Former Chesterfield County science teacher Patrick H. Simmons said he plans to teach again after his acquittal yesterday on charges that he assaulted three Tomahawk Creek Middle School students by pushing them against a wall during a fire drill.

Amanda Hamill guesses that if she had to pay for the black halter dress she wore to her senior prom in 2007, it would have cost at least $200. It didn’t cost her a thing, however, thanks to the Cinderella Dreams prom dress project sponsored by the Midlothian Junior Woman’s Club. The group collects new and gently worn formal dresses and makes them available to teens who might not be able to buy their own.

Watch a slideshow of snow scenes in Midlothian Virginia.

Six years ago when Anna Hanback was undergoing chemotherapy and radiation for breast cancer, she decided to raise money for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. So she organized a bake sale at the Virginia House of Delegates, where she works as the human resource director. The first event raised $500. The next year she added a silent auction. Each year the event grew.

Drivers will face a new set of choices tomorrow as they exit Route 288 for Midlothian Turnpike.

A Midlothian man who was charged last spring with trying to extort money from Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell is now accused of threatening the life of Colonial Heights’ lead prosecutor over three traffic offenses. Robert Alvin Harmon, 43, of the 3100 block of South Ridge Drive has been charged in Colonial Heights with sending two letters late last year to Commonwealth’s Attorney William B. Bray that threatened violence or death if the state didn’t agree to his demands, police said.

Patrick Henry College recently announced that John Miller of Midlothian competed for the college in the American Collegiate Moot Court Association (ACMA) 2009 National Tournament in Orange, Calif. Patrick Henry won first-, second-, and third-place trophies at nationals, and its third ACMA championship in the past five years. The tournament at Chapman University School of Law, held Jan. 16 and 17, featured 30 colleges and universities and 128 competitors from across the nation. Patrick Henry College, a Christian liberal-arts college in northern Virginia, is known for its national championship legal debate program.

A Midlothian woman plans to show off her pig’s painting abilities at a fundraiser in March for the Langhorne House. Fran Martin taught Smithfield, her 11½-year-old Vietnamese potbellied pig, about 10 years ago to pick up a brush with his mouth and stroke colors onto a canvas. The pig has appeared on YouTube, on talk and entertainment shows, and in newspapers and has performed for charities.

Roo, the California Chihuahua who was mysteriously abandoned here, has found a new home in Midlothian. More than 200 people called about Roo after seeing her photo with a Nov. 19 Richmond Times-Dispatch story about pets affected by the economy.

Megan Deibel, 10, of Henrico County likes to write songs, draw and make short animated films. Fauna Stiffler, 11, of Midlothian likes to write science fiction, explore the outdoors and make short animated films.

Haley Pontiac-GMC will host a Men’s Holiday Networking Mixer and Shopping Event from 5 to 8 p.m. Dec. 9, 2008. The event, which will be at the dealership at 9811 Midlothian Turnpike, will benefit the Toys for Tots Foundation and the Christopher Roberts Fund. A representative for the fund will be on hand. The goal is to collect at least 200 unwrapped toys.

Jennifer McQueeney’s house is decorated for Christmas. It just so happens that everything is orange and maroon and has Virginia Tech logos on it.