Nineteen students scribbled numbers furiously on their whiteboards while the red numbers counted down from 20 seconds. Then, a buzzer rang, and they excitedly held up their answers, with some even yelling “Three!” to make sure everyone knew they got it right. With that question – “Which digit in 3,098,427 is in the millions place” – the 2012-2013 Battle of the Brains final competition at Lakeside Elementary School on May 8 came to a close. > Read more.

The Woman's Club of Sandston is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, and to celebrate last month, members of the club presented a skit highlighting some of its early history. > Read more.

Anthony E. McDowell has been named the new chief of the Henrico County Division of Fire, effective Oct. 20. County Manager Virgil Hazelett made the announcement Oct. 10.

McDowell, who has been serving as battalion chief of administration in the Henrico Division of Fire, will succeed Edwin W. Smith, who retired in September after five years as fire chief.

As fire chief, McDowell will oversee a department with 539 employees, including more than 500 state-certified firefighters, and a budget of $49.6 million for fiscal 2012-13. > Read more.

No one would ever accuse Fred McConnell of being a couch potato.

At 70, the program head and professor of engineering at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College (JSRCC) is slim and fit, and plays volleyball three nights a week or more.

So McConnell was not too alarmed at first when his heartburn wouldn't go away.

Even after two months, when the chest discomfort did not respond to medication and his doctor recommended a stress test, McConnell shrugged it off. > Read more.

A Disputanta, Va. man was cited at Richmond International Airport Oct. 8 after it was discovered that he had a .25-caliber handgun in his carry-on bag. TSA officers detected the gun as the man’s carry-on baggage passed through the checkpoint metal detector.

TSA officials contacted the Capital Regional Airport Commission Police, who regularly patrol the airport. The police responded, confiscated the weapon and issued two summonses to the man related to state weapons charges. There was no impact to airport operations. The man, who was ticketed to fly to Atlanta, was able to continue on his flight. > Read more.