News Near You for Oct. 19

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 A meeting on the future of the Ettrick area will be held tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. at Ettrick Elementary School. Topics will be the future of Chesterfield Avenue, including possible landscaping and pedestrian safety improvements and Virginia State University's expansion plans. For additional details, call (804) 748-1065 or e-mail .

Colonial Heights Starting today, the Colonial Heights Teen Center hours will be 3 to 8 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 3 to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays. Admission to the center is free, as are most of the activities.

Dinwiddie The Dinwiddie County Board of Supervisors meets tomorrow at 7 p.m. in the board meeting room of the Pamplin Administration Building.

Hanover The second Hanover County Community Emergency Response Team class begins on Wednesday. The class provides instruction on what to do in the event of a disaster, including medical assistance, light search-and-rescue operations, team organization and disaster psychology. They're taught by Hanover Fire/EMS, the American Red Cross and other agencies involved in disaster preparedness. Classes are held on Wednesday nights from 6 to 9:30 p.m. at the Hanover Emergency Operations Center at the Hanover Courthouse Fire Station on U.S. 301. For more details, call Lt. Corey Beazley of Hanover Fire/EMS at (804) 365-6195 or e-mail at .

Henrico The Henrico County Department of Public Utilities advises motorists that the intersection of Charles City and Yahley Mill roads will be reduced to one-lane traffic today through Friday for the installation of water and sanitary sewer mains. Motorists traveling in the area are urged to follow posted detours and drive with caution while crews complete the project.

Hopewell Hopewell Citizens for Good Government will host Col. Steven Flaherty of the Virginia State Police at their next meeting on Thursday in the large meeting room at the Appomattox Regional Library in Hopewell. The forum is from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Flaherty will speak for about 30 minutes, and then residents will have an opportunity to ask questions.

Prince George The Prince George Parks and Recreation Department is sponsoring the second annual Fall Festival from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday at Temple Park, 14307 Prince George Drive. The festival, for county youths up to 13 years old, will feature games, a hayrack ride, haunted forest and exhibits. For a minimal charge, you can make a scarecrow, with proceeds going to the Prince George Animal Shelter. Youths in costumes can enter the prize drawing. For details, call (804) 733-2646.

Richmond The city will host the fifth annual Imagine Festival at Broad Rock Park on Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. Admission is free. The Imagine Festival features free food, dance performances, arts, crafts, vendors and fun activities. The Imagine Festival began in 2005 as a community outreach event sponsored by Richmond's Gang Reduction and Intervention Program. This year's partners include the United States Census 2010, La Gran D 1480 AM, Radio Poder 1380 AM, Selecta 1320 AM, the Virginia Asian Foundation, Rejoice 1540 AM and the GRIP program. For more details, call the city's Hispanic Liaison Office at 646-0145.

AROUND THE STATE

Alexandria The Virginia Railway Express plans to abandon its 17-year relationship with Amtrak and partner with a company based in France to operate its commuter rail system. On Friday, the VRE Operations Board unanimously voted to award a five-year, $85.7 million contract to Keolis Rail Services America, the U.S. subsidiary of a French company. The contract, which has two five-year renewal options, would begin July 1, when Amtrak's contract ends. Amtrak requested a $19.6 million contract for next year; Keolis sought an $18.5 million contract. The deal still needs final approval, which is expected Nov. 5.

Alexandria The maximum speed limit of 55 mph is being restored along the Woodrow Wilson Bridge corridor between Maryland and Virginia as most of the long construction project is now complete. Speed limits were reduced in 2005 as construction was under way. Some construction continues at the Telegraph Road interchange but is not expected to affect the Capital Beltway itself.

Williamsburg The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation is making images, descriptions and object histories of all 60,000 of its pieces available on the Web in a new eMuseum. So far, about 3,200 objects are available, with more being added monthly. Officials say it's the latest attempt to make the collections broadly accessible for scholars, historians, collectors and the general public. -- From Staff and Wire Reports