Growth needs a plan

About 50 residents and business owners of Ettrick, a town just west of Colonial Heights in southern Chesterfield County, gathered last week to learn about planned improvements to Chesterfield Avenue, the village’s main thoroughfare.

But what they really wanted to talk about was parking.

Food stamp applications skyrocket

More and more people each month are signing up for food stamp benefits. Richmond localities can expect an increase of more than 25 percent in monthly cases this year, according to projections based on data from the Virginia Department of Social Services.