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. > Read more.

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. > Read more.

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. > Read more.

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.” > Read more.

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. > Read more.