News for New Kent County and Charles City County, Virginia | September 19, 2026
Local News
Video game created from NKES 3rd grader’s journal
Look out Nintendo©; there’s a new game creator in the business. And he’s only in third grade. New Kent Elementary School student Adrian Vidal has accomplished something that takes most people a lifetime to do– create his own video game. The third grader’s ideas became reality at the end of February after a local resident took his ideas and converted them into a playable game. What started out as a summer reading initiative by New Kent Elementary teacher Rebecca Cooper quickly transpired into Adrian’s ideas blooming into something that is now enjoyed by all his classmates. “The kids were journaling…
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New Kent school board approves budget for 2014-15
New Kent’s school board approved its 2014-15 budget at last night’s (Wednesday) work session. After no one spoke at a public hearing, board members passed 4-1 a $28,554,281 budget. Included in that figure is leeway to adjust the budget to accompany the hiring of an elementary school art teacher. “We’ve been asking for this position for 10 years,” said chairwoman Leigh Quick. “I would like to see that position filled.” “One art teacher for 1,500 kids is unreasonable,” added board member Dean Simmons. “We have to create a budget for needs and this is something we need.” The school board’s…
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Planning commission urges rejection of Liberty Landing
Weather could have been a factor in keeping county residents, and Liberty Landing opponents in particular, away from Monday’s public hearing on the controversial residential/commercial proposal before New Kent’s Planning Commission. And they weren’t needed, at least on the opposition side. Despite county planning staff urging approval, commission members voted 8-1-1 to send a rezoning application that would pave the way for the project to the county’s Board of Supervisors with a recommendation for denial. Liberty Landing is a commercial/residential development proposed for a 113-acre site located on the south side of Route 60 (Pocahontas Trail) near Bottoms Bridge and…
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Juvenile receives plea deal in Bottoms Bridge robbery
New Kent Circuit Court has accepted a plea deal involving a juvenile who participated in an armed robbery at the Bottoms Bridge McDonald’s. Robert James Priester, 16, of the 2200 block of Kingsbrook Drive, Henrico, entered guilty pleas to one count each of armed robbery and use of a firearm during Mar. 10 court proceedings. Two charges of armed robbery were dropped. The plea deal will not become effective until the defendant testifies in federal court. In a summary of evidence provided by Commonwealth’s Attorney Linwood Gregory, Priester, along with three other individuals, entered the McDonald’s restaurant shortly before 3…
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New Kent schools add days to extend calendar year
Two days for students are being added to the end of the school year on New Kent schools’ calendar to make up for days lost this week due to the latest snowstorm. County school board members voted 4-0 at their March 6 meeting to schedule school for students on Monday, June 16 and Tuesday, June 17. A teacher workday is now set for June 18. School officials opted to add days to the end of the year over concern for time lost in preparation for state Standards of Learning testing. Adding the two days means SOL testing can be pushed…
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Substitutes among $436,000 in cuts made by CC schools
With a mandate from county supervisors to cut $436,732 from their current budget, Charles City School Board members approved a list of recommended cuts during Tuesday night’s work session. Among items included in trimming the deficit are removing the prepay plan for Appomattox Regional and Maggie Walker Governor’s schools ($97,000), substitute teachers ($32,172), instruction materials ($27,591), and instructional equipment ($18,265). After-school activities and spring sports survived the mainstream cuts, thanks to coaches and the high school band director forgoing stipends for the season ($10,710). Other key factors for sports remaining were community contributions to help repair the high school track….
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CC schools to ask supervisors for level funding in 2014-15
Charles City school board members approved a $10,083,325 budget for the 2014-15 school year at their March 18 work session. The vote passed 3-2, with at-large member Steve Fuhrmann and District 3 representative Martha Harris casting the dissenting votes. Discussions emerged based on the county school officials’ March 7 meeting. There, school officials voted 4-1 to ask supervisors for level funding for county schools. Schools were budgeted just over $4.5 million in local dollars for the current school year. But major complications stand in the way of schools’ request. Interim school finance director Ray Watson indicated if the $4.5 million…
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Seven indicted during New Kent Circuit Court proceedings
A New Kent Circuit Court grand jury handed down indictments to seven individuals during Monday morning court proceedings: –Randolph Benjamin Berry Jr., 53, of the 2100 block of Hilliard Road, Richmond, on two counts of obtaining money under false pretenses. Last Sept. 6, Berry allegedly cashed checks belonging to Kosal Sam and Cameron Watson, receiving more than $200 from each of them. –David Luther Holley Jr., 42, of the 8300 block of New Kent Highway, New Kent, on two counts each of grand larceny and possession of stolen goods with the intent to sell. According to the indictment, Holly stole…
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NKSB vows to stand fast on ‘non-negotiable’ components
New Kent’s School Board is drawing what one member labeled a “line in the sand” regarding certain features that school officials say must be incorporated into any plan for renovating the county’s Historic School into a grade K-5 elementary. The features rank as “non-negotiable,” they insist. And board members plan to present a united front and make their stance clear when they meet with county officials and representatives of Marengo Management, the company that has placed on the table an unsolicited proposal under the state’s Public-Private Educational Facilities Infrastructure Act (PPEA) to undertake the renovation work. School board members took…
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CC jury renders split verdicts for driver in bike accident
A Charles City jury has rendered a split verdict in the case of a Virginia Beach truck driver involved in a traffic accident last year that injured two men participating in a bike ride. Carlton Percell Crawford, 53, of the 2100 block of Pier Point Place, received a guilty verdict on one count of misdemeanor reckless driving during March 14 court proceedings. The jury returned a not guilty verdict on one count of felony hit and run that resulted in injuries. Last May 11, the Virginia Capital City Trail Bike Ride passed through Charles City, with hundreds of cyclists occupying…
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