less than 36 hours after living abroad for the last 14 months. Despite a long and exhausting journey, jet lag and having met me only once before, he greeted me like an old friend with a tight, warm hug. We found a quiet booth near the back of the restaurant, and it wasn’t long before I felt like Gordon and I had been friends for a long, long time. I quickly understood the genuine nature behind his…
Year in review: Megasite the top story for 2018
0Bill Lloyd holds a sign with a cartoon drawing by Cornelius ‘Skeet’ Hill at an anti-megasite demonstration March 28 outside the Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors meeting. Following is a review of the top stories from the Village News from 2018. The Matoaca Megasite was nixed after the Chesterfield Economic Development Authority voted May 3 to withdraw a rezoning application. How to proceed with a 1,675-acre property now is “up in the air” following the Chesterfield County Economic Development Authority’s vote to withdraw an application to rezone the property from residential to industrial. “It’s clear that this project is alarming…
Christmas on the Green
0Tonya Incitti holds her dog during ‘Christmas on the Green’ Dec. 15 in Chester. Mission Community Church hosts the annual event. Tonya Incitti holds her dog during ‘Christmas on the Green’ Dec. 15 in Chester. Mission Community Church hosts the annual event.