See below for this week’s round of local news briefs.

Cottrell signs with Bluefield

On Friday, April 21, Parker Cottrell signed with Bluefield University to play football. The Randolph-Henry senior was joined by a large group of friends, family and staff members who celebrated this accomplishment alongside him.

CMS Students complete service project

The Central Middle School (CMS) seventh grade TAG Community Changers group completed their first service project this month. These students, led by Dr. Critzer, cleaned, mulched, and replanted the flower bed outside of The Scoop Ice Cream Shop in Charlotte Court House with plants from the CMS FFA greenhouse. Pictured are Sawyer Rowley-Clark, Jax Lee, Jeffrey Irving, Landon Brinkley, Joy-Den Wilson, Evelyn Adams, Brandon Bomar, Maddox Reeves, Samuel Critzer, Brody Bolton, Joshua Pearson and Ja’Kobe Boyd.

Students take part in Environmental Education Program

On Friday, April 21, several fourth and fifth grade students participated in the James River Environmental Education program through the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. As part of this program, students spent the day on a research vessel learning about the Chesapeake Bay watershed, the environment in the James River and the Chesapeake Bay watershed as a whole, and the environmental impact of changes to that environment. Students explored the ecological environment of the James River, learned about the Chesapeake Bay watershed, conducted tests on the water conditions that support the wildlife in and around the James River, and worked with various types of aquatic life.

Did you know?

Post-traumatic stress disorder is more prevalent than people may realize. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, roughly 5% of adults in the United States experiences PTSD in any given year. The VA reports that women are more likely to develop PTSD than men, with around eight in every 100 women experiencing the condition compared to four in every 100 men. That disparity is partly attributable to the types of traumatic events that women are more likely to experience than men, such as sexual assault. PTSD can develop after an individual goes through or witnesses a life-threatening event. Though the VA notes it’s normal to experience stress reactions after such events, it’s also typical for people to begin feeling better after a few weeks or months. When individuals experience stress reactions that last longer than a few months, they might have PTSD and should contact a physician immediately.

Storms change schedule

The storms that came through last Saturday caused several events to be postponed. That included the six-race Viny’s Italian Restaurant Race Night at South Boston Speedway.

“We made this decision early in an effort to save our loyal fans and competitors the time, effort, and expense of making the trip here to South Boston Speedway and then likely not being able to hold the event due to the weather,” South Boston Speedway General Manager Chase Brashears explained.

The next event at South Boston Speedway will be the God’s Pit Crew Night Race event on Saturday night, May 6. Advance tickets purchased for the April 22 event will be honored for the May 6 event.

Six races are scheduled for the May 6 God’s Pit Crew Night Race event with twin 75-lap races for the Sentara Healthcare Late Model Stock Car Division competitors headlining the night’s action. Also slated are a 50-lap race for the Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division, a 25-lap race for the Southside Disposal Pure Stock Division, a 20-lap race for the Virginia State Police HEAT Hornets Division and a 20-lap race for the Mills Family Practice Champ Karts.

The tentative May 6 event schedule has registration and pit gates opening at 12:30 p.m. Frontstretch spectator gates will open at 3:20 p.m. and practice starts at 3:30 p.m. Backstretch spectator and tailgate section gates will open at 5:30 p.m. Qualifying starts at 6 p.m. and the first race of the night will get the green flag at 7 p.m.