News for New Kent County and Charles City County, Virginia | October 7, 2025
Local News
Eleven indictments handed up from New Kent grand jury
A grand jury indicted 11 individuals during Mar. 21 Monday morning proceedings in New Kent Circuit Court: –John Glaseman Adams III, 42, of the 5500 block of Lakeview Road, Quinton, on one count each of DUI (third offense) and driving revoked. The offense allegedly occurred last June 2 when Adams was pulled over during a traffic stop. –Sibylla Hope Coles, 43, of the 7200 block of Little Creek Dam Road, Toano, on a single count of possession of a controlled substance. The indictment alleges Coles possessed cocaine on Mar. 26. –Colton Jon Dearborn, 19, of the 17000 block of The…
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Charles City School Board approves $10.5 million budget for FY2016-17
Charles City School Board members approved a $10.5 million budget for FY2016-17 during a Mar. 21 special called meeting. Board members heard a recap of the $10,513,524 proposal for the upcoming year from superintendent of schools David Gaston and school finance director Susan Salg. Of the proposal, $5,212,941 is requested as a contribution from local and state funds. That requested figure is $406,373 more than the current year’s contribution. The superintendent commented at the board’s regular meeting last December that a reduction in state funding due to the local composite index (LCI) factored into asking for a larger contribution from…
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Public hearing yields no speakers on New Kent School Board’s FY2016-17 budget
No speakers stepped to the podium during a Mar. 21 public hearing on New Kent School Board’s proposed $31 million budget for FY2016-17. School board members also received information that state funding would increase by $83,904, bringing the new amount of school superintendent Dave Myers’ proposal to $31,000,145. Of that amount, schools are requesting $13,854,595 in local funding, a figure that is $300,000 more than the county’s contribution for the current year. School finance director Haynie Morgheim recommended the additional state funds to be used to increase the SSC custodial contract and group life rate. She added that other funds…
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Additional revenue to factor in New Kent tax rate proposal
After New Kent county administrator Rodney Hathaway released a near $60 million budget proposal with a one-cent tax increase per $100 of assessed value on the county’s real estate rate at the Board of Supervisors’ regular meeting in March, county leaders used the next few days to chew on the recommendation before continuing the meeting at a Mar. 18 retreat. But with a new projection on additional revenue expected after a presentation from the county’s Commissioner of Revenue Laura Ecimovic, Hathaway and county supervisors have a lot more options to weigh. New Kent supervisors elected to advertise the proposed 84-cent…
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Semi-truck crash shuts down Interstate 64 in New Kent
A tractor-trailer crash shortly before noon on westbound Interstate 64 in New Kent closed lanes for several hours on Mar. 18. Virginia State Police spokesman Sgt. Steve Vick said at 11:45 a.m., a semi-truck hauling corn ran off the left side of the Interstate and into the wood line at the 218 mile marker. The crash resulted in the spilling of the contents of the trailer, as well as diesel fuel onto the highway. The driver of the truck was flown by helicopter to a nearby medical facility. Highway traffic was closed for two hours, with one lane of traffic…
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One cent tax increase part of $60 million proposed New Kent budget
A one cent tax increase on New Kent County’s real estate tax rate highlights a proposed budget of close to $60 million for the locality in FY2016-17. New Kent’s Board of Supervisors received their first look at the recommended figure during their Mar. 14 regular meeting. County administrator Rodney Hathaway’s proposed budget of $59,599,181 for the upcoming cycle is $2,886,796 more than the county’s current budget. As part of the increase, the county’s real estate tax rate is proposed to increase by one cent to 84 cents per $100 of assessed value. Hathaway explained that even though the current rate…
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Former Charles City athlete killed in Henrico accident
A former Charles City High School athlete died at the scene of an accident in Henrico. Shana Renee Braxton, 24, was pronounced dead at the scene on March 12. According to the Virginia State Police report, a 2001 Pontiac Sunfire was traveling eastbound on Interstate 64 when it ran off the right side of the road and struck a tree near the Laburnum Avenue exit. Sgt. Steve Vick said that Braxton was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash. Speed is being considered a factor of the crash. Braxton, a 2010 graduate, was a three-sport athlete for Charles…
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Charles City High School JROTC program continues to shine 20 years later
“To motivate young Americans to become better citizens.” That motto is plastered on the wall and every textbook of Charles City High School’s JROTC program, an organization that is celebrating its 20th anniversary this school year. But this local JROTC program’s growth and existence came to be unlike any others in the program. And yet, it is considered to be one of the main faces that is identified as being affiliated with Charles City High School. Charles City’s JROTC Senior Army Instructor Lieutenant Colonel Vernon Peters and Army Instructor Sergeant First Class Steward Greene spoke about the program, reminiscing the…
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Using sister’s ID lands woman one-year jail sentence
A Hampton woman who used her sister’s identification during a March 2014 traffic stop received formal sentencing during Mar. 7 proceedings in New Kent Circuit Court. Laura Lee Carter, 33, of 17 Woodsman Road, entered a plea agreement on Oct. 19, entering Alford pleas of guilt to one count each of forgery of a public document, false identification (second offense), perjury, misdemeanor reckless driving, and misdemeanor driving suspended. At that trial a summary of evidence revealed that Carter used the name and social security number of her sister, Rosa Paige, during a traffic stop. An investigation followed after Paige went…
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VDOT projects for New Kent from Mar. 5-11, 2016
Here are Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) projects in New Kent County for the week of Mar. 5-12, 2016: Mar. 5-11- Stage Road (Rt. 627) between Clark Road and Evergreen Road will have alternating lane closures from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. for bridge deck repairs. Mar. 7-11- New Kent Highway (Rt. 249) at the intersection of Airport Road and Tunstall Road will have alternating lane closures from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. for roundabout construction. Mar. 8- Interstate 64 eastbound between mile marker 211 (Talleysville) and mile marker 214 will have alternating lane closures from 9 p.m.-1 a.m. for pothole patching. Mar. 10-11-…
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