QUICK TAKES - Sept. 17, 2009

Singer Chris Brown cleared weeds and debris at police horse stables in Virginia on Wednesday for the first day of his 180-day court-ordered community service for beating ex-girlfriend Rihanna.

Brown worked along with two others who were serving probation, clearing tall weeds and brush by hand and with yard tools. Additional officers were on hand, but only a few fans and television crews gathered nearby.

Brown’s schedule, including work hours and days, will be flexible, and he will be performing different types of manual labor, Richmond police spokesman Gene Lepley said.

The 20-year-old was sentenced in Los Angeles last month to five years’ probation, six months of community labor and a year of domestic violence counseling for the February attack. He is performing the labor and undergoing counseling in Richmond, near his home in Montpelier.