This daily column features short news items from the 20 localities that make up the greater Richmond area. On Mondays, we run at least one item from each of the localities. If you have a news item, call 649-6990 or e-mail us at news@timesdispatch.com.

NEWS NEAR YOU

Amelia Just where the new Amelia Courthouse post office will be located is expected to be announced next month. The current post office is in the village, but none of the four sites being considered is within the village sidewalk system or near Amelia County offices and village shops as local merchants and residents had hoped.

Caroline The Newland Communities summer concert series continues Saturday from 6:30 to 9 p.m. as the Back-N-Time Oldies Rock Band comes to the outdoor amphitheater at Ladysmith Village. The concert series features local bands performing family-friendly acts. This weekend's concert will benefit the Humane Society of Caroline County. Admission is free for Ladysmith Village residents; $10 for nonresidents. For details, call (804) 448-4529 or visit www.lifeinladysmith.com.

Charles City The Charles City County Committee on Aging is holding a scrapbook-making class for seniors and anyone else interested in attending. It's on July 2 at 10:30 a.m. at the Charles City Social Center.

Chesterfield The Lucy Corr Foundation will hold its annual 5K Run/Walk for the Future on July 19. The race will start at 8 a.m. at 6800 Lucy Corr Blvd. Awards of $100 will be given to the top overall male and female winners. Medals will be presented to winning runners in each age group. Registration before July 14 is $15 for adults and $12 for people 16 and younger. Proceeds from the run/walk will go to the Lucy Corr Foundation. To register, call Bonnie Meyers at (804) 706-5712.

Colonial Heights The city registrar has announced that eight candidates will seek four open Colonial Heights City Council seats during the Nov. 4 election. Incumbents T. Gregory Kochuba and Betsy G. Luck will seek re-election. The other candidates are: Roland Fontaine, Kenneth B. Frenier, JoAnn C. Glazier, W. Joe Green, Jane E. Ogletree and Diane H. Yates.

Cumberland The Cumberland County Board of Supervisors has extended a $25 million short-term financing agreement for capital projects through the end of July as arrangements for long-term financing are wrapped up. County leaders thought the long-term arrangements would be completed by the end of June.

Dinwiddie Derrick Morgan, 20, who is charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of a McKenney couple who lived in a mobile-home community, is scheduled to go to trial Thursday. However, Dinwiddie County prosecutors say they may amend the charges before trial. Morgan testified this month in the trial of co-defendant Darnell L. Walker, 20, who was convicted of first-degree murder.

Goochland Frances E. Ball has been appointed principal of Goochland High School. Ball, 54, is currently principal of Clarke County High School in the northern Shenandoah Valley, a post she has held since 2004. Ball will replace outgoing principal Jon Bennett, the school system announced.

Hanover The Hanover County Cannery will open for the season on July 1. Built in 1978, it is one of a few remaining county canneries in the state. The cannery also operates as a commercial kitchen for those wishing to start a food business for acidified foods such as pickled products, salsas and relishes. It is open through Aug. 31 and in October. Hours are 1 to 7 p.m. Monday and Tuesday and 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. Appointments recommended. Visit www.co.hanover.va.us/works/canneryFAQ.htm or call (804) 365-6484.

Henrico The Department of Social Services is seeking candidates for the fourth annual Gene Akers Father of the Year award, honoring an outstanding father from the Henrico County area. Social Services will accept nominations through Aug. 1. Nominees should be Henrico residents, 18 or older and may be a biological father, stepfather or father figure. Nomination forms are available at DSS, Human Services Building, 8600 Dixon Powers Drive, and the Eastern Government Center, 3820 Nine Mile Road; and by following the Fatherhood Initiative link on the Social Services Web site, www.co.henrico.va.us/dss. For details, call (804) 501-4091.

Hopewell Historian J. Michael Moore is to speak at noon Wednesday at Appomattox Regional Library System on East Cawson Street in downtown Hopewell on "Lee Hall Mansion: A Warwick County Masterpiece." Moore is curator and registrar for Lee Hall Mansion and Endview Plantation in Newport News. His presentation is part of the annual Lunch and a Lecture series, hosted by the Historic Hopewell Foundation Inc. Members of the public are invited to bring a bag lunch.

King and Queen The June meeting of the King and Queen County School Board has been rescheduled for Thursday at 7 p.m. in the courtroom at the County Administration Building.

King William King William Volunteer Fire & Rescue will present the King William Jam Fest with live music by Random Play on Saturday from 5 to 9 p.m. at the firehouse, 7936 Richmond Tappahannock Highway. The event, for people 21 and older, will feature live music, hamburgers, hot dogs and adult beverages. Gates open at 4 p.m.; food is served from 4:30 to 6:30. For details, call Pinetta Hale at (804) 241-5842 or Jason Atkinson at (804)769-2549.

Louisa The Louisa County Board of Supervisors last week recognized Dominion Virginia Power for 30 years of operation at the North Anna Power Station. The North Anna nuclear plant has generated more than 186 million megawatt hours of electricity since it opened. With company representatives present, the supervisors adopted a resolution of appreciation during the board's regular meeting Monday.

New Kent A public meeting will be held Wednesday to discuss the progress of repairs to Walkers Dam in New Kent County. A large breach in the dam discovered in April 2007 caused water levels to drop in Chickahominy Lake, a popular fishing spot. Fishing and mooring of boats on the structure are prohibited while repairs are made. The meeting is from 4 to 7 p.m. at the New Kent Forestry Center.

Petersburg The Bureau of Police and some city faith-based organizations are sponsoring a summer program for children ages 8 to 18. The program, which starts today, is thought to be the first of its kind in Petersburg and is one of Police Chief John Dixon's initiatives to offer recreational opportunities for area youths in an effort to reduce crime. Youths in the program will have recreational activities, field trips and sessions on various topics with police officers.

Powhatan The Powhatan County Economic Development Authority will meet June 30 at 4 p.m. in the large conference room at Powhatan County Library.

Prince George The Prince George Regional Heritage Center, 6404 Courthouse Road, opened for the public Saturday with prototypes of exhibits that focus on the county's history from pre-colonization to the present. The center will officially open in November, but residents can visit between now and then and give feedback on the "Museum on the Making." For details, call (804) 863-0212.

Richmond Richmond National Battlefield Park will present a series of talks, tours and living-history programs to commemorate the 146th anniversary of the Seven Days Battles around Richmond. The week-long series will begin Thursday at the Civil War Visitor Center at Tredegar Iron Works, and will end with a tour July 1 of the Malvern Hill battlefield. Each program will begin at 7 p.m.; all battlefield tours are expected to last 90 minutes. All events are free. For details, call (804) 226-1981 or go to www.nps.gov/rich and look under "schedule of events."

Sussex The Sussex County Board of Supervisors voted last week to support the annual powwow of the Cheroenhaka, or Nottoway, Indian tribe on July 26-27 by buying a $75 ad in the tribal journal. One supervisor objected because the powwow will be held outside the county, but other supervisors said the tribe has deep roots in Sussex.

AROUND THE STATE

Hampton Authorities said firefighters found a body inside a burning tractor-trailer at a Hampton department store. Fire Marshal Ann-Marie Loughran said firefighters found the trailer afire about 3 a.m. yesterday at the loading dock of a J.C. Penney store at Peninsula Town Center. Loughran said firefighters found the body inside the trailer about five hours later. She says the victim has not been identified. A police spokeswoman said authorities don't believe the case is a homicide.

Salem A man charged in Salem's first homicide in a decade apparently committed suicide in jail. Roanoke County police said Brian Sheppard, 38, of Christiansburg was found dead in a cell at the Roanoke County-Salem Jail about noon Saturday. Sheriff Gerald Holt said Sheppard apparently used shoelaces to hang himself. Sheppard was facing a charge of first-degree murder in the April 30 shooting death of James Fleshman Jr., 48.

Farmville Longwood University has received a $138,000 grant from the Jessie Ball duPont Fund to help the school consolidate its efforts to reduce the amount of energy, water and other resources it consumes and to expand its sustainability program. The grant will also partly finance the hiring of a full-time coordinator to develop and direct the university's sustainability program.

Blackstone Small-business owners and entrepreneurs are invited to attend the Entrepreneur Express Workshop from 8:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. Thursday at the Camp Pickett Officers' Club on Military Road. Presented by the Department of Business Assistance, Virginia Cooperative Extension, Longwood Small Business Development Centers and Virginia Tourism Corp., the workshop targets the budding entrepreneur, the entrepreneur who is in business and needs extra help, and the business owner who is ready to expand. Register at www.vastartup.org or call (434) 292-1677. -- From Staff and Wire Reports