News for New Kent County and Charles City County, Virginia | November 2, 2026
Local News
Colonial Downs’ bid to host motorcycle racing met with staunch opposition
Concerned residents from the Brickshire community in New Kent County are organizing over a problem that they assumed had been resolved 10 years ago. More than 50 community members from the area that surrounds Colonial Downs attended Monday’s Board of Supervisors meeting. At issue is Colonial Downs’ intent to bring motorcycle racing back to the race track. Track officials have requested a county-issued cultural events permit to allow the April races to proceed. In 2003, Colonial Downs pursued motorcycle racing as another source of income for the track. During that time, Brickshire was home to only about 50 residents who…
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Seven years imposed for child porn
Marvin Turner Rideout III revealed that as a child, he bore the brunt of sexual abuse from his late mother and the mother’s drug dealer. For most of his adult life, he said, those memories lurked in the deep, forgotten recesses of his mind. And only after stumbling upon child pornography on his computer did visions of what happened during his childhood begin to resurface. The New Kent County resident’s foray into the illegal realm of child pornography did not go unnoticed, catching the attention of investigators with the Bedford, Va.-based Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Acting on information…
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Small NK, CC post offices spared closure
Among the first to show up for a public meeting with U.S. Postal Service officials to learn the fate of her local post office, Barhamsville resident Nora Phillips expressed her desire concerning the facility. “I hope they keep it open,” she said shortly before the Jan. 8 meeting inside the facility got under way. “They can shorten the hours as long as they keep it open,” she added. She got her wish. Postal officials emerged with what they termed “good news.” Barhamsville Post Office in eastern New Kent County is to remain open, but under slightly curtailed hours for window…
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CC school plan again tabled, state revenue could dwindle
Charles City’s School Board members decided to delay approval of the county schools’ six-year plan at its Tuesday night meeting. The Standards of Quality (SOQ) six-year plan is a working document used to guide intentions and goals of the school system. The document has been worked on for several months and will now have another month to be reviewed by board members. Last November, board members held a public hearing on the document. That hearing attracted only two speakers. Board member Steve Fuhrmann voiced numerous concerns about the document and asked the board to table it. After two months, the…
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New fire chief on job in NK
New Kent County’s search for a new fire chief has ended with the hiring of Richard A. Opett who began work yesterday (Jan. 16). Before taking the New Kent job, Opett served as a fire/rescue battalion chief for Loudoun County, a position he had held since 2008, and as vice president of Federal and East Coast Programs for Willdan Homeland Solutions. He is a 20-year firefighter and hazmat technician and a Gannon University graduate. “As a second-generation fire fighter, I first caught the fire service bug growing up around my hometown fire department where my dad served as fire chief,”…
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Briefly… for Jan. 17-Jan. 30, 2013
Stolen car crashes on I-64 in NK A Williamsburg woman, who police say was driving a car reportedly stolen in Newport News, is in custody and facing charges after she crashed the vehicle during a high-speed police chase Tuesday afternoon on Interstate 64 in New Kent County. Shortly before 3 p.m., state police received a call of a suspicious vehicle on I-64 westbound at the 216 mile marker near the Providence Forge/Route 155 interchange. Upon arriving on scene, a trooper found the woman asleep behind the driver’s seat of a 2008 Nissan Versa. After awakening the woman, the trooper attempted…
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Renovation work under way at C&F Bank’s Quinton branch
C&F Bank has announced a major renovation of its bank branch located in Quinton. Improvements involve complete “gutting” of the facility with a rebuild of the interior as well as a new façade on the front of the building including a few changes to the roof lines. Once completed, the interior of the branch, which was opened in 1981, will appear almost completely different than it does today. In addition, the parking lot will be slightly moved toward New Kent Highway and will be ground down and re-asphalted. The size and scope of the renovation requires temporary relocation of the…
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No charges filed against CC animal control officer
A special prosecutor appointed in a criminal investigation stemming from the fatal shooting of a dog by a Charles City County animal control officer is declining to bring charges citing lack of evidence. The decision by Matthew Kite, commonwealth’s attorney for King William County, surfaced in a Dec. 28 press release issued by the Virginia State Police. At issue is a Nov. 1 incident in which the animal control officer, Frank Bates, shot and killed an 18-month-old golden Labrador retriever named Axel. Public furor erupted over the shooting with social media deluged by comments demanding the county fire Bates. But…
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Fatal fire cause undetermined
An investigation continues into the cause of a fire that claimed the life of a Charles City County man. Marion P. “Boots” Hughes, 84, of the 4000 block of Old Union Road, was home alone on Dec. 22 when fire broke out at his residence around 11 a.m. Fire and rescue crews responded to the emergency call and upon arrival, found Hughes dead in his bedroom. Hughes and his family once owned Hughes Store, a general store located at the intersection of Charles City and Old Union roads, just east of the Henrico County line, that served as a centerpiece…
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Colonial Downs asks federal judge to dismiss lawsuit
Colonial Downs’ officials are asking a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit alleging trademark infringement, unfair competition, and false advertising in connection with use of the Strawberry Hill Races name. Lawyers filed a Dec. 11 response on behalf of the defendants (Colonial Downs Holdings Inc., Colonial Downs LP, Stansley Racing Corporation, and Colonial Downs LLC). In the document, lawyers deny allegations in the lawsuit leveled by plaintiffs Mildred J. Dotson and Christie D. Harrell, the mother-daughter duo that bought rights to the Strawberry Hill name. Also, lawyers are asking that Colonial Downs LLC be removed from the defendant list. Lawyers…
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