News Near You for Sept. 10

NEWS NEAR YOU

Richmond A fire alarm call yesterday morning at the Virginia Capitol turned out to be false. Richmond firefighters originally were summoned to the Capitol grounds at 7:17 a.m. for a reported fire alarm activation at the Executive Mansion. The first crews on scene discovered that the alarm was actually for the nearby Capitol. Firefighters quickly discovered there were no fires at either place, just a malfunctioning alarm.

Chesterfield A free document-shredding event will be held from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at Virginia Credit Union, 7500 Boulder View Drive in the Boulders Office Park in Chesterfield County. Cintas Shredding, a document-destruction company, will shred up to three grocery bags of paper per vehicle on a first-come, first-served basis. Virginia Credit Union will collect nonperishable foods for Central Virginia Foodbank during the shredding event.

Henrico The National Caregivers Library and Lakewood Manor will host a four-part seminar, "Tough Conversations," for adult children who would like to learn how to talk to their parents about difficult subjects. The seminar will take place each Tuesday from Sept. 15 through Oct. 6 from 6 to 7 p.m. at Lakewood Manor, at 1900 Lauderdale Drive in Henrico County. For details, visit http://www.richmond.caregiverslibrary.org. For reservations, call Holly Raidabaugh at

Chesterfield Chesterfield County will be hosting the 10th annual Virginia Statewide Neighborhood Conference Sept. 24-26. The three-day conference's theme is "Sustaining Communities through Effective Partnerships." The conference will be held at the Holiday Inn Select Koger South, 1021 Koger Center Blvd. Late registrations will be accepted by Sept. 14. For more information, visit http://vsnc.org or call (804) 748-1065.

AROUND THE STATE

Norfolk A former Norfolk high school teacher has been sentenced to 23 years in federal prison for receiving child pornography over the Internet. Prosecutors say Shon M. Walter, 50, of Norfolk received more than 8,000 images of child pornography from 2005 to 2008. He also sent pictures of himself or his wife holding their toddlers while engaged in sex, resulting in a longer sentence. U.S. District Judge Jerome Friedman sentenced Walter yesterday. When released, prosecutors say, Walter will be on probation for the rest of his life and will be barred from unsupervised contact with minors, including his own children.

Christiansburg A Christiansburg man was charged Tuesday in the weekend death of his cousin after a fight between the two. Keith Dean Quesenberry, 21, was charged with voluntary manslaughter in the death of Michael Andrew Quesenberry, 23, of Pearisburg, said police Lt. Chris Ramsey.

Wytheville Three men were arrested last week after police discovered a methamphetamine lab at one of the men's residence. Johnathon Ray Shumate, 28, of Wytheville, Julian Angelo Shumate, 30, of Timmonsville, S.C., and Jason Dow Boyer, 34, of Rural Retreat face charges of manufacturing a controlled substance, conspiring to manufacture a controlled substance, possessing chemicals to manufacture methamphetamine and knowingly possessing a schedule II controlled substance without a valid prescription -- all felonies.

Pulaski A pet store owner has a month to rid his Pulaski County property of hundreds of dead rats, a judge ruled Tuesday. If Alexander Nelson IV hasn't cleaned up his property by his next hearing on Oct. 13, he will be found guilty of 200 misdemeanor counts of improperly disposing of a dead animal. Nelson, the owner of Classy Critters Pet Centers, was charged in June after Virginia State Police went by his property. It was the third time since May 2008 that police investigated complaints about a foul odor coming from the property and the presence of many vultures there.