BRIEFS: NEWS NEAR YOU

This daily column features short news items from some of the 20 localities that make up the greater Richmond area. If you have a news item, call 649-6990 or e-mail us at

NEWS NEAR YOU

Chesterfield The Chesterfield Historical Society will present its annual Golf Classic at the Country Club at the Highlands in Chesterfield County on Oct. 5 at noon. The cost is $85 per player, and hole sponsorships are available, starting at $150. The deadline for player registration is Sunday. Door prizes and contests are planned. Dinner in the clubhouse will be held after the tournament. Proceeds from this tournament will be used to continue the mission of the Chesterfield Historical Society.

Dinwiddie The Dinwiddie County Board of Supervisors will meet tomorrow at 3 p.m. Public hearings will start at 7 p.m. The meeting will be in the Board Meeting Room of the Pamplin Administration Building, 14016 Boydton Plank Road.

Hanover The Concert Ballet of Virginia will hold an open house n Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m. and on Sept. 27 from 1 to 3 p.m. at its headquarters, 11028 Leadbetter Road in Hanover County, to place performers for its 34th annual production of "The Nutcracker." The event is open to dancers and students from all of Virginia's dance studios and programs. For details, call (804) 798-0945 or e-mail

Henrico The next constituent meeting of Fairfield District Supervisor Frank J. Thornton will feature a presentation and discussion on the 2010 census. The meeting is scheduled for tomorrow at 7 p.m. at Belmont Recreation Center, 1600 Hilliard Road. Donna LewisClayton of the U.S. Census Bureau and Henrico County Planning Director Joe Emerson will discuss the significance of the upcoming census and steps residents can take to prepare for it. For details, call (804) 501-4208.

Petersburg The Petersburg school system will hold a parent-community summit on Saturday at 8:30 a.m. at Peabody Middle School, 725 Wesley Street. Workshops and seminars designed to enhance parental awareness regarding the educational system and learn about recent technical trends focused on improving homework and classroom-related learning techniques will take place.

Richmond A National POW/MIA Recognition Day Ceremony will be held Friday at 10 a.m. at the Virginia War Memorial, 621 S. Belvidere St. in downtown Richmond. The guest speaker will be Phillip O'Brien, senior forensics analyst at the Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office in Washington. The event is free and will be held inside the Shrine of Memory. For details, call Candi Shelton at (804) 786-2062 or e-mail

AROUND THE STATE

Roanoke The second-largest municipal park in the country is now protected from development. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine announced yesterday that 11,363 acres of open land in Roanoke is protected under the largest publicly held conservation easement in the state. About half of the acreage in the Carvins Cove Natural Reserve was placed under easement in 2008, the other half last week. Kaine said land preservationists, state agencies and local elected officials have been working on the agreement for 15 years. The Virginia Outdoors Foundation and the Western Virginia Land Trust hold the easement. The property is owned by the city of Roanoke and surrounds Carvins Cove Reservoir, the largest source of public drinking water for several municipalities in the Roanoke Valley.

Burke Fairfax County police say a toddler drowned in an ornamental fish pond in the backyard of a home in Burke. Police spokeswoman Lucy Caldwell says the 14-month-old boy apparently fell into the pond yesterday afternoon. He was taken to a local hospital, where he died. Caldwell says police are investigating to determine how the child ended up in the water.

Lynchburg Efforts to bring a dog park to Lynchburg are moving ahead at a slow but steady pace. The dog park proposal has the support of the City Council and the Parks and Recreation Department. The city has reserved about an acre of vacant land in the Blackwater Creek Athletic Area, off Monticello Avenue, for the project. Since receiving City Council's blessing in October 2008, dog park supporters have been working to create a formal organization that can oversee fundraising and management. Members are now working to achieve nonprofit status, which will allow them to begin taking in donations. The group has set a preliminary goal of December 2010 to complete the first leg of fundraising. Lynchburg currently has no dog parks or other sanctioned off-leash areas for dogs.