| The pace of killings can often seem unrelenting in Hampton Roads. There was the spilled drink that led to gunfire in the heart of Norfolkâs downtown nightlife area on March 18, leaving three dead and two wounded. The shooting over money eight days later inside MacArthur Center mall that killed one man and injured two others. And a Virginia Beach man who said he âsnappedâ before killing three people in weeklong crime spree in early April. Those slayings and others set off a series of gatherings among religious leaders, city officials and community groups on how to quell the violence. âEvery other evening, there seems to be a shooting,â said Hampton Mayor Donnie Tuck, who called a meeting of the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission, a group of mayors and city managers, to address the issue earlier this month. In terms of homicides, Tuckâs estimate isnât far off: Hampton Roadsâ seven largest cities reported 62 killings in the first 111 days of 2022 â or one slaying every 1.8 days. Still, a look at police data on killings and shootings leads to mixed signals on whether this yearâs carnage will end up worse than last year. On the one hand, homicides are up 15% â with the 62 killings recorded between Jan. 1 and April 21 up from 54 in the same period last year. Thatâs a worrisome start given that 2021 was a bad year for homicides in the region, with its 207 slayings representing a 65% increase since 2017. Read more in the Sunday Main News section The Williamsburg-James City County School Board decided not to purchase four new social studies textbooks after some citizens complained that one book promotes âdivisive teachingsâ and teaches critical race theory. The textbook, âGovernment in America: People, Politics and Policy,â is taught in public school Advanced Placement government and politics classes. The W-JCC school system was seeking to replace books on government, economics and U.S. history in order to update its curriculum. But after a citizen review period that some board members claimed was too short and brought about some complaints, the school board on Tuesday voted 4-3 not to approve the $130,921 textbook purchase. By doing so, the schools will lose their chance to buy new textbooks for another year. Meanwhile, students will have to use textbooks that are at least 12 years old. Read more in the Sunday Main News section Downtown Norfolk is having a moment. Several local and regional developers are investing millions of dollars in apartment projects in the Neon District and downtown, including at the former Virginian-Pilot building. Pilot Place transforms historic headquarters For 83 years, 150 W. Brambleton Ave. was the headquarters of the regionâs newspaper operations. Now, the space contains 180 high-end apartments with several nods to its historic past. The Monument Cos., a Richmond developer with several projects in Hampton Roads, bought the building for $9.5 million in 2020 and said it spent another $30 million on renovations. The complex, called Pilot Place, is two structures. Ten units are located in the annex building, which had housed publications like Inside Business. That building also has 5,653 square feet of commercial space. The other 170 units are located in the five-story main building. Read more in the Sunday Main News section James Ewart stuck his hand into a small plastic tub, pulled out a glass marble, dabbed it with glue, then pressed it onto a gallery wall. That was 4,600 down, 18,400 to go. He was guessing, since itâs hard to keep count when seven people are doing the same thing. Piece by piece, they were bringing to life a giant marble map of two bays. Ewart works for the renowned artist whose environmentally attuned exhibition, âMaya Lin: A Study of Water,â opens Thursday at the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art. Once done by mid-April, the map would flow across an expansive gallery floor, up walls and onto the ceiling. It depicts and is called âMarble Chesapeake & Delaware Bay,â two bodies of water connected by a man-made canal. The map shows how much water and land is connected as part of the watershed: The Chesapeakeâs watershed has 150 major rivers and streams, and more than 100,000 smaller tributaries. The rivers, tributaries and surrounding land channel rain and toxic substances, from fertilizer to animal waste, into the bay. The runoff results in too much nitrogen and phosphorus, which endangers important species like blue crab, oysters and bay grasses, and so much more. Read more in the Sunday Break section
Itâs a good thing the Virginia International Tattoo, one of the showstoppers of the Virginia Arts Festival, is returning to Scope. It was canceled in 2020. Then condensed and held last year in the open air of a football stadium. The 25th anniversary tattoo show returns to its original stomping ground this week with enough international bands, bagpipes, bugles, Hooahs! Hooyahs! Oorahs!, drumming, dancing, anthems, tartan and bearskin hats to fill an arena. Organizers have aptly called it âA Celebration of Resilience.â The tattoo runs April 28 through May 1 and brings with it several of the traditions that fans have missed the past two years: the Hullabaloos, free parties before each show in the Scope Plaza; the NATO Parade of Nations and American Pipe Band Championship on April 30. Here are 25 must-sees, interesting tidbits and insider tips for the VIT:
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Much like his restaurantâs overstuffed deli sandwiches, friends say Jeff Goldbergâs bold personality filled a room and his heart overflowed with kindness. The owner, heart and soul of The Route 58 Delicatessen in Virginia Beach died suddenly on April 15 at 64. Goldberg, recognized for his New Jersey accent, booming voice, and earnest laugh, began his career as a radio morning show personality in South Florida; Columbus, Ohio; and Richmond. He entered the local scene in the late 1990s as Jeff Allen, a host of 106.9 The Foxâs morning show. Goldberg was a driving force behind the creation of the Mayflower Marathon, the regionâs yearly 57-hour Thanksgiving food and fund drive. Read more in the Sunday Work & Money section
The sound was satisfying, a pop that confirmed both the location and the velocity were on point. Grayson Rodriguez would hear that pop again and again, throwing pitch after pitch through the flap of the homemade strike-zone target his father had built. Occasionally, there would be a thud added to the mix, and eventually a ping after the strike-zone target was altered from PVC piping to metal tubing, to better handle the increasingly rapid speeds Rodriguez would throw down the 59-foot pitching lab created in a second-floor hallway of his parentsâ interior-design business in downtown Nacogdoches, Texas. âJust trying to sling baseballs through it,â Rodriguez said. That upstairs pitching lab is where Rodriguez spent most of his time in the winter months, a haven for the future first-round draft pick to work on his own, away from the cold weather and the crowds that filled the public cages. Itâs where Rodriguez helped solidify himself as Major League Baseballâs top pitching prospect, a beacon of light for the Orioles as a rebuild nears fruition. Read more in the Sunday Sports section Liam Neeson Parade Picks - Be A Good Giver Walter Scott Asks.. Bill Hader | 