The Henrico County office of the Virginia Cooperative Extension is accepting applications for Gardens Growing Families, a community garden program for county residents.

For a nominal fee, individuals and families will receive expert help as they grow their own vegetables in plots at the Lakeside Garden, at Vale Street and Michael Avenue, near Lakeside Avenue; and at the Alma Avenue Island Garden, near Alma and Laburnum avenues. For the first time, a new garden on West Jerald Street in Highland Springs will be available.

Virginia Trailblazer Charles Alexander, one of the “Charlottesville 12” who integrated Charlottesville schools in 1959, will speak and answer questions at the Dumbarton Area Library, located at 6800 Staples Mill Rd., on Monday, Feb. 20 at 7 p.m. No tickets or registration required.

In anticipation of his visit, a documentary film about desegregation in Virginia, “Locked Out: The Fall of the Massive Resistance” that features Mr. Alexander, will be screened at North Park Branch Library, located at 8508 Franconia Rd., on Feb. 15 and 16 at 7 p.m. and at Fairfield Area Library, located at 1001 N. Laburnum Ave.

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.

Virginia State Parks recently introduced the new VSP Pocket Ranger® app for smartphones, a free mobile tour guide developed by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, ParksByNature, Virginia Association for Parks and Imperial Multimedia.

Virginia is the latest of 12 states to partner with ParksByNature in developing official state park mobile tour guides. In other states there is a basic guide and one with advanced GPS technology available at an additional charge. Thanks to the VAFP and Imperial Multimedia, there is no charge for the advanced Virginia app. The partnership is also finalizing details on a sponsorship plan so that users are supporting Virginia State Parks each time they use the app. The mobile guide is available for Apple and some Android devices.

Eligible taxpayers can receive free help preparing their 2011 income tax return — and potentially increase their refunds by claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) — at sites hosted by MetroCASH and Henrico County.

The EITC is a refundable credit designed to help families and individuals who work and earn modest incomes — generally, families with children earning less than $49,078 and individuals without children earning less than $13,660. The benefit could provide a federal refund of $5,751 for families with three or more children and $464 for individuals.

The next town meeting of Tuckahoe District Supervisor Patricia S. O’Bannon will offer tips on how residents can protect their homes and property. The meeting will be held at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 31 in the Story Room of Tuckahoe Area Library, 1901 Starling Dr.

Representatives of the Henrico County Division of Police will join O’Bannon at each session to discuss community policing initiatives and explain the process to establish a community watch program.

"Don't hurt us."

That's the clear and simple message being delivered by Henrico County's elected officials, administrators and lobbyists to the General Assembly, which convened in Richmond for a 60-day session last week.

The missive represents a change from years past, during which county officials annually presented "wish lists" of top priorities to the county's General Assembly delegation. Six years ago, that list contained 14 items. This year, it's down to just one: Do no harm.

By placing their sole focus on those three words, local officials hope to make a salient point to lawmakers: localities – Henrico included – are struggling to deal with their own financial problems and cannot afford additional funding cuts from the state.

Henrico County Public Library recently launched a free mobile app. It works on most smart phones and tablets including Apple, Blackberry, Android and Windows devices.

Services available from the app allow users to check the library catalog, view a calendar of library programs, locate their nearest branch, ask a reference librarian a question or check the library’s Facebook and Twitter postings. Library cardholders can also check their personal accounts to place holds on materials, see what they have checked out, renew materials and access online subscription information services.