The Henrico County Department of Social Services will hold a meeting Thursday, July 11 for individuals and couples who may be interested in providing foster care to county youth.

Henrico has a significant need for foster parents, with 98 children placed in foster care as of April 30, according to Social Services. A total of 53 children entered care during the past year. > Read more.

A bill to mandate training for Virginia public school personnel on how to handle bullying is on its way to the Senate after passing the House, 98-2.

House Bill 504 would amend the code dictating school safety training for public school employees to specifically include “evidence-based antibullying tactics.” > Read more.

Like judges on “American Idol,” a panel of legislators this week deliberated over a song – a tune that had been proposed as Virginia’s new state song.

It didn’t make the cut.

“At Home in Virginia,” a bluegrass ballad written by Richmond retiree Evi Bergin, got the boot from the House Rules Committee. > Read more.

Six Korean students from Yangju City, South Korea, attended J.R. Tucker High School for a week in January, staying with host families from the Center for World Languages Specialty Center at Tucker. The South Korean city is linked with Henrico County in a sister-city relationship and was visited by former Henrico County Public Schools Superintendent Fred Morton and School Board member Diana Winston in 2008. > Read more.

Exit First Realty recently announced its selection as the exclusive Homes for Heroes real estate agency in Richmond. Homes for Heroes was founded in 2002 by a group of Minnesota business owners who created a nationwide network of realtors, mortgage lenders, title companies and appraisers whose sole purpose is to offer savings to community heroes when buying or selling a home. As a participant in the program, Exit First Realty will offer full real estate services at a discounted rate to local heroes in metro Richmond. Savings will include discounts on realtor fees, loan fees, title fees, closing costs, and home inspections. Homes for Heroes has already served hundreds of local heroes including Richmond and Henrico police officers. For more information, call 527-3948 or visit http://www.homesforheroes.com > Read more.