A cab driver was shot in Prince George County early yesterday by two customers who took his cab after pushing him from the vehicle, authorities said. The cab driver, who was not identified, survived the attack and was able to run back to a service station where he had picked up the pair, said Prince George police Lt. Brian Kei. The driver was initially taken to Southside Regional Medical Center and then transferred to VCU Medical Center in Richmond, where he underwent surgery for a gunshot wound to the back of his neck, Kei said.

A land swap between Hopewell and Prince George County is closer to being a done deal. The Hopewell City Council on Tuesday night unanimously approved an agreement with the county to adjust the boundary line along Interstate 295, a decision that had been postponed for two months. Under the plan, Hopewell will receive about 30 acres of land east to the interstate. The city’s soccer complex is on that land, which is inside the current Prince George line.

The number of Virginia schools that made Adequate Yearly Progress goals in reading and math dropped slightly during the 2008-09 school year after the passing rates got a little tougher. But there were some bright spots. A few local school divisions improved despite the higher benchmarks—including Petersburg, which has a long history of low performance on standardized testing.

Rolls-Royce PLC expects to start construction in late September or early October on the first phase of its planned aircraft-engine components plant in Prince George County.

PRINCE GEORGE Mark Ragland waited patiently for a butterfly to perch on top of a purple coneflower before pressing the shutter button on his camera. With a “snap,“ he captured the perfect image—a close-up shot taken on a slightly overcast morning after an evening rain. “In the early morning and late afternoon, the sun is at an angle and you get really deep shadows that add more interest,“ Ragland said.

A Waverly woman died in a collision that occurred in the aftermath of a fatal crash in Prince George County on Monday. State police said Cora E. Fowler, 82, died at VCU Medical Center from injuries in a crash that occurred as she attempted to cross from the right southbound lane of Interstate 95, which was backed up with traffic from an earlier wreck that closed one southbound lane and all northbound lanes for hours.

A 12-year-old Maryland girl was killed early yesterday and her mother was critically injured in a wreck that closed the northbound lanes of Interstate 95 south of Petersburg for hours. Shiane Dixon of Boyds, Md., died at the scene after she was thrown from the vehicle into the oncoming lane and struck by a tractor-trailer, state police said.

The proposed construction of a large lodging facility at Fort Lee has triggered concern among hotel industry leaders and local government officials in the Tri-Cities. The Army is contemplating building a 1,000-room facility at Fort Lee to support a projected student growth at the installation because of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission process.

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.“

Police believe Larry Donnell Starks, 26, of Disputanta is involved in at least four robberies. Chesterfield County police have arrested a Disputanta man who authorities say is a suspect in several other recent holdups in the Richmond region. Larry Donnell Starks, 26, has been charged in Thursday night’s holdup of the Nash Mart in the 1700 block of East Hundred Road, near an exit for Interstate 295.

Police are pooling their information and developing what they describe as good leads as the number of violent robberies of small businesses grows across the Richmond region. Investigators from Richmond, where many of the robberies have occurred, have met repeatedly in recent days with their counterparts in suburban police departments to compare notes. The information-sharing sessions, as well as tips from residents, have enabled investigators to make progress in solving the cases, said Richmond police Cmdr. Steve Drew, who oversees operations in South Richmond, where the two most violent robberies have taken place.

Prince George County police think one man likely committed three recent robberies of convenience stores there and in Chesterfield County. “It’s a very strong possibility,“ Prince George police Lt. Brian Kei said yesterday. The man in all three robberies matched the same description: He wore a black mask over his face, a hooded gray sweatshirt and black pants. He showed a handgun, silver with a brown grip, in both Prince George robberies, but the man did not display a gun in the Chesterfield case.

A $19 million building under construction at Richard Bland College in Prince George County will provide more classroom space to a campus that is growing. The project is the latest in a series of renovations and additions during the past year. The Science and Technology Building, a three-story structure with 52,000 square feet, will house classrooms for computer labs, mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology. The building also will have seminar rooms, laboratories, office space, a faculty lounge and a student lounge.

A new $3 million library branch in Prince George County could open by the end of next year. The library, a branch of the Appomattox Regional Library System, would offer residents access to a collection of about 30,000 books, a small video collection and Wi-Fi. The facility would include at least 20 computer workstations and a meeting room that could accommodate 100 people. Plans for green space and benches outside the building and Wi-Fi access outside also are being considered.

An educator for 38 years, R. Francis Moore puts students first. During a career spanning four decades, Moore’s focus on the children never changed as he rose through the ranks from a math teacher and basketball coach in Dinwiddie County to superintendent in neighboring Prince George County. “Dr. Moore is one of the most thoughtful and well-rounded superintendents . . . that I have come to know,“ said Dinwiddie Superintendent Charles Maranzano Jr. “He’s always thinking about how any decision affects children and students.“