Here on the stony banks of the James River, Troy and Tysha Breeden are trading in their cows for campers and canoeists. The husband and wife, who live in an old Botetourt County farmhouse amid a wildly scenic landscape, sold the last of their herd of 300 cattle this year to make room for a 12-acre “primitive campground” they hope to open in April. They received governmental approval to go forward this year.

Here on the stony banks of the James River, Troy and Tysha Breeden are trading in their cows for campers and canoeists. The husband and wife, who live in an old Botetourt County farmhouse amid a wildly scenic landscape, sold the last of their herd of 300 cattle this year to make room for a 12-acre “primitive campground” they hope to open in April. They received governmental approval to go forward this year.

In a canoe in the James River, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine made an easy paddle stroke and recalled how he landed in Richmond.

Cold teen pulled from James River after police pursuit A 17-year-old boy was pulled from the James River in Chesterfield County yesterday morning after police said he jumped into the water while eluding police during a traffic stop. The incident began about 7:25 a.m. on Robious Road when a Chesterfield officer using radar clocked a car traveling 71 mph in a 45-mph zone. Police said that when the officer tried to stop the car, the motorist continued to drive and turned from Robious onto James River Road, where Bettie Weaver Elementary and James River High schools are located.

A 17-year-old boy was pulled from the James River in Chesterfield County this morning after police said he jumped into the water after initially eluding police in a traffic stop. The incident began about 7:23 a.m. on Robious Road when a Chesterfield officer clocked a car with radar traveling 71 mph in a 45 mph zone. When the officer tried to stop the car, the driver continued to drive and turned from Robious onto James River Road. From there, the driver continued a short distance into Robious Landing Park at the James River, said Chesterfield Lt. Doug Mooney.

Could more than one manatee be exploring the James River? A manatee was spotted in the Dutch Gap area near Chester on Monday, in Richmond just below downtown Tuesday—that’s about a 5-mile trip—and back in the Dutch Gap area Wednesday. “I honestly think there is more than one,“ said Joel Cloud, a Chester-area salesman who photographed a manatee in the Dutch Gap area Monday about 2 p.m.

Don’t go looking for one in your boat; you might hit the animal.
  Don’t harass or disturb a manatee.
  Do call (757) 437-6159 if you spot one.

A gentle sea monster is prowling the James River. River-goers spotted a manatee, also known as a sea cow, in Richmond on Tuesday and several miles downriver yesterday. “He’ll come up and get some air, roll over on his back, rub his face and go swimming along,“ said Joe Owen Jr., 37, a sergeant with the Dinwiddie County Sheriff’s Office.

or hit it with the boat.
  Do call (757) 437-6159 if you
spot it.

Rex Springston traces his love of rivers back to his childhood adventures in the Elizabeth River in the Virginia Beach area. He recalls spending a lot of time in the river with his young buddies—“a gang of little Hucks and Toms”—swimming, plucking jellyfish from their arms, and even rowing a boat to a miniature golf course upstream.

One victory by one point. That’s the extent of James River’s football success against L.C. Bird. Tonight at James River, the Rapids square off against the Skyhawks, ranked No.2 in The Times-Dispatch Top 10 and No.9 in The Associated Press Group AAA poll, for the 16th time. The Rapids’ lone win in the series was 21-20 in 2000. History says the Skyhawks (3-0, 5-0) will defeat the Rapids (2-2, 3-2) for the 15th time, but James River’s history with Manchester took a different turn last week, and that has observers paying much more attention to the Bird game.

Now that we’re naming names, which of the six options should be chosen as the moniker for our new baseball team? First, let’s silence talk about the Richmond Hush Puppies. What would the mascot be? A fried cornmeal ball? A suede shoe? Hush Puppies’ trade mark basset hound? I like the new owners’ desire to follow the minor league trend toward quirky names. But that name should connect with our hometown.

The James River Association, a Richmond-based conservation group, is getting a $100,000 grant to help build awareness of the river’s problems and to protect the James from polluted runoff. The RBC Blue Water Project Leadership Grant, from the Royal Bank of Canada, is scheduled to be presented today in Richmond. RBC’s Blue Water Project is awarding grants totaling $4.1 million to 31 organizations throughout Canada, the British Isles and the United States. The grants support programs that help protect watersheds and improve access to clean drinking water.

Recent tests found high levels of toxic chemicals called PCBs in the James River and some tributaries between Richmond and Hopewell. In some cases, levels of the chemicals were hundreds of times higher than the state limit, state officials said. The PCBs pose a threat to fish but not people, unless people eat contaminated fish, said Bill Hayden, a spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Quality.

On the last weekend before school starts, Kevin Spicer went shopping. He wasn’t looking for last-minute school supplies for his 12-year-old son Michael, though. Spicer bought some fishing gear and a big blue inner tube to haul behind his speedboat. Dad, son, and friend Brooks Coombs, 13, went to Osborne Boat Landing in Henrico County yesterday to spend the day on the James River.