Good morning to you Smithfield! Catch up on our news and events right here. Keep reading to stay in the know. ☕️️
In today's newsletter:
Also on today's calendar: Witches Craft Night and 6 more events.
Today's riddle: Why do Norway's navy ships all have barcodes? 🤔 (Answer below!)
1. Garner: Build new school on site of existing Westside (smithfieldtimes.com) — Local leaders are split over whether a new elementary school should be built on a controversial former borrow pit behind Riverside Smithfield Hospital or rebuilt on the existing Westside Elementary site on West Main Street. Concerns center on the $6 million land price, questionable soil conditions with deep uncontrolled fill, and an appraisal that assumed adequate subsoil support without full testing.
2. School Board eyes moving forward, two supervisors want alter... (smithfieldtimes.com) — School Board members and county supervisors remain divided over purchasing an 18-acre Benns Grant parcel—overlapping the former Jackson Pit—for a new school serving the Smithfield area. Officials cite multiple environmental tests, questions about fly ash and uncontrolled fill up to 16 feet deep, and whether the $6 million price should be renegotiated to offset costly foundation work.
3. VA XC Showcase Preliminary Race Assignments Released! (milesplit.com) — Smithfield High's boys cross-country team is locked into the Morning Session at the VA XC Showcase in Mechanicsville, competing against schools from across Virginia and nearby states. Organizers stress that these race assignments are preliminary and may change before registration closes, and they invite coaches with conflicts to contact meet management promptly.
4. IW prosecutor receives State Police report on in-custody dea... (smithfieldtimes.com) — Prosecutors are reviewing a Virginia State Police investigation into an in-custody death at Riverside Smithfield Hospital that the medical examiner has ruled a homicide. Kyle Brown, a 28-year-old Smithfield resident, died May 5 from mechanical and positional asphyxia, and the Isle of Wight Commonwealth's Attorney will decide whether any criminal charges are warranted.
5. EPA to Give $90M for Clean Water and Restoration Projects in Chesapeake Bay Watershed, 28 in Virginia (royalexaminer.com) — A top EPA official came to Smithfield to announce $90 million in grants for Chesapeake Bay cleanup and restoration, including 28 projects in Virginia. The funding will support living shorelines, stormwater upgrades, farm conservation practices, and oyster reef work, even as federal and state leaders debate how strongly Washington should steer Bay protection efforts.
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Ok Smithfield! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!
-- The Patch AM Team
P.S. The answer to today's riddle: "Why do Norway's navy ships all have barcodes?" — So when they come back to port they can just scan-da-navi-an! (Thank you Jessica C. for sending it in!)
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