By WILL JONES Henrico County risks paying top dollar for land because officials are reluctant to use government authority to force owners to sell, an independent commission has concluded.

By Holly Prestidge, Richmond Times-Dispatch, Va. Jan. 25--Fred Morton IV's proposed 2008-09 budget asks for a $31.4 million increase over the current one. Henrico County School Superintendent Fred Morton IV will stay in Henrico one more year before retiring in the summer of 2009.

By Will Jones and Olympia Meola, Richmond Times-Dispatch, Va. Oct. 19--Federal authorities are investigating land deals between Henrico County and developers, sources say. A federal grand jury in Richmond met on the matter this week, they said. The U.S.

Seats on the Henrico County School Board are being contested in all five districts this year - Brookland, Fairfield, Three Chopt, Tuckahoe and Varina. Below are capsule profiles of candidates registered in those races. The candidates' reasons for running have been edited for space.

By Will Jones, Richmond Times-Dispatch, Va. Sep. 9--A commission reviewing Henrico County's land-buying practices is wrapping up the initial phase of its work, drawing mostly high marks from observers.