News Near You for Nov. 27

NEWS NEAR YOU

Chesterfield Board of Supervisors member Daniel A. Gecker will hold a community meeting Monday at 7 p.m. at Bon Air Elementary School, 8701 Polk St., to introduce constituents to Midlothian District appointees on various committees and boards.

Henrico Bon Secours Richmond Health System is hosting an H1N1 and seasonal flu interactive town hall meeting on Wednesday from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. A panel that includes an obstetrician/gynecologist, pediatrician, primary care doctor and nursing executive will answer questions submitted in person or via Twitter and Facebook. People can attend the meeting in person at the Bon Secours Heart Institute, 7001 Forest Ave., or follow online through live video and Twitter feeds. To register, call (804) 359-9355 or go to http://bonsecoursgoodsharing.org/events/flutownhall.

Richmond Contractors are working to determine if more ancient artifacts exist on the site of a Richmond facility where archaeological treasures were unearthed 10 years ago. The work at Defense Supply Center Richmond was prompted by the plans to expand a child-development center at the facility. Strategically placed survey pits are being dug across the site. Ten years ago, when the child-development center was built, artifacts were discovered showing the area had been a gathering and trading place for people as early as 3,500 BC.

AROUND THE STATE

Roanoke Old-fashioned all-wood guardrails along more than half the 460-mile Blue Ridge Parkway aren't much use at stopping cars. Mike Molling, chief of maintenance and engineering for the parkway, says the older rails can't stop a car moving at 45 miles per hour, and that many are too low to the ground to be effective at all. A $7 million replacement project three years in the making will start next month and should wrap up by June 2011. Molling says the new rails are made of steel-backed timber and can hold back cars traveling at the speed limit along the parkway.

Newport News The nor'easter that blew through Hampton Roads is gone, but charities still are feeling the effects. Coming at the start of the holiday giving season, the storm forced the Salvation Army to pull its kettles and bell ringers off the streets until it passed. With demand for services already increasing and donations already dropping, Major Kim Feinauer says the storm took an even greater toll. He has had to trim back earlier goals of raising $250,000 this year, as so far just $6,000 has been raised on the Peninsula.

Charlottesville The Salvation Army soup kitchen was bustling yesterday afternoon as dozens of Charlottesville-area residents ate a free Thanksgiving dinner. With unemployment in the Charlottesville region at 5.5 percent in September, there was little surprise that the soup kitchen's annual holiday meal was so busy. Barbara Bellamy, who oversees the Salvation Army's kitchen, and about 30 volunteers cooked and served a meal of turkey, dressing, gravy, ham, mashed potatoes, green beans, corn, salad, apple pie, cheesecake, pecan pie and more. They served 17 turkeys in all, up from 13 last year. Bellamy said they were anticipating slightly higher-than-normal demand because of the economic downturn. Rep. Tom Perriello, D-5th, was in the kitchen spooning vegetables onto plates as part of an assembly line of volunteers. The Salvation Army operates its soup kitchen on a daily basis for residents of its housing and child-care programs. Last year, it served 65,332 meals.

Hampton Former NFL player Elton Brown was among the hosts of a free Thanksgiving meal for the public in Hampton. It was the second consecutive year that Brown has participated in the event in his hometown. It started with music and raffles at 10:30 a.m., with turkey and all the trimmings served from noon until 3 p.m. Brown, a former University of Virginia star, played in the Super Bowl this year with the Arizona Cardinals. He played this fall with the New York Sentinels of the new United Football League.