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Main Street in New Town (Gregory Connolly/WYDaily)

State and local officials are reviewing plans to open several main roads and parts of three central parking lots in New Town to timed parking that would range from 30 minutes to four hours per space.

Timed parking was first implemented in New Town in 2014. The parking spaces along Main Street were given four-hour time limits, and that system has worked well, according to Randy Casey-Rutland of Town Management, which helps manage the James City County mixed-use development.

“We’ve gotten more turnover and less people soaking up parking places all day long,” he said. “We haven’t had any complaints or problems from the public.”

Currently there are about 129 parking spaces subject to the four-hour restriction. The new plan would push that to 200 spaces allowed to have timed parking, with on-street parking along New Town Avenue, Discovery Park Boulevard, Courthouse Street, Foundation Street and Center Street each allowed to be limited.

A handful of spaces closest to commercial areas in a lot to the southwest of Sullivan Square and in the large lots on either side of Courthouse Street would also be allowed to have time limits, but those spaces represent only a sliver of the total available spaces in those lots.

The expansion of timed parking into the parking lots and Courthouse Street was approved by the James City County Planning Commission at a meeting Wednesday. Those lots and streets are privately owned, so only planning commission approval is required.

The rest of the project will require permission from the Virginia Department of Transportation and the James City County Police Department.

A specific timeline for expanding timed parking has not yet been established, though Casey-Rutland said it is likely to begin this year.

He said it has always been New Town’s intention to add more timed parking as the development has grown. He said occupancy levels have reached a point where it makes sense to increase timed parking in commercial areas to increase foot traffic and turnover.

This plan was submitted to James City County and shows the specific places where New Town wants to add timed parking. The areas in green have been approved by the county, while the areas in red still need approval from the James City County Police Department and the Virginia Department of Transportation.

“It just seemed like the right time to continue to move forward,” he said. “It’s been in process.”

He said that while the application seeks to expand it to several areas, it will not all happen at once.

“It’s going to come and go because the business that occupies different spaces can come and go,” he said. “Time limited parking isn’t something that’s fixed and never changes.”

WYDaily spoke with several merchants on Main Street whose businesses are located in the heart of the current timed parking area, and they all said the biggest issue with timed parking so far has been employees of New Town businesses who use the timed spaces.

“The only reason we need it is for the employees,” said Amanda Wilbourne, the owner of the Nautical Dog. “I think the signs need to be more visible.”

There are currently several small signs installed by the side of Main Street indicating the four-hour time limit. Wilbourne said most customers are in and out of the area within an hour.

Jeff Waters, the co-owner of fashion boutique Blue Green Aqua, said the timed parking has worked well so far.

“I’ve never had anyone complain about parking,” he said. “I think [timed parking] is very legitimate, especially in commercial areas.”

He said “a lot” of people who work in New Town businesses tend to use the timed spaces along Main Street. Sande Hubbard, owner of the Bead Tender, shared Waters’ complaint about employees, adding she would ultimately prefer to see no timed parking.

“I would hope somebody wouldn’t pull up here and park and shop for nine or 10 hours,” she said. “I would prefer no limitations. My customers are usually in and out in 20 or 30 minutes.”

She said when she holds classes and her customers are in the store longer, she encourages them to use the large parking lots located behind her business.

Enforcement for timed parking is left up to New Town. Offenders are given warning slips, with towing a possibility for those who continually exceed the limit.

Related Coverage:

• Timed Parking on New Town’s Main Street to Soon Go Into Effect
• Timed Parking Planned for New Town’s Main Street

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Two people have been arrested after police say they found marijuana, cash, packaging materials and another controlled substance in their car at a James City County gas station.

Sarah Anne King and Michael Brent Newman, both of Richmond, were sitting in a parked car at the Shell gas station on Barhamsville Road around 1 a.m. Sunday when an officer approached the car, said Stephanie Williams, a spokeswoman with the James City County Police.

The officer smelled marijuana and searched the car, where he found about 1 pound of marijuana in various containers, an unknown substance the officer thought was a Schedule I or II drug, about $3,000 in cash and packaging materials, according to a police report.

All of the evidence, along with the 2005 Toyota Corolla in which the suspects were sitting, was seized.

King, 20 and Newman, 36, were arrested and charged with felony possession with intent to distribute and felony possession of a Schedule I or II drug.

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The James City County Board of Supervisors listens Tuesday to a presentation from Ellen Cook of the county’s planning division about the plan to change the timing for road projects in Stonehouse. (Gregory Connolly/WYDaily)

The James City County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to allow the developers of Stonehouse to change the timing for constructing several roads, traffic signals and turn lanes outlined in the community’s master plan.

The previous plan split all of the improvements into three phases based off traffic levels, with a large parkway that runs from near the intersection of Old Stage Road and Rochambeau Drive to near the banks of the York River contained in the first phase.

The supervisors’ vote rearranges the timing of these projects, delaying the parkway as the developers have indicated they want to focus their attention on developing large commercial and industrial tracts along Six Mount Zion and Laurel roads and on building homes near what has already been developed along Fieldstone Parkway.

That plan indicates development of thousands of acres in the eastern and northern parts of Stonehouse is not forthcoming. Lingering malaise from the recession has slowed development in Stonehouse, prompting the developers to seek changes to the timing of the transportation plan.

“It was expected the eastern and northern side would develop early on back in 2007 and the [large parkway] would create a grand new entrance,” Attorney Vernon Geddy, the developer’s representative, told the supervisors Tuesday. “Of course we all know then the economy collapsed into the Great Recession.”

Stonehouse is a residential and commercial development with a master plan that outlines more than 4,400 residential units and up to 3.8 million square feet of commercial and industrial space. The development encompasses more than 4,600 acres in the northwestern-most part of James City County, running north from Interstate 64.

This map shows the route the parkway would take through Stonehouse. (Courtesy James City County)

The Stonehouse master plan requires more than 15 roads, traffic signals and turn lanes to be built as the development grows. Along with the large parkway required to run through much of the development, there will eventually be traffic signals located on Old Stage Road at its intersections with Fieldstone Parkway, I-64 West and La Grange Parkway.

The plan also calls for other improvements, including new turn lanes on Fieldstone Parkway, La Grange Parkway and Old Stage Road. The I-64 West offramp at exit 227 would receive a second lane, and Rochambeau Drive would be widened from where it narrows to two lanes by Faith Baptist Church to its intersection with Croaker Road.

The new plan still requires all of these improvements, but their timing has been moved so that they will not be triggered until the land they will serve is to be developed. While some of the projects will be triggered by traffic levels, others — like the traffic signals — will be built when the Virginia Department of Transportation says it is time.

A complete list of projects and their triggers can be found here.

Ellen Cook of the James City County Planning Division told the supervisors the new plan will not allow site plans for the large industrial and commercial areas to be approved unless the developers make good on their promise to improve the roads that provide access to them.

The supervisors did not say much prior to their vote. Supervisor Jim Kennedy (Stonehouse) represents the development on the board and said there “are a lot of challenges” associated with Stonehouse but that he would like to see it succeed.

“Certainly I think it’s viable,” he said of the changed timing on the transportation improvements. “I think it’s doable.”

Stonehouse was approved in November 1991 as a residential and commercial development with a proposed reservoir. Plans for the reservoir fell through in 1995 after the county was unable to secure a permit authorizing its construction.

Hundreds of homes have since been built on the western part of the development near the intersection of Old Stage Road and Fieldstone Parkway. Development has also started in the Stonehouse Commerce Park.

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John Hinckley, Jr.

After seven days of hearings in which lawyers argued for the full-time release of attempted assassin John Hinckley Jr., a judge will take some time to deliberate.

Hinckley, who has been visiting his 89-year-old mother at her home in Kingsmill Resort for several days at a time over the last year, is asking for full release to live with her permanently.

Hinckley was found not guilty by reason of insanity for the 1981 shooting of President Ronald Reagan and three others. For the time being, he remains committed to St. Elizabeths Hospital in Washington D.C. while Judge Paul L. Friedman considers the possibility of his release.

In December 2013, Hinckley was granted 17-day monthly visits to his mother’s home, where he is allowed to drive by himself, volunteer at Eastern State Hospital and attend social gatherings and events while keeping a daily log of his activities.

Over seven days of evidentiary court hearings in Washington D.C., Hinckley’s lawyers presented several witnesses, including Hinckley’s brother Scott, his sister Diane Sims and several St. Elizabeth Hospital doctors and staff, while arguing for his full release.

Court records do not indicate when Friedman will issue a written ruling.

Related Coverage:

• Judge Spells Out Conditions of Hinckley’s Visits to James City County
• Judge: More Time for Hinckley at Mother’s James City County Home
•  Hinckley’s Care Administrator Defends Long-Term Residency in James City County
• Secret Service Says Hinckley Has Acted Appropriately During Historic Triangle Visits
• Hinckley’s Next Hearing Set for Feb. 25
• Federal Judge Calls for Status Hearing on Hinckley
• Hospital Files Petition to Grant Hinckley More Time in James City County 
• Local Provider Pulls Out of Hinckley Treatment, Prosecutors Ask Judge to Deny Longer Visits
• Hinckley Lawyers Ask Court for More Visits to Williamsburg
• Hinckley to Gain Driving Privileges, Longer Kingsmill Visits
• Hinckley Wants to do Volunteer Work on Williamsburg Visits
• Hinckley Doctors Seek More Visits to Williamsburg

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A 1.56-acre parcel of Colonial Williamsburg Foundation-owned land across Pocahontas Trail from Carter’s Grove took a step closer toward hitting the open market Tuesday.

The James City County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve the foundation’s request to remove the land from the county’s Agricultural and Forestal District program. The land’s presence in the program would have made it difficult to sell to commercial developers.

The AFD Program is used for preservation of farming and forestry lands. The 1.56-acre parcel, located at 8766 Pocahontas Trail, was in an AFD along with Carter’s Grove, but since Carter’s Grove has been sold to Samuel M. Mencoff — who has no interest in the small parcel and left it in the foundation’s ownership during the sale of Carter’s Grove — the foundation wishes to divest itself of the property.

Now that the property is out of the AFD, the foundation can try to sell the property to someone interested in building something on the land. Its limited business zoning allows for a range of commercial uses.

“We believe the best use of parcel is to be sold for commercial development, [like a general merchandise store or pharmacy],” Mark Duncan, the foundation’s director of community, college and government relations told the supervisors. “These services are largely absent from the Grove community, and a withdrawal would provide the opportunity to offer this public service sooner.”

This map from the James City County Planning Division shows the land in question, located at 8766 Pocahontas Trail. (Courtesy James City County)

Duncan said there is currently no imminent sale of the land or development as it has been “hamstrung” by the AFD.

Supervisor John McGlennon (Roberts), whose district encompasses Carter’s Grove and the 1.56-acre parcel, said there is no likelihood the land will ever be used in a way that is consistent with the AFD program. The land was originally added to the AFD so the driveway to Carter’s Grove would be screened by trees.

He said the commercial enterprises suggested by Duncan are “very needed” in Grove.

Supervisor Michael Hipple (Powhatan), the chairman of the board, also voiced support for the removal before the board voted. Duncan was the only speaker during a public hearing for the removal.

The land is located at the intersection of Pocahontas Trail and Wisteria Gardens Drive. Its neighbors on the northern side of Pocahontas Trail are The Stuff Store to the west and 7-Eleven to the east.

AFDs have terms of four to 10 years. The AFD featuring the 1.56-acre parcel and the 317.7 acres of Carter’s Grove expired in September, prior to the sale to Mencoff. The foundation applied to renew the AFD, as having the AFD in place was considered prudent for a potential sale of the property, which was on the market at the time, Keith Johnson, the foundation’s director of property management, told the James City County Planning Commission in April.

A few criteria exist for whether a property can be removed from an AFD. A change of circumstances — which has typically been interpreted as the death of a property owner — counts, as does a request that serves a public purpose rather than the interest of the property owner. It can also not damage or disrupt the existing district.

By voting to approve the removal, the supervisors indicated they agreed with the foundation that a change in ownership counts as a change of circumstances and the development of a commercial service on the land serves the public interest.

Related Coverage:

• Colonial Williamsburg Looks to Sell Small Parcel in Grove
• Colonial Williamsburg Sells Carter’s Grove to Chicago-Based Preservationist, Businessman

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Children enjoy interacting with animals in the petting zoo at a past family fun fest. (Courtesy James City County)

Chickahominy Riverfront Park will play host to five hours of family fun on Saturday, with a 1-mile run, laser tag, a petting zoo, pony rides and live entertainment set to entertain people of all ages.

The James City County Family Fun Fest runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the 140-acre park, located by the Charles City County line off John Tyler Highway on the shores of its eponymous river. Admission is $5 per vehicle.

Several attractions will be open for the duration of the five-hour festival, including laser tag from TagTime LLC, a petting zoo and inflatable playground-style rides. Ponies will also be on site for kids who want to take the reins.

At 12:30 p.m., girls will get a chance to participate in a 1-mile run. Thirty minutes later, boys will get their shot at racing. Anyone interested in participating in the races can sign up on site.

The top finishers will be honored during a ceremony at 1:45 p.m. on the main stage, which will serve as a one-stop shop for family-friendly entertainment throughout the afternoon.

Performers include the Amazing Magic Dave, a cartoon show, dance performances from En Point Dance Academy and the Virginia Regional Ballet, martial arts demonstrations by Baeplex Martial Arts and World Champion Tae Kwon Do, a show from a band of puppeteers and duels by the College of William & Mary’s fencing team.

A small marketplace of craft vendors will offer their wares throughout the day. Goods for sale include jewelry, bags, candles, health products and Tupperware. Nearby, food vendors including Monny’s Food Service, ZPizza, Parrott Catering, The Return of the Mac and Sno-To-Go will have an array of foodstuffs available for purchase.

A  full schedule of performers and activities is available on the James City County website. The festival is a production of James City County Parks and Recreation, while the races are presented by Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center and Colonial Road Runners.

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Police are investigating after a 62-year-old woman said she was assaulted by a man who accused her of stealing his drugs.

James City County Police arrested 44-year-old Randy Emory Reed Wednesday after they were called to a local hospital, where they found the 62-year-old woman suffering from abrasions to her neck, multiple bruises and redness on her back, shoulder, stomach, thigh, chest and face and a laceration on her lip, Stephanie Williams with the James City County Police said.

The woman told police she was at a friend’s home off Pocahontas Trail Tuesday night when Reed accused her of stealing drugs from him. Reed is alleged to have held the woman in the home for about four hours, demanding she return the drugs. He then punched and choked her, Williams said.

Another woman who was present in the house attempted to call police, but Reed knocked the phone out of her hand and prevented her from leaving, police said.

The 62-year-old woman was able to escape after another person came to the door.

Reed now faces two felony counts of abduction, one felony count of malicious wounding and one felony count of strangulation.

He was arrested Wednesday morning and was denied bond Thursday.

Police said the case is still under investigation.

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Adam Alspaugh (Courtesy Virginia Peninsula Regional Jail)

A 27-year-old man faces up to 20 years in prison for stealing golf cart batteries from a defunct James City County golf course with another man.

Adam Lawrence Alspaugh pleaded guilty to one count of grand larceny. Charges of conspiracy to commit grand larceny, larceny with intent to sell, obtaining money by false pretenses and breaking and entering were dropped.

Alspaugh trespassed on the Colonial Golf Course in Lanexa Nov. 3 and 4 to steal golf cart batteries, authorities said.

Another man, 29-year-old Benjamin Hogge, has also been accused of participating in the theft.

Security cameras installed at the Lanexa site of the golf course captured a man driving a white Jeep Cherokee and entering the golf cart premises and standing near the golf cart garage around 11:30 a.m. Nov.4

After seeing someone approaching, the man got into the passenger seat of the car, and the driver left the area, driving through a wooded area and around a gate to get on the main road.

A maintenance worker later found three golf cart batteries with cut wires outside the garage.

About one hour later, Alspaugh sold 24 golf cart batteries resembling those used at Colonial Golf Course to James City County Recycling for $3,500.

Surveillance video from the previous day also showed Alspaugh and Hogge trespassing on the golf course around 11:30 a.m. That same day, Alspaugh sold 115 pounds of copper to James City County Recycling.

Maintenance workers at the golf course had previously reported thefts of copper pipes from the buildings on the course.

Alspaugh was in a white Jeep Cherokee belonging to the sister of Hogge’s girlfriend when he visited the recycling center Nov. 4.

Part of Alspaugh’s plea agreement with the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office indicated those withdrawn charges would not be reinstated against him.

Alspaugh’s pre-sentencing report is due July 8.

Hogge’s trial is set for June 15.

Related Coverage:

• One Man Accused of Stealing Golf Cart Batteries Heads to Grand Jury
• Two Men Accused of Stealing From Closed JCC Golf Course

WYDaily.com is your source for free news and information in Williamsburg, James City & York Counties.

A simulated view of the over-river power line from the Kingsmill area. (Photo courtesy Dominion)

The Supreme Court of Virginia announced Friday it will not rehear part of a contentious case over a power line proposed to cross the James River, leaving the critical decision of whether to allow a switching station in Grove in the hands of the James City County Board of Supervisors.

The court ruled in April that while the route for the proposed line from Surry County to a point near Carter’s Grove is acceptable, James City County still has the final say over whether to allow the switching station to be built in Grove.

Dominion Virginia Power and the State Corporation Commission — the regulatory agency that oversees Virginia utilities — appealed to the court in April to rehear the portion of the case concerning the rezoning, as the switching station is a critical component of the project.

The court released two brief documents Friday denying the bid for a rehearing without offering an explanation.

Dominion Spokeswoman Bonita Billingsley-Harris said in an email that the utility “respects” the court’s decision.

“[Dominion] continues to assess our multiple options regarding the switching station to move forward with the transmission line as ordered by the SCC and affirmed by the Supreme Court,” she wrote.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation is one of the groups leading the charge against the line.

“We’re very pleased with the outcome [of Friday’s decision],” said Sharee Williamson, associate general counsel for the group. “We believe the court made the right decision the first time, and we’re pleased to see they have declined to revisit the issue. Given the national significance of the historic resources at stake, we think this second look is important.”

April’s decision cleared the way for the lines to be built on latticed metal towers up to 295 feet tall, but it did not agree with the utility’s assertion the switching station is part of a transmission facility, which would have allowed Dominion to bypass local zoning ordinances to build the station.

If Dominion wants to move forward with building a switching station at the site it had previously selected in James City County, it will have to file an application with the county to receive a permit to build the station. The board of supervisors has the final say over the awarding of the permit. No application has yet been filed.

The county and several historic preservation groups strongly oppose the project, claiming it would mar the pristine vistas of the James River. They believe the utility has other options for a route that would not cause so much damage to the view.

But the utility says the route is the only acceptable place for the line to be built. It has issued a lengthy rebuttal of many of the routes suggested by the lines opponents, and it says if the line is not operational by 2017, the Peninsula may experience brownouts for up to 80 days per year. The line is required to offset the power lost by the impending closure of the Yorktown coal-fired power plant due to regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency.

The line was approved by the SCC last year, however that decision was appealed to the Supreme Court of Virginia by James City County, the Save the James Alliance and the James River Association.

The line would originate from a switching station near the Surry Nuclear Power Station. From there, it would cross the James River beginning at a point near the Hog Island State Waterfowl Refuge and coming ashore near Carter’s Grove. It would be most visible from Carter’s Grove, however the Colonial Parkway, the southern tip of Jamestown Island and residences in Kingsmill would also be affected.

Related Coverage:

• Dominion, SCC Seek Supreme Court Rehearing of Power Line Decision
• Supreme Court Sends James River Power Line Decision Back to JCC
• Nonprofit Groups Form Coalition to Oppose Dominion’s Proposed Line Across James River
• Supreme Court of Virginia Hears Arguments Over James River Power Line
• Preservation, Government Groups to Gather to Share Concerns on Proposed Over-River Line
• Virginia Supreme Court Agrees to Hear JCC Appeal on Dominion’s Over-River Power Line
• JCC Authority Won’t Grant Easement for Over-River Power Line
• Dominion Begins Construction in Surry for Over-River Power Line Despite Missing Permits
• BASF Appeals to James City Authority for Help to Prevent Power Line Route
• State Commission Approves Dominion-Preferred Over-River Power Line
• Dominion Asks SCC to Decide on Over-River Power Line by March
• SCC Hearing Examiner Recommends Against Dominion-Preferred Power Line Route
• Dominion Seeks Extension to Keep Yorktown Station Running Longer
• Dominion May Need to Resubmit Army Crops Application for Over-River Power Line
• James River Association Joins JCC Appeal on Over-River Power Line
• JCC Supervisors Vote to Appeal SCC Ruling on Dominion Over-River Power Line
• SCC Reopens Over-River Power Line Case, Sets Hearing Date
• SCC Reopens Case on Dominion-Proposed Power Line Over James River

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Kendall Driscoll (Courtesy James City County)

Twenty years of service to James City County, the place where he has spent almost all of his life, has seasoned Kendall Driscoll for his latest assignment as the county’s fire marshal.

The job requires someone ready to dive into the minutiae of building codes and fire regulations, as it is his office that is responsible for reviewing site plans for safety issues and for going out to newly constructed buildings to ensure they are not fire hazards.

Driscoll is also in charge of determining the cause of fires and investigating bombings, arsons and hazardous materials incidents.

“Every day is different,” said Driscoll, who has served as an assistant fire marshal since 2004. “We’ll have a day that we schedule different inspections and meetings and that sort of thing, but any time an emergency call can come in, we get to work on it. It’s not the same thing day after day.”

After 11 years as an assistant fire marshal, he decided to apply for the fire marshal position following John Black’s retirement at the end of last year. He loves working in the fire marshal’s office, where he is on the front lines and able to watch as new buildings are constructed and the county grows.

Candidates for the job were screened by a search committee, which ultimately recommended Driscoll to Chief Tal Luton, who agreed with its findings.

“He’s meticulous,” Luton said. “He’s an excellent researcher. If he gives you an answer to a question, you can be assured that it’s going to be the correct answer based on the research he has done.”

Luton’s decision to promote Driscoll to the job was taken to the county’s board of supervisors, which voted unanimously Tuesday to appoint him to the post.

The new job is a continuation of a career built solely on service to the county. After graduating from Lafayette High School, he spent four years at Longwood University, where he earned a degree in sociology. He then returned home and started work as a James City County police officer in 1995.

“From the time that I was young, I wanted to do something where I served the community,” he said. “I got to do that as a police officer. I enjoyed that. But I was looking for something with a more positive outcome, so that’s when I came to the fire department.”

He began work as a firefighter in 2001. A position then came open for an assistant fire marshal in 2004, and since he already had experience as an investigator and a law enforcement officer, he decided to request a transfer.

“The investigation side of it is pretty exciting,” he said. “When we can determine the cause of a fire, and if it’s determined to be intentionally set, we bring the person responsible for that to account.”

He will oversee three assistant fire marshals in his new position. There are four other people in the department trained to work in the fire marshal’s office if more hands are needed, but they primarily spend their time working as firefighters and EMS personnel.

For Luton, the appointment of Driscoll as fire marshal means that critical part of his department is in good hands.

“I have full faith in Kenny’s abilities to do the job,” he said. “I know that he’s going to be a good fit for the department and for the community.”

WYDaily.com is your source for free news and information in Williamsburg, James City & York Counties.

This week, a housekeeper is accused of stealing jewelry from a James City County house, and police are investigating two construction trailer break-ins.

Check out all the crime stories that did not make the headlines this week and others you may have missed below.

Second Suspect in Vineyards Car Break-ins Arrested

A second person has been arrested in connection with three car break-ins that occurred in a James City County neighborhood in April.

Micayla Osborn, 18, was charged with two counts of grand larceny, one count of credit card theft and one count of conspiracy to commit larceny after police say she and 19-year-old Aidan Feldman broke into and stole items from three cars in the Vineyards subdivision, located off Lake Powell Road.

A police report shows three GoPro cameras and other camera equipment, a wallet, clothes and gift cards were stolen from the three cars between April 5 and 7.

Feldman faces the same felony charges. He was arrested by James City County Police on May 6.

Housekeeper Suspected of Stealing Jewelry from JCC Homes

A Newport News man is facing grand larceny charges after being accused of stealing jewelry from multiple James City County homes.

Police said 35-year-old Christopher Lawrence Ingram worked for a housekeeping business and serviced the home in the 200 block of Stonehouse.

Stephanie Williams with the James City County Police Department said while working at the house and others around the area, Ingram stole jewelry multiple times between October 2013 and February 2014.

Police investigating the crime found Ingram pawned the missing jewelry.

Ingram now faces four felony counts of grand larceny. He was arrested May 7.

Two Charged in Connection with Busch Gardens Shoplifting

A 30-year-old man and a 40-year-old woman are facing a felony shoplifting charge after being accused of stealing items from Busch Gardens retail stores.

Busch Gardens security guards said they witnessed Joshua Duane Lacy taking jewelry from a display case in one of the retail stores May 9 with Penny Richardson.

The two were stopped and searched, and security personnel found other stolen items valued at a total of $1,100 along with a smoking devices containing residue, Williams said.

Lacy was charged with felony shoplifting, and a count of possession of a controlled substance is pending results from the forensic analysis.

A warrant for felony shoplifting has been obtained for Richardson.

Police Investigating Construction Trailer Break-ins

James City County Police are seeking information on items that were taken from two construction trailers on Colonial Heritage Boulevard.

A post on the county’s Facebook page Thursday said one or more suspects stole a GPS base station, two rotating lasers, copper and other tools from the trailers sometime between Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning.

There is no description of the suspects. Police are asking anyone who may have seen anything suspicious in the area to call Crime Line at 888-LOCK-U-UP.

Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000 if the information leads to an arrest.

In Case You Missed It:

• After seven days of hearings, a judge will deliberate whether to allow John Hinckley, the man who attempted to assassinate President Ronald Reagan, to live in James City County with his mother full-time.
• James City County Police arrested two people after finding a pound of pot and $3,000 in cash in their car.

WYDaily.com is your source for free news and information in Williamsburg, James City & York Counties.

The one-stop-shop for assembling stuffed bears will be coming to James City County later this year, with a tentative grand opening scheduled for Aug. 7.

Build-A-Bear Workshop will slot in at 5715 Richmond Road — near Banana Republic in the Premium Outlets — as one of a trio of stores planned for tourist-heavy areas across the country.

A spokesman for the company confirmed the planned store in an email to WYDaily.

The store will feature the classic workshop experience that defines the brand’s more than 400 locations nationwide. It is meant to appeal to children of all ages.

It will be the first Build-A-Bear Workshop in Greater Williamsburg. The nearest locations are in Short Pump outside Richmond and at Peninsula Town Center in Hampton.

WYDaily.com is your source for free news and information in Williamsburg, James City & York Counties.

Repair work is temporarily closing a section of a James City County recreational trail.

A portion of the Greensprings Interpretive Trail will be closed for bridge repairs today and Wednesday.

The repair work is focused on a footbridge that crosses a drainage ditch behind the Jamestown Hundred subdivision, between the Forebay drainage basins and the Fallen Tree interpretive signs.

Trail users will not be able to access the area while the repair work is going on.

The Greensprings Interpretive Trail is a 3.5-mile nature trail consisting of a wooden boardwalk that traverses beaver ponds, wetlands and forests. The trail features interpretive signs that discuss the environment, historical events and wildlife species.

The trail is open daily from sunrise to sunset.

The James City County Parks and Recreation department did not immediately respond to media inquiries.

WYDaily.com is your source for free news and information in Williamsburg, James City & York Counties.

Multiple units responded to the fire in the 3800 block of Rochambeau Drive. (Courtesy James City-Bruton Volunteer Fire Department)

Firefighters took more than 30 minutes Tuesday to get a fire under control at a house in Toano.

Units from James City-Bruton Volunteer Fire Department, the James City County Fire Department, the York County Fire Department and the New Kent County Fire Department responded to the house in the 3800 block of Rochambeau Drive at around 1:04 p.m. after an investigator driving around the area saw smoke coming from the home.

Firefighters arrived at the scene at 1:09 p.m. and found it engulfed in flames with the roof already collapsed, according to Bill Apperson, a spokesperson with the James City-Bruton Volunteer Fire Department.

Apperson said said no one was in the house at the time of the fire, and the cause of the fire does not appear to be suspicious.

The fire was brought under control by 1:45 p.m. With the blaze causing $250,000 in damage, the house is a total loss, Apperson said.

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A 30-year-old Norfolk woman was issued a ticket for leaving her dog unattended in the trunk of a car in 90-degree weather, police said.

A security officer working at the outlets first heard the dog “crying” at around 4:10 p.m. Saturday and went to investigate but was unable to see the dog in any of the seats, according to a police report.

The officer was able to unlock the car and reach the trunk by pulling down the rear seat. There, he found a small dog inside a dog crate. The dog appeared to be dehydrated, was panting and lying on his side and had urinated inside the cage, police said.

The officer poured water on the dog and gave him water to drink while he waited for James City County Animal Control to arrive.

The dog was in the trunk for at least 45 minutes, police said.

The dog’s owner, Latanya Samone Pratt, came back to her car while officers were still on the scene taking care of the dog, and police issued her a summons for cruelty to animals.

WYDaily.com is your source for free news and information in Williamsburg, James City & York Counties.

The Williamsburg-James City County School Board adopted its budget for next year Tuesday night. (Ian Brickey/WYDaily)

Williamsburg-James City County Schools are heading into the next fiscal year more than $4 million less than it requested from James City County and the City of Williamsburg.

The WJCC School Board adopted a $134.5 million budget for fiscal year 2016 at its meeting Tuesday night. More than $124 million of that budget is operating expenditures, including employee salaries and instructional funding.

The adopted budget for fiscal year 2016, which begins July 1, represents a 2.4 percent increase over last year’s total budget, and a 2.3 percent increase in operating funds.

Although the number has increased, the final total was less than what the school division hoped for. The budget adopted by the James City County Board of Supervisors provided the school division with about $610,000 less than what they had requested, while Williamsburg’s budget included about $108,000 less than requested.

The picture was similar for WJCC’s capital improvement plan, which outlines spending on large dollar construction projects in the school division. The division’s capital requests topped $30 million, including $25.8 million for phase one of its fourth middle school.

The county and city have included slightly more than $27 million of that request, including about $23.6 million for the fourth middle school project.

The joint schools contract, which governs the funding of the school division, lays out a 90.5 percent-9.5 percent split between the county and city for operational funding responsibility of the schools, but does not specify a funding formula for new school construction, leaving it to the two localities to negotiate a split.

Constantino said he was in talks with Williamsburg City Manager Jack Tuttle and County Administrator Bryan Hill, and both had expressed confidence to him the middle school funding issue would be resolved.

Board members were quick to point the disparity between what the school division initially requested and what the city and county were willing to provide.

“We’re in this position because James City County didn’t fully fund our funding request,” said Kyra Cook (City of Williamsburg).

School Board Chairman Jim Kelly (Jamestown) said it was important to consider the shortfalls in both the budget and capital requests to understand the magnitude of financial situation.

“We requested $30 million in capital and we got $27 million in capital, so our capital budget, which was a source of a lot of angst, was not fully funded,” Kelly said. “Our operational budget was not fully funded, so if you want to add those two numbers together, we’re really down about $4.1 million from what we requested.”

With the shortfall in the division’s original proposed budget and the local funding provided, Superintendent Steve Constantino said the board had to amend its approved budget to reflect the new fiscal reality.

WJCC Chief Financial Officer Christina Berta presented recommendations for cuts to the original budget proposal that would reflect the current funding situation.

Berta said the school division had to cut its original budget by at least $126,703 to come in line with the approved local funding numbers. This included positive adjustments to revenue projections, the reduction of a technology refresh by $100,000 to $605,000, a decrease in the number of new teacher positions from nine to seven, and a cut to the number of new school buses purchased from five to three.

Other cuts included the elimination of a paid psychology intern position, which would save $16,500, and reducing the amount of additional funding for targeted tuition assistance, which helps teachers further their education, by half to $37,500.

If the school board wished to go ahead with the purchase of five school buses, Berta said it would need to cut and additional $500,000 to cover the costs.

Constantino said a decision did not have to be made Tuesday night, but said if it came down to hiring more teachers or replacing buses, he would advocate for hiring the teachers.

“If it turns out that the nine teachers are needed, I would most likely come back to you in August and recommend that money be transferred into those two positions, and we don’t purchase those new buses,” Constantino said. “Conversely, if not, then we go ahead and make the purchase.”

WYDaily.com is your source for free news and information in Williamsburg, James City & York Counties.

Tide Radio is celebrating 10 years in Williamsburg with a concert from Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers. (Nicole Trifone/WYDaily)

Tom Davis is no stranger to good music.

The previous owner of two radio stations in Massachusetts, Davis was shopping for another station in 2005 and settled on Williamsburg and 92.3FM The Tide in the hopes of bringing meaningful, quality music to the community.

On Thursday, Davis and his team are celebrating the community that embraced the advent of a hyperlocal radio station — and eventually, news — by throwing a 10th anniversary birthday party starring Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers at Lake Matoaka Amphitheater.

Back in 2005, Davis sought to offer Williamsburg-area citizens something other than top hits, the same 300 songs other radio stations that reached the area tended to play. The Tide became a Triple A, or Adult Album Alternative station, playing a wide variety of music genres that are not necessarily mainstream and that appeal to both men and women between the ages 25 and 54.

Davis also purchased 107.9 Bach FM, a classical music station in Williamsburg.

With Tide Radio, Davis looked to bring Williamsburg business owners the local, effective advertising they were not offered when they worked with Richmond- and Norfolk-based stations.

“It was a great place to bring local radio back with a really local audience who wanted it,” Davis said of Williamsburg.

He invited Williamsburg-native Hornsby to sign on as a Local Voice investor, and the singer played an inaugural concert in Williamsburg in 2005.

Davis also quickly recruited a team that included Derek Mason and Tommy Mahnken to manage sales and production, respectively, who are still with the company 10 years later.

The two were tasked with convincing business owners that radio advertising with The Tide could actually be beneficial; that Tide listeners would be interested in learning the stories of their neighbors, their fellow community members, and would therefore be more inclined to shop locally. Once the businesses were on board, it was a matter of finding and telling the local businesses’ creative stories without overpromising.

In the process of building relationships with local business owners and listeners of The Tide, Davis realized Williamsburg lacked a community hub, a center where hyperlocal news and information could be shared quickly and effectively.

“It was very clear that this area needed a daily, dedicated newspaper that was going to provide purely local news and, frankly, without an editorial slant,” Davis said.

Three years into establishing  The Tide, Davis launched Williamsburg Yorktown Daily with the idea of having a free, online newspaper powered by radio.

Davis said the company faced its share of naysayers who opposed the idea and waited for his idea to fail.

“Williamsburg has always been a place that, to some degree, there’s a vocal resistance to change, but underneath that, there’s actually a big wave of people really enjoying the fact that this town is transforming,” Davis said.

WYDaily was born in 2008, and Local Voice has since procured radio stations in three other locations — Wilmington N.C, Columbia S.C. and Virginia Beach, launching online newspapers in Wilmington and Columbia with a newspaper on the horizon for Virginia Beach.

Davis launched the other radio station-newspaper collaborations with the same mindset he brought to Williamsburg 10 years ago: to give people good, quality music and local news they could trust.

“This is really more about celebrating how incredibly generous the community has been,” Davis said on celebrating 10 years as a company. “It really is about this huge group of people who define where we live, who have loved The Tide and Bach and WYDaily and loved Bruce [Hornsby] and they embrace the hometown-ness of it all.”

Reflecting on his 10 years with The Tide, Davis said he was most proud of building a team that shares a common goal.

“To us, it’s like we finally brought something back that could create a center of communication and community that they could trust,” he said. “Everybody wants that. No matter how tight the global community gets, we still boil right down to wanting to feel like we are part of a smaller community.”

Related Coverage:

• Bruce Hornsby to Perform in Williamsburg for Tide Radio’s Tenth Anniversary

WYDaily.com is your source for free news and information in Williamsburg, James City & York Counties.

James Blair administrative offices

The Williamsburg-James City County School Division is upgrading its security system across the division.

The WJCC School Board approved the installation of a new video security system provided by Op Tech that will allow administrators to access school security systems and cameras remotely or on site at the school buildings.

Berkeley Middle School is currently the only school in the division with cameras that can be remotely accessed by administrators. Berkeley’s system upgrade was paid for through a grant from the Virginia Department of Education issued in September 2014.

The $150,000 expenditure will be paid for with previously approved funds for a project to renovate the bleachers at Jamestown High School in the division’s capital improvement plan for fiscal year 2014. The finance directors for James City County and the City of Williamsburg both signed off on repurposing the funds.

In February, WJCC issued a request for proposals for the project and received eight responses. WJCC administrators reviewed four of the proposals, and selected Op Tech’s, which was also the lowest bid.

WJCC Senior Director for Operations Marcellus Snipes said the new system was needed to coordinate the security cameras at the division’s 15 school buildings, which are not uniform. Some of the cameras are analog, while others are digital.

The digital cameras allow users to manipulate the screen, save images, and enhance and enlarge images.

Because the cameras can be accessed remotely, emergency responders will be able to view feeds from the cameras in the case of an emergency situation.

Snipes said the division’s long-term plan is to upgrade all the security cameras across the division to digital, with the new system serving as a temporary fix. The system will also allow digital cameras to plug into it as they are installed across the division.

No additional cameras will be installed through the project.

The school board was unanimous in backing the upgrade.

“I’m happy we’re doing this,” board member Joe Fuentes (Powhatan) said.

Installation of the new system is expected to occur in the next few months.

WYDaily.com is your source for free news and information in Williamsburg, James City & York Counties.

Courtney Gonzalez-Vega (Courtesy WJCC Schools)

Williamsburg-James City County Schools’ teacher of the year became a high school science teacher in spite of her high school science class.

Jamestown High School earth science teacher Courtney Gonzalez-Vega was honored as the division’s teacher of the year in a ceremony earlier this month for her dedication to her students and educational achievements, but her path to the classroom was not a preordained one.

As a high school student in Newport News, Gonzalez-Vega was interested in geology. The environment, the natural world and how people shaped it fascinated her.

She was disappointed when her high school earth science class focused more on theoretical material in the textbook than hands-on activities.

“I’ve always liked it,” Gonzalez-Vega said. “My mom says I used to pick up rocks as a toddler.”

Although the class was disappointing, Gonzalez-Vega did not lose her interest in geology, going on to major in the subject as a student at Old Dominion University.

One class at ODU had a lasting impact on Gonzalez-Vega’s future, but it was not a science course. She enrolled in an introduction to education class to see if she would enjoy it.

Gonzalez-Vega enjoyed it so much she added education as a major, and turned it into a career after she graduated from ODU.

After a seven years of teaching in the Virginia Beach area, Gonzalez-Vega came to Jamestown High, which has been her home since 2008.

At Jamestown, Gonzalez-Vega teaches earth science, and will pilot the school’s AP environmental science program next year. Both classes combine her first love of geology and late blooming passion for teaching.

Her classes focus on things like mineral resources and water, and how human activity affects the environment. Drawing on her own disappointing classroom experiences as a student, Gonzalez-Vega incorporates as much experiential learning as she can in her lessons.

“We do lots of hands-on labs,” she said. “Science should be fun and engaging. Let me rephrase that. Science is fun and engaging.”

In an effort to maximize lab time during class, Gonzalez-Vega instituted a new practice called “flipping” into her lessons. She records lectures and posts them onto YouTube. Students can watch the videos at their own paces and come to class the next day prepared to put the material into practice.

Gonzalez-Vega said she emphasizes the practical application of science and lab work as a way to both teach the material and to teach life and career skills.

“It really helps out with what they need, like collaboration, problem-solving and working together,” she said. “The great thing about science is that they can create their own questions and their own answers. They can ask open-ended questions and work with partners to solve them.”

Her dedication to her students was a key factor in receiving Jamestown’s teacher of the year honor, where teachers nominate and vote for the building’s most outstanding educator from the past year.

Gonzalez-Vega was also named WJCC’s high school level teacher of the year for 2014-2015, putting her in the running for the division-wide teacher of the year honor.

For the second round of the competition, Gonzalez-Vega had to write a series of essays, was interviewed by a panel, and had division administrators sit in on one of her classes – unannounced.

“We were doing a lab, and then [Superintendent Steve Constantino] and the school board walked in,” Gonzalez-Vega said.

The observation went well, and Gonzalez-Vega was named WJCC’s high school teacher of the year, earning an invitation to a celebration at the College of William & Mary’s School of Education. It was at that ceremony she found out she had been honored as the WJCC teacher of the year.

“I was so surprised to find out I’d won when there are so many great teachers here,” Gonzalez-Vega said.

Gonzalez-Vega now moves on to the regional teacher of the year competition. She said she isn’t getting her hopes up, but already feels honored by the recognitions she has received from her peers.

“I was humbled and so proud of that,” Gonzalez-Vega said. “I love working at Jamestown.”

Related Coverage:

• Bruton High Educator’s Focus on Literacy Leads to YCSD Teacher of the Year Honor

WYDaily.com is your source for free news and information in Williamsburg, James City & York Counties.

Lumber Liquidators headquarters is in Toano.

Lumber Liquidators Founder Thomas Sullivan has stepped up as interim president and CEO for his company following the unexpected resignation of Robert M. Lynch.

The Toano-based company announced Lynch’s departure in a Thursday news release, saying Lynch “unexpectedly resigned” earlier this week.

Sullivan founded the company in Massachusetts in 1993.

“I am really proud of the LL Team and I look forward to working with them and providing our customers with the best hardwood floors at the best prices as we have since I founded the Company over 20 years ago,” he said in the release.

The release did not offer a reason for Lynch’s departure, and a spokesman for the company declined comment beyond what was contained in the release. Lynch began work as CEO in January 2012.

The company has been under fire for more than a year due to allegations it imported Chinese laminate flooring with elevated levels of formaldehyde and that it imported wood from the habitat of an endangered tiger from Asia.

The formaldehyde allegations were at the core of a report on the CBS News program 60 Minutes, which alleged the company knowingly sold products whose formaldehyde levels exceed the standards set by the California Air Resources Board. Those standards are set to go into effect nationally later this year.

The company has denied all wrongdoing from the beginning. Since the 60 Minutes broadcast, the company has stopped selling Chinese-made laminate flooring. It now faces more than 100 lawsuits connected to the allegations, and the U.S. Department of Justice has indicated it is seeking criminal charges against the company over the allegations that it imported wood from the endangered tiger’s habitat.

The company will conduct a national search for a replacement CEO. John M. Presley, the company’s lead independent director, has been appointed non-executive chairman of the board of directors.

Lynch’s departure is the second major leadership change announced in the past month. In April, the company said Chief Financial Officer Daniel E. Terrell would leave effective July 1. He served as CFO since October 2006.

Related Coverage:

• Lumber Liquidators Suspends Sale of Chinese-Made Laminate Flooring
• Feds Seeking Criminal Charges Against Lumber Liquidators
• Washington Law Firm Files Suit Against Lumber Liquidators
• Federal Regulators Launch Investigation of Lumber Liquidators Laminate Flooring
• New Customer Lawsuit Filed Against Lumber Liquidators Over Chinese Flooring
• Lumber Liquidators Stock Tumbles After Scathing ’60 Minutes’ Report
• Competing Lawsuits Seek Compensation for Lumber Liquidators’ Shareholders
• Greenpeace Stages Protest, Blocks Parking Lot at Lumber Liquidators (w/ Video)
• Greenpeace: Lumber Liquidators Could Be Buying Illegal Wood from Brazil
• Customer Lawsuit Against Lumber Liquidators Dismissed
• One of Three Lawsuits Against Lumber Liquidators Dropped
• Lumber Liquidators Served with Third Class-Action Lawsuit
• Toano’s Lumber Liquidators Announces Expansion Plans
• Customers File Class-Action Lawsuit Against Lumber Liquidators
• Class Action Lawsuit Against Lumber Liquidators Seeks Damages for Shareholders
• Expert: Illegal Loggers Target Siberian Tiger Habitat for Proximity to Manufacturers
• Federal Agents Search Lumber Liquidators Headquarters in Toano