Central Virginia is on pace to record more homicides this year than last, a trend largely driven by more killings in Richmond, suburban Henrico County and Petersburg. Forty-eight slayings occurred during the first six months of this year in the 24 localities that make up the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area, compared with 42 during the same period last year.

A 23-year-old Navy veteran who had worked as a prison guard until his arrest in March has been found dead in his jail cell. Henrico County authorities confirmed this week that an investigation is under way into the apparent suicide of Brian R. Cramer, who was found dead Sunday, hanged from a bed sheet in his cell. Henrico Sheriff Mike Wade said that Cramer was being kept in an isolation area of Henrico Jail East, which is in New Kent County, and had been checked by jail personnel 20 minutes before his body was discovered.

Passengers not wearing seat belts pushed the state’s highway death toll to 211 over the weekend, 50 deaths fewer than last year on May 3. In New Kent and Tazewell counties, passengers who police say were not wearing seat belts were thrown from vehicles and later died. Jordan Lee Hendrix, 19, of Williamsburg died Saturday at 1:48 a.m. in New Kent when a car he was in ran off the left side of state Route 634 near Woody Lane and overturned.

While the average taxpayer may recoil when he hears the word “audit,“ he might embrace it when applied to local governments and how they spend tax dollars. For example, a recent audit in Goochland County turned up almost $200,000 in undeposited utilities checks. The county has had to begin a forensic audit of the utilities department that could cost up to $50,000, and another top-down audit of the county has been approved for later this year, at a cost of up to $15,000.

Kelly Bassett sauntered over to the white banister at the edge of the field just as horse No. 6—Humdinger—won the second race at yesterday’s 77th running of the Strawberry Hill Races. The win happened to be Bassett’s second of the day. Her pick for the first race—Eagle Beagle—also won. Her secret? “I just picked the names I liked,“ the Charlottesville resident said.

Thousands of people are gathered this afternoon in the wet weather at Colonial Downs in New Kent County for the 77th annual Strawberry Hill Races. The annual steeplechase event features several hours of events, as well as socializing and tailgating around the track. For a story and photos of Strawberry Hill highlights, see tomorrow’s Richmond Times-Dispatch.

The Virginia Department of Transportation has awarded seven highway contracts, worth about $5.5 million, for construction and maintenance projects in central and Southside Virginia.

• Lee Hy Paving Corp. of Glen Allen received two contracts totaling about $2 million for paving work in Charles City, Goochland, Hanover, Henrico and New Kent counties.

In 1949, Charles Ylonen and his new wife, Pearl, put up their house, insurance policies and everything else as collateral for an old country store in Seven Pines in eastern Henrico County. It was the authentic, old-fashioned kind with gas pumps in front. Chuck sold groceries; Pearl pumped gas. They lived on the second floor. They soon opened a store in the former Watkins’ Store in Providence Forge in New Kent County. It was so near the railroad tracks that when trains rolled by, canned goods jittered off the shelves.

Henrico County: Repaving of 9.8 miles of Interstate 295’s southbound lanes between Interstate 64 and U.S. 33, estimated to cost $8.36 million.
  Dinwiddie and Amelia counties: Overlaying of 46.2 miles of U.S. 360 and 460, estimated to cost $2.95 million.
  New Kent County: Replacement of the deck on the U.S. 60 bridge over Toe Ink Swamp, estimated at $550,000.

During the first three months of 2009, the central Virginia region had 24 homicides, while in the 2008 period there were 20 homicides. Among 22 localities that make up Richmond’s greater metropolitan region, Petersburg saw the biggest increase.

Derek D. Moore, a key figure in a plan hatched by York County high school friends last year to rob a notorious drug dealer, is getting a taste of life behind bars. Judge Thomas B. Hoover of New Kent County Circuit Court revoked bond and sent the former Bruton High School student to jail yesterday after Moore pleaded guilty in the case and then tested positive for marijuana.

Derek D. Moore, a key figure in a plan hatched by York County high school friends last year to rob an alleged drug dealer, is getting a taste of life behind bars. New Kent County Circuit Judge Thomas B. Hoover revoked bond and sent the former Bruton High School student to jail today after Moore pleaded guilty in the case and then tested positive for marijuana.

New Kent may not seek charges against fugitive A fugitive captured this week in Alabama after years on the run may never be returned for trial in New Kent County, where authorities say he gunned down a teenager and operated a multimillion-dollar marijuana-growing operation. New Kent Commonwealth’s Attorney Linwood Gregory said yesterday that bringing John Steven Carter back to Virginia might be too costly and unnecessarily duplicative of the charges he’s facing first in Florida.

A New Kent County man wanted in Virginia and Florida on drug and firearms charges was arrested yesterday in a rural, south Alabama community as he begged a 911 operator not to be harmed.

Dead couple in New Kent identified New Kent County authorities identified a Quinton couple found dead in their home last week as Cheyenne Bullock Sr., 49, and his wife, Caroline Bullock, 32. The apparent murder-suicide was discovered after a family member asked the county sheriff’s office Friday to check on the welfare of the couple, who lived at 3800 New Kent Highway.