The signals will feature a new flashing yellow arrow, which will indicate that motorists may proceed after yielding to oncoming traffic and pedestrians. The signals will replace ones that have permitted left turns by showing a solid green circle with a sign that says, “Left Turn Yield on Green”. The flashing yellow arrow will appear during the signal’s normal cycles, which also will guide motorists with solid red, green and yellow arrows.

The Federal Highway Administration and Virginia Department of Transportation have approved the use of flashing yellow signals in light of research showing they reduce the number of left-turn accidents by more clearly conveying that motorists must yield to oncoming traffic and pedestrians before proceeding.

The Traffic Engineering Division will install the new signals at Hungary Road and West End Drive; Hungary Road and Francistown Road; Gaskins Road and Ridgefield Parkway; and Creighton Road and Cedar Fork Road. Motorists may experience temporary delays during installation.

Engineers plan to monitor the signals for about one month before deciding whether to install them at additional intersections.

Video still from WTVR-TV

A former Republican candidate who ran for the position of Henrico County’s Commonwealth’s Attorney was found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound Sunday. Henrico Police were called to the 2200 block of Lauderdale Drive around 1:00 p.m. and found 42-year-old Matt Geary’s body.

Current Henrico Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor, a Democrat who defeated Geary in the November race, shared her condolences in a statement released late Sunday afternoon.

“I want to offer my heartfelt sympathy to Matt’s wife Tabitha and his children and family,” Taylor said. “I’ve known Matt since our days in law school and he was a colleague and a friend whom I held in both high personal and professional regard. Matt was an effective prosecutor who served the public with commitment and dedication. The respect in which he was held by law enforcement is something that any prosecutor would wish to achieve. He will be missed.”

St. Mary Coptic Orthodox Church of Richmond has acquired a seven acre parcel of land at the intersection of Nuckols and Pouncey Tract Roads, near Wyndham to expand their reach to the West End. The congregation was founded in 1993 in Chesterfield County and is part of the Coptic Church, which originated in Egypt and is considered the largest Christian congregation in the Middle East. The land backs up to homes in the Berkeley subdivision. No word on when any construction on a new church building will begin.

According to the Residents of West Broad Village site, a new tot lot-style playground should be in place by spring. From James Barrett:

The West Broad Village community playground should be completed this Spring. It will be located where Geese Landing and Brownstone Boulevard intersect Liesfield Parkway. In addition to the tot lot, there will be several parking spaces, road improvements, and crosswalks for residents.

A rendering of the proposed playground is below.

Upon arrival, police discovered a male identified as 22-year-old John Phifer, of the 2300 block of Good Luck Road in Maidens, Virginia, bleeding from the head and the arm. Phifer advised officers that he drove his vehicle to the Twin Hickory address after being in an altercation at the Quarter Mill residence. Based on other information and evidence gathered, Phifer was charged with possessing a weapon while possessing schedule I or schedule II drugs, which is a felony, conspiracy to violate the drug control act (a misdemeanor), and possession with intent to distribute marijuana, which is a felony charge.

The incident is connected to a January 18th crime in an apartment in the 3000 Block of Quarter Creek Lane. When officers arrived, they found 23-year-old Dreshaun A Travis, of the 800 block of Willomett Avenue, deceased. The victim had signs of trauma from an apparent gunshot wound, according to a police statement.

UPDATE: On January 26th, 26-year-old Montai Christopher Howard of the 3000 block of Heather Ridge Drive turned himself in to Henrico Police Warrant Service Unit. Mr. Howard was wanted for attempted robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery, conspiracy to distribute marijuana, and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony in the January 18th homicide in the 3000 block of Quarter Creek Lane.

The incidents in question occurred in broad daylight, the majority of which happened when the homeowners and neighbors were not present.

Subsequently, an Intelligence-Led Policing strategy was developed and deployed in the area. On January 18th, Benjamin Heslep and Michele Rintoul were apprehended immediately after committing two additional burglaries. Both were developed as suspects after police received information from an alert citizen who noticed suspicious activity in the area.

The subjects have been charged with burglary, grand larceny, larceny with intent to sell, and conspiracy for each charge in four incidents. Additional charges are pending as the investigation is ongoing.

When officers arrived, they found 23-year-old Dreshaun A Travis, of the 800 block of Willomett Avenue, deceased. The victim had signs of trauma from an apparent gunshot wound, according to a police statement.

The State Medical Examiner’s Office will perform their examinations and determine the manner and cause of death.

Detectives have several leads in the case and are currently looking at several suspects. Anyone who has information regarding this offense is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 780-1000 or Henrico Police at 804-501-5000.

The interactive discussion between Kaine and a packed board room of about 25 business men and women took shape as Kaine laid out his views on the economy and what he thinks will get America on the fast track to economic recovery. “I don’t think oil is our most precious resource as is often said, I think it’s brain power and people,” he began.

“During the lifetimes of most people in this room, Virginia has had a remarkable transformation economically,” Kaine remarked, emphasizing that the Commonwealth has grown from the 40th in per capita income to the 7th in the nation in the lifetime of the 53-year-old politician.

“Why not (have Washington leaders) learn from the state that’s moved from the back of the pack to the front of the pack? What has Virginia done that has moved us from a poorer state to a more dynamic state?”

Kaine noted that it wasn’t taxes and regulation that raised the state up over the last half century, but rather talent and education.

Virginia was 49th out of 50th in the 1950s of school age children who attended schools in the nation. The number of citizens with college degrees was just half the national average.

Virginia now ranks 6th of the percentage of people pursuing higher education. Kaine cites the Virginia community college program as major player in the major advancement, which has put a higher learning facility within 35 miles of almost anyone living in the Commonwealth.

Kaine told of conversations with decision makers at major companies who ended up moving their respective headquarters to Virginia, some even at the height of the recession, including Hilton Hotels, MeadWestvaco, Volkswagen America, and Northrup Grumman. When asked by CEOs why their companies should relocate to Virginia when other states had more to offer in terms of tax breaks and cash incentives, Kaine always underscored the state’s talent base.

“If you’re looking in the near-term, other states like South Carolina have better deals on the table, I’m not going to deny that” he recalled telling one executive. “But if you’re looking to make a long-term investment, just look at our test scores and number of highly-educated people.”

Kaine emphasized his intentions to bring these principles, specifically a focus on education, to the forefront in the Senate as a part of his plan to help restore the economy.

The former Governor later expressed a need for bi-partisan work in Washington, telling stories of the former “Gang of 14,” a group of 7 Democrats and 7 Republicans charged with preventing any possible log jams in Congress over wide range of issues. That “gang” is now down to 6 members.

“I learned not to let a disagreement on an issue ruin a relationship. Everyone goes into their corners and lodges bombs at each other.” He stressed that the lack of compromise in Congress, which holds a mere 9% approval rating, has been to the detriment of the nation as a whole.

“We’re proud of our positions and parties, but we’ve got to work together and know that, after election day, it’s all about getting the peoples’ business done.”

Kaine, who described small businesses as the lifeblood of our economy, fielded a wide range of questions from the business owners in attendance, from  his position on immigration reform to what he’d do to give small businesses access to more capital to expand and put Virginians back to work.

The Food Lion on Ridgefield Parkway in the Gleneagles Center will close under the plan, along with another store east of the area on Quioccasin Road, adjacent to Regency Square Mall.

“After a thorough review of our store portfolio, we have decided to close or convert a number of stores in the U.S. and in Southeastern Europe during the first quarter of 2012,” said Pierre-Olivier Beckers, President and Chief Executive Officer of Delhaize Group.

Beckers added that his company is conscious of the ripples store closures will cause. “For a retailer, it is never an easy decision to close stores as we are fully aware of the impact on our associates, our customers and the communities we serve.”

A 2011 study by industry publication Food World found Food Lion holds the top share of grocery customers in the Richmond market, at 35%. Martin’s was second at the time of publication with a 29% share.

The store at 10470 Ridgefield Parkway made headlines in 2008 when a non-load bearing wall collapsed during interior renovations. No one was injured.

No word on a closing date for either store.

As an athlete and physical education teacher at Rivers Edge Elementary School, Rhett Rutman started to realize there weren’t many books that promoted exercise within the classroom, so with an R.E.B. Award grant he won in 2009, Rhett and his wife, Meredyth, created a children’s book about two subjects close to their heart–exercise and children.

“It was something we always wanted to do,” said Rhett. “It was just a matter of how we wanted to do it.”

The Couch Potato Classroom begins with a teacher, Mrs. Goodall, who wakes up and realizes that after years of perpetual bad habits, she is a couch potato. Unhappy with herself, she walks into her classroom only to find that her students are exhibiting the same behaviors that got her where she is now.

Throughout the book the teacher and her students learn exciting ways to “uncouch” themselves with simple, fun exercises that everyone can participate in. The book strives to present an important message for children while still being cute and relatable.

Though targeted at younger students, it shows kids of all ages, not to mention teachers and parents, how easy and fun it is to begin an active lifestyle.

 ”A lot of kids are not as inclined to go out and exercise,” said Meredyth. “This is a fun way to get kids up and moving.” Being a mother and a first-grade teacher at Greenwood Elementary School, Meredyth knows first hand the positive effects of promoting physical fitness in the classroom. Observing that children are less likely to misbehave and are more likely to pay attention when given a break to exercise, Rhett and Meredyth also strive to show teachers it is possible to engage their students.

Rhett’s fourth-grade teacher, Jill Wiebe-King, who coincidentally helped Rhett to realize his passion for sports and athleticism, is the book’s illustrator.

“Jill was very fitness focused when she taught me, which made her illustrating the book a little more personal,” Rhett said.

At a pinnacle point in the book, Mrs. Goodall says, “We all have to remember that it’s just as important to exercise our bodies as it is to exercise our minds!”

So whether it’s a daily bonding experience between a parent and child, or an afternoon too cold for recess, The Couch Potato Classroom is a book sure to provide interactive fitness fun for growing children.

LaDifference staff work together to clean the West Broad Village store just before it opened a year ago

A local contemporary home furnishings store that opened a Short Pump location a year ago is going back to its roots. LaDifférence announced Monday that it’s closing its location at West Broad Village in Short Pump. The company will hold a liquidation at the store, with similar deals at its flagship location in Shockoe Bottom.

At West Broad Village, the liquidation is meant to help move the floor samples out. Downtown, where sales remain strong, the company intends to reduce inventory to make room for products from the Short Pump store. The liquidation will run through February.

“Sales have been decent at West Broad Village and we could justify staying open, but most people preferred to drive a few extra miles to our downtown store for the full experience,” co-owner Andy Thornton said. “We hoped for more traffic at West Broad than we received, but most of the commercial spaces there are leaning toward restaurants, which draw more nighttime crowds than retail shoppers.”

Thornton added that closing the West End store will let the company focus on the traction around the Shockoe Design District. This movement began transpiring in 2011 when retailers, architects, advertising agencies, restaurants, and residents started coming together to make Shockoe Bottom the city’s center for design and celebrate creativity and innovation.

“West Broad was an experiment, and after a year we reaffirmed what we always knew, which is that we are urban retailers,” Thornton said.

LaDifference joins a growing list of local businesses who started in downtown or in Carytown and closed one or both locations after attempting to expand to Short Pump, including Bev’s Ice Cream, It’s Hip To Be Round, Soak! and Glass & Powder Board Shop.

LaDiff’s two employees in the West End will move to the downtown store. There are no layoffs.

Read more: Photos from LaDifference’s West Broad Village opening in February 2011