News for New Kent County and Charles City County, Virginia | April 26, 2024
News Archives for July, 2008
Residents urged to register to vote by Oct. 6 deadline
Everyone will agree that New Kent County is growing by leaps and bounds. There has been an increase of 1,484 registered voters in New Kent since the last presidential election almost four years ago. Registrar Gwen Ellyson predicts that another 500 names will be added to the books before registration for the Nov. 4 election closes on Oct. 6 at 5 p.m. Recently, much publicity has centered on long lines and lengthy wait times at polling places in Virginia during the February Presidential Primaries. Could the same thing happen here in New Kent on Nov. 4? Yes, but our local…
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Inaugural Puller Twin Bridge 10K draws 172 competitors
The inaugural running of the Chesty Puller Memorial Twin Bridge 10 K attracted 172 competitors with 158 finishing the June 21 event. Luis Navarro of Ellicott City, Md. Took top honors for men finishing the 6.2-mile course in 34:58. He was followed by John Piggott of Williamsburg in 35:36 and Paul Smartschan of Midlothian in 36:49. Julia Smith of Tappahannock claimed first overall for women in 38:47. Pat Murtagh of Newport News finished second in 45:03 with Karla Havens of Plainview third in 45:29. Men: 14 and under- Clay Massok 56:17. 15-19- Michael Cary 39:15, Russell Reed 40:00, Andrew Grubbs…
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Defendants sentenced in Charles City Circuit Court
After being convicted in May on a felony charge of failure to appear in court, a Charles City woman set to remain free on bond received a stern warning from a county circuit court judge not to make any bad decisions that could adversely affect her sentencing. Unknown to the judge, she already had. Karen Louise Barker, 40, of 9201 Willcox Neck Road, had been found guilty during a May 16 trial. She had been indicted at first for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and failed to show up in court for a hearing last October. Since it was…
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Thefts lead to grand larceny charges heard in NK court
A Quinton man stole a nail gun and a Lanexa man stole a go-cart, but both crimes amounted to grand larceny charges and separate trials in New Kent Circuit Court. Christopher Woodrow Holt, 40, of 14636 Rockahock Road in Lanexa, was convicted of stealing a $400 nail gun from Andrew Michael Wiggins on May 5. At sentencing on July 7, Judge Thomas B. Hoover reduced the charge to petty larceny and sentenced the defendant to 12 months in jail with all but 10 days suspended. Hoover agreed to a motion by defense attorney Todd Duval to reconsider the grand larceny…
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NK business building joins ranks of those going ‘green’
Developers of a two-story, 24,000 square-foot retail/commercial building in Quinton are touting the $3 million structure’s “green” design as well as its potential to contribute to the New Kent County business scene. Billy and Peggy Cunningham, developers of “the Corner at Rock Creek,” are accepting tenants for the business cornerstone of their housing development, Rock Creek Villas, on Route 60. Already, owners of Jones & Hawkes Restaurant, formerly near Providence Forge, and Domino’s Pizza, have signed on. Expected to be on board soon are a coffee/ice cream shop and a hair salon along with dental and insurance offices. Up to…
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NK schools forced to deal with health insurance woes
New Kent schools paid $1 million in employee health insurance premiums during the recently concluded school year. The system also registered $1 million in claims. Those figures spell bad news for employees’ out-of-pocket expenses as well as the school system’s contribution for the upcoming year, schools’ assistant superintendent for operations Ed Smith told county School Board members during their July 7 meeting. Provided New Kent sticks with its current plan, renewal means employees with family coverage could get hammered to the tune of $1,000 or more in out-of-pocket expenses per year. Those on individual plans can also expect an increase,…
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Event, food bank to honor legacy of New Kent student
Drive and determination along with weariness with the high school scene prompted Jenna Grace King to graduate at age 16, a year earlier than her New Kent High School classmates. Last fall, she entered Randolph College in Lynchburg to pursue a degree in political science. During her freshman year, she forged ahead with her goal of becoming an attorney, contacting several law schools. The world of politics would lie beyond. In the meantime, her passions included helping other people and standing up for animal rights. “She was just on fire all the time about something,” her mother, Melanie King, said….
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Charles City man handed 9-year term
A Charles City man, originally indicted on 15 sex charges involving underage girls before those charges were dropped, has pleaded guilty in county circuit court to two counts of firearm possession by a convicted felon. Forrest Everett “Skeeter” Evans, 74, of 5901 Courthouse Road, must serve nine years in prison. The sentence was part of a plea deal reached last Friday that averted a jury trial scheduled for July 17. Evans’ saga began last November when a circuit court grand jury handed up indictments on the 15 sex counts. The alleged victims were girls ages 7 and 10 at the…
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Estate home, lake project proposed
Plans for a 24-lot subdivision of single-family estate homes in the $600,000 price range are in the works for the Eltham area of New Kent. But a rezoning application for the land involved must first pass scrutiny of the county’s Planning Commission and ultimately win approval from the Board of Supervisors. Planning Commission members are hosting a July 21, 7 p.m. public hearing on the application for the project, dubbed Lake Christopher. The subdivision is being proposed by county resident and landowner Isabel Davis White and the developers, Yorktown-based Mid-Atlantic Communities. The applicants are requesting rezoning for just over 120…
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Group lacks basis for NK assessment appeal, county says
No legal precedent exists to back up a New Kent citizen group’s appeal of the county’s recent real estate reassessment, the county’s attorney is claiming in a response filed last week to a challenge by the New Kent County Citizens Coalition. “I’m saying there’s no basis for them to go forward with the suit,” County Attorney Jeff Summers said on Monday. “Part of that basis is they have no standing.” Meanwhile, the county commonwealth’s attorney, who filed the appeal on behalf of the coalition, is seeking to withdraw from the case. Linwood Gregory entered a motion to withdraw on July…
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