NEWS NEAR YOU

Chesterfield Summer office hours for the Chesterfield County school system will take effect tomorrow. School and administrative offices will be open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and closed on Fridays. The 2008-09 school year will begin Sept. 2. For details, call (804) 748-1405.

Amelia The Amelia County Board of Supervisors is expected to adopt a $30 million budget when it meets Wednesday at 7 p.m. The budget does not include a tax increase.

Richmond Electrical supplies distributor Mayer Electric is moving its Richmond-area facility from Henrico County to the old GE plant on Sherwood Avenue in the northern part of the city, near North Boulevard. The company employs 60 people and is occupying a 55,000-square-foot facility that cost $1.5 million to renovate.

Caroline A committee appointed by Reedy District Supervisor Maxie Rozell has been meeting to plan the construction of a new branch library in Dawn. The facility will be part of the Caroline County library system.

King William Arts Alive will offer its Summer Arts Camp and Missoula Drama camp in conjunction with the West Point school system. Both camps will be held at the West Point schools' complex. The Summer Arts Camp offers classes to be held daily next week, from June 23-27. Classes will be offered in dance, visual arts, journalism, and music. They are taught by local teachers and artists, and are available for ages completed kindergarten to 14. For details, call (804) 843-3475 or e-mail Beth Dandridge at artsaliveinc@yahoo.com.

Ettrick Virginia State University starts its yearly Summer Transportation Institute Program for secondary school students today. The program, which will run through July 10, is sponsored by the Federal Highway Safety Administration and is open to students across the state. The purpose of the program is to create awareness and stimulate interest in opportunities in the transportation industry. The curriculum will expose students highway design, transportation of people and cargo, laws, regulations and safety.

Powhatan A patriotic celebration benefit for the Families of the Wounded Fund will be held July 4 from 1 to 5 p.m. at Vista del Lago on Old Tavern Road. The celebration will include a full orchestra, a 100-voice choir, a Marine Corps Color Guard, a military flyover and the St. Andrew's Legion Pipes and Drums.

Richmond Virginia will receive $26,984,187 in public-health emergency-preparedness funds for the next fiscal year. The amount consists of $17,222,047 coming through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help health departments and $9,762,140 coming through a federal program that helps hospitals with emergency preparedness. The award is about $4 million less than the state received last year for public-health emergency preparedness. The dropoff is mainly the result of cuts in funding for pandemic-flu preparedness.

AROUND THE STATE

Chesapeake Michael Patrick Harris, a fired Virginia Beach teacher, was sentenced Friday to a year in jail for taking indecent liberties with a 13-year-old girl at his Chesapeake home. He was ordered to complete a sex-offender program, register as a sex offender and avoid unsupervised contact with anyone under 18. Harris, 31, was suspended in January from Landstown Middle School and fired this month after admitting he fondled the child in December. A friend of Harris' baby sitter, the girl was sleeping over at his house when the incident occurred.