BRIEFS: NEWS NEAR YOU

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

NEWS NEAR YOU

Amelia The Amelia County school system is facing more than $1 million in state funding cuts next year, and that could mean no teacher

Caroline With thoughts of luring in Washington-bound motorists, Caroline County's new visitor center on state Route 207 near Carmel Church is hosting a pre-presidential inauguration reception, soup and chili included, today from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Charles City A free health-care clinic will be held Jan. 28 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Charles City County Recreation Center, 8320 Ruthville Road. Services include sugar and blood-pressure screenings, health education and help finding local resources for discounted medication and medical care.

Chesterfield The Chesterfield County Senior Advocate is seeking volunteers and subscribers for a new service called the Telephone Reassurance Program. The program will enable volunteers to make weekly phone calls to older adults or adults with disabilities who live alone to check on the adults' well-being and provide socialization. Volunteers will be screened and complete training before they can make calls. All calls will be made from the Senior Advocate's office on weekdays from 9 to 11 a.m. To become a volunteer or subscribe to the Telephone Reassurance Program, call (804) 768-7878 or e-mail Debbie Leidheiser at .

Colonial Heights Tax preparation assistance for Colonial Heights senior citizens will be available by appointment at the Colonial Heights Public Library beginning Feb. 2. For details or to schedule an appointment, call the library at (804) 520-9384.

Cumberland A Cumberland County committee is drafting a recycling ordinance. Van H. Petty Sr., vice chairman of the Board of Supervisors, said the school system already is active in recycling and various county offices will do the same. "If we are going to do recycling . . . it has to be more than lip service," he said.

Dinwiddie The Industrial Development Authority will hold its regular monthly meeting next Monday at 7 p.m. in the Dinwiddie County Airport conference room, 6775 Beck-Chappel Drive. The meeting date has been changed from Tuesday, as was previously announced.

Goochland The Center for Rural Culture will offer its fourth annual Growers Workshop from 8:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. Jan. 31 at the J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College Western Campus, 1851 Dickinson Road in Goochland County. Participants will learn about the business of growing for market. Call (804) 314-9141 to register or for additional information.

Hanover The nonprofit organization Heritage and History of Hanover County Inc. expects to have "Nature's Bounty, Nation's Glory: The Heritage and History of Hanover County," published and ready for distribution this spring. A 230-page manuscript written by historian Martha McCartney was given to a publisher late last year, said Christopher K. Peace, the organization's secretary. When finished, the history will include more than 160 images related to Hanover's history, many never before published, Peace said. About 2,500 copies of the book will be printed and hardbound; 50 will be bound in gold-titled leather and hand numbered. The organization anticipates taking pre-orders for the book sometime in mid-February.

Henrico The Henrico County Division of Recreation and Parks will hold its winter/spring 2009 program registration Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon at the Henrico Training Center at 7701 E. Parham Road and the Confederate Hills Recreation Center at 302 Lee Ave. The "At Your Leisure" program guide will be mailed to county residents and is available at county libraries. For details, call (804) 501-7275 or visit http://www.co.henrico.va.us/rec/.

Hopewell The executive board of the Hopewell/Prince George Friends of the Library announced last week that Joseph E. Lebow of Lebow Eye Associates, P.C., and Violet West of Vantage Federal Credit Union have joined the Friends of the Library as corporate members. Visit http://www.arls.org or call (804) 861-0322 to learn more about the Appomattox Regional Library System and the Friends of the Library.

King and Queen King and Queen County residents are invited to King and Queen Central High School, 17024 The Trail in King and Queen Courthouse, today at noon to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Church and children's choirs will perform, student artwork will be on display and Edgar Rawles, pastor at Zion Baptist Church and a Richmond educator, will be the speaker. Admission is free, and refreshments will be served.

King William The Bridges to Nowhere free clinic will have sessions for the uninsured tomorrow at the West Point Senior Center, Thursday at the Upper King William Senior Center, and on Jan. 27 at Mt. Olive Baptist Church. All sessions are from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. A certified nurse practitioner will be on hand to perform health screenings and treatment.

Louisa During its regularly monthly meeting tomorrow night, the Louisa County Board of Supervisors will conduct two public hearings. The second is the fairly routine issue of hearing a request for a conditional-use permit for a flooring shop. The first will take on the definition of religious assembly as it regards the county's subdivision and zoning ordinances. The meeting starts at 5 p.m., with an evening session getting under way at 7 p.m.

New Kent New Kent County officials are inviting interested residents for a free seminar on forms-based codes. The event starts Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in the board room of the county administration building, 12007 Courthouse Circle. For details, call (804) 966-9690.

Petersburg Those interested in ghosts, the unexplained and other paranormal happenings won't want to miss Centre Hill's 18th annual Ghost Watch on Saturday from 6 to 9 p.m. L.B. Taylor, author of the book series "The Ghosts of Virginia," will have his books for sale and signing. Benjamin Keys of paranormalplus.com will have a display of paranormal pictures taken at the mansion during recent years. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for children. For reservations and details, call (800) 368-3595.

Powhatan Powhatan County is developing a list of projects it hopes will be funded by money from President-elect Barack Obama's economic-stimulus package.

Prince George The quarterly meeting of the Prince George County Historical Society will be tomorrow at 7 p.m. The program includes a presentation by Lucious Edwards, university archivist for Virginia State University, on "African Americans in Prince George County During Antebellum." The public is invited to hear Edwards and to tour the galleries of the newly opened Prince George Heritage Center beginning at 6:15 p.m. The program will be on the second floor of the center, 6406 Courthouse Road, Prince George. For details, call (804) 863-0212.

Richmond Members of the Virginia Citizens Defense League plan to meet at the state Capitol in Richmond today at 9 a.m. to lobby the General Assembly against any new gun laws and for a repeal of the state's ban on carrying concealed weapons in restaurants. The league also plans to hold two rallies at the Bell Tower on the Capitol grounds.

Sussex The Sussex County Board of Supervisors recently approved the expenditure of more than $26,000 to install triple bunks in the county jail to increase the number of beds to 84. Sheriff Raymond Bell said the move -- the first major renovation to the Sussex jail in recent memory -- would temporarily relieve overcrowding that has forced prisoners to sleep on the floor.

AROUND THE STATE

Collinsville The FBI is looking for a flatbed truck that may have been associated with the 2002 slayings of a Henry County couple and their daughter. On its Richmond Web site, the FBI said an unidentified man was seen in the vehicle along a highway near the victims' home during the early morning hours of Aug. 15, 2002. The bodies of Michael and Mary Short were found in their home later that day, and 9-year-old Jennifer was missing. Her body was found about six weeks later across the state line in North Carolina. The truck is described as a 1998 to 2002 white, single-cab, two-ton flatbed stake body truck with wooden rails. The FBI said its investigation showed that Michael Short was trying to get employment as a mobile-home mover in the coastal region of South Carolina.

Jamestown James City County officials hope to build a riverfront park on land acquired for the commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the settlement of Jamestown. County planners recently outlined a proposed three-section park that would define the area's historical character. The estimated cost of the park is $52.3 million. Under the proposal, the Jamestown Yacht Basin, the Jamestown Beach Campground and the Chickahominy Riverfront Park would all be developed to accommodate a variety of events. The county would run the park system. The county has scheduled a Jan. 28 public hearing on the plan.

Virginia Beach A reptile keeper at the Virginia Aquarium was bitten by a Komodo dragon and was treated for her injuries. The Virginia Beach aquarium's curator of reptiles and mammals said the worker was bitten on the hand Friday while feeding the carnivorous lizard. Curator Chip Harshaw said he came to the worker's aid as she was in the dragon's grip, and the Komodo released her hand. Harshaw said the 4½-foot, 20-pound reptile called Sanchez is fed a controlled diet at the zoo so it does not carry the same bacteria in its mouth as those in the wild. The dragon is one of three at the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center.

Mitchells More than 40 people who came to the Coffeewood Correctional Center to visit inmates wound up in trouble themselves. Prison officials said in a statement that a recent sting operation found 15 visitors with suspended driver's licenses, 13 with suspected drugs or drug paraphernalia, eight with alcohol and four with firearms or ammunition. One person presented false identification. Prison officials said visiting privileges for some of those caught in the sting were suspended. Others were ordered to appear in court, and one person was jailed. The state-operated medium-security prison in Mitchells has about 1,200 male inmates.

Newport News The government has sold another ship in the shrinking James River "Ghost Fleet." The sale of the 1969-vintage Milwaukee to a Chesapeake company marks the 78th ship in the James River Reserve Fleet to be removed since January 2001. The AOR2-class oiler was sold for $56,410. The U.S. Maritime Administration said in a release that with the Milwaukee's departure, only 25 hulks will remain in the James River near Fort Eustis. State and local officials have pressed the agency to reduce the fleet of obsolete ships, which contain waste oil, lead, asbestos and other toxic materials.