A more beautiful downtown Petersburg would attract more businesses and tourists. That’s Joseph Tedesco’s belief. Specifically, more greenery, cleaner streets and nicer-looking storefronts would further the city’s growing development, said Tedesco, a city resident for 15 years and president of Downtown Petersburg Incorporated. “Beautification is so important, because people’s opinions are derived from perception. If your downtown doesn’t have the right image, what does it say about the rest of the town?“ he said.

Attention, Petersburg students—dentists are coming to a school near you. Starting tomorrow at the Westview Early Childhood Education Center, Mobile Dentists will stop throughout the school system for free dental screenings for underprivileged students.

Around the end of the year, Petersburg will request proposals from outside agencies to develop an independent program to improve student performance in the middle schools.

Fifteen thousand more people are coming to live in the Tri-Cities in the next two years. Churches need to be ready. That’s the message military officials gave clergy members this week.

Christ and Grace Episcopal Church, 1545 S. Sycamore St., in Petersburg, has installed a labyrinth on its grounds. A symbol of Christians’ pilgrimage in faith, the winding circular path leads to a center, which is marked by a large rock.

Petersburg The Walnut Hill Elementary School PTA is hosting a Real Men Can Cook chili cook-off today at 6:30 p.m. at Walnut Hill, 300 South Blvd. Admission is $5 or five canned goods. For more information, contact (804) 350-8301. Chesterfield The Southern Economic Development Council has named Garrett Hart as its newest honorary life member. Hart serves

The Petersburg school system is reaching out to the city’s Hispanic parents. The school system’s English as a Second Language program is having its first Hispanic Night tonight, said Jannette DuHart, who is an ESL teacher at J.E.B. Stuart Elementary School and Peabody Middle School. The event at Petersburg High School at 5:30 p.m. will include Spanish-speaking guest speakers followed by a question-and-answer session for the parents.

A teenager wanted in the 2006 slaying of a well-known Petersburg businessman surrendered to police Sunday , authorities announced yesterday. Dantryl Ingram, 19, was the last of four suspects sought in the Nov. 8, 2006, robbery and slaying of Robert L. Braswell Jr., 43, who was gunned down outside his tire store at 126 N. Crater Road. Ingram, who was 17 at the time of the killing, was charged with murder, using a firearm in a felony, possessing a firearm when under 18, possession of a firearm after being convicted of a felony, conspiracy to commit robbery and armed robbery.

Petersburg police are looking for a gunman who robbed the BB&T branch at 117 E. Washington St. yesterday morning. Several customers were inside the bank at the time of the 10:08 a.m. robbery, but no one was hurt, police said. The gunman escaped with an undisclosed amount of cash. The robber was described as black, about 6 feet tall with a medium build and thin goatee. He wore a black leather coat, black baggie pants, brown Timberland boots, an orange baseball cap with an NFL logo, a black do-rag and black sunglasses with wide frames.

Chesterfield The Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA) has presented the Chesterfield County Department of Utilities with its top utility management award. Chesterfield’s utilities department was one of only 11 public drinking-water systems in the country to receive the Platinum Award for Utility Excellence. Henrico The next constituent meeting of Supervisor Frank J. Thornton of Fairfield District will

Chesterfield The John Tyler Community College board will meet at 3 p.m. Thursday at Bird Hall on the college’s Chester campus. A sign-up sheet for people who want to address the board will be available 30 minutes before the meeting. Henrico Due to the Veterans Day holiday, the Board of Supervisors will hold its next regular meeting on Wednesday at 7 p.m. A special meeting, which will include a joint work session with the Planning Commission on the 2026 Comprehensive Plan, will begin at 4:30 p.m. The Board of Supervisors regularly meets on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month in the Government Center Board Room, 4301 E. Parham Road. For details, call (804) 501-4318.

City officials have agreed to swap several properties to end a conflict over the construction of a mosque in one of the city’s historic districts. The deal, approved by the City Council on Tuesday, will allow the Petersburg Islamic Center to move out of its 25-year home to a location about a mile away, ending a touchy situation with residents in a rapidly changing neighborhood.

Agutted, 101-year-old house with four fireplaces is perched atop a hill overlooking Poplar Lawn Park near downtown Petersburg. “Where else can you find a house to renovate that has 3,500 square feet for $175,000,“ said Mary Barcera, who has the listing with Magnolia Realty Group Inc. A few miles away in Walnut Hill is an updated 2,100-square-foot home with four bedrooms and two full baths for $198,000.

The AT&T Gives Back program recently selected the Wilkerson family of Petersburg to receive a $5,000 cash award to help pay bills. Richmond’s AT&T Gives Back program accepts nominations for a person, family or charity that needs help. The program awards a deserving recipient with $5,000 in cash or services. Carolyn and Gerry Wilkerson were nominated by their pastor, Rev. W. Doug Gilfillan of Woods United Methodist Church.

MARIA HOWARDFitness Calvin McIntyre’s gym in Petersburg is plain compared to most. And he likes it that way. “When you come in here, there’s nothing to do but work out,“ he said with a grin, looking around his two-room fitness center squeezed into the back of a retail shop, not visible from the street. “There’s not a lot of lollygagging.“