Updates from Henrico Citizen

Midway through the legislative session, House Republicans say they’re still focused on jobs, education, government reform and public safety – and they dispute Democratic charges that they’re pushing a “social issues” agenda. Members of the House Republican Caucus discussed their priorities after “crossover day,” the deadline for each legislative chamber to act on its own bills. “Of 603 bills passed in the House, over 42 percent have dealt with issues of jobs, education, government reform and safety,” said House Speaker William Howell of Fredericksburg. “These are the four main points of the Republican Party.”

Henrico County Public School Art students received a total of 148 awards in the recent Scholastics Art competition. The Gold Key award, which is the highest recognition, was given to 59 works created by students in Henrico. The Gold Key winners’ artwork has been sent for national adjudication. National awardees and teachers will be celebrated at regional ceremonies, public events and the National Ceremony at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

Henrico County’s Office of Emergency Management will offer free Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training beginning in March. The nine week course will be offered on Tuesday mornings from March 6 to May 1 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. or on Thursday evenings from March 8 to May 3 from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. The class will cover disaster preparedness information on weather awareness, fire safety, search and rescue, first aid tips and how to help first responders, incident command and system overview and crime prevention and awareness. Classes will involve hands-on practical instruction.

Navy Seaman Recruit Kewonn M. Jones, son of Sandra R. Jones, of Richmond, recently completed U.S. Navy basic training at Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, Ill. During the eight-week program, Kewonn completed a variety of training which included classroom study and practical instruction on naval customs, first aid, firefighting, water safety and survival, shipboard and aircraft safety and physical fitness. The capstone event of boot camp is "Battle Stations,” an exercise that gives recruits the skills and confidence they need to succeed in the fleet. "Battle Stations" is designed to galvanize the basic warrior attributes of sacrifice, dedication, teamwork and endurance in each recruit through the practical application of basic Navy skills and the core values of Honor, Courage and Commitment. Its distinctly ''Navy'' flavor was designed to take into account what it means to be a Sailor. Kewonn is a 2002 graduate of Highland Springs High School.

Legislators and medical experts are concerned about the rising use of synthetic drugs known as “bath salts,” which cause a cocaine-like high – and in rare instances can cause death. The stimulant, promoted by some YouTube videos and websites, is not to be confused with everyday bathing products. After smoking, inhaling or injecting the designer drug, users may experience euphoria – as well as nausea, seizures, paranoia and other side effects, experts say.

A House subcommittee has defeated a Senate-approved bill that would have permitted hunting on Sundays in Virginia. A subcommittee of the House Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Committee recommended Wednesday that Senate Bill 464 be tabled. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Ralph Northam, D-Norfolk, would have allowed hunting on Sundays on private property by the landowners, their immediate family or people who have written permission from the landowners. At Wednesday’s meeting of the Natural Resources Subcommittee, Northam proposed an amendment to limit Sunday hunting to state or federal military bases and wildlife management areas.

Love conquers all. Well, maybe not all, but when the chemistry is just right, love can overcome lots of obstacles. We talked with three couples who are living proof that love can conquer a great deal including challenges presented by coming from different cultural or racial backgrounds. These couples share their stories of love, romance and how they keep the spark alive after years of being together. Mark Fowlkes and Aimee Wroten Mark, who is black, and Aimee, who is white, have been together for almost 11 years. The couple (pictured above, upper right) met in West Chester, Pa. and moved to Henrico County about three years ago. They have four daughters. Mark is a talker while Aimee tends to be a little quieter.

Democratic leaders and women’s right advocates sounded the alarm Thursday about three bills they said would limit a woman’s reproductive freedom in Virginia. They said House Bill 1, which would grant individual rights to an embryo from the moment of conception, would be a step toward making all abortions illegal. On Tuesday, the House of Delegates passed the measure on a 66-32 vote.

The Virginia Education Association, which represents the state’s teachers, can breathe a little easier about legislation to overhaul how teachers are hired and evaluated. VEA leaders were alarmed Monday when the House voted 55-43 for a bill that would end what critics describe as a tenure system for public school teachers. Under the bill, sponsored by Delegate Richard “Dickie” Bell, R-Staunton, new teachers and principals would receive three-year contracts instead of continuing contracts – making it easier to fire them.

Henrico Del. Jennifer McClellan said home-schooled children could have an unfair advantage over other students under a bill that would let them participate in public school sports. “It doesn’t create a level playing field because public school kids have a lot of regulations they have to live by,” said McClellan, who voted against the bill that passed the House last week. “Home-schooled kids could spend two hours in the morning at the gym. You have two different sets of kids competing for spots on the same team.”

Kitchen Thyme, Richmond’s first commercial kitchen for rent by the hour, recently opened its first location at 7801-25 W. Broad St. Kitchen Thyme is two commercial kitchen spaces under one roof and will be made available to food trucks and carts, caterers, chefs, and farmers’ market vendors and bakers. For the home-based chef, Kitchen Thyme offers a dream kitchen as well as a space to host parties including a full range of top-of-the-line equipment featuring Sub-Zero™ and Wolf™ appliances. Both kitchens are certified under the VDH and VDACS. Cold and frozen storage is also available for rent. Kitchen Thyme’s kitchens will be available for rent 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Its front office is open Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit http://www.kitchenthymerva.com.

The Henrico County office of the Virginia Cooperative Extension is accepting applications for Gardens Growing Families, a community garden program for county residents. For a nominal fee, individuals and families will receive expert help as they grow their own vegetables in plots at the Lakeside Garden, at Vale Street and Michael Avenue, near Lakeside Avenue; and at the Alma Avenue Island Garden, near Alma and Laburnum avenues. For the first time, a new garden on West Jerald Street in Highland Springs will be available.

Snagajob, named the number one Best Company to Work For in America in 2011, will host a special event for CEOs, senior HR professionals and senior company leaders on Wednesday, March 7 at Snagajob’s new office, 4851 Lake Brook Dr. in Innsbrook. Dr. Jennifer Robin, co-author of “The Great Workplace: How to Build It, How to Keep it, Why it Matters,” and Shawn Boyer, founder and CEO of Snagajob, will lead a discussion on what it means to be a great place to work, including the bottom-line business impact. Robin has done extensive research into the best practices of the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For in America, and Snagajob has been on the Best Companies list for the past four years.

Snagajob, named the number one Best Company to Work For in America in 2011, will host a special event for CEOs, senior HR professionals and senior company leaders on Wednesday, March 7 at Snagajob’s new office, 4851 Lake Brook Dr. in Innsbrook. Dr. Jennifer Robin, co-author of “The Great Workplace: How to Build It, How to Keep it, Why it Matters,” and Shawn Boyer, founder and CEO of Snagajob, will lead a discussion on what it means to be a great place to work, including the bottom-line business impact. Robin has done extensive research into the best practices of the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For in America, and Snagajob has been on the Best Companies list for the past four years.

The Henrico County office of the Virginia Cooperative Extension is accepting applications for Gardens Growing Families, a community garden program for county residents. For a nominal fee, individuals and families will receive expert help as they grow their own vegetables in plots at the Lakeside Garden, at Vale Street and Michael Avenue, near Lakeside Avenue; and at the Alma Avenue Island Garden, near Alma and Laburnum avenues. For the first time, a new garden on West Jerald Street in Highland Springs will be available.

Kitchen Thyme, Richmond’s first commercial kitchen for rent by the hour, recently opened its first location at 7801-25 W. Broad St. Kitchen Thyme is two commercial kitchen spaces under one roof and will be made available to food trucks and carts, caterers, chefs, and farmers’ market vendors and bakers. For the home-based chef, Kitchen Thyme offers a dream kitchen as well as a space to host parties including a full range of top-of-the-line equipment featuring Sub-Zero™ and Wolf™ appliances. Both kitchens are certified under the VDH and VDACS. Cold and frozen storage is also available for rent. Kitchen Thyme’s kitchens will be available for rent 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Its front office is open Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit http://www.kitchenthymerva.com.

The Springfield Park Elementary Knowledge Master Open team competed against 203 teams from all over the United States to place first in both the county and state, and 23rd in the nation overall. The Knowledge Master Open is an academic competition in which students work as a team to answer 100 questions on history, geography, literature, math, and science. The team has only 60 seconds to answer each question, and bonus points are awarded for answers generated in under 30 seconds.

The Springfield Park Elementary Knowledge Master Open team competed against 203 teams from all over the United States to place first in both the county and state, and 23rd in the nation overall. The Knowledge Master Open is an academic competition in which students work as a team to answer 100 questions on history, geography, literature, math, and science. The team has only 60 seconds to answer each question, and bonus points are awarded for answers generated in under 30 seconds.

Teachers do not seek out publicity or acclaim for what they do, but we believe they deserve to be recognized for their efforts. In our second annual ‘Henrico’s Top Teachers’ issue, we tell the stories of 20 outstanding Henrico County teachers. This year’s class includes teachers from throughout Henrico County who teach grade levels from preschool through high school and GED. They were nominated – along with more than 200 others – by readers during the month of November. The volume of nominations received for this section – more than double the number received for last year’s inaugural issue – was overwhelming. Nominations came from parents, grandparents, colleagues, administrators – even students and former students. Paring the number of candidates to just 20 was no easy task. We’re proud to present profiles of these teachers, who were selected for inclusion in this issue based on their professional successes and their personal touches. Each one has, in his or her own unique way, touched hundreds of lives and helped mold the future of Henrico County.