BRIEFS: NEWS NEAR YOU

NEWS NEAR YOU

Richmond The Capital City Kwanzaa Festival will be held Saturday from 1 to 10 p.m. at the Showplace Exhibition Center, 3000 Mechanicsville Turnpike. The annual event is presented by the Elegba Folklore Society. Admission is $6, with a $1 discount for students and people 65 and older. For details, call (804) 644-3900.

Hanover Hanover County authorities say someone broke into a van parked at a Mechanicsville restaurant and stole more than $23,000 in cash and antique weapons. Authorities said the theft occurred between 6 and 7 p.m. on Oct. 19 after an antique-firearms dealer had left The Showplace and driven to a Cracker Barrel restaurant. While the victim's van was in the parking lot, the van was broken into and the remaining inventory of antique weapons and the proceeds for the day's sales were taken. The weapons included eight firearms, one dating back as far as 1809, and several swords. Anyone with information is asked to call the Hanover Sheriff's Office at (804) 365-6140 or Crime Stoppers at (804) 780-1000.

Hopewell Hopewell Police Sgt. Michael Walls said a resident of a home in the 1900 block of Warren Avenue reported Saturday that gifts have disappeared from the home. The missing items include gift cards, an MP3 player, a video game and clothing. Walls gave no specific value for the items but said the game is worth about $50 and the music player is worth about $85.

Petersburg A man armed with a gun robbed the Dunkin Donuts shop at 2716 South Crater Road yesterday at 10:14 a.m., Petersburg police said. The suspect was described as about 5-foot-9, 175 to 180 pounds, and wearing a green camouflage hoodie jacket, dark pants and a dark bandana concealing the lower portion of his face. He left on foot with an undisclosed amount of cash, police said. No injuries were reported. It was the second time this month the Dunkin Donuts shop has been robbed; the last robbery was on Dec. 16. Police ask that anyone with information about the robbery call Detective D. Hamilton at (804) 732-8070 or Crime Solvers at (804) 861-1212.

Richmond Three people were displaced by a house fire early yesterday in South Richmond. There were no injuries in the fire, which was reported at 12:52 a.m. in the 6600 block of Glyndon Lane, a few blocks southwest of Willow Oaks Country Club. All the occupants got out safely, but the house had significant damage, authorities said. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

AROUND THE STATE

Dale City Prince William County police have made a third arrest in the killings of a woman and her son who were found dead in their Dale City home. Police announced yesterdaythe arrest of Jonathan Jake Jackson, 19, of Dale City. Jackson is charged with obstruction of justice, accessory after the fact and concealing physical evidence of a murder in the deaths of Jean Smith, 39, and her son James, 19. Police say they were shot during an attempted burglary on Friday. Police already had charged 17-year-old Xavier Pinckney, who lives nearby, with two counts of murder, burglary, robbery and a firearms charge in the slayings. His girlfriend, 22-year-old Jacqueline Munoz of Woodbridge, is charged with obstruction of justice.

Blacksburg A Virginia Tech student has died after a skateboarding accident on campus. The school said 18-year-old freshman Gregory Weiner died Saturday from his injuries. Virginia Tech Police Assistant Chief Tom Foster said Weiner fell off the skateboard as he road down a hill at a high speed on Dec. 15. Weiner suffered head injuries and was taken to Montgomery Regional Hospital and then to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital. Foster said Weiner, an engineering student, was not wearing a helmet.