BRIEFS: NEWS NEAR YOU

By Staff Reports

Published: December 4, 2008

NEWS NEAR YOU

Richmond One of four Richmond-area men charged with smuggling illegal immigrants into the U.S. to work as laborers for a commercial janitorial service has pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit money laundering. Edwin Velez, 40, pleaded guilty to the charge Tuesday in U.S. District Court, according to a spokesman for the U.S. Internal Revenue Service's Criminal Investigation Division. Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 27 at 10 a.m. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, illegal immigrants were smuggled into the country from Mexico.

Cumberland The Cumberland Basketball Alumni Reunion will be held Saturday featuring a game in the high school gym with players from recent years and some from the 1970s and earlier. Admission is $5. Each group will play a 15-minute quarter. The game will begin at 7 p.m., after a 5 p.m. reception. Proceeds will benefit the athletic department. There also will be a dance after the game. Admission is $3 for individuals and $5 for couples.

Dinwiddie Dinwiddie County Public Schools will close early tomorrow to give the community the chance to make arrangements to attend Dinwiddie High School's state championship football game on Saturday at Virginia Tech. Tomorrow, the high school will close at 10:55 a.m.; the junior high school will close at 11:10 a.m.; the middle school will close at 10:35 a.m. and the elementary schools at noon.

Chesterfield Winter courses offered by Chesterfield County Prevention Services can help residents improve their children's behavior, marriage relationships or life after divorce. "Coping with Your Child's Behavior: The Preschool Years" begins Jan. 13 at St. Mark's Church, 11551 Lucks Lane in Midlothian. "For Better or For Worse" begins Jan. 27 at the Chester Library, 11800 Centre St. "Beyond Divorce" begins Jan. 26 at Chesterfield-Colonial Heights Families First, 9842 Lori Road. Fees are $50 to $55. For details, look up www.chesterfield.gov (search for prevention courses) or call (804) 768-7212.

Richmond The Richmond Boys Choir is scheduled to perform Sunday at 3:30 p.m. at Central United Methodist Church, 13th and Porter streets, in South Richmond. The holiday concert is free and open to the public. It will feature traditional and non-traditional holiday favorites, including classic and contemporary songs and carols, and a sing-a-long. For details, call (804) 232-0334 or (804) 788-6404.

AROUND THE STATE

Charlottesville The University of Virginia will use energy-efficient bulbs in this season's Lighting of the Lawn ceremony, with nearly 5,000 feet of lights wrapped around the columns of the Rotunda. For tonight's event, students have replaced the strands of old incandescent bulbs with light-emitting-diode bulbs. The new bulbs use about one-sixth the energy of the old lights. The lights will remain on at night until at least New Year's Day. The tradition started after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Lynchburg Mike Huckabee, a former pastor turned politician and author, will visit a Lynchburg bookstore today at 5:30 p.m. to