News for New Kent County and Charles City County, Virginia | November 4, 2025
News Archives for 2008
CC grads toast of the county
Moments before graduation ceremonies at Charles City High School commenced last Friday, a group of seniors proposed a toast, raising glasses filled with non-alcoholic sparkling red grape juice to honor the Class of 2008’s success. That spirit of celebration carried over into the school’s packed gymnasium where boisterous parents and relatives cheered as the graduates marched in to the tune of “Pomp and Circumstance” played by the school’s band. Valedictorian Ashli Brown and salutatorian Zachary Adkins reminisced during their respective addresses to the overflow crowd about the exploits of the 61-member class during their senior year. “We put on quite…
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Judge throws out evidence in child pornography case
A New Kent circuit court judge has thrown out evidence seized by sheriff’s personnel in the case of a county man charged with 30 counts of child pornography possession. Following a June 10 hearing, Judge Thomas B. Hoover agreed to a defense motion to suppress evidence, including computers, compact discs, VHS tapes, and film, confiscated by deputies during a Dec. 5, 2005 search of Michael J. Conyngham’s home. Hoover agreed with an argument advanced by Conyngham’s attorney, Charles A. Gavin, that authorities lacked probable cause in executing a search warrant at the defendant’s home. The judge ruled authorities acted on…
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NK grads out to meet world challenges
Graduates who comprise New Kent High School’s Class of 2008 are equipped to meet the challenges of the world — and rising gasoline prices. Economic woes and a bit of politics intermingled speakers’ comments as the 187-member class, including 60 honor graduates, said farewell to high school during June 7 graduation exercises inside VCU’s Siegel Center in Richmond. But even with gasoline prices on the verge of eclipsing $4 per gallon, it’s unlikely any of the $1,289,000 class members received in scholarships and grants will go toward filling up. Most is targeted for higher education and the resulting top paying…
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New Kent ousts Park View 12-1 in Region I opener
fter surviving a closely contested Bay Rivers District softball tournament, New Kent’s Lady Trojans needed a bit of a break. And relief appeared in the guise of Park View’s Dragons in the quarterfinal round of the Region I tourney. The hosts pounded Dragon pitching for 11 hits on the way to a 12-1 win in the May 26 affair. New Kent scored twice in the first inning and piled on six more in the second to decide the issue in the early going. “This was a confidence builder for us,” New Kent coach Betsey Lane said after her team easily…
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New Kent bumps Poquoson
Sometimes all it takes is one inning. And for New Kent’s Lady Trojans, that frame proved to be the third. The Bay Rivers regular season softball champions erupted for six runs in the third inning of their district tournament semifinal encounter with fourth-seeded Poquoson to overcome an early 1-0 deficit. New Kent then weathered a late Islander rally to secure a berth in the title game with a 6-3 victory. The May 21 outcome at York High School marked the Lady Trojans’ 13th straight win and upped their record to 18-3. But the triumph left a queasy feeling in coach…
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Bauer 2-run, walk-off homer seals BRD title
Laura Bauer isn’t one to become overly perturbed when opposing teams, in respect for her prowess with the bat, pitch around her. “It’s a little annoying sometimes,” admits the power-hitting New Kent Lady Trojan catcher. Patience, however, is one of Bauer’s virtues, and that patience paid off in the form of a two-run, walk-off homer with one away in the bottom of the seventh and final inning on May 22 to overcome York’s host Falcons 4-3 for the Bay Rivers District softball tournament championship. Bauer’s blast barely cleared the fence as Falcon center fielder Audrey Shemateck crashed through the barrier…
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Errors thrwart NK region bid
An unwelcome trend has plagued New Kent’s Lady Trojans over the past two weeks of post-season play, but in four straight contests, the Bay Rivers District softball champs overcame errors and inconsistent play on defense to post victories. Not so in last Friday’s Region I title game. New Kent’s bid to repeat as Region I champions and extend its 16-game win streak into this week’s state Group A tournament fell short, thanks to four costly errors and shaky defensive play that led to Poquoson runs, including the deciding score in the seventh and final inning. The visiting Islanders claimed a…
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Money shortage placing NK 100-acre park well into future
New Kent officials are not even close to finding the estimated $4.5-$6.5 million needed to build out what is for now a conceptual plan for the county’s 100-acre Criss Cross Park. And the $125,000 for the project appearing in the budget proposal for next year’s Capital Improvement Plan will not go very far. Financing decisions surrounding the park are many months and perhaps years away, County Administrator John Budesky indicated during supervisors’ May 27 work session. “We’re not in a position to recommend taking on the amount of debt to pay for a project of this nature,” he told board…
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Medical evacuation helicopter service coming to Charles City
Medical evacuation helicopter service has come to Charles City County, thanks to a private international company that is basing its service at a hospital in nearby Hopewell. PHI Northeast has contracted with Hopewell’s John Randolph Medical Center to provide a base for one of its seven helicopters in use in Virginia, a company spokesman told county Board of Supervisors members during their May 27 meeting. Jonathan Collier said his company utilizes over 200 helicopters worldwide with 70 based in the United States. The Hopewell-based helicopter will serve the surrounding area, he said. The flight crew includes a nurse and a…
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Walker’s Dam repair enters long 2nd phase
Work to stabilize Walker’s Dam and restore normal water level in Chickahominy Lake is finished, but now comes a second phase to rebuild the dam’s boat lock and perform other necessary rehabilitation to the 65-year-old structure. Meeting with New Kent County’s Board of Supervisors on May 27, officials with Newport News Waterworks, the owners of the Lanexa dam, discussed progress to date and what is to come. They also fielded concerns from several business owners whose livelihoods hinge on lake and river activities. Deborah Ward, who owns Ed Allen’s Campground on the shores of the lake just upstream from the…
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