It was so cold today that Amherst’s traffic circle fountain froze, capturing motorists’ attention enough that they frequently stopped to take pictures.

A former Amherst County firefighter pleaded guilty Wednesday morning to embezzling money from the Monelison Volunteer Fire Department and Rescue Squad.

The Amherst County School Board got a lesson on crime during a recent board meeting. Division officials met with sheriff’s office representatives to discuss crime in the division.

Sweet Briar College recently received bequests totaling more than $4.4 million from the estates of two alumnae, the school announced Thursday.

Here’s a synopsis of crimes reported to the Amherst County Sheriff’s Office from Nov. 7-14.

Sherman Davis Washington, 39, a respected magistrate in the 24th Judicial Circuit’s Region 2 who sat in Amherst and Nelson counties, died Saturday at Lynchburg General Hospital.

Jennifer Crispen, a Sweet Briar College faculty institution who was synonymous with field hockey, collegiate coaching at the school and nationwide and as a role model for students, died Friday.

The Amherst Town Council has approved an agreement with developers Lee Cobb and Roger Beeker to market and solicit businesses for the L. Barnes Brockman Business & Industrial Park.

After several years in the making, Central Virginia Community College’s satellite center in Amherst will open Dec. 15 with a ribbon cutting ceremony.

AMHERST — The Department of Homeland Security has awarded Amherst County a $40,000 grant to launch a new citizen alert system.

The Amherst County Board of Supervisors is meeting tonight at the county administration office on Washington Street in Amherst.

  The Amherst Town Council is moving ahead with a project to create a downtown square, voting to solicit bids for what would become a special-events venue and gathering place.

Here is a synopsis of crimes reported in Amherst County during the week of Oct. 31 to Nov. 7, from the Amherst County Sheriff’s Department:

Officials talked about the future of Amherst County during a recent joint meeting of the county’s school board and the board of supervisors.

The Amherst Town Council is considering several major proposals this week, including moving forward on the proposed Town Square project.

Amherst County remains solidly Republican, and by the same percentage of voters who cast ballots in the 2000 election, though slightly less than the 2004 presidential election.

Clothing retailer Peebles plans to open a 12,500-square-foot store next spring at Ambriar and will be the first such department store there since the Wailes store closed in 2002.

A Madison Heights woman has been charged with embezzling $4,000 from the county Solid Waste Department.

Here is a synopsis of crimes reported to the Amherst County Sheriff’s Office Oct. 24-31:

A team of three consultants from a California company will shadow investigators from the Department of Justice when they come to the Central Virginia Training Center in Madison Heights next month.

In an otherwise non-descript field near the new Amherst County animal facility lies a pet cemetery, which has just been renovated by a Boy Scout working on his Eagle award project.

Two local economic development gurus are betting that they can bring new businesses — along with jobs and tax dollars — to the town of Amherst.

More voters than usual jammed some Amherst County polling places Tuesday, although voting generally seemed to be smooth, poll workers said.

Polling places around the region are seeing heavy voter turnout today. Follow Election Day coverage live online.

No one was injured this morning when a car struck the side of a school bus in front of the Ambriar Shopping Center on Main Street in Amherst, authorities said.

Here is a synopsis of crimes reported by the Amherst County Sheriff’s Office from Oct. 17 to Oct. 24.

The Amherst County School Board discussed the division’s accreditation status at its most recent meeting, in which it highlighted concerns including low writing scores at Central Elementary School.

Amherst County officials have approved a new staff position that would give the Pedlar Volunteer Fire Department and Rescue Squad three additional full-time employees in an effort to speed response time to emergencies.

Amherst County’s new animal shelter and adoption center open this weekend, the culmination of four years of work that animal advocates say heralds the next step in preventing overpopulation.

If you get close enough to John Grieser to ask him if that thing has a Hemi in it, you’re probably going to get hit with a question of your own.