Local mom Amber Lancaster was inspired to make a difference in her community after seeing many kids with nothing to do during the COVID-19 pandemic. So, she created a non-profit to help kids have a chance to participate more in afterschool activities. “For a community as well-to-do as the Richmond region, no kid who wants to join a school activity should be kept out because they can't afford to rent an instrument, or buy track shoes, or provide their drama costume,” Lancaster said of the obstacles that can come when paying for students’ activities. Her creation – Start 1 Spark...Article Link

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Gov. Glenn Youngkin recently appointed Austin R. Palmore of Henrico to the Virginia LGBTQ+ Advisory Board. Palmore is a judicial law clerk with Henrico County Circuit Court. *** Grace MacDougall of Glen Allen was named to the fall 2022 dean’s list at Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pa. To qualify for the dean’s list, students must earn a semester grade point average of 3.7 or higher. MacDougall, a graduate of Trinity Episcopal School, is a junior majoring in Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies and Japanese. *** The following local students graduated in December from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta:...Article Link

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Virginia is taking a deeper dive into the award-winning SMART SCALE transportation funding process used by multiple jurisdictions, seven years after the program went into effect. SMART SCALE began distributing awards in 2017 and 2018 as part of a process to determine “the right” transportation projects to prioritize, based on which projects benefit taxpayers the most. Reviews of the operation have occurred after each of the last four rounds of funding. This year’s process is being conducted by a working group made up of Virginia’s Office of Intermodal Planning and Investment, which advises transportation leadership on decisions, and several consultants...Article Link

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Deep Run High School The Wildcats had a strong showing at CNU’s 37th HS Captains Classic this past weekend, where they produced some of the state's top performances early in the outdoor season. Noah Arjona ran a Class 5-leading time of 11.34 in the 100-meter dash to finish second, Jack McDonald ran a personal best time of 52.90 to finish seventh overall, and Jahleel Miller (the indoor state runner-up in the shot put) had a massive 17-foot personal best in the discus, throwing 141 feet, 2 inches to finish fifth overall. Miller’s throw currently sits as the second best mark...Article Link

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Commonwealth Commercial Partners, LLC recently announced the following lease transactions in Henrico County: Signature Commercial Solutions, LLC – leased 1,765 SF at 4198 Cox Road (Eric Hammond, Eliza Izard and Russell Wyatt represented the landlord); Commonwealth of Virginia—Department of General Services – leased 2,736 SF at 9830 Mayland Drive (Ben Bruni and Russell Wyatt represented the landlord); Shannon Wilson Howell – leased 1,837 SF at 11551 Nuckols Road (Eric Hammond, Jamie Galanti and Russell Wyatt represented the landlord); Raymond Engineering—Georgia, Inc. – leased 3,006 SF at 7130 Glen Forest Drive (Eric Hammond, Eliza Izard and Russell Wyatt represented the landlord...Article Link

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A chance to take part in a rock-painting party drew a crowd to the Virginia Cliffe Inn March 9, for what the Inn's owner hopes will be the first of many family-oriented activities to engage the community. As adults and children gathered under a tent behind the Glen Allen inn to decorate stones with inspirational slogans, cheery messages and colorful pictures, Janice Clifton reveled in the chatter and smiles and explained that her co-workers came up with the idea. Located on a historic property that held a 19th-century farmhouse, the inn was constructed by Clifton's father, using materials from the...Article Link

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Vendors are being sought for the Carytown Spring Market, which will take place Saturday, May 13, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 2810 West Cary Street in Richmond. Interested vendors should click here to register and learn more. The deadline to apply as a vendor is Friday, April 14, and acceptance letters will be emailed by Friday, April 21. The vendor fee is , and a donation of a product is requested to be used for a raffle. For details, call (804) 683-0841 or email [email protected]. All proceeds from the raffle and from vendor fees will benefit Area 10 Faith...Article Link

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In a shift from Virginia’s last three governors, Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration is requiring people with felony convictions to proactively apply to regain their voting rights upon release from prison and is not automatically restoring rights for any group of offenders. In a letter sent to a Democratic state senator this week in response to questions about an apparent slowdown in the pace of rights restoration grants after Youngkin took office, Secretary of the Commonwealth Kay Coles James said the administration’s policy is to give former inmates an application upon release that explains how they can ask for their civil...Article Link

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2800 block of Dumbarton Road – Police arrested and charged a citizen(s) with possession of cocaine and synthetic drugs and other weapons violations at an apartment complex March 17 at 9:07 a.m. Mapleton Road at Ridgecrest Drive – Police arrested and charged a citizen with driving under the influence at a vehicle accident March 17 at 5:24 p.m. 2200 block of Old Brick Road – Police arrested and charged a citizen with being drunk in a public place at a bar/lounge March 17 at 11:34 p.m. 5500 block of Williamsburg Road – Police arrested and charged a citizen with strangulation...Article Link

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Editor’s note: This is the second in a series of article profiling candidates for local elected office. It features the two Democratic candidates for the Tuckahoe District supervisor’s seat. A previous article profiled the two Republican candidates for the seat. * * * The pending retirement of longtime Tuckahoe District Supervisor Pat O’Bannon will open her seat next year, and two Democrats – Jody Rogish and Anne-Marie Leake – are campaigning to become their party’s nominee in the November general election for the seat. Anne-Marie Leake Anne-Marie Leake’s tenure as director of the Henricopolis Soil and Water Conservation District, on...Article Link

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