News for New Kent County and Charles City County, Virginia | February 13, 2026
Local News
Richmond woman receives three years in prison for distributing methamphetamine in New Kent
A Richmond woman will spend the next three years in prison for distributing drugs in New Kent County. Sharee Mae Smith, 33, of the 100 block of West Leigh Street, entered guilty pleas to one count each of distributing a Schedule I/II drug (second offense) and felony failure to appear as part of Monday proceedings in New Kent Circuit Court. In a summary of evidence presented by New Kent Commonwealth’s Attorney Scott Renick, on Apr. 2, 2024, New Kent Sheriff’s Office responded to a vehicle seizure and had a K-9 conduct a free air smith. The K-9 alerted officers of…
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New Kent County Public Schools announce new leadership in school division
New Kent County Public Schools have announced the promotion of one administrative intern to assistant principal at New Kent Elementary School and the return of a former New Kent Middle School principal to the same position. Megan Worrell has been promoted to the position of assistant principal at New Kent Elementary School. A graduate of Longwood University’s Administration and Supervision program, Worrell recently served as an administrative intern, classroom teacher, and math interventionist. Sammy Fudge returns to New Kent Middle School as principal after spending the last 10 years in North Carolina where he served as the assistant superintendent of…
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Fredericksburg man receives six-year prison sentence for Charles City crash that killed Hopewell woman
A Fredericksburg man will spend six years in prison after being sentenced for involuntary manslaughter involving alcohol that claimed the life of a Hopewell resident. Jules Jamar Stewart, 31, received formal sentencing on the lone count following Friday morning proceedings in Charles City Circuit Court. During a March 4 trial, during the early morning hours of Aur. 23, 2022, a white 2010 Ford Focus struck a 2002 Ford Explorer at the intersection of Roxbury Road and Wayside Road near the Colonial Mart Gas Station. The Focus, driven by Stewart, collided with the Explorer that was driven by Catherine Breeding. The…
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New Kent School Board developing policy to address use of AI in classrooms
With the ever-rising implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) in today’s setting, more and more students are relying on it to make advancements in their studies. New Kent County Public Schools is looking to grow that in a healthy way. New Kent County’s School Board held a discussion at Monday night’s meeting about how to implement AI without compromising the classroom. Safety and security will serve as one of the biggest parts of implementing AI in the classrooms. While it has continuously become a part of the classroom, New Kent County School Board leadership is looking to foster an environment that…
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Charles City supervisors adopt FY2025-26 budget, take out second RAN
Charles City County leaders adopted the FY2025-26 budget at Tuesday night’s regular board meeting. County supervisors voted 2-1 to approve a $29,714,222 budget for operations and Capital Improvement Plans (CIP) for the upcoming fiscal year. The budget includes no tax increase, meaning the real estate rate will remain at 69 cents per $100 of assessed value. Charles City Finance Director Christina Crawley-Jones commented at the May budget public hearing that expected revenue from AES ($1.9 million), the sale of land to C5 ($1 million) and additional funds of $192,120 will provide the county more than $3 million in new funding….
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New Kent’s adopted budget contains one-cent increase; courthouse project gets go-ahead from county leaders
New Kent’s FY2025-26 budget will only have a one-cent tax increase after Tuesday morning discussion by county leaders. New Kent’s Board of Supervisors approved a tax-rate of 60 cents per $100 of assessed value on real estate as part of its $136,543,336 adopted budget during the work session. For the past few months, New Kent’s Board of Supervisors have received pitches from New Kent County Administrator Rodney Hathaway about the possibility of raising taxes to fund future Capital Improvement Projects (CIPs). The two major projects that were part of the original three-cent proposal were the construction of a new elementary…
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Charles City High School shifting to A/B block schedule beginning in FY2025-26
Charles City High School students will see a new bell schedule when they return to schools next August. School board members voted to approve the switch from seven periods to eight blocks during Tuesday night’s regular meeting. Currently, high school students attend seven classes a day at 50 minutes per period. There is one period entitled “Pride Time”, which serves as a remediation period for 40 minutes each day. Starting in 2025-26, students will have four blocks per day, which they will attend every other day. Blocks 1-4 would be on “A” days, while blocks 5-8 would take place on…
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Indictments certified on more than 20 people in New Kent Circuit Court
More than 20 individuals were indicted by a grand jury as part of Monday morning proceedings in New Kent Circuit Court: –Bonnie Isabel Baldyga, 35, of the 2600 block of Little Creek Dam Road, Toano, on a single count of possession of a Schedule I/II drug. Baldyga allegedly possessed cocaine on Feb. 7. –Donesha Shante Bland, 34, of the 3400 block of Walmsley Boulevard, Richmond, on a solo charge of possession of a gun by a nonviolent felon. The offense allegedly occurred on Feb. 28. –Leroy Delgado Brown Jr., 25, of the 5300 block of Ironbridge Road, North Chesterfield, on…
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New proposed CC budget includes no tax increase; questions raised regarding revenue from Waste Management
Residents of Charles City may not be seeing an increase in taxes during the upcoming fiscal year. Charles City Finance Director Christina Crawley-Jones presented a new budget for FY2025-26 during Tuesday night’s budget public hearing. The amended budget factors in an expected increase of $1.9 million from AES. With the county receiving an additional $1 million for the sale of land to C5 and an additional $192,120, the additional revenue for the county now totals $3,092,120. This increase prompted Crawley-Jones to recommend no tax increase for the upcoming year, which would keep the real estate rate at 69 cents per…
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Charles City Planning Commission pushes data center forward to county leaders
Despite hearing opposition from several local citizens and concerns, a proposal for the construction of a data center by Diode will move forward for approval by Charles City County leaders. Charles City’s planning commission approved three amendments to rezone more than 500 acres of land for the development of the complex during a May 8 meeting. For the last eight months, citizens have questioned the intentions of the county and the benefits of having data centers. While the data centers would provide an additional revenue source for Charles City, citizens worried about the need for the rezoning of land and…
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