Farmville

Barreling along Virginia's back-country roads almost an hour west of Richmond, I'm beginning to doubt we'll ever reach Farmville. It's been nearly three hours since we crossed the Woodrow Wilson Bridge in Washington and plowed down I-95, though the last 30 miles have been lovely. A gothic-looking railroad bridge rivaling a Roman aqueduct crosses the James River, then it's rolling green countryside and woods. But I'm ready to shop. A friend who is about to open an interior design business has heard about Green Front Furniture, an import business in rural Farmville that offers a huge selection of higher-end furniture, accessories and especially Oriental rugs at up to 50 percent off regular retail prices, and she is eager to check it out. I want to cover a roomful of bare floor without spending the equivalent of the national debt.

It wasn't so long ago that former Rutgers defensive tackle Eric LeGrand couldn't even move his shoulders, which is why it's hard not to marvel at his willingness to offer one of them to anybody facing a major life challenge. If you don't know his story, you probably missed last year's ESPY Awards or walked past the aisle at Barnes and Noble where his two books are on display. He was the 20-year-old special teams player who suffered a severe spinal cord injury in a 2010 game against Army at MetLife Stadium that left him paralyzed from the neck down.

It wasn't so long ago that former Rutgers defensive tackle Eric LeGrand couldn't even move his shoulders, which is why it's hard not to marvel at his willingness to offer one of them to anybody facing a major life challenge. If you don't know his story, you probably missed last year's ESPY Awards or walked past the aisle at Barnes and Noble where his two books are on display. He was the 20-year-old special teams player who suffered a severe spinal cord injury in a 2010 game against Army at MetLife Stadium that left him paralyzed from the neck down.

By Dave Gilmore, @dave_gilmore It's impossible to judge quality from gameplay clips, cinematic trailers and even sometimes playable demos. What can be judged though, is how excited one is to simply play the game. Now that another year of E3 has wrapped up, we know a lot more about some of the late 2012 and 2013 and beyond games we've been hearing only rumors about so far. Here are the five games from E3 we're most excited to play as of this moment. "Assassin's Creed 3" Everything about "AC3" so far has been encouraging, but the new clips at this week's show blew the doors off expectations for October's release.

On July 3, 2004, JANIE MOORE STRICKLAND age 88 of Little Orleans, MD. Services will be held July, 7, 2004, 2 P. M at Farmville Church of God, Farmville, NC. Interment Strickland Cemetery. Family will receive friends Tuesday, July 6, 5 to 8 P. M at the Grove Funeral Home, 141 W. Main Street, Hancock, MD, and at the church 12 to 2 P.M.

ROBERT L. ROMBY formerly of Baltimore, MD died November 25 in Farmville, Va. Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, at 1 P.M. from The Reid's Funeral Home, Highway 15-North, Dillwyn, VA with interment in Zion Baptist Church Cemetery of Dillwyn.

On January 5, 2007, PAUL J. Friends may call at the MARCH FUNERAL HOME WEST, 4300 Wabash Avenue on Tuesday after 5 P.M., where the family will receive friends on Wednesday 4 to 7 P.M. Funeral services will be held Thursday at 1 P.M. at the High Rock Baptist Church in Farmville, VA.

More than 10 years ago this month, I discovered parts of my family tree. My search for information about my Virginia lineage arose out of a need to confirm to an acquaintance that I, in fact, had blood relatives from the Southern state. In addition, I always felt awkward and embarrassed when my white friends and colleagues would talk about their European ancestors who hailed from Ireland, Scotland and England. Outside of their being from Baltimore, I knew very little about my mother's side of the family.

On Tuesday, March 15, 2005, WILLIAM "BILL" W. HENRY of Myrtle Beach, SC since 1996, formerly of Baltimore, passed away. Born Detroit, MI, son of the late William and Margaret Watson Henry. US Air Force Reserves. Retired after 41 years from Westinghouse. Former member of Wesley Grove United Methodist Church and Glen Burnie Elks Lodge. Surviving: wife Kathleen "Bonnie" Henry; daughters, Tracie Henry and husband Dan Oberlander of Merrimack, NH and Debra Dodson and husband Donald of Millersville, MD; grandson, Donnie Dodson of Millersville, MD and brother, Bruce Henry and wife Joy of Farmville, VA. Services 11 A.M. Friday at Goldfinch Funeral Home, Murrells Inlet, SC. Memorials to the National Kidney Foundation of SC, 500 Taylors St., Suite 101, Columbia, SC 29201.

FARMVILLE, N.C. -- Farmville's only courtroom has never played host to a felony trial. This week, the town's 4,000 residents will watch a parade of jurors, lawyers, psychologists, parents and children converge on that courtroom. There, they will unfold what may be the largest child sexual abuse trial this country has ever seen: the trial of Robert F. Kelly Jr. of Edenton.The trial was moved to this one-blink community in Pitt County, 65 miles west of Edenton in Eastern North Carolina, because of pretrial publicity.

Do you want to like John Harbaugh on Facebook or follow the Ravens coach on Twitter? You do? Then I have sad news for you. Despite the efforts of Ravens Senior Vice President of Public and Community Relations Kevin Byrne, Harbaugh has no plans to join Twitter. And he thinks it's "shocking" that hundreds of millions of people have Facebook accounts. "I don’t think I’m ever going to be there on Facebook or Twitter," Harbaugh told Jerry Coleman of FOX 1370 Sports Radio late last week.

More than 10 years ago this month, I discovered parts of my family tree. My search for information about my Virginia lineage arose out of a need to confirm to an acquaintance that I, in fact, had blood relatives from the Southern state. In addition, I always felt awkward and embarrassed when my white friends and colleagues would talk about their European ancestors who hailed from Ireland, Scotland and England. Outside of their being from Baltimore, I knew very little about my mother's side of the family.

DOVER, Del. -- Morgan State men's basketball coach Todd Bozeman will return to Farmville, Va., this week to respond to misdemeanor assault charges after an argument there Saturday about a post-game meal. "I'm confident that the facts, when they come out, the record will be set straight. That's all that I can say," Bozeman said before last night's 54-40 upset of Delaware State. In an incident first reported by the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Farmville police were called to Mulligan's restaurant near Longwood University, west of Richmond, where the Bears had lost a nonconference game.

On January 5, 2007, PAUL J. Friends may call at the MARCH FUNERAL HOME WEST, 4300 Wabash Avenue on Tuesday after 5 P.M., where the family will receive friends on Wednesday 4 to 7 P.M. Funeral services will be held Thursday at 1 P.M. at the High Rock Baptist Church in Farmville, VA.

On Tuesday, March 15, 2005, WILLIAM "BILL" W. HENRY of Myrtle Beach, SC since 1996, formerly of Baltimore, passed away. Born Detroit, MI, son of the late William and Margaret Watson Henry. US Air Force Reserves. Retired after 41 years from Westinghouse. Former member of Wesley Grove United Methodist Church and Glen Burnie Elks Lodge. Surviving: wife Kathleen "Bonnie" Henry; daughters, Tracie Henry and husband Dan Oberlander of Merrimack, NH and Debra Dodson and husband Donald of Millersville, MD; grandson, Donnie Dodson of Millersville, MD and brother, Bruce Henry and wife Joy of Farmville, VA. Services 11 A.M. Friday at Goldfinch Funeral Home, Murrells Inlet, SC. Memorials to the National Kidney Foundation of SC, 500 Taylors St., Suite 101, Columbia, SC 29201.

ROBERT L. ROMBY formerly of Baltimore, MD died November 25 in Farmville, Va. Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, at 1 P.M. from The Reid's Funeral Home, Highway 15-North, Dillwyn, VA with interment in Zion Baptist Church Cemetery of Dillwyn.

On May 23, 2004, KENNETH DODSON SIMONINI in Myrtle Beach, SC, beloved husband of Kathryn Gift Simonini and dear brother of the late Dr. Rinaldo C. Simonini, Jr. Devoted uncle of Dr. R. Charles Simonini, III of Richmond, VA and Diahn M. Simonini of Farmville, VA, Kurt F. Gramm of CA, Kelly A. Fisher of Finksburg, MD, Matthew R. and Allyson N. Christ of Baltimore, MD. Loving brother-in-law of Peggy Ann and Richard Gramm and Denise L. and Gregory Christ....

DOVER, Del. -- Morgan State men's basketball coach Todd Bozeman will return to Farmville, Va., this week to respond to misdemeanor assault charges after an argument there Saturday about a post-game meal. "I'm confident that the facts, when they come out, the record will be set straight. That's all that I can say," Bozeman said before last night's 54-40 upset of Delaware State. In an incident first reported by the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Farmville police were called to Mulligan's restaurant near Longwood University, west of Richmond, where the Bears had lost a nonconference game.

On July 3, 2004, JANIE MOORE STRICKLAND age 88 of Little Orleans, MD. Services will be held July, 7, 2004, 2 P. M at Farmville Church of God, Farmville, NC. Interment Strickland Cemetery. Family will receive friends Tuesday, July 6, 5 to 8 P. M at the Grove Funeral Home, 141 W. Main Street, Hancock, MD, and at the church 12 to 2 P.M.

On May 23, 2004, KENNETH DODSON SIMONINI in Myrtle Beach, SC, beloved husband of Kathryn Gift Simonini and dear brother of the late Dr. Rinaldo C. Simonini, Jr. Devoted uncle of Dr. R. Charles Simonini, III of Richmond, VA and Diahn M. Simonini of Farmville, VA, Kurt F. Gramm of CA, Kelly A. Fisher of Finksburg, MD, Matthew R. and Allyson N. Christ of Baltimore, MD. Loving brother-in-law of Peggy Ann and Richard Gramm and Denise L. and Gregory Christ....