News for New Kent County and Charles City County, Virginia | September 19, 2026
Local News
Interstate 64 eastbound paving set to begin Monday night
VDOT has announced plans to commence with paving work on eastbound Interstate 64 through New Kent County, a project that is long overdue on the heavily traveled and badly deteriorated stretch of roadway. Officials say work is scheduled to begin this Monday (April 14) at 10 p.m. VDOT has another project in the works for New Kent. Concrete patchwork is scheduled to start June 1 on Route 60 through the county.
Driver in triple fatality wreck in New Kent charged with reckless driving; identities of victims released
The driver of a 1992 Toyota Tercel that was struck Tuesday after the car pulled in front of a tractor-trailer on Route 155 at the entrance to Colonial Downs in New Kent County is being charged with reckless driving, according to state police. The driver, Saul A. Hernandez-Gonzalez, 65, of the 9000 block of Suburban Village Lane in North Chesterfield, was the lone survivor among four men, all from North Chesterfield, who occupied the Toyota. The driver’s brother, identified as Julio C. Gonzalez-Hernandez, 61, who was seated in the front passenger seat and wearing a seat belt, died at the…
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Two New Kent men, found asleep in vehicle, now face drug charges
Two New Kent men face drug charges after a county deputy sheriff, acting on a phone call concerning a suspicious vehicle, discovered the pair asleep in the vehicle parked on a road in the Quinton area. Deputy Wyatt Johnston responded to the call around 9:30 p.m. on April 4, locating the vehicle on Poverty Hall Road. Inside, he found two men, identified as Evan Roy Sluder, 31, of the 5300 block of Adams Road in Quinton, and Winston Allen Kirby, 36, of the 3800 block of Poverty Hall Road, Quinton, apparently asleep. According to a sheriff’s office report, Sluder, the…
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New Kent deputy employs stun gun to subdue break-in suspect
A New Kent County man is being held in jail without bond following an incident at a local motel where the suspect allegedly tried to break into the motel’s office. When a sheriff’s deputy arrived on scene, the man allegedly charged at the officer, resulting in use of a stun gun to subdue the suspect. Glenn J. Lanno Jr., 43, was reportedly residing in one of the motel’s rooms at the time of the incident. He is charged with one count each of attempted burglary, possession of burglary tools, being a peeping tom, and drunk in public. According to a…
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Highway headaches continue in Providence Forge and on I-64
Alternating lane closures and traffic delays on Route 155 (Courthouse Road) in Providence Forge are expected to continue through August to accommodate crews that are working to widen shoulders and improve drainage along the roadway, VDOT officials say. Work is taking place 8 a.m.-4 p.m. between the Charles City County line and Old Forge Road. Crews are currently working on the stretch of Route 155 in front of Providence Forge Post Office. Also in the category of highway headaches, motorists traveling eastbound Interstate 64 between the Quinton and West Point exits (mile markers 205-220) on April 7-9 can expect alternating…
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Four-cent tax increase proposed for $20 million 2014-15 budget for Charles City ; schools reduced by $336,500
A four-cent tax increase over an equalized rate on personal property tax highlights a $19,948,454 proposed 2013-14 budget in Charles City. County finance director Michelle Johnson detailed the proposal during a 15-minute presentation in front of 150 people during the Board of Supervisors’ March 25 meeting. With a financial crisis ongoing due to lack of revenue from Waste Management, the county’s largest contributor, eyes and ears turned to the presentation. Johnson opened the slideshow, depicting the difference between revenue the county received from Waste Management in fiscal year 2012-13 ($2,346,410) to this year ($992,600). The county’s real estate tax rate…
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Talks of third truck stop in NK continue to progress
A proposal for building a third truck stop in New Kent is making its way through talks and negotiations in the county. And if things continue to progress, a formal proposal may reach county supervisors by this fall. Love’s, based out of Oklahoma City, Okla., continues to negotiate with county staff on the possibility of bringing a travel plaza to New Kent. And while county planning manager Kelli Le Duc said no formal application has been submitted, the company is taking steps into the process. According to county administrator Rodney Hathaway, Love’s tentative plans are to build a truck stop…
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Colonial Downs, horsemen remain at loggerheads over thoroughbred racing season
Colonial Downs and the Virginia Horseman’s Benevolent and Protective Association (VHBPA) remain at an impasse over thoroughbred racing dates for the 2014 season expected to begin in June. Today’s (Thursday) meeting of the Virginia Racing Commission (VRC) failed to shed new light on the controversy that is now approaching two months old. Last year’s contract between the VHBPA, which represents trainers and owners that race at the New Kent County racetrack, expired on Jan. 29. With the parties unable to come to a renewal agreement, Colonial Downs was forced by state law to suspend wagering on thoroughbred races at its…
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New Kent graduate to take humanitarian studies abroad
A New Kent High School alumus is asking hometown community members for support in a quest to take her humanitarian studies abroad. Carrie Daniel, a 2011 graduate from New Kent and current junior at the University of Virginia, recently received an offer to travel to Nairobi, Kenya, in Africa, to improve the lives of girls. “I will be volunteering at a tuition free school in Kibera, the largest slum in Africa,” said Daniel. Daniel is a current double-major in foreign affairs and women, gender, and sexuality studies. She has worked with several organizations throughout the United States, but hopes to…
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Richmond man reaches plea for drug distribution in NK
A Richmond man indicted by a multi-jurisdictional grand jury accepted a plea deal Monday morning during New Kent Circuit Court proceedings. James Claude Whitehurst, 66, of the 4000 block of Sharon Court, entered a guilty plea to one count of manufacturing and distribution of heroin. An additional charge of manufacturing and distribution was dropped. Whitehurst was one of six suspects involved in a Twin Rivers Drug Task Force operation conducted last November. Undercover informants helped conduct a series of controlled buys, with Whitehurst the only suspect selling heroin. The other alleged suspects, Michael Anthony Winston, Reavell Lovonachek Williams, Jenna Danielle…
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