Henrico County officials surprised longtime Tuckahoe District Supervisor Pat O’Bannon Wednesday afternoon by naming the boardwalk and trail at Tuckahoe Creek Park for her. O’Bannon is retiring at the end of the year following seven terms and 28 years on the board. O’Bannon helped hatch the idea for the park, which first opened in 2016 along a section of the creek adjacent to Ridgefield Parkway, later expanded in 2020 and will expand again in a significant way in the years ahead. “A community amenity like Tuckahoe Creek Park does not happen without political leadership,” Henrico County Manager John Vithoulkas said...Article Link

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Henrico County Public Library will kick off its 2023 Summer Reading program Thursday, June 15 for readers of all ages. This year’s theme, “All Together Now,” celebrates kindness, friendship and unity through reading. The program aims to encourage readers collectively to read 100,000 books through Aug. 15. During last year’s challenge, participants read nearly 80,000 books.   Participants will set their own reading goals, log their reading and learning activities and receive prizes as they advance. Participants will receive a pencil and a bookmark for signing up and be entered into a gift card drawing when they complete their first learning...Article Link

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The Varina Ruritan Club recently raised ,000 during its second sporting clays event at Old Forge Sporting Clays in Providence Forge. The money will be used to help local nonprofits and others in need locally. Ruritan Club members helped as trappers for shooters at the event.Article Link

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The kids are not all right, and they aren’t afraid to tell you that. On college campuses in Virginia and nationwide, students are increasingly reporting struggles with mental health. Study after study has shown rising cases of anxiety, depression and other forms of psychological distress among students aged 18 to 25 — trends that predate but were exacerbated by the isolation and disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic. “The complexity of the mental health challenges that students are facing and when they come for the first time in the clinic are growing,” said Kevin Hughes, vice president of student affairs and...Article Link

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Virginia’s 57th House of Delegates District was completely redrawn in 2021, has no incumbent delegate and may be a tight race come November; Democrats Susanna Gibson and Bob Shippee are running in the June 20 primary election for the chance to face Republican David Owen in the November general election. The 57th District covers the eastern side of Goochland County as well as most of Short Pump with a portion of Henrico County’s Three Chopt District. Before Virginia’s 2021 redistricting process, the 56th District covered this area, but it also included all of Louisa County and a portion of Spotsylvania...Article Link

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Henrico County Public Schools will participate in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Summer Food Service Program, offering meals to children during the summer at 25 area sites this summer. The federal program is administered in Henrico by the HCPS Department of School Nutrition Services, to help ensure that children receive nutritious meals when school is not in session. After each scheduled meal service for children enrolled in summer programs is over, meal service will begin for others age 18 or younger who are accompanied by a parent or guardian. Parents and guardians are not eligible for the free meal service....Article Link

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Henrico County will host three information sessions this summer for people interested in becoming foster parents or offering respite care for other foster parents – beginning with one June 14 at Fairfield Library, 1401 North Laburnum Avenue, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The two other sessions each will take place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., as well – one July 12 at the Henrico Department of Social Services, 8600 Dixon Powers Drive, and the other August 9 at Fairfield Library. To obtain a license to become a foster parent or respite parent (by providing breaks for other foster...Article Link

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The Cameron K. Gallagher Foundation recently received a ,796 donation from Gale, a global provider of research and digital learning resources. The foundation is named for a Henrico girl who died at 16 after completing a half-marathon in March 2014. The June 6 donation came from proceeds of Cameron’s Collection and Cameron’s Camp for Wellness on the Gale eBooks platform, resources designed to support education and awareness of student mental health and wellness. The collections are sets of eBooks created by Gale that help students better understand their mental health and provide guidance to strengthen their social and emotional learning...Article Link

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A traffic reduction and safety project envisioned by Henrico officials for more than two decades has finally earned federal approval. The Federal Highway Administration recently signed off on the county’s plans to build an interchange at I-64 and North Gayton Road in Short Pump, green-lighting a project that county officials have been working in earnest to advance for about eight years. The new interchange – and associated enhancements to the I-64/West Broad Street interchange about three miles to the east – “will have major ramifications on our future, specifically our community’s quality of life and continued prosperity,” Henrico County Manager...Article Link

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Virginia’s 80th House of Delegates District, which includes a swath of Northern Henrico County stretching from the Glen Allen to the edge of Highland Springs, has no incumbent delegate because of Virginia’s 2021 redistricting process. But Democrats Destiny Levere Bolling and John Dantzler both have their eyes set on the seat and are campaigning to win the party primary on June 20. The district is considered heavily Democratic – about three-quarters of voters in it cast their ballots for Democrat Terry McAuliffe in the 2021 gubernatorial election, according to the Virginia Public Access Project – so this primary may effectively...Article Link

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