| Helen Pryor remembers the day in March 2020 she and everyone else at Chesterfield Academy was abruptly told to go home to wait out the coronavirus outbreak. It would last for a few weeks, everyone thought. Teachers and students had to find places at home to set up their computers and figure out a host of new online programs and teaching resources. Worksheets were sent home. Teachers set up Zoom classes. Districts had to figure out how to get computers and Internet access to students who didnât have them. But it wasnât an outbreak, it was a pandemic. Three years ago next week, COVID-19 was declared a national emergency, and governors across the country, including Virginiaâs Gov. Ralph Northam, ordered schools closed. Today, schools, students and parents are still sorting through what happened and finding ways to help students catch up. The effects can be seen in virtually every part of public education â student achievement, morale, behavior, staffing. Read more in the Sunday Main News section
Kernet Holloway story? Holloway died Feb. 3 at the Amherst Adult Detention Center (part of Blue Ridge Jail Authority) in the Lynchburg area. Holloway was one of more than 170 inmates the Hampton Sheriffâs Office is holding outside of the city after issues with the building â including an outdated locking system â forced the Hampton City Jailâs closure in May of 2022. More than half of those inmates are being held at Hampton Roads Regional Jail in Portsmouth, under a longstanding partnership with Hampton and four other area cities. But the Hampton Sheriffâs Office has also contracted out to three other agencies -- the Western Tidewater Regional Jail in Suffolk; Riverside Regional Jail in Hopewell; and the Blue Ridge Regional Jail Authority in Lynchburg, which runs five jails in the western part of the state. Read more in the Sunday Main News section Savana Griffith wakes up everyday worried about her hemp business. She loves helping her customers and running her shop, The Hemp Spectrum, in Virginia Beach. But sheâs scared recent legislation will spell its doom. âWe put our whole life savings into this,â Griffith said. âWeâve been doing things the right way and now theyâre going to put us out of business and into debt.â The General Assembly recently passed a bill that would tighten regulations on the industrial hemp industry. Supporters say it would protect children from accidental ingestion and keep consumers informed. Others argue it would have the opposite effect by shuttering shops and pushing customers to seek questionable products from the black market. Read more in the Sunday Main News section
Sure signs of a provocative art exhibition: A museum displays a trigger warning or provides a sanctuary space where visitors can decompress. The Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art has done both with the recent opening of âKara Walker: Cut to the Quick, from the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation.â Walker is known for creating powerful â and sometimes controversial â images to illuminate the nationâs painful legacies of slavery, misogyny, violence and colonialism. âFor a nation dealing with tough issues,â said Heather Hakimzadeh, Virginia MOCAâs senior curator, âthis exhibition is a starting point of a dialogue.â Read more in the Sunday Break section
A Chesapeake man and margarita fan has landed in paradise. His ready-to-drink margarita won a national contest, with a head-spinning cash prize, and itâs now on store shelves nationwide. Deron Cassellâs Tropical Paradise â a blend of mango, peach, strawberry, pineapple and orange juice â won him $100,000, tequila maker Jose Cuervo said in a news release. The blend hit stores in February. Read more in the Sunday Break section
After a long wait, Maryâs Kitchen, a popular local breakfast spot, reopens Monday. Maryâs closed temporarily in October because of the âeconomic climate,â according to a sign taped to its entrance and a post on its Facebook page. Regulars were disappointed but found a glimmer of hope in that the hiatus was only until the spring. Since 1951, Maryâs has been serving Southern favorites for breakfast and lunch â such as buttermilk biscuits and chicken and dumplings â to locals and tourists. Read more in the Sunday Break section
2022 was Norfolk International Airportâs best year in its 85-year history, the director said.
âWe recovered from the pandemic faster than just about any other airport in the nation,â said Mark A. Perryman, Norfolk Airport Authority president and CEO. âThatâs a testament to what this region has to offer.â As of last year, the Norfolk airport overtook the Richmond airport in terms of passengers, he said during a presentation on Wednesday. Norfolk tallied about 4.12 million passengers while Richmond had about 4.07 million. He explained there is friendly boasting as the numbers go up and down between the two. The Downtown Norfolk Council held a member briefing at the Norfolk Waterside Marriott to share details of the airportâs latest progress and master plan. Read more in the Sunday Work & Money section
Note To Readers: A reminder that Parade magazine is now only found along with your e-edition of either The Virginian-Pilot or Daily Press each Sunday morning. Print copies of Parade magazine ceased after the November 13th issue.
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