David Macaulay
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I'm a legal marketer, journalist, writer, blogger - correspondent for Virginian-Pilot etc, owner of a legal marketing company
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Articles by David Macaulay
Plan for elementary school exposes rift between New Kent schools, supervisors
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... NEW KENT — New Kent County Public Schools is preparing a bid of more than $2 million to repair an aging elementary school. The School Board and the Board of Supervisors have been in a standoff over the replacement of New Kent Elementary School for the last five years.
Plan for elementary school exposes rift between New Kent schools, supervisors
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... NEW KENT — New Kent County Public Schools is preparing a bid of more than $2 million to repair an aging elementary school. The School Board and the Board of Supervisors have been in a standoff over the replacement of New Kent Elementary School for the last five years.
King William’s audit could be further delayed Original
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... KING WILLIAM — There could be further delays to the publication of King William County’s fiscal year 2025 audit as the county rolls out a new approach to clean up its troubled finances. Greg Miller of the accounting firm CLA was unable to provide a completion date for the audit to the Board of Supervisors on Sept. 28, but said it was a little more than half done.
Area schools earn full accreditation Original
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... All public schools in New Kent, King and Queen and King William counties, including in the town of West Point, have achieved full accreditation for the 2026-27 school year, according to a new report from the Virginia Department of Education. Four New Kent schools — New Kent Elementary, New Kent Middle, George Watkins Elementary and New Kent High School — achieved distinguished status. Quinton Elementary School was recognized for meeting expectations.
King and Queen residents will also vote on sales tax referendum Original
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... KING AND QUEEN — King and Queen County has joined a growing list of counties and cities that are holding a referendum on Nov. 3 on an increase in sales tax to fund school construction. The Board of Supervisors voted earlier this year to hold a referendum on a local general retail sales tax increase not to exceed 1% to raise revenue solely for construction or major renovation of public schools.
JCC planning commission recommends approval of battery storage plant in Grove Original
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... JAMES CITY — The James City County Planning Commission is recommending going forward with a 650-megawatt battery energy storage plant, substation and switchyard project off Pocahontas Trail. The commission voted 5-2 on Wednesday to send a favorable recommendation for the project to the Board of Supervisors, which will make the final decision. Commission member Crystal Haskins and chair Kira Allman voted no.
York County compiles its wish list for General Assembly Original
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... YORK — York County will seek help from the state to help meet the costs of General Assembly-derived projects and programs. The county’s legislative agenda — introduced Tuesday at a Board of Supervisors work session — includes a request for $5 million towards a new York-Poquoson courthouse. The contribution would reflect record retention and security responsibilities required by the state. The courthouse project is expected to cost about $150 million.
New Kent rejects moratorium on data centers, to consider new regulations Original
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... NEW KENT — New Kent County’s Board of Supervisors has rejected a two-year moratorium on data centers in the county, but is considering a new ordinance to regulate the development of the giant AI plants. At a Sept. 29 meeting, the board considered Chairman Ron Stiers’ motion to impose a two-year halt on the acceptance and processing of data center land use applications.
SOL exam results show work remains for some area schools Original
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... The latest state exam results for New Kent and Middle Peninsula school divisions point to a slide in mathematics, but a mixed picture in other subject areas, while some divisions are yet to catch up to pre-pandemic scores.
West Point considers seeking tractor-trailer restrictions on side roads Original
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... WEST POINT — The town of West Point was asked to consider a request for truck restrictions on downtown side streets after a resident’s car was hit by a tractor-trailer. Town Manager Steve Hudgins said he looked into truck restrictions, but was recommending that council take no action at present, beyond monitoring the situation.
500 King William kids receiving books from Dolly Parton program Original
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... KING WILLIAM — Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, an international program that provides free books for younger children, has sent literature to more than 500 children in King William County in its first 12 months there. School Board member Veda Frazier was a driving force behind bringing Dolly Parton Imagination Library to King William County last year through her work with the Kiwanis Club of Tri-Rivers.
First responders team up to quash brush fire in King and Queen Original
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... KING AND QUEEN — Multiple emergency services were mobilized Friday to fight a brush fire at a commercial facility in a remote part of King and Queen County. The Lower King and Queen Fire-EMS, Central King and Queen Volunteer Fire Department and King and Queen Emergency Services were dispatched for a brush fire just after 4:30 a.m. on Friday at 224 Farmville Road, according to a Facebook post by Lower King and Queen Fire-EMS.
James City County seeks state help on water supply, rising property taxes Original
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... JAMES CITY — James City County is seeking legislation to protect homeowners from massive increases in real estate taxes after the recent reevaluation left hundreds of residents facing sticker shock. The county made a series of requests to the General Assembly this week, including seeking a new provision that would allow a locality to limit how much the value of real estate can increase after a formal assessment.
James City leaders get closer to solidifying agreements for new county library Original
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... JAMES CITY — James City County officials hope to advance agreements on a $23 million library in the new government complex off Longhill Road over the next two months. Assistant County Administrator Brad Rineheimer told the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday that he intends to bring the initial stage of a comprehensive agreement for the library before them in October or November. “We are beyond 50% construction drawings on the library.
York board defers decision on allowing shipping containers to be used as backyard sheds
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... YORK — A York County family’s bid to use their shipping container as a backyard storage shed has prompted a revision of York County’s planning ordinances. Earl Anderson, the county’s planning director, outlined a draft revision to the county’s ordinances to allow shipping containers to be used as storage sheds.
New Kent leaders look at funding for new roundabout in Bottoms Bridge
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... NEW KENT — The New Kent County Board of Supervisors has authorized a funding agreement for a new roundabout at an intersection dubbed a “traffic nightmare.” The Route 249/Dispatch Road intersection in Bottoms Bridge has gained a reputation as a congestion and accident hotspot. Transportation Development Director Amy Inman presented a funding agreement to advance the project at the Sept. 14 Board of Supervisors meeting.
K&Q chooses longtime volunteer firefighter as new emergency services chief Original
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... KING & QUEEN — Brad Burgess, who has more than 30 years experience in firefighting, has been appointed the new emergency services chief for King and Queen County. Burgess began his career as a firefighter in the U.S. Air Force more than 35 years ago. He served most recently as the deputy state fire marshal at the Virginia Department of Fire Programs in the state Fire Marshal’s Office.
2 people died in Friday morning wreck on I-64 in New Kent Original
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... NEW KENT — A driver and a passenger died in a single-vehicle wreck in New Kent County after a pickup truck overturned early Friday on Interstate 64. Virginia State Police responded to mile marker 217 in New Kent County at 1:02 a.m. Friday to find a 2023 GMC pickup that had overturned and caught fire. The driver and passenger in the pickup died at the accident scene, police spokeswoman Sgt. Jessica Shehan said in a news release.
York County plans to revamp park and add splash pad, pickleball courts Original
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... YORK — York County plans to revamp Charles Brown Park on Route 238 with the addition of a splash pad, new pickleball courts and a potential skatepark. Parks and Recreation Manager Ben Whitener told the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday that the revitalization of the park, a 10-acre recreational area close to the Yorktown Naval Weapons Station, was recently added to the Capital Improvement Program.
Buc-ee’s says it remains interested in Virginia, but New Kent store may still be years away Original
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... NEW KENT — Buc-ee’s is “all in” on developing supersized gas and travel stations in Virginia, according to a senior company official, but a store in New Kent may not open by the end of 2029. “With our recent Stafford County approval, we are all in as far as the commonwealth is concerned,” Stan Beard, Buc-ee’s director of real estate and development, told New Kent’s Director of Economic Development and Tourism Lindsay Hurt in June.
West Point balks at pursuing marketing initiative with King William Original
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... WEST POINT — The Town of West Point is voicing caution over a move to create a joint marketing initiative with King William County. King William’s Board of Supervisors unanimously backed a motion to become a joint Destination Marketing Organization on July 27. Becoming such an organization would, in part, help the localities leverage new grant opportunities. However, at a committee meeting Sept.
King William officials approve 30-acre solar facility Original
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... KING WILLIAM — King William County has approved a new solar facility that will bring more than $600,000 into county coffers over the project’s lifetime. On Aug. 24, the Board of Supervisors voted to approve a 5-megawatt shared solar facility on almost 30 acres on a 93-acre site off West Rose Garden Road, in the eastern part of the county.
King William County official challenges property assessment process Original
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... KING WILLIAM — King William County’s commissioner of the revenue has raised a red flag over the ongoing property reassessment, claiming more than $1 million was erroneously added to the real estate tax rolls. The county has been plagued with delayed property assessments in recent years. Karena Funkhouser, the commissioner of the revenue, raised concerns over the ongoing reappraisal by Vision Government Solutions at the Aug. 24 Board of Supervisors meeting.
West Point enacts new electronic-bike ordinance, violators can be fined $25 Original
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... WEST POINT — The town has enacted a new ordinance intended to safeguard electric bike riders, pedestrians and other road users. Violations can come with $25 fines. As e-bike ridership has soared in recent years across the United States, communities such as West Point have reported accidents, near misses and increased dangers on the roads and sidewalks. West Point Town Council adopted its new e-bike ordinance on Aug. 25 following months of discussion.
Consultants recommend replacement of at least 4 York County schools Original
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... YORK — Consultants hired to assess the needs of York County’s aging school buildings are recommending at least four school replacement projects and a new operations building within a decade. Sturtz & Co. and HBA Architects presented their findings to a joint meeting of the York County Board of Supervisors and the School Board on Tuesday.
West Point OKs rezoning that will allow new waterfront homes
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... WEST POINT — The Town of West Point has approved three rezoning applications to allow new waterfront homes associated with a high-end downtown marina project. The Town Council considered applications submitted by Arcadia Real Estate Advisors to rezone the properties on Lee Street and the intersection of 7th Street from downtown residential to waterfront mixed-use at its Aug. 25 meeting.
Cox completes broadband expansion project in New Kent County Original
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... NEW KENT — Cox Communications has completed a $49 million broadband project that allows every home and business in the county access to a 625-mile network of fiber optic cables. The project, a partnership between Cox and New Kent County announced in 2022, has delivered high-speed internet service to about 10,500 homes and businesses in the county. The project was delivered in two phases.
KW board gives green light to townhouse project in Central Garage Original
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... KING WILLIAM — King William County’s Board of Supervisors has supported a scaled-down plan for 45 townhouses in the fast-growing Central Garage area. On Aug. 24, the board voted 3-2 to approve a request by Rogers-Chenault Inc./Irondale VA LLC for a conditional use permit to develop 45 homes on almost nine acres along King William Road adjacent to Central Crossing and McCauley Park.
Water line break in New Kent left some residents without drinkable water for 4 days
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... NEW KENT — New Kent County officials said the water line break that left residents of a subdivision in Lanexa without drinkable tap water for four days was considered a “catastrophic event.” The water line break was reported at the Colonies on Aug. 14, according to Director of Public Utilities Mike Lang. The particular break required a “catastrophic failure response,” according to the Virginia Department of Health’s Office of Drinking Water guidance.
King William County cancels contract for Flock cameras after vandalism, theft
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... KING WILLIAM — The King William County’s Sheriff’s Office has removed its Flock surveillance cameras after two incidents of vandalism and a theft. Sheriff Thomas “Don” Lumpkin said the eight cameras in the county were removed on financial grounds. The cameras had been placed in locations at entrance and exit points of the county and where thefts and other illegal activity could potentially be stopped, Lumpkin said.
King William County cancels contract for Flock cameras after vandalism, theft Original
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... KING WILLIAM — The King William County’s Sheriff’s Office has removed its Flock surveillance cameras after two incidents of vandalism and a theft. Sheriff Thomas “Don” Lumpkin said the eight cameras in the county were removed on financial grounds. The cameras had been placed in locations at entrance and exit points of the county and where thefts and other illegal activity could potentially be stopped, Lumpkin said.
Hand grenade found in West Point turns out benign Original
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... WEST POINT — The discovery of a hand grenade sparked a police response in a West Point neighborhood on Sunday evening. The King William County Sheriff’s Office issued a Facebook post warning of an “active scene” in the 1800 block of F Street just before 5 p.m. following the discovery of a suspicious item. Police set up a perimeter in the street. Virginia State Police officers were dispatched to the scene, and people were instructed to avoid the area.
York County adopts new policies on no wake zones Original
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... YORK — York County has adopted a new policy on no wake zones after a committee studied the concerns of boaters and other river users. In February, a draft ordinance alarmed boaters who feared an expansion of zones that entail speed restrictions on the county’s rivers. Officials said the ordinance was an attempt to clean up piecemeal rules passed incrementally since the 1970s and did not mean more no wake zones.
After multiple delays, York County solar project has new completion date Original
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... YORK — Almost seven years after York County approved a solar project on a former Navy underground fuel store, the site remains overgrown, only partially accessible, and plagued by a host of issues. The King’s Creek solar farm has been delayed by the complex nature of the site, ground pollution, an interconnection delay, and Dominion parting ways with the contractor, Will McCahill, a project manager told the York County Board of Supervisors on Aug. 18.
King William, West Point seek to boost tourism with special marketing status
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... King William County and the Town of West Point are considering ramping up joint tourism by becoming a destination marketing organization. The King William Board of Supervisors unanimously backed a motion to seek the marketing status on July 27. West Point Town Council will consider the resolution on Aug. 25.
New Kent must consider future water plans, utility director says
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... NEW KENT — Future groundwater restrictions in New Kent County would peg future supply below 2026 demand unless the county invests in alternatives, Public Utilities Director Mike Lang recently warned the Board of Supervisors. The issue is a result of limits imposed by the state’s Department of Environmental Quality rather than a reflection of resources, he told the board during a presentation about the Pamunkey River withdrawal project.
FedEx shipping and logisics facility coming to New Kent Original
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... NEW KENT — A new $40 million FedEx shipping and logistics facility is coming to New Kent County, creating about 340 new jobs, the county announced last week. The 300,000-square-foot warehouse will be located at the Forge Logistics Center along Emmaus Church Road at the exit 211 interchange of Interstate 64. It will employ approximately 40 full-time and 300 part-time positions and is likely to open within two years.
Developer withdraws application to build homes near Pine Fork Park in New Kent Original
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... NEW KENT — A proposal by a developer to build 259 homes near Pine Fork Park in New Kent has been withdrawn shortly before it was due to be considered by the Board of Supervisors. John Montgomery, a spokesman for the applicant Godsey Properties Inc., alluded to feedback that the Pine Fork Ridge development was “too much, too fast for the area” in correspondence to County Administrator Rodney Hathaway. The application was removed from the agenda of the Aug.
King William seeks to rezone more properties for business along Route 360 Original
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... KING WILLIAM — King William County is proposing a second round of voluntary rezoning of properties along Route 360 to accelerate the development of a commercial corridor. The Planning Commission considered a follow-up round of the initiative at its meeting on Aug. 5, when it reviewed a letter to be sent to land owners.
Why Can’t We Be Friends? Substantially Reducing a “Big Deal” e-Journal Package as a Consortium (Gatten and Sanville Revisited)
Abstract The topics of library consortia and “Big Deal” e-journal packages have received substantial attention in the library literature, but discussion that addresses the intersection of these topics in relation to the vagaries of data-driven group decision making has been somewhat scanty.
Upper King William Branch Library opens to much fanfare Original
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... AYLETT — A ribbon cutting ceremony and community celebration was held at the Upper King William Branch Library on Saturday, ending more than a year without a full-service library for residents of the northwestern part of the county.
Construction gets underway on Tractor Supply store in West Point Original
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... WEST POINT — Construction is underway on a new Tractor Supply store in West Point ahead of the anticipated opening date of March 2027, town officials said. The project at 3500 King William Avenue marks “another investment in the town’s continued economic growth and expanding shopping opportunities for residents throughout the region,” a news release said.
New Kent plan to turn Makemie Woods into park moves forward Original
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... NEW KENT — New Kent County leaders plan to spend $150,000 to kickstart the development of Makemie Woods as a neighborhood park, a decision that comes more than four years after a failed proposal by a Christian organization to establish a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center on the site.
Time to build? York officials grapple with aging schools. Original
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... For more than three decades, York County’s school division has avoided costly new building projects to deal with student growth in favor of expansion work and the use of redistricting and portable classrooms. However, the approach has left the county with schools more than 70 years old, putting new buildings back on the agenda, Superintendent James Carroll told the Board of Supervisors on Aug. 4. He urged the board to consider building some new schools.
As King William wrestles over data centers, residents have more chances to offer feedback
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... KING WILLIAM — King William supervisors plan to visit data centers and host an expert panel and town halls as citizens ramp up the pressure over a controversial draft ordinance on new technologies in the rural county. More than 80% of respondents to the county’s in-house survey on technology uses don’t want data centers in the county, County Administrator Derek Stamey told the board on July 27.
New Kent will hold November referendum on sales tax increase for schools
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... NEW KENT — New Kent voters will decide in November whether the county should levy an additional 1% on sales tax to fund school construction. The Board of Supervisors backed a referendum on the use of sales tax to support new school buildings at the July 13 board meeting. The measure could generate over $4 million more a year for construction or renovation projects.
New Kent’s first YMCA getting closer to reality
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... NEW KENT — Plans for New Kent’s first YMCA have moved a step forward after the county approved $130,000 for architectural and design services. County Administrator Rodney Hathaway proposed using money raised from the Colonial Downs racetrack for conceptual and schematic design services for a full-service YMCA. “These funds will also support cost modelling services and fundraising assistance,” Hathaway told the Board of Supervisors on July 13.
Public hearing planned in West Point on e-bike ordinance
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... WEST POINT— Electric bike riders could soon be subject to stiffer rules when riding in town, thanks to a new ordinance. “After public safety concerns were brought to our attention, as we have seen for ourselves, the town wanted to do something about safety and e-bikes,” West Point Town Manager Steve Hudgins told the Town Council on July 28. He said the town settled on an ordinance that is “safety-focused” rather than broad new rules.
Town, county OK application for improvements to accident-prone intersection in West Point
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... WEST POINT — West Point and King William County have joined forces to secure safety improvements at an accident-prone intersection of Route 33 in the town. The Town Council passed a resolution July 28 in support of an application to the Virginia Department of Transportation-funded SMART Scale program. King William’s Board of Supervisors supported the application the previous day.
New Kent supervisors defer Quinton zoning application Original
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... NEW KENT — The New Kent County Board of Supervisors has again deferred an application to build almost 260 new homes near Pine Fork Park. The proposal brought by John W. Montgomery on behalf of Godsey Properties Inc. to rezone just over 200 acres in Quinton from agricultural to residential received an unfavorable recommendation from the county’s planning commission on May 18.
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