State parks offering free parking on New Year’s Day: Midnight hike begins Dec. 31 at Pocahontas SP
0All 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…
Enon gets a new elementary school
0A ribbon-cutting ceremony Dec. 18 heralded the completion of the new Enon Elementary School at 2001 E. Hundred Road. Teachers were allowed to set up their classrooms Dec. 19-20, and students will report Wednesday, Jan. 2. Enon-area students have been attending “learning cottages” (trailers) at Marguerite Christian Elementary School for the past 18 months after the original Enon Elementary School – built in 1938 – was demolished in the summer of 2017. The new school was the second in Chesterfield County built using a prototype, district spokesman Shawn Smith said. Beulah Elementary School, which was the first, opened in September.…
Christmas on the Green
0A girl and boy enjoy the music at ‘Christmas on the Green’ Saturday, Dec. 15. Mission Community Church hosts the annual event.
Volunteer spirit
0On Dec. 4, a group of volunteers from the Chester Civitan Club braved the cold to volunteer at Greater Richmond ARC’s Camp Baker location in Chester. The Civitans spread mulch and removed fallen trees from the property. From left: Patty Grimes, Larry Grimes, Matthew Johnson, Peter Schoultis and Anudee Schoultis.
Local awareness campaign promoted after near misses
0Chesterfield Fire Engine 11 was rear-ended Nov. 25 while working a crash on Chippenham Parkway. Roadway dangers are something first responders face each time they are on the scene of an incident or travel to and from one. This danger was brought to light once again with a rash of recent near misses involving local rescue and law enforcement personnel. To bring awareness of the issue, fire and EMS personnel have been alerting the public by using #MoveOver and #SlowDown on social media. “I am honestly afraid for my brothers and sisters,” Chesterfield Fire and EMS spokesman Jason Elmore said.…
State of the county: New transportation, schools, ‘Uber-esque’ services discussed
0Joe Casey speaks Dec. 12 about the ‘state of the county.’ Chesterfield County is a great place to live. That’s the word from county administrator Joe Casey, who spoke to a large crowd at the Chesterfield Career and Tech Center last week. Casey highlighted a number of items in his 25-minute “state of the county” speech, including the fact that the county was the only one in the region to reduce its real estate property tax rate this year. The tax was reduced by a penny to 95 cents for $100 of assessed value. In addition, he noted that the…
The benefits of crying
0Feeling stressed during the holidays? Maybe all you need is a good cry. Shedding tears is actually a process your body uses to release pent up emotions that can be caused by sadness, grief, stress, anxiety, frustration or even joy. It signals that you have reached an intense emotional level that your body can no longer handle. At this point, just let the tears flow. It is a healthy and healing response. Crying actually releases a stress hormone called prolactin. Women produce more prolactin than men, which supports the common theory that women cry more than men. There are three…
Meet the conservation police: State officers often work outdoors to enforce laws related to hunting, fishing and boating
0Conservation officer Alberto Medina inspects some trout. Jon Hart follows the same routine he has followed for the past 18 years. He dresses in his crisp, clean uniform, puts a bulletproof vest on and heads out the door to work. Hart is a conservation police officer with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. He has served in Chesterfield for the past two years after moving from the Mecklenburg area. Officials say that conservation police officers patrol the vast and diverse geographical expanses of the commonwealth. They are ever-vigilant in enforcing the laws related to hunting, fishing, and boating,…