News Near You for Nov. 14

NEWS NEAR YOU

Richmond A Virginia man has pleaded guilty to bribing Panamanian government officials to obtain a contract for maintenance of lighthouses and buoys. Charles Paul Edward

Powhatan The Chesterfield Health District, which includes Chesterfield and Powhatan counties and the city of Colonial Heights, will host a free H1N1 flu vaccination clinic today from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Powhatan High School, 1800 Judes Ferry Road. The clinic is aimed at providing the

Richmond Seven area nurse practitioners representing the Virginia Council of Nurse Practitioners met with Mayor Dwight C. Jones earlier this week to receive a commendation saluting the health care provided by nurse practitioners. It was part of a weeklong recognition of nurse practitioners in the region. To find a nurse practitioner, visit

Chesterfield Chesterfield County residents are invited to participate in a dialogue session to help plan Virginia Cooperative Extension's future. The session will be held Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at Virginia Farm Bureau, 12580 West Creek Parkway, Richmond. Pre-registration is required by calling (804) 556-5841. The session is one of more than 45 being held statewide this fall that will address critical economic, environmental and quality-of-life issues in the community.

Hopewell Sheriff Greg Anderson will be the guest speaker at the Hopewell Citizens for Good Government meeting Thursday. He will talk to residents about his duties, roles and responsibilities as sheriff. The meeting will take place at 7 p.m. at the Appomattox Regional Library, 245 E. Cawson St.

Richmond A McDonald's restaurant on Forest Hill Avenue in South Richmond was robbed at gunpoint yesterday morning for the third time in less than five months. No injuries were reported and no shots were fired in the robbery, which occurred at 5:49 a.m. as employees of the fast-food restaurant at 6801 Forest Hill Ave., just across the street from Hathaway Road, were preparing to open the business for the day. Police said the gunman robbed the safe and all three cash registers before running from the restaurant, possibly heading east toward the Powhite Parkway. The robber was described as a black male carrying a black semiautomatic handgun and wearing a blue coat, black hat and red shirt. Anyone with information can call Crime Stoppers at (804) 780-1000. The restaurant also was robbed Oct. 12, when two armed males -- one with a shotgun -- struck at 9:50 p.m., and June 17, when two males carrying handguns struck at 4:14 p.m.

AROUND THE STATE

Fredericksburg Virginia Railway Express commuters are likely to experience severe delays Monday as scheduled signal work on the Fredericksburg line likely will push schedules behind by up to an hour. VRE says it anticipates delays Monday because it plans to run a limited schedule of Fredericksburg-line trains. The service is urging passengers to take alternative transportation if they need to get to their destination on time. Trains 300, 304 and 310 will run in the morning, and Trains 303, 307 and 313 will run in the evening. There will be no midafternoon train on the Fredericksburg Line.