News for New Kent County and Charles City County, Virginia | October 1, 2025
Local News
Charles City town hall provides update of Internet services to residents
The ongoing saga known as Internet in Charles City County started in 2014, with each chapter of highs, lows, and hopes along the way, only to be squashed. Hopefully after Monday night’s town hall meeting held by Charles City’s Board of Supervisors, the book can finally come to a satisfying conclusion for many residents in the county. Charles City leaders hosted a town hall with a limited personal audience and an opportunity for video viewers in an effort to provide an update on Internet service. The history of providing Internet to the county has been tumultuous to say the least….
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New Kent schools switch to all virtual restart to begin FY2020-21 year
New Kent County Schools are shifting to an all-virtual instruction mode after a school board work session Monday night. The change comes approximately a few weeks after the school board originally chose to allow parents/guardians to choose their method of instruction. It will last for the first semester (18 weeks) with a review by the school board at the halfway point. “We do not feel that we are adequately staffed to have a hybrid model and keep our staff safe,” said Superintendent of Brian Nichols. Fueling the change were comments Nichols made at the school board’s August regular meeting. At…
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New Kent teenager receives four-month jail term for petty larceny
A New Kent teenager will spend four months in jail after accepting a plea deal during Monday morning proceedings in New Kent Circuit Court. Mitchell Payne Morse III, 18, of the 7700 block of Poindexter Road, entered no contest pleas to two amended charges of misdemeanor petty larceny (originally forgery/uttering) as part of a plea agreement. No contest pleas stipulate that evidence presented in the trial would be enough to convict the defendant of the offenses. In a summary of evidence provided by Commonwealth’s Attorney Scott Renick, on Jan. 24, Morse went to two different C&F Banks in New Kent…
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Simple assault charge lodged against former New Kent High School coach dismissed
A charge against a former New Kent High School coach has been dismissed. John William Fulks, 42, of the 14000 block of W. River Road, King William, had one count of simple assault dismissed during Monday afternoon proceedings in New Kent Circuit Court. On Nov. 8, 2019, Fulks allegedly was involved in an altercation that took place in the locker room prior to an away game. Fulks allegedly stepped into the middle of a fight and pushed a juvenile in the back. He was arrested in December 2019 and later convicted in general district court on the charge and received…
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Lifetime dog license established in New Kent
Dog owners in New Kent will be required to purchase lifetime licenses for their pet beginning Jan. 1 of next year. New Kent’s Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the recommendation to establish a lifetime dog license during Monday night’s board meeting. The approval came after County Administrator Rodney Hathaway received a request from treasurer Charles Evelyn. The lifetime license will replace the annual renewal that is currently required by the county. The license will cost $15 per dog for ages four months and older.
Man receives 16-month jail sentence for driving under the influence in Charles City
A man who operated a vehicle under the influence of alcohol in Charles City will spend the next 16 months in jail. Matthew Ryan Mayer, 30, of the 10000 block of Blue Ridge Drive, Hurt, entered guilty pleas to one count each of DUI (third offense) and misdemeanor driving revoked as part of a plea deal during Friday morning proceedings in Charles City Circuit Court. One charge each of misdemeanor refusal to take a breath test and misdemeanor destruction of property were dropped as part of the agreement. In a summary of evidence provided by Commonwealth’s Attorney Rob Tyler, on…
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Hybrid, virtual restart chosen by parent/guardian route elected by New Kent School Board
Parents and guardians of students who attend New Kent Public Schools will be given the choice to educate their child either virtually or through a hybrid plan to begin the 2020-21 school year. New Kent School Board members unanimously approved the two-option plan during the Aug. 5 regular school board meeting inside of the high school auditorium in front of approximately 50 attendees, with others watching the decision online. The concept of offering parents the choice whether to have their kid instructed virtually or with a hybrid in-person plan was presented at the July 28 school board special work session…
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Charles City school board opts for nine-week virtual instruction to begin 2020-21 year
Charles City County Public Schools will spend at least the first nine weeks of the new school year in a virtual learning environment. Following a recommendation from new Superintendent of Schools Dalphine Joppy, school board members approved virtual instruction for the first quarter of the 2020-21 school year during the July 30 regular meeting. During the midpoint of that first quarter, school staff will evaluate the situation to determine if students can return earlier or if the length of online teaching will continue. Early indicators in the meeting leaned towards distance learning for some time period. During the first comment…
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Decision to remove Confederate monument in Charles City heads to ballot
The decision to remove a Confederate monument in Charles City will be in the hands of citizens at the November ballot. Charles City’s Board of Supervisors elected to send the issue to the referendum at their Tuesday night meeting after much discussion. The issue of the controversial monument that sits in front of Charles City’s Historic Courthouse arose at the board’s regular June meeting. With protesters continuing to vandalize and pull down the monuments, supervisors decided to address the issue at its forefront. At that meeting, County Administrator Michelle Johnson proposed forming a committee to decide the fate of the…
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New Kent schools leaning towards parent/guardian choice for 2020-21 reopening
The task of planning to return back to an educational environment has been a task for several school systems in Virginia. A Tuesday night special board meeting by New Kent’s School Board provided just a miniscule sample of opinions from the community about how schools should reopen for the FY2020-21 year due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. School board members convened for three hours at the work session, with many leaning towards having the parental/guardian option to choose for their child to learn either through a hybrid plan or an all-virtual plan. For nearly the first two hours, Director of…
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