Police officers and firefighters from around the Richmond region were recognized yesterday for their selfless acts of bravery. They risked their lives to rescue people from burning trucks, water-submerged cars, smoke-filled buildings and collapsed trenches. They also apprehended dangerous criminals with guns. And for their efforts, they were awarded gold, silver and bronze awards at the 20th annual Valor Awards breakfast at the Greater Richmond Convention Center.

An early-morning thunderstorm dumped up to 6 inches of rain in some parts of the Richmond region but caused little damage, authorities said. The heaviest rain the Richmond area has seen this summer left more than 6,000 Dominion Virginia Power customers without electricity in the region at one point, but power to most residents had been restored by afternoon.

This daily column features short news items from some of the 20 localities that make up the greater Richmond area. If you have a news item, call 649-6990 or e-mail us at . Henrico The Keep Henrico Beautiful Committee will honor winners of the 2009 Land Lover and Clean Business awards at tonight’s Henrico County Board of Supervisors meeting at 7 in the Government Center Board Room, 4301 E. Parham Road. The awards recognize one homeowner and one business in each magisterial district for maintaining an outstanding property through landscaping, lawn care, litter removal and recycling.“

Virginia recorded the fewest number of Memorial Day weekend traffic fatalities in at least a decade, according to preliminary numbers released yesterday by Virginia State Police. As of noon yesterday, five people had died on Virginia roadways during the four-day statistical counting period that began at 12:01 a.m. Friday and ended at midnight Monday. That’s compared with 18 deaths in 14 fatal crashes during the same period last year. The 2008 death toll was the highest since 1998.

Stubborn determination and repeated illegal border crossings made Pedro Garcia-Mendez a perfect candidate for the federal Illegal Re-Entry Project. Nearly 20 years ago, the Guatemala native illegally entered the United States but was quickly nabbed by U.S. border patrol agents near Brownsville, Texas. He was deported within a month. That didn’t deter him. He re-entered in 1991, 1992, 1994 and 1998 but was immediately caught each time and deported.

Police say two teenagers who broke into an occupied home in eastern Henrico County were arrested yesterday after officials unleashed a stinging fog of pepper spray. They had concealed themselves in the attic, police said. The misadventure began about 10 a.m. when, police said, a window of a home in the 2300 block of North Newton Circle was shattered, startling a resident inside.

Total spending on local government services and schools in Richmond and its suburbs will fall nearly 3 percent during the fiscal year beginning July 1, a Richmond Times-Dispatch review has found. Local officials say they can hold the line without significant cuts in services to residents—basically by not approving the usual 3 percent to 4 percent pay raises government workers have counted on in recent years, as well as by cutting office expenses and holding off hiring to replace employees who left this year.

Like tens of thousands of people in central Virginia, John Prendergast of Powhatan County lost his electricity when the big snowstorm hit Sunday.

Thousands of people remain without power tonight after the largest snowstorm to hit the Richmond area in seven years. Although highway crews are fighting to clear roads, an overnight low in the low to mid-teens means icy patches could pose a hazard tomorrow morning.