News for New Kent County and Charles City County, Virginia | April 2, 2026
Local News
Four men indicted by Charles City grand jury
A grand jury certified indictments against four men during Nov. 10 Charles City Circuit Court proceedings. –Curtis William Cole Jr., 42, of the 5100 block of Old Union Road, on one count each of malicious shooting in an occupied building, possession of ammunition by a convicted felon, assault and battery on a family member (3rd offense), and five misdemeanor charges that include violating protective orders, brandishing of a firearm, and reckless handling of a firearm. The alleged offenses occurred on Sept. 23. –Curtis Roy Murphy, 19, of the 1900 block of Betner Court, Sandston, on one count of burglary. Murphy…
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Public hearing on truck stop moved to November meeting
A meeting to hear about a proposed truck stop at the corridor of Interstate 64 and Route 106 (Emmaus Church Road) has been moved to November. New Kent’s Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on Nov. 16 for the proposed Love’s Truck Stop in the Talleysville area of New Kent. Commissioners heard the proposal from Love’s representatives during an Oct. 19 regular scheduled meeting. That meeting presented details on the truck stop that included 73 parking spaces and 14 fuel stations for automobiles. Diesel trucks would have fueling stations on the most western part of the property. Layout for…
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Eltham Bridge overnight openings part of VDOT projects
The Eltham Bridge connecting New Kent and West Point will be opening as part of training exercises for Virginia’s Department of Transportation (VDOT). The bridge is scheduled to be opened from 12-1:30 a.m. beginning Monday, Nov. 9 and ending Wednesday, Nov. 11, and again on Monday, Nov. 16 and concluding Wednesday, Nov. 18. The bridge will be opened and closed for 15-minute increments over the 90-minute span. Motorists are to expect delays during this period. In other VDOT projects, move paving is scheduled for Interstate 64 eastbound on Nov. 10. Beginning at mile marker 200 and ending at mile marker…
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Swynford, Staskiel win school board seats in New Kent
Kristin Swynford and Andrea Staskiel have respectively won election to the District 2 and District 3 school board seats in New Kent as a result of write-in campaigns. Results released Friday morning show Swynford tallied 58 votes to be named to the position as she ran unopposed in District 2. In District 3, a three-woman race resulted in Staskiel’s victory with 162 votes. Sylvia Hathaway’s 109 and Robin Burrell Smith’s 93 rounded out the number of certified votes. In another write-in campaign, Charles Evelyn and Robert Jeremiah won election to the Soil and Water Conservation Board. Evelyn tallied the most…
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Jones elected new sheriff of Charles City; library referendum wins citizen approval
What began as a four-way race for sheriff in Charles City quickly emerged into a two-man battle between incumbent Javier Smith and challenger Alan Jones Sr. And in the end, it would be the newcomer who would emerge victorious by the slimmest of margins. Jones received 1,186 votes from county residents, just 80 more than Smith’s 1,106 to win during Tuesday’s general election. Smith has served as sheriff for the past eight years after winning a four-way race in 2007 and topping a single challenger in 2011. “I want to thank Jesus Christ, my family, friends, poll workers, and especially…
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McLaughlin to take reins as elected sheriff in New Kent
After serving as second-in-command to outgoing sheriff F.W. “Wakie” Howard Jr. for 24 years, Chief Deputy J. Joe McLaughlin Jr. will get the opportunity to take the helm on Jan. 1, 2016. New Kent voters elected McLaughlin as the next sheriff during Tuesday’s general election by a margin of almost 2-to-1. McLaughlin accumulated 4,048 votes, defeating challenger Capt. Charles Gardner, another veteran of the county’s sheriff’s office, who totaled 2,097. “Very humbled,” McLaughlin said when asked about his election as the next sheriff. “I am thankful and blessed for the support I received from the citizens. “I look forward to…
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Charles City and New Kent Election Coverage 2015
Election updates will be updated every 30-45 minutes. All results are unofficial. Please refresh this screen if you do not see a change in results. A complete breakdown of votes by district will be published once 100 percent of reported votes are in. Last updated: 10:50 p.m. New Kent County District 1 Supervisor Thomas Evelyn- 1,132 (98.69%) Write-in- 15 (1.31%) District 2 Supervisor Tommy Tiller- 1,144 (97.69%) Write-in- 27 (2.31%) District 3 Supervisor Patricia Paige- 623 (97.50%) Write-in- 16 (2.50%) District 4 Supervisor Herbert Jones- 558…
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VDOE releases accreditation scores for Charles City, New Kent
Virginia’s Department of Education (VDOE) announced accreditation standards for schools for the 2015-16 year on Oct. 27. Accreditation is awarded for scores in the areas of English, Mathematics, History and Science. In New Kent, all four of the county schools received full accreditation, making the school system one of only 37 in the state to have all accredited. New Kent High School led the way, with no score less than 85 percent. George Watkins Elementary (83), New Kent Elementary (80), and New Kent Middle (79) also posted scores that surpassed the state average. All four schools also met federal annual…
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New Kent receives $75,000 grant for broadband planning
As the ninth fastest growing community in Virginia, New Kent continues to face challenges of addressing infrastructure to provide faster Internet services to local residents and businesses. Thanks to a grant through the Virginia Telecommunication Planning Initiative (VATPI), the county is now taking first steps to provide adequate services to improve the quality of life for local citizens and businesses. New Kent received a $75,000 grant as part of a Friday morning announcement held at New Kent’s Visitor and Commerce Center. The county is one of 14 communities awarded funding in the total amount of $500,000 to help plan for…
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New Kent leaders have little power in resolving duck blind dilemma
During the regular monthly meeting in October, New Kent’s Board of Supervisors were approached by homeowners in The Colonies subdivision in Lanexa about duck blinds they felt were too close to their homes. Unfortunately for those homeowners, there is little county leaders can do to resolve the situation. County administrator Rodney Hathaway addressed supervisors during the Oct. 28 work session about research and information he received from the department of Game and Inland Fisheries. And despite the closest hunting accessory being less than 200 yards from the nearest homeowner, according to the county administrator, he has done nothing illegal. “The…
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