Knowledge works against defendant in New Kent court

Sometimes being too smart for your own good can backfire. In the case of 25-year old Justin Webster Mills, he probably wished he wasn’t ahead of the curve. Mills, of 5460 S. Garden Road, Providence Forge, received a 10-year active prison sentence on multiple felony counts during New Kent Circuit Court Monday afternoon. Mills’ charges stem from accepting a plea agreement in February where he pleaded guilty to five counts of burglary, four counts of grand larceny, possession of heroin, and misdemeanor contributing to the delinquency of the minor. While commonwealth’s attorney Linwood Gregory agreed to recommend no more than…
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NK Teachers of the Year

Briefly… for May 9-22, 2013

Murder suspect arrested in NK A man wanted in connection with the murder of his girlfriend in Buckingham County has been arrested in New Kent County. A State Police trooper arrested Christopher J. Moseley, 20, of the 100 block of Old Darby Town Road, Dillwyn, following a traffic stop around 3 a.m. on May 1 at the 215 mile marker on eastbound Interstate 64 in New Kent. State Police information officer Sgt. Thomas Molnar said the trooper noticed the 2013 Ford F-150 pickup the suspect drove had no license plates. Upon stopping the vehicle and through the trooper’s investigation, it…
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UPDATE: More work scheduled on I-64 east in New Kent

The right lane on eastbound Interstate 64 in New Kent County between mile marker 220 (Route 33/West Point exit) and mile marker 224 (James City County line) will be closed overnight May 6-9, 9 p.m.-5 a.m. for paving. Motorists can expect delays. All work is weather permitting.

NK $67.3 million budget, four cent tax hike head to hearing

A proposed $67.3 million budget and accompanying 4-cent real estate tax hike head for public hearing before New Kent’s Board of Supervisors on May 13. Meeting April 16 in a budget work session, board members decided to move forward, giving county residents opportunity to sound off on the proposal. County administrator Rodney Hathaway recapped the budget, as presented during the board’s April 8 meeting, in search of guidance from supervisors as well as their concerns. Hathaway reminded the board that the $67,340,532 bottom line includes not only the real estate tax increase but also an eight percent increase in the…
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CC supervisors pass budget, announce DEQ settlement

Charles City’s Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the county’s FY2013-14 budget at its regular meeting Tuesday night. The $20,951,528 bottom line remains unchanged after minimal comments arose at a public hearing on April 17. County schools will receive $10,906,036, or 51 percent of the budget. Of that amount, $4,801,288 are local funds. Schools had asked for level funding at $4.7 million dollars for the upcoming school year. That figure dwindled to a recommendation of $4.5 million dollars. Supervisors then agreed to an additional amount of just over $200,000 provided that money goes toward helping with Gov. Bob McDonnell’s two percent…
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Five years in prison imposed in NK manslaughter case

“He just didn’t care about the consequences of his act. He just didn’t care.” Those words from Judge Thomas B. Hoover concerning defendant Joshua Earl Apperson played a vital role today (Monday) in New Kent Circuit Court during the sentencing phase of Apperson’s involuntary manslaughter conviction in the death of Alison Taylor Farmer. The judge imposed 10 years in prison with five suspended on the 21 year-old Toano man on the one count of involuntary manslaughter stemming from an accident during a nighttime party at Wall’s Farm on Homestead Road last Aug. 7. The defendant must pay $10,021 in restitution…
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NK School Board makes final plea for additional money

Facing a $700,000 deficit in projected local revenue, New Kent School Board members made one last attempt to justify the shortfall to New Kent supervisors. Both boards convened Wednesday morning in efforts to understand needs for county schools. School board chairwoman Leigh Quick presented a four-page document highlighting those specific needs. “The impacts of the reduction will effect student-teacher ratio,” Quick told supervisors. “We have worked hard and these would be the items we cut if we can not receive additional funds.” Four new teaching positions resulting from growth or restoration are among cuts if the school board works with…
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Reading helps WWE dream come true for NK student

Reading is considered the bridge to foundations for careers and dreams to come true. For one George Watkins Elementary School student, he may never want to wake up after realizing one of his dreams. Joshua Bendle, a fifth grader, won a trip to World Wrestling Entertainment’s (WWE) Wrestlemania at Metlife Statium in New York City on April 7 through the Wrestlemania Reading Challenge contest. The contest, sponsored by WWE, Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), and American Library Association, selected Joshua as the South’s regional winner in the fifth and sixth grade division. The south region consists of 15 states….
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NK school officials finding adjusted figures hard to digest

New Kent School Board members began taking precautions in preparation for receiving a final budget from county supervisors. At their Monday work session, school board representatives listened to recommendations from director of finances Ralph Westbay on the FY2013-14 school year budget. Expressions on board members’ faces resembled that of a group of people trying to swallow a bad meal. New Kent schools’ projected budget is just over $28 million for the upcoming year, but what school officials have penciled in for the county’s contribution is $647,702 short of county administrator Rodney Hathaway’s $12.4 million recommendation for local school funds. Westbay…
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