Henrico County police took two people into custody after a fatal shooting yesterday near Highland Springs Elementary School. The identity of the victim, an adult male, was being withheld last night pending notification of relatives.

Five homicides in four months in an area near the Richmond-Henrico County border have led to 18 arrests in a crackdown to “clean out the rat’s nest” of drug activity and violence, authorities said yesterday. Henrico police Chief Henry W. Stanley Jr., flanked by Richmond Police Chief Bryan T. Norwood at a joint news conference, said the county and city joined forces to remove street-level drug dealers who were plaguing the area.

Richmond and Henrico County police have arrested 20 people after a joint investigation into two shooting deaths in August. They face various charges related to distribution and possession of crack cocaine, heroin and marijuana, as well as some firearms charges. The joint investigation began after the shooting death of Ricky Burton on Aug. 10 in the 3800 block of Delmont Street in Henrico. Sixteen days later, Jermaine Saunders was shot to death nearby, at Hunt Road in Richmond.

Parents were informed today that a fourth-grader at Dumbarton Elementary School in Henrico County died yesterday of an unspecified infection. Letters went home to Dumbarton parents today informing them of the boy’s death, said Mychael Dickerson, a spokesman for Henrico schools. School officials do not know what type of infection killed the boy, Dickerson said.

Richmond-area officials lifted voluntary water use restrictions yesterday. Recent rains have boosted water flow in the James River, the source of much of the area’s drinking water, said Richmond’s Department of Public Utilities. The department coordinates water use guidelines for the city and the counties of Chesterfield, Goochland, Hanover and Henrico.

Four Civil War battlefields in Henrico County may receive funds from the Virginia Department of Historic Resources to preserve history and fend off encroaching development.

A 41-year-old Henrico County woman was arrested yesterday on charges of attempted murder of her twin 3-year-old sons. Police said the arrest came as Kelly A. Wright-Jones was released from a psychiatric ward at St. Mary’s Hospital. Details of the case were sparse last night, but according to police, authorities went to the home in the 10600 block of Toston Lane near Innsbrook Oct. 20 after Wright-Jones failed to show up for work.

A National Guard member convicted last month of murdering his girlfriend is a step closer to getting a new trial. Judge Gary A. Hicks of Henrico County Circuit Court agreed yesterday to suspend formal imposition of a 15-year sentence he issued Oct. 31 against
Wyatt Ward Hollar after a four-day jury trial. The move gives Hicks time to consider motions from Hollar’s defense team for a mistrial and comes just two days before the sentence would have become final. Hicks issued a conviction order Nov. 5 that cannot be amended after 21 days.

The following are recently issued business licenses in Henrico County. Move It Now of North Central Virginia (pack, move, haul); licensee Que Sera Sera Enterprises Inc., 7206 Impala Drive, Richmond 23228. All Star Taxi (taxi); licensee Dirceu M. Azevedo. Christopher Painting (contractor); licensee Rosa Acevedo-Aquino, various Henrico locations.

Petersburg The Walnut Hill Elementary School PTA is hosting a Real Men Can Cook chili cook-off today at 6:30 p.m. at Walnut Hill, 300 South Blvd. Admission is $5 or five canned goods. For more information, contact (804) 350-8301. Chesterfield The Southern Economic Development Council has named Garrett Hart as its newest honorary life member. Hart serves

A former honors student at Highland Springs High School pleaded guilty yesterday to attempting to steal a baby from a hospital in May.

Richard A. Vinroot had just been elected mayor of Charlotte, N.C., when he had lunch with former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young. The former civil-rights leader had this advice for Vinroot: “He said, ‘Don’t make the mistake of thinking you are mayor of Charlotte, when what you really are is mayor in a region that will sink or swim together.‘“

Anderson, Ms. Sandra J., 52, of Richmond, a U.S. Postal Service employee. Brinkley, Mr. Lonnie Linwood, 79, of Richmond, husband of Carrie Brinkley. Coates, Mr. Ernest Vernon, 73, of Hanover, formerly of King and Queen, a retired factory machine operator. Evans, Mr. Allen E. of Richmond. Flowers, Mr. John Albert, 71, of Matoaca, a retired agent for Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co.

A Richmond woman who accused Henrico County police of abusing her during an arrest was convicted yesterday of multiple charges linked to the incident. A Henrico judge, pointedly referring to a prior conviction in Richmond for resisting arrest, sentenced Deontra C. Johnson to one month in jail yesterday in connection with a traffic stop that ended with Johnson being repeatedly Tasered by a Henrico police officer.

Karen Lucas sent out her résumé a week ago, the same day she was let go from Circuit City Stores Inc. She and about 700 others. Yesterday, Lucas was at a job fair led by Capital TechSearch Inc., a Richmond-based placement firm for Internet technology workers. “I’m looking for contacts and help with making my résumé better,“ said Lucas, a single mother of a senior at University of Virginia.