News for New Kent County and Charles City County, Virginia | February 21, 2026
Portsmouth man receives year in jail for assaulting emergency worker in Charles City
A Portsmouth man will spend a year in jail for assaulting a medical emergency officer in Charles City. Derek Tracy Croom, 61, of the 2200 block of Queen Street, entered the plea to one count of assault and battery on an emergency worker as part of a plea agreement reached Friday morning in Charles City Circuit Court. Two additional charges of assault and battery on a law enforcement officer were dropped as part of the deal. In a summary of evidence provided by Charles City Commonwealth’s Attorney Tyler Klink, on June 9, 2024, a Charles City deputy was operating radar…
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New Kent High School gymnastics captures first regional championship
New Kent’s Lady Trojans captured their first regional championship in gymnastics. Competing in Region 4B, the team amassed 140.175 points to win the championship meet. Atlee placed second with 137.925 points, with Broadway finishing in third place with 137.925 points. New Kent’s Ryan Griffith was named as the meet’s best all-around performer, scoring 37.35 points. Teammate Chloe Coyle placed fifth overall with 34.775 points. Griffith won three events, taking gold in the balance beam (9.6), floor exercise (9.725), and vault (9.6). Teammate Julia Kline tied for bronze in the vault with a score of 9.0. New Kent competed in the…
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Aird named as chairwoman to Committee on Local Government, Finance and Appropriations
Lashrecse Aird, who represents Charles City as a delegate in the state of Virginia, was appointed chairwoman of the Committee on Local Government and as a member of Finance and Appropriations. The position will allow her to construct plans of infrastructure to assist with economic development, housing, and energy planning to assist localities with plans and resources to improve community life.
New Kent takes care of Smithfield, grabs number one spot in regional playoffs
New Kent’s Trojans clinched the top seed in Region 3A in convincing fashion with a 66-48 victory over the visiting Smithfield Packers during the Feb. 16 Bay Rivers District contest. From the tip, New Kent set the pace of the game, jumping out to a 34-18 lead by the halftime intermission hit. When the break ended, Christian Joyner scored the first four points for the Trojans, with a free throw from Kingston Young pushing New Kent’s lead to 19 (39-20). Smithfield attempted to comeback, but the Trojans team continued to get consistent scoring from familiar faces in bigger roads. At…
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Milby selected as student worship leader at Ohio Statehouse Prayer Service
Hannah Milby, a resident of New Kent, has been selected as a worship leader during the Ohio Statehouse Prayer Service. The service, which will take place on Mar. 11, at 10 a.m., at Columbus, Ohio. Milby will represent Cedarville University’s Rekindle student leadership, whose purpose is to gather together to connect Christians with state lawmakers through worship and prayer.
Letter to the Editor: Says county need clear conversations discussing data centers in New Kent
At the Feb. 17 New Kent Planning Commission meeting, staff unveiled a draft Technology Overlay District (TOD) proposal; an initiative described as a proactive approach to planning for future data centers. Like many residents, I was surprised to learn the county is already laying the groundwork for data center development despite the fact that no formal applications have been submitted. TODs are a zoning mechanism that allow land to be predesignated for data center use. Once property is in one of these districts, a developer would only need an administrative conditional use permit. That means no project-specific public hearings and…
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