Buckroe Beach may be getting into the food truck and pop-up shop business next tourist season. The concept, aimed at boosting retail on the waterfront, is still in its early stages, according to the Daily Press. If all goes as planned the trucks and other operations could be seen as early as this summer.
Category Archives: #ICYMI
Young professionals conference notes need for young blood, job diversity
Heads up, college kids: If you’re looking for in-school or post-grad employment in the area, you’ll be pleased to know that many Peninsula businesses would be happy to have you — provided you want to give back to the community. Intrigued? Check out the DP’s report on a recent young professionals conference in Hampton for details.
Olympic stars will sponsor the future USS Enterprise
Two of America’s Olympic sweethearts are taking on a new patriotic job. Rio stars Simone Biles and Katie Ledecky will officially sponsor the future USS Enterprise. The new aircraft carrier will be built in Hampton Roads, with construction set to begin in 2017.
State Senate launches new marijuana study
The leader of Virginia’s senate wants the commonwealth to take a closer look at how it treats marijuana. The leader, who’s a James City Republican, has previously expressed openness towards legalization, but for now the study will just look into Virginia’s law-enforcement practices surrounding the drug.
CNU professors pen open letter to scared students
In the wake of the election, the faculty of Christopher Newport University released a letter to their students letting them know that there are people to talk to, and they will do everything in their power to keep CNU a safe place. Read the full letter here.
Wegmans is a no-go for the Peninsula
*Sigh*
Wegmans, the grocery chain that New Yorkers go crazy over, had been eyeing a location in Newport News. But now that deal is, well, off the table. And Wegmans spokeswoman Jo Natale told the Daily Press they are not currently looking at other sites on the Peninsula. Virginia Beach, though, might get lucky.
Mathews’ Thrifty Spot puts your spending toward a good cause
Small Business Saturday may have come and gone, but there are still plenty of local deals to be found. Example: Mathews County’s Thrifty Spot offers all the charm and cheap deals of a thrift shop with the added bonus of supporting a good cause. The store employs special education students from Mathews High School, giving them useful job experience; read their mission here.
Ferguson’s Hackathon brings local IT geniuses together to brainstorm
Part competition, part talent search and part good marketing, Ferguson’s first-ever Hackathon event brought together more than two dozen brilliant IT minds from around the area to team up and create mobile apps to win cash prizes. The company got new ideas and potential new employees, and attendees got valuable team- and tech-building experience. Talk about a win-win.
Long-awaited Norfolk bike trail now open
After being under construction and riddled with detours since February 2013, the new, redesigned Elizabeth River Trail finally opened last weekend. According to hrScene, the new 10.5-mile trail is open to runners, cyclists and bipeds. The plan is for the trail to eventually connect to the Norfolk bike loop.
Final presidential debate leaves locals feeling … like they did before
The final presidential debate wrapped up Wednesday night, but if you missed it, don’t sweat it. The DP interviewed several local political minds, most of whom agreed that the debate, while more focused than the previous two, devolved into baiting and character smearing (just like the other two debates). Get the gist here, or watch for yourself here.
State senate leader among Republicans waffling on Trump support
Following Donald Trump’s latest point of contention, local state senator Tommy Norment has refused to comment on either the controversy or his own continued support of the Republican presidential nominee. Norment is one of many Republicans, Virginian and otherwise, who have either pulled support or declined to support Trump.
Get your “Game On” for free at PFAC
If you’ve got a hankering for fine arts, sports history or free stuff, a weekend trip to PFAC might be in order. Admission is a whopping $0 until Oct. 9, at which point they will also close their long-running “Game On” exhibit that showcases the evolution of worldwide sports in art.
Creepy clown phenomenon falls upon Hampton schools
If you’ve been following the stories of creepy clowns cavorting in public and creating chaos, you’ll be troubled to know that the movement has started to affect Hampton Roads. Police are investigating social media threats against schools in the area involving some of these creepy clowns, although details and veracity are currently vague.
For the last time, you can’t fly with your gun
TSA agents at Norfolk International Airport discovered yet another handgun in someone’s carry-on luggage. An agent caught the firearm and 48 rounds of ammo when it went through the X-ray machine, the Daily Press reports. Guns are only allowed on flights if they’re checked. Check out the TSA’s Instagram account for more banned items.
#ICYMI: the first presidential debate
Backers of both sides disagree about who won the first presidential debate, but no one denies the candidates’ abrasiveness towards each other. That may have pleased their hardcore supporters, but it earned them few points among the more independent or undecided observers, the Daily Press found. Check out the Washington Post’s massive fact-checking of the event.
#ICYMI: Hampton Roads is finally drying out
This week #HRVA saw flooding in a lot of places where it usually doesn’t. That’s due to a combination of water/sewage systems that became overwhelmed and a storm that seemed to settle in once it hit Hampton Roads, according to the Virginian-Pilot. The storm broke records, including the most rain to fall on Sept. 20.
Sandbridge is lighting up neon blue at night
Bioluminescent algae is causing the waters of Sandbridge to glow neon blue at night. The phenomenon, which led to some viral pics over the weekend, isn’t anything to worry about, though. Late summer and early fall are a prime time for the “light show,” local scientists told the Pilot.
Gov. Terry McAuliffe photographed with Willie Nelson — and his weed?
Gov. Terry McAuliffe was photographed with Willie Nelson over the weekend. Also in the picture: An apparent can of the country music legend’s brand of pot, according to the Daily Press. The Richmond Times-Dispatch notes that while the state saw more than 200,000 marijuana-related arrests last year, the governor (as well as the General Assembly) opposes legalization.
As McAuliffe’s spokesman told the RTD, “He was not and still is not aware of whatever was on the table or anywhere around him and wouldn’t know marijuana or related paraphernalia if it walked up and shook his hand. He’s cool, but he’s not that cool.”
Our generation has fewer kids — but only if you don’t count fur babies
Does it seem like your friends are more interested in fur babies than real babies? According to a recent survey, millennials are putting off parenthood but buying and adopting pets at a much higher rate than their parents. (And if you’re still catching more baby pics on Facebook than you’d like, here’s a browser extension that replaces them…)
Newport News first responders, military honor the fallen on 9/11
Members of Newport News first response crews and local military personnel partnered for a special September 11 memorial service at the Victory Arch on Friday. Speakers, including a fire department chaplain and the city’s mayor, offered words of encouragement and unity, and an ensemble from the Army TRADOC Band provided music.
Schools out for ever: ITT Tech to close all schools
ITT Tech (yes, the one whose commercials seared its name into your mind) announced Tuesday that it will be closing all of its schools, laying off 8,000 faculty members and leaving 35,000 students in a totally awkward spot. According to The Virginian-Pilot, the school in Norfolk had 559 students who’d just started classes.
Pungo border wall mural splits residents
Divisive political statements are par for the course on Facebook walls, but not so much IRL. A mural in Virginia Beach has angered some residents who say the wall’s message is anti-immigrant, the Pilot reports. The mural shows the United States with a wooden fence on the Mexican border and reads “Save America Never Hillary!!”
Another grocery store is headed to the Peninsula area
German grocery store Aldi is opening another location on the Peninsula, this time in Gloucester County. The chain recently opened locations in Williamsburg and Portsmouth, and it’s in the process of building a store in Newport News and applying to build a store in Hampton. The high-end grocery chain Wegmans also moved into Virginia in recent years.
Bill Nye the Science Guy is headed to Netflix!!!
If you’re heart jumped happily when you heard the first note of Bill Nye’s theme song in middle school science, this is really exciting news. The legendary scientist/TV host/national treasure will launch a new show on Netflix, called “Bill Nye Saves the World.” There’s no word yet from the streaming giant on a release date.
They dropped a giant space capsule at NASA Langley (on purpose)
NASA Langley was the site of test of the new Orion Capsule this week, and the test was literally dropping the capsule into the water from about 40 feet in the air. Even cooler? The whole thing is part of NASA’s preparation for a trip to Mars in the not so distant future.
Like smoothies? You HAVE to read this.
The Virginia Dept. of Health is warning Tropical Smoothie patrons that strawberries used in Tro Smo’s smoothies may have been contaminated with Hepatitis A over the last 50 days. Unlike the contagion of every zombie movie ever, symptoms don’t occur until at least two weeks (and up to almost two months) after infection, according to NBC 12.
Two baby Komodos surface, proving that even infant reptiles are cute
Workers at the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center in Virginia Beach mourned the death of the Komodo dragon Jude, but tears evaporated into celebration Thursday when two of her babies came out of a secret nest unknown to employees. DP provides pictures and coverage of the saga here.
#ICYMI: Sen. Mark Warner seeks to avoid ‘dystopian’ future
U.S. Sen. Mark Warner (the one not currently running for vice president) wants to do away with capitalism as we know it. In a speech in Richmond Wednesday, Warner explained that government and businesses will have to restructure how we do business as technology displaces workers, costs rise and traditional work becomes less secure.
The Tide turns five
It’s been a bit of a bumpy ride and its future is uncertain, but Norfolk’s light rail system, the Tide, turns five this month. HRT is celebrating the birthday on Friday in downtown Norfolk. The Virginian-Pilot has more details and an overview of how the project has fared so far.
U.Va. doctoral candidate explores link between booze and marriage
Diana Dinescu, a clinical psychology doctoral candidate at U.Va., is leading a prominent psychological study that examines the links between marital status and drinking habits in twins, and it yields surprising results. The Washington Post reports here on Dinescu’s study and other related research projects regarding marriage, relationships and alcohol.