News for New Kent County and Charles City County, Virginia | May 30, 2026
Local News
Increase in local contribution part of $9.2 million proposed budget by Charles City Schools
With the expectation that the school system will have to make up a $331,000 shortfall due to a number of factors, Charles City superintendent of schools David Gaston is hoping that an increase in local funds will offset the deficit. Gaston presented a $9,280,550 budget for fiscal year 2017-18 during the Jan. 23 school board work session. Of that amount, schools are requesting $5,380,464 in local dollars, an increase of $400,000 from this year’s contribution from the county. “We’ve done everything we could to offset the deficit,” Gaston said after the meeting. “We don’t have anywhere else we can really…
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Georgia man to serve 19 months for eluding state police in New Kent
A Georgia man who fled Virginia State Troopers during a 30-mile chase that began in New Kent will spend a total of 19 months in jail. Lawrence Lenard Campfield, 47, of the 2500 block of Norton Boulevard, Augusta, learned his sentence during Jan. 23 proceedings in New Kent Circuit Court. Last Nov. 21, Campfield entered guilty pleas to one count each of felony eluding police, misdemeanor reckless driving, misdemeanor driving without a license, failure to have a vehicle inspected, operating without insurance, and failing to obtain proper vehicle registration. On May 21, 2016, Virginia State Trooper Jonathan Miles received a…
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Former juvenile who eluded police, Rite Aid suspect among New Kent indictments
A Virginia Beach teenager who allegedly led a variety of police departments on a high speed chase, including members of New Kent Sheriff’s Office, was indicted during Jan. 23 proceedings in New Kent Circuit Court. Morris Von Westlove II, 18, was indicted by a New Kent grand jury on four counts of felony destruction of property, and one count each of felony eluding police, attempted capital murder of a police officer, and obtaining a credit card without permission. Last Nov. 3, a high-speed chase occurred in New Kent around 12:30 a.m., with a vehicle speeding eastbound on Interstate 64. The…
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Two men agree to terms of plea deals in Charles City Circuit Court
Two men agreed to plea deals during Jan. 20 morning proceedings in Charles City Circuit Court: –Carl James Hunt, 49, of the 300 block of South Park Drive, Petersburg, entered a guilty plea to one count of misdemeanor working without a proper construction license. One charge of construction fraud was dropped. In a summary of evidence presented by Commonwealth’s Attorney Rob Tyler, on May 12, 2015, Juanita Thorne encountered the defendant at a hardware store. After a conversation, she received a business card that said he worked on homes. She called him and the two entered into a contract where…
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Providence Forge woman killed in early morning accident in James City
A Providence Forge woman was killed in an early Thursday morning accident in James City County. Sandra Sarah Dunaway, 59, died at the scene of the accident according to a police report. The report says that around 7:45 a.m., a 2003 Ford Taurus was traveling eastbound on Route 60 (Richmond Road) in Toano when it crossed over and collided head-on with a tractor trailer that had turned onto Industrial Boulevard. Police believe Dunaway was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident. The driver of the tractor-trailer was not injured in the crash. The cause of the accident…
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Charles City schools face financial difficulty in upcoming budget cycle
While a final figure is expected to be announce at a Jan. 23 work session, Charles City superintendent of schools David Gaston expressed concerns before diving into dialogue about the school’s FY2017-18 budget. “This is probably the most difficult developmental process in my 27 years of education.” Gaston’s statement referenced at least $350,000 in additional expenditures for the school’s future budget during Tuesday night’s regular school board meeting. Those new cots are the result of a decrease in projected ADM (average daily membership) of students, a reduction in state funding (pegged at $120,000), an increase in VRS (Virginia Retirement System)…
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Charles City superintendent addresses school heating issues
While most of a previous winter snowfall covered roads and kept students out of school, it was a far different situation inside the classrooms for Charles City schools. A lack of heating inside both schools resulted in backlash from parents on social media about the learning environment and questioning decisions made to keep the school in session. And while no parents spoke on the situation during Tuesday night’s regular school board meeting, it was imperative that school representatives addressed and acknowledged the situation. When kids and teachers returned from the winter break, they received an unexpected surprise with the lack…
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NKBOS, CCSB appoint chairmen for 2017
New Kent’s Board of Supervisors and Charles City’s School Board recently named their chairmen for the 2017 fiscal year. For New Kent’s Board of Supervisors, District 5 representative W. Ray Davis was tabbed as the chairman for the year, while District 1 leader Thomas Evelyn received the nod as vice-chairman. Charles City School Board’s District 1 representative Helen Payne-Jones will once again hold the position of chairwoman. District 2 school board representative Herbert Johnson will serve his first stint as vice-chairman to represent the school leaders.
Charles City schools announce makeup dates
Due to recent inclement weather, Charles City’s School Board elected to add two regular school days for students in order to recoup additional hours of instruction. Schools will now be in session on Jan. 27 and Mar. 9 as makeup days for students. The January date was originally scheduled to be a teacher workday, while the March date was scheduled for parent-teacher conferences. Superintendent of schools David Gaston said that while the school had enough hours not to make-up days, his experience in Charles City indicated the possibility of more inclement weather may be on the way. Currently, the elementary…
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Roundabout dilemma forces second New Kent supervisor to speak out
Same script, different cast. While those words are key lyrics in a popular song, they can also be used to describe the ongoing construction to create a roundabout at the intersection of Route 249 (New Kent Highway) and Airport/Tunstall Road in the Quinton area of New Kent. The project, which had an original completion date of December 2015, has frustrated District 1 representative Thomas Evelyn to the point where he verbally expressed dismay at multiple board meetings. And now, 13 months later and with the project still incomplete, another New Kent leader voiced displeasure with the numerous delays. After Virginia…
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