Virginia voters have about two weeks left to cast an early vote, in person. More than 287,000 people have already voted early in the Nov. 7 election, through both in-person and mail ballots. More voters have cast an in-person ballot than submitted a mail ballot, as of Oct. 18. However, just over 228,000 mail applications have been requested, according to the Virginia Public Access Project. This is the first time a full General Assembly election has had a 45-day early voting period and no-excuse absentee mail ballot rule. New laws made voting easier in 2021, and the number of absentee...Article Link

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SEPT. 27 Dragon Treats Dessert Café, 1404 North Parham Road – No violations reported during a routine inspection. Ridge Elementary School, 8910 Three Chopt Road – The following violations were reported during a routine inspection: milk crates cannot be used as shelves; floor drains and floor edges in dish room are dirty; wall between service area and kitchen is in poor condition. OCT. 2 MOD Pizza, 8671 Quioccasin Road – The following violations were reported during a follow-up inspection: temperatures of salami and blue cheese in both stations are elevated; floor edges still need to be cleaned thoroughly. Davis Elementary...Article Link

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Breaking ground on the Fall Line Trail in Lakeside; why child care is becoming less affordable in Virginia; the return of Virginia's sales tax holiday this weekend; why Virginia State Police are ramping up patrol efforts along I-64 today.Article Link

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A years-long vision to create a north-south trail through the Richmond region officially came to life Wednesday morning in Lakeside, when Henrico County officials joined representatives from Sports Backers to break ground on the first segment of the Fall Line trail at Spring Park in Lakeside. The trail ultimately will run 43 miles from Ashland to Petersburg, cutting through Hanover, Henrico, Richmond and Chesterfield and Colonial Heights along the way. Henrico is constructing its 7.5-mile segment from Spring Park to the Hanover County line at the Chickahominy River in eight parts during the next three years at a cost of...Article Link

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Child care is unaffordable for the majority of Virginia families with young children and nearly all low-income families with young children, a study by the state’s legislative watchdog found. According to the report by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, child care is unaffordable for 85% of Virginia families with infants, 82% of families with toddlers and 74% of families with preschoolers. Those percentages are even higher among low-income Virginians, with child care being unaffordable for 98% of families with infants, 98% of families with toddlers and 97% of families with preschoolers. Infants are generally defined as children ages...Article Link

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611 York Avenue - 2,500, 1,152 SF (built in 1966), from Leonard L. Clarke Jr. and Phyllis G. Clarke to David Bragg Sr. 135 Liberty Avenue - 9,500, 820 SF (built in 1997), from Altha S. Battle to Ibrahim and Tanya Giwa. 1413 Young Street - 2,500, 1,102 SF (built in 1939), from Charlene Roberta Longaker to Wen-Hao Van. 942 Taylor Green Drive - 7,630, 1,524 SF (built in 2023), from Godsey Properties Inc. to Chynna Holmes. 5922 Laurel Bed Lane, Unit A - 2,000, 1,507 SF (built in 2020), from Ian Joshua Clare to Satyavani Bommareddy. 2603 Jordan Court...Article Link

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Some 500 children and teens are in foster care in the Metro Richmond region, and local churches are pitching in to give their foster parents a break.  One of the ways that churches do this is through regular Foster Parent Nights Out in Henrico, Hanover and Richmond. These “FPNOs” are a simple way for churches to spend an evening loving on kids and teens in care while foster parents get a much-needed night out to connect as a couple, get some rest, or whatever they might need to continue caring for the kids. A full 50 percent of foster parents...Article Link

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The Transportation Security Administration has added a new explosive detection canine team at Richmond International Airport to enhance airport security. The canine team was trained at TSA’s National Canine Training Center in San Antonio, Texas. Hary is a 5-year-old German Shepherd and he was trained for 12 weeks along with his partner and handler, B. Kyle Smith, as they learned to work together to detect explosives and explosive materials in the busy transportation environment. The dog sniffs the air currents surrounding travelers and their belongings as they pass through the airport terminal in an effort to detect anyone who may...Article Link

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A state-led work group is recommending Virginia revise its Standards of Learning tests as part of broader plans to restructure the state’s system of assessing students and schools. The work group, which included Secretary of Education Aimee Guidera and Superintendent of Public Instruction Lisa Coons, was created by legislation known as House Bill 585, which charged it with recommending changes to the state’s assessment system and developing an implementation plan prior to the 2027-28 school year. The report issued Monday “illuminates the actions we must take to advance student outcomes, improve access to quality and timely information for parents, students,...Article Link

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Henrico Schools held its new “Próximo Pasos (Next Steps)” event for the county’s Hispanic and Latino students at J.R. Tucker High School recently to promote different pathways after high school. Military recruiters, college admissions officials, and nonprofit workers all spoke to students at the Oct. 11 event, part of a series of events put on by HCPS during October for Hispanic Heritage Month. Although the event was hosted at Tucker High because of the school’s high Hispanic population, buses also brought students from Hermitage High and Douglas S. Freeman High. Hispanic students have a high dropout rate in Henrico’s public...Article Link

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