ChesterfieldObserver

I had hoped to continue my column forever, but the end has come. I want to thank all my wonderful, supportive readers who have been there through the years. I also want to thank the exceptional editors I have had and talented staff who made me look chesterfieldobserver.com/articles/end-o…

Hello to all of you, dear kitchen enthusiasts. As I’m sure many of you have heard, this is our last paper. I cannot tell you what a delight it has been to cook with you from a distance. chesterfieldobserver.com/articles/a-swe…

By any measure, Dennis Barbaro is a successful restaurateur. Fired from a dishwashing job on Long Island at 15, the New York native, bounced back into the business to establish a small empire that spans eight states, and includes one of the newest chesterfieldobserver.com/articles/napa-…

Writer, poet and storyteller Q: How has your artistic journey shaped the “Makin’ Cake” show? In my 20s, I was living in Chicago, and a friend invited me to an open mic. I’ve been writing fiction since I was a kid, and I’ve been a storyteller for as chesterfieldobserver.com/articles/five-…

Chesterfield Recovery Academy – a partnership between Chesterfield County Public Schools, the county’s Community Services Board and the state Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services – opened for classes Aug. chesterfieldobserver.com/articles/leadi…

When Angela Patton acquired 9 acres of land in the Bensley suburb of Chesterfield, she was determined to do something impactful with it. “I wanted something that could be for the girls, but also for the community,” she says. chesterfieldobserver.com/articles/farm-…

FEBRUARY 1 Step-by-Step Email Marketing Guide for Your Business, 1-2:30 p.m. virtually. In this webinar, learn email marketing basics, strategies and techniques, how to create a content calendar, howto pick and email platform and how to set up Google chesterfieldobserver.com/articles/febru…

When Jonathan and I landed in Bucharest after an early flight from Amsterdam, our immediate feeling was that we had left the West and entered the East. Intellectually, I knew that Romania bordered Ukraine and had once been behind the Iron Curtain. chesterfieldobserver.com/articles/in-th…

I have been working on cleaning out my closet and am almost finished. It has been an ongoing project for five or 10 years now. I don’t keep track. I just know I have been working on it intermittently for a long time. chesterfieldobserver.com/articles/parin…

Greg Speeks remembers as a young boy riding on the fuel truck with his grandfather to deliver fuel oil to customer’s homes. “We went all around town,” he says. “If people needed fuel oil in the middle of the night, we would go and bring it to them. chesterfieldobserver.com/articles/a-lon…

Kate Doctor, who teaches in the Health Professions and Therapies Specialty Center at Monacan High, is the Chesterfield County Teacher of the Year. Each year, every Chesterfield County school selects its teacher of the year. chesterfieldobserver.com/articles/monac…

In late December, attacks on the U.S. power grid – in North Carolina and Oregon – drew attention to the security of the nation’s electrical infrastructure and raises the question for local residents: How safe are Chesterfield County’s power substations? chesterfieldobserver.com/articles/chest…

In this second part of last month’s discussion I’m going to list some things to consider when facing customer returns. First, there are some of the problems: • Costs associated with having to pay theshipping for customers returning their purchases as chesterfieldobserver.com/articles/how-t…

State Secretary of Education Aimee Rogstad Guidera was Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s first cabinet appointee in late December 2021 as he prepared to take office last year, and the choice to lead withthat announcement held true to the campaign message chesterfieldobserver.com/articles/eyes-…

Chesterfield County Commonwealth’s Attorney Stacey Davenport has announced that she is recusing herself and requesting a special prosecutor to look into the case of Virginia Beach pastor John Blanchard, who has been charged with soliciting prostitution chesterfieldobserver.com/articles/daven…

In the Jan. 25 edition of the Chesterfield Observer, owners Carol and Frank McCracken announced their decision to close the weekly newspaper, which covers Chesterfield County exclusively, with the publication of the Feb. 1 issue, its last edition. chesterfieldobserver.com/articles/chest…

Most of us consider onions to be a simple aromatic, often limited to being a background ingredient. We mix it with the carrots and celery when making soups and stews. We add it in thin strips to salads hoping that the flavor does not overpower delicate chesterfieldobserver.com/articles/onion…

Bermuda District representative Ann Coker was re-elected chair of the Chesterfield County School Board during the School Board’s annual organizational meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 10. Midlothian District representative Kathryn Haines was elected vice chair. chesterfieldobserver.com/articles/coker…

As a high school and college football referee from 1950 to 1988, Chesterfield County resident Ray Beasley was known as “the No. 1 rules guy,” says one of his former colleagues. Another acolyte celebrates Beasley’s all-business approach to officiating. chesterfieldobserver.com/articles/calli…

Jill Arsenau’s heart felt full during a recent holiday concert when her 5th-grade son, Luke, joined other children on stage for a performance. She considers the fact that he joined his classmates on stage a miracle, and it was all due to a teacher chesterfieldobserver.com/articles/paren…