A juvenile male faces five charges, including felony murder, after Henrico Police officials say they believe he stole a car in Eastern Henrico Aug. 7, then fatally struck another juvenile who was riding his bicycle on Williamsburg Road. The juvenile suspect, wearing a mask, is alleged to have approached a man in the 4300 block of Lakefield Mews Drive at about 10:30 p.m., brandished a firearm and demanded the victim’s vehicle, which he then got in and drove off. Police officers located the vehicle and initiated a pursuit on Williamsburg Road. The suspect was traveling at a high rate of...Article Link

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Nine finalists, chosen by an independent panel of judges from more than 104 submissions, have been selected for the 26th Annual Virginia Literary Awards. Winners in each category will be announced at a gala celebration to be held Oct. 14 at the Library of Virginia.    In addition, the event will include the presentation of honorary Patron of Letters degrees to two authors with local ties. Henrico High School alumnus and best-selling author David Baldacci will be honored along with his wife, Michelle, a passionate literacy advocate.  Award-winning children’s author Meg Medina, a Henrico resident, will also receive the honorary...Article Link

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Major changes are planned for the oldest shopping center in Henrico (and Metro Richmond). The owner of Willow Lawn, in Henrico’s Near West End, has filed plans that would remake the 67-year-old shopping center in a significant way for a third time – this time through the potential addition of more than 2,000 residential units and the slight expansion of commercial and office space (from about 463,000 square feet to about 510,000) at the nearly-38-acre site. In documents filed with Henrico County, officials with Maryland-based Federal Realty Trust (the shopping center’s owner since the 1980s) outlined their desire to redevelop...Article Link

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As the school year approaches, local residents are taking advantage of back-to-school prices to collect school supplies, along with personal care items and fun toys, to pack in shoeboxes to send to children in need around the world.  Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan’s Purse, will collect the gift-filled shoeboxes to deliver to children in more than 100 countries. For children like Justin Thomas, a shoebox recipient in Southeast Asia whose parents could not afford school supplies, access to these simple items is essential to an education. Thomas remembers the specific day he received a shoebox from Operation Christmas...Article Link

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The Chamberlayne Actors Theatre (or CAT) will kick off its 2023-2024 season with "Meteor Shower," from Sept. 16 to Sept. 29 at Brightpoint Community College.  A comedy about two unpredictable couples at a dinner party, "Meteor Shower" was written by Steve Martin and is intended for mature audiences. The season of comedy will continue into Winter 2024 with "Clever Little Lies," a comedy about family secrets; location and dates are to be announced. In June, "Keep on Laughing" will round out the season with nine performances at HATTheatre.  A new comedy by Paul Elliott, "Keep on Laughing will play from...Article Link

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A 49-year-old Henrico woman is dead following a domestic disturbance in a West End neighborhood Aug. 7. Amber Kavanagh Riley died in the incident, which occurred at a residence in the 9500 block of Downing Street, in the Gates Head neighborhood off Pemberton Road, at about 3 p.m. Henrico Police arrived and made contact with a man inside who refused to come out. A standoff lasting more than three hours ensued, before police took the man, 51-year-old Richard Alan Lombardi, into custody without incident at about 6:21 p.m. Police officials said they were investigating Riley's death as a homicide but...Article Link

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Samantha Greene of Henrico recently graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor of science degree in Psychology from Tufts University in Medford, Mass. *** Matthew Jahn of Glen Allen recently graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Business Economics from SUNY Cortland in New York. *** Jason Seitz of Glen Allen was named to the spring 2023 dean’s list at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colo. To be eligible for the dean’s list, students must earn a semester grade point average of 3.6 or higher. Seitz is majoring in Exercise Physiology. *** Neil Rapchick of Henrico was named to the spring...Article Link

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Henrico Schools is looking for one-on-one mentors for students as a part of the Henrico H.E.R.O.E.S. program for the 2023-2024 school year. The mentoring program – Helpers Engaged in Reaching Our Evolving Students – will accept community members that can commit to 30-45 minute sessions once a week with a mentee from October to May. Founded in 2009, Henrico H.E.R.O.E.S. implements mentoring programs for HCPS youth to help them in decision making, emotional growth, academic performance, and overall well-being. Mentors help encourage the students to have a better outlook on their future and post-high school plans, form healthy relationships, and...Article Link

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Christian Washington was trying to find ways to get students at his majority white high school to come to meetings of the school’s Black Student Union. And what’s the best way to incentivize high-schoolers to sit in a classroom during free period? Food. So when Washington started bringing chips, fruit snacks, and other goodies to the meetings, he was glad to see that more people started coming. But then he noticed that students weren’t just enjoying extra snacks, they were stocking up on food that could be one of their only meals that day. “I’m like, ‘well, hold up. What...Article Link

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In an effort to decrease unrestrained traffic injuries and fatalities, the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles has launched its 2023 Local Heroes campaign, encouraging drivers and passengers to wear their seat belts. In 2022, 375 people who weren't wearing their seat belts were killed in crashes in Virginia. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, proper seat belt use reduces the chance of suffering a fatal injury in a crash by nearly half. Virginia's seat belt use rate is 75.6%, according to a 2022 survey. This year's multimedia campaign features local first responders from the Greater Richmond area, including...Article Link

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