The recession has been a mixed blessing for churches. There are more opportunities to reach out to people in need, but donations are flat or declining, church leaders say.

Steadied by her father, 4-year-old Sharon Vered lit the first candle of a menorah carved from a big block of ice as people gathered around, some holding smaller menorahs while they balanced on ice skates.

The annual gathering drew homicide detectives, a mayor-elect, a new police chief and familiar stories of loss. Gwen Mayo and Theresa Williams sat side by side, and when Williams fell to her knees in grief last night, Mayo was there to help her up.

Billups, Mrs. Sara Tyler, 73, of Richmond, formerly of New Kent, a retired customer-service representative with Sears, Roebuck & Co. at Eastgate Mall, wife of Dandridge Billups Jr. Brunson, Mr. George Washington Sr., 88, of Richmond, a retired employee of Groome Transportation, widower of Lucy F. Brunson. Cole, Mr. George Winston, 71, of Richmond, formerly of Danville, husband of Amy Pruitt Cole.

For more about the Interstate 64 project: www.virginiadot.org/projects/richmond/i-64_repaving.asp
For more on Interstate 95: www.virginiadot.org/projects/richmond/bridge_improvements.asp

Several Richmond-area high schools made U.S. News & World Report’s annual ranking of best American high schools, which was topped by a school in Fairfax County. Richmond’s Community High School, Henrico County’s Deep Run and Godwin high schools and Chesterfield County’s Midlothian High School were among 504 nationally to win silver medals.

Abrams, Mr. Spencer E., 70, of Richmond, a retired Wyeth employee. Atkinson, Mrs. Helen Winter, 79, of Highland Springs, wife of David Leigh “Tex” Atkinson. Backus, Mr. Raymond Floyd, 70, of Richmond, a retired electrical mechanic. Booth, Mr. Claude Jr., of Richmond, a maintenance engineer with Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Co., widower of Elma B. Booth.

SMITHFIELD—Smithfield Foods Inc., the nation’s leading processor of pork and packaged meats, today reported sharply reduced income for the quarter ending Oct. 26. Income was $4.2 million, or 3 cents per diluted share, for the second quarter, compared to $17.4 million, or 13 cents per diluted share, a year ago. Sales were $3.1 billion, compared to $2.7 billion a year ago.

Before Miriam “Margaret” Grunstein Shuman and her family were deported from their home in Hungary during World War II, her father had a bracelet that she owned made into a ring that looked like a wedding band.

A Chesterfield County teenager died from injuries he received in a single-car crash early yesterday morning in Chesterfield , Virginia State Police said. Adrian Alfred Brown, 19, of the 2700 block of Timberline Court was a passenger in a car that was traveling south on Jefferson Davis Highway, one-half mile south of Leighworth Boulevard, when the car struck a utility pole shortly after 4 a.m., police said. He died at VCU Medical Center at 5:08 a.m.

One of Chesterfield County’s largest approved developments has been placed on hold indefinitely, a county supervisor confirmed yesterday. Branner Station, a 4,988-home mixed-use project planned on 1,614 acres along Branders Bridge Road near Chester, was approved last year on a controversial 2-1 vote by the outgoing Board of Supervisors.

12356 1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th
Pantele4063444231 517 526 Jones 9 8 8103456536230
Grey16 412 91419141415
Williams 0 0 2 2 1 7 4 1 3
Goldman 2 0 4 3 3 0 1 1 4
Undecided332530241713111722
SOURCE: Richmond Times-Dispatch Poll

ALL MY SONS—Chamberlayne Actors Theatre is holding auditions for this drama by Arthur Miller today from 1 to 5 p.m. and tomorrow from 7 to 10 p.m. at 319 N. Wilkinson Road. Director Sheryle Criswell seeks five men ages 20 to 50, four women 20 to 50 and one child 8 to 10. Those auditioning will be asked to read from the script. All performers are paid. For details, call (804) 262-9760 or visit cattheatre.com.

Phone: (804) 501-4347
  On the Web: www.
co.henrico.va.us/registrar
When Henrico County residents come to the polls on Election Day, it won’t matter if they voted for a “Richmond” or “Henrico” mailing address last spring.  Henrico General Registrar Mark J. Coakley said election officials are being trained to recognize voters’ addresses with either Henrico or Richmond in the city/state line as long as they are in the correct precinct.

Two gas stations in South Richmond have called a cease-fire on their price war. Too bad. At noon Friday, Abd Al Amari, manager of the Chevron station at 6232 Jahnke Road, decided to drop the price of his regular unleaded gasoline from $2.44 to $2.19. Prices were dropping nationally, Al Amari said, “and I wanted to reward my customers. They had been patient when the prices were high.“