| For the last several months, school safety concerns have kept parents and teachers on edge across Hampton Roads. Particularly since a 6-year-old student brought a gun to school and shot his teacher in a first-grade classroom at Newport Newsâ Richneck Elementary in January, security measures have been top of mind. The scrutiny has translated to numerous discussions in school board rooms across the region, with school officials simultaneously reassuring the public that security has always been a priority while exploring ways to add more protection. As schools finalize their budgets for next year, millions of dollars have been earmarked for a variety of security measures across Hampton Roads schools. Divisions are doing everything from adding security officers to increasing mental health supports. Read more in the Sunday Main News section
More than 40 years after a failed assassination attempt of President Ronald Reagan propelled him into infamy, John Hinckley Jr. is trying to forge a new path. In 1982, Hinckley was found not guilty by reason of insanity after shooting and wounding Reagan, as well as White House press secretary James Brady, Secret Service agent Timothy McCarthy and Washington police officer Thomas Delahanty. Brady, who died in 2014, was left partially paralyzed. Then 27, Hinckley was committed by the court to St. Elizabeths Hospital in Washington, D.C., where he lived until 2016, when the court granted him convalescent leave, allowing him to live full time with his mother, Jo Ann Hinckley, in the gated Kingsmill community outside of Williamsburg. Hinckley continued to live under court restrictions until last June, when he was fully released. Read more in the Sunday Main News section One of the wallpaper designs inside the historic Nelson-Galt House began its life more than 300 years ago as a bed curtain, delicately hand-embroidered in England with birds, trees and other natural scenes. As for the green floral damask on two chairs, that was inspired by a fragment of a 1750s silk gown worn by Martha Dandridge Custis, who would later marry George Washington. Such a blend of past and present means that Heather Chadduck Hillegas, the designer in residence at Colonial Williamsburg, has done her job. Hillegas, an interior decorator and textile designer based in Birmingham, Alabama, has reimagined the interior of the circa 1695 Nelson-Galt home using modern-day paints, fabrics, wallpaper, dinnerware and other décor from the licensed Williamsburg brand. Read more in the Sunday Break section
For National Historic Preservation Month, Richmond-based Preservation Virginia has released its list of historic places that face imminent or sustained threats. The annual list, which has highlighted 170 sites so far, encourages groups, residents, and local and state governments to find ways to save the buildings or locations. The program has been successful in preserving many of the historic places, according to a news release from Preservation Virginia. Only 10% of the sites listed so far have been lost to demolition or neglect. âHistoric places are at the forefront of debates about the environment, affordable housing and smart growth,â said Elizabeth S. Kostelny, Preservation Virginia CEO, in the release. âWe need to work together to address these issues while preserving locations that still have so much to teach about our collective past and present. Once a historic place is demolished, itâs gone forever.â Virginiaâs Most Endangered Historic Places for 2023? Check out the list in the Sunday Main Break section
The impact that Debra Hamilton Farleyâs 33-year career with the Hampton Roads Small Business Development Center has had on the region can best be conveyed through numbers. Over the course of more than three decades, Farley advised 8,779 small businesses and helped 252 new businesses open. Her assistance helped create more than 9,000 jobs and $175 million in capital formation. âI just loved what I did and working with the community,â she said. âI had a passion for assisting those who wanted to start a business and especially the small, disadvantaged business owners.â Farley retired from her dual roles as associate executive director and certified business analyst with the Small Business Development Center and Hampton Roads Chamber on April 30. 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.
Mary Tyler Moore
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