2019-07-17
Campers with disabilities experience adventure, growth at Camp Baker
It’s late morning at Pocahontas State Park, and Dean Smith and Corbin Rosenthal are readying themselves for a ride in a paddleboat. Assisted by staff from SOAR365’s Summer Camp at Camp Baker – and under the watchful eye of a lifeguard in a kayak – the teens board the electric blue paddleboat and set off for a trip on the […]
Commission splits, delays vote on Carvana project
Facing vehement community opposition, a shorthanded Chesterfield Planning Commission was unable to reach consensus Tuesday night on Carvana’s application to rezone a 183-acre south Chester property, which means the case will be carried over to the commission’s August meeting. Carvana, an online retailer for used cars, wants to construct a 200,000-square-foot vehicle inspection facility and a paved parking lot capable […]
Can county carry water for data centers?
Water supply isn’t a front-of-mind issue for many Chesterfield County residents these days, with lakes and ponds filled to the brim and the Richmond region in the middle of one of its wettest weather cycles in recorded history. Just seven years ago, however, water levels in Lake Chesdin – the largest of Chesterfield’s three drinking water sources – fell more […]
Train station to remain in Ettrick
Once targeted for relocation by the federal government, a southeastern Chesterfield train station doesn’t appear to be going anywhere for the foreseeable future. The Commonwealth Transportation Board last month approved $5.7 million to renovate the village of Ettrick’s 74-year-old Amtrak station as part of the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation’s Six-Year Improvement Program. That followed an announcement that […]
School Bus driver overtime pay over budget
Chronic issues with bus driver retention contributed to delays getting students to and from school this past year, frustrating many Chesterfield parents and school administrators. Now county leaders are addressing another ramification of the staffing crunch: the reliance on existing drivers to fill the void by working overtime. The Chesterfield school system earlier this year deferred replacement of several aging […]
County police seek forgery suspect
County law enforcement officers are on the lookout for a woman charged with multiple felony counts of forging and obtaining money by false pretenses. Kenya Simone Rhone, 32, of Culpeper, is being sought by authorities on six felony charges of forging and uttering and three felony charges of obtaining money by false pretenses. She is described as black, 5 […]
Life is a Cabaret: Quirky revue comes to Swift Creek
In an era when project funding and names for new sports teams are crowdsourced through the internet, local actress Audra Honaker has taken the idea in a different direction: a cabaret. This weekend at Swift Creek Mill Theatre, Honaker will premiere “Suggestions Welcome,” a kooky new cabaret that will use suggestions sourced from fans on social media to craft the […]
Doing dishes: There’s a lot going on in the Kurysz kitchen
Ever since I was a child, I’ve been an adventurous cook. Experimenting with ingredients and thinking up imaginative dishes was a common after-school activity for me, paving the way for my career in the culinary arts. Writing this column over the past two years has reminded me what I love most about the kitchen: creativity. Taking a dish from concept […]
County maintains AAA bond rating
Recently, the nation’s top three ratings agencies reaffirmed Chesterfield County’s AAA bond rating, solidifying Chesterfield’s position among a small group of peers able to demonstrate exceptional fiscal management. Only about 1% of counties nationwide currently hold the AAA credit rating from each of three agencies. The county has earned an AAA rating for the past 22 years, resulting from its […]