News for New Kent County and Charles City County, Virginia | November 1, 2026
Local News
Charles City man convicted of felony hit and run in NK
A Charles City resident who fled the scene of an accident received a guilty verdict during Oct. 28 New Kent Circuit Court proceedings. Michael Lee Wallace Jr., 41, of 11805 Canora Lane, Providence Forge, was convicted of one count of felony hit and run (not reporting an accident and damage) stemming from the Dec. 22, 2012 incident. In the contested trial, assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Randy Del Rossi recalled events from the day. According to Del Rossi, Wallace struck the vehicle of Michael Ballard, a Toano resident, and another vehicle on Pocahontas Trail (Route 60) just before reaching Providence Forge. Ballard’s…
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Briefly… for Nov. 7-20, 2013
Voter turnout hovers close to 50% As expected, New Kent County went almost solidly Republican while the Democrat ticket swept Charles City County in Tuesday’s general election. In New Kent, 7,321 or 54.5 percent of the county’s 13,422 registered voters cast ballots. Turnout in Charles City reached 44.5 percent as 2,357 of the county’s 5,300 registered voters trudged to the polls. In the governor’s race, New Kent favored Republican Ken Cuccinelli 4,360-2,120 while Charles City opted for Democrat Terry McAuliffe 1,557-827. Libertarian Robert Sarvis garnered 766 votes in New Kent and 135 in Charles City. A Republican ticket sweep in…
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Teams, community unite to honor Jacob Vick
Coping with the tragic and untimely death on Tuesday of linebacker Jacob Vick, New Kent’s Trojans elected to travel to Bruton and take on the host Panthers in honor of their fallen teammate. And even though the final on the scoreboard read Bruton 49 New Kent 7, the outcome didn’t matter. In the hearts and minds of the large throng of Trojan faithful sitting in the stands and the New Kent community as a whole, the Trojans won the game 50-0. The fact that the Trojans took the field and displayed a valiant effort spoke volumes on team members’ character….
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Memorial service planned for fallen New Kent football player
A public memorial service for Jacob Vick will be held at New Kent High School on Saturday, Nov. 2, 1 p.m. New Kent and Bruton’s football team will honor Vick prior to tonight’s game with a moment of silence and by wearing helmet stickers with #50 on it.
New Kent football player succumbs
Jacob Vick, a sophomore linebacker/fullback for New Kent’s football team, passed away today after an emergency call came from the practice field. The New Kent-Charles City Chronicle received a call confirming his passing tonight (Oct. 29) from multiple sources. According to one source, an emergency call came in during the afternoon hours and emergency crews were dispatched to the field after Vick collapsed after team drills. An emergency helicopter flew Vick to a Richmond hospital where he was pronounced dead shortly before 11 p.m. A press conference on Oct. 30 held by New Kent Superintendent of Schools Rick Richardson confirmed…
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New Kent Supervisors elect to maintain control of Historic School renovations
New Kent supervisors elected unanimously to keep managerial control on renovations of the Historic School. Supervisors took action on Oct. 15 at its regular board meeting after deferring the matter from a special meeting with New Kent’s School Board on Oct. 8. The action is the result of an Aug. 1 letter from Hunter Barnes, an architectural consultant for Virginia’s Department of Education, to New Kent’s Board of Supervisors over a misinterpretation of alleged decisions made by New Kent’s school board. Those concerns prompted county supervisors to take the decision-making process of phases three and four of renovations away from…
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Controversial ordinance sent to New Kent supervisors
A controversial proposed stormwater ordinance that dismays both public opponents and commissioners themselves, is headed to New Kent’s Board of Supervisors with a favorable recommendation for adoption. And the county appears to have little choice but to adopt the matter. The decision to forward the proposed ordinance came Monday night at New Kent’s Planning Commission meeting. County attorney Michele Gowdy gave an overview of the ordinance first presented at the September commission meeting. Gowdy spoke about changes to the ordinance and how it was revised to comply with state regulations. Among one of the areas of concern by commissioners and…
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Shirley Plantation celebrates milestone 400th anniversary
As a centerpiece of Charles City County, Shirley Plantation has served as a keen place for military history, agricultural development, architectural design, and a tourist attraction. And after 400 years, the celebration continued on Oct. 12. The historic milestone culminated with a wine festival and more than 150 guests to recognize the plantation. Among noted attendees were Virginia’s Secretary of Agriculture Todd Haymore and Charles City District 1 Supervisor Gilbert Smith. Shirley Plantation’s history and growth originated in 1613 as land for a military fort. The importance of the location would only grow, according to plantation historian Julian Charity. “Shirley…
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Convicted Henrico man asks judge, court for new trial
A convicted man motioned for a new trial prior to formal sentencing during Oct. 18 proceedings in Charles City Circuit Court. Joquan W. Hawkins, 21, of 2 West Jerald Street, Henrico, made the request to Judge Thomas B. Hoover in a letter addressed to the court and Commonwealth’s Attorney Rob Tyler the day before sentencing had been scheduled. According to the letter, Hawkins claims that Tyler and his defense lawyer, Mufeed Said, collaborated in a way to render guilty verdicts from a two-day jury trial in August. The jury recommended 39 years in prison on seven felony charges that included…
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Carrollton man gets sturdy lesson, warning in NK court
Despite having his charges reduced in accordance to a plea agreement, a Carrollton man is learning the hard way on how driving under the influence has impacted the lives of children, as well as his pockets. Reginald Lamont Dickson, 37, of 13192 Windward Place, entered guilty pleas to two amended charges of misdemeanor simple assault and one charge of driving under the influence in New Kent Circuit Court proceedings Monday afternoon. In a summary of evidence provided by Commonwealth’s Attorney Linwood Gregory, on March 8 around 9:30 p.m., Dickerson’s car struck the vehicle that the victims occupied which had stopped…
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