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As climate change warms the planet, heat waves are becoming more common and sending more people to the hospital, according to research from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Hampton Roads is no exception.

Heat-related illnesses, including cramps, dehydration and heatstroke, have been sending hundreds more people to Hampton Roads emergency rooms over the past few years, according to data from the Virginia Department of Health.

And local emergency responders say they are seeing more people suffering from the effects of the preventable illnesses.

“Obviously, it’s higher when there’s sustained periods of high temperatures and humidity, and we get those heat waves like we’ve had commonly over the past several weeks,” said Dr. Zane Shuck, an emergency medicine practitioner with Emergency Physicians of Tidewater.

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Virginia has a new notch on its belt when it comes to sea turtle nests.

On Saturday night, a leatherback sea turtle laid eggs on a naval installation beach, 5 miles south of the resort area. It is the first recorded leatherback sea turtle nesting in Virginia.

Leatherbacks are the largest living turtles in the world and are affectionately known as the “VW bugs of sea turtles” because of their size. They can grow up to 6 feet long and weigh up to 2,000 pounds.

Patrollers who monitor for signs of turtles at the Navy-owned beach at Naval Air Station Oceana Dam Neck Annex first discovered tracks in the sand on Sunday morning.

Erin Bates, stranding response rehabilitation manager, said she couldn’t believe her eyes when she saw the pictures.

“I had to pinch myself,” said Bates, who has worked with the stranding program for 17 years.

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Virginia State Police have arrested two Virginia Beach suspects in connection with a fatal shooting on Interstate 264 in Norfolk that killed a 19-year-old woman earlier this week.

The arrests were made around 8 p.m. Wednesday in connection with the shooting, which happened around 4 a.m. Tuesday on eastbound Interstate 264 between Campostella Road and Ballentine Boulevard.

Asia F. Wiggins, 20, of Virginia Beach, was charged with being an accessory after the fact of a homicide. Jamir D. Bennett, 19, of Virginia Beach, was charged with being an accessory after the fact of a homicide and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

The shooting killed 19-year-old Alexis Styles of Norfolk. The driver, a 39-year-old man, was seriously wounded but is not considered to have life-threatening injuries, police said.

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Tracey Bracey-Smith knew something was amiss in 17th Street Park when she watched the weather report on a local TV news station in May.

The camera panned across the park — a shot that should have showcased hundreds of flowers Bracey-Smith’s landscaping crew just planted. But none of the flowers came into view. 

“The particular time that I saw it, I was like, I know we just planted. Where are the plants?” said Bracey-Smith, a ground services supervisor for the city.

The culprit?

A band of beach bunnies.

This is the first year that city landscaping crews have seen an abundance of rabbits hopping between the plantings along the Boardwalk, nibbling on the grass in the public parks and wreaking havoc on the foliage.

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U.S. Sen. Mark Warner said that this would be his fourth and final term in the Senate if his reelection bid is successful in November. Warner, a Democrat, has held the seat since 2009.

“I’ve been doing this for a while, and I’m so grateful to everybody,” Warner said at a campaign stop in Staunton. “I’m here to ask you to support me for my last campaign.”

Warner, 71, said it was time to move on and to bring younger people into office.

“But I can tell you this much — I sure as hell was not going to quit while Donald Trump was sitting down the street,” he said.

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The Book Exchange, which has spent more than 20 years in Norfolk’s Wards Corner, is moving across the street to a former Rite Aid location by the end of the year.

The move will allow the exchange to expand its overall offerings but also add a second counter for a “Sports Exchange” offering sporting equipment for the first time, according to Cassie Gardner, general manager of the store. The Book Exchange is expected to move into the new location at 7601 Granby Street by early September and the Sports Exchange will be open before Christmas.

The new sports section will include basic equipment for major sports as well as items like surfboards, according to Gardner.

“There’s going to be a lot of different options for people that are into that realm,” Gardner said in an interview.

The Book Exchange sells pre-owned books, movies, music and other items which have been traded in by the public in exchange for store credit.

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WILLIAMSBURG — Those wishing to walk around with a mixed drink or a beer in downtown Williamsburg can now do so — if you stay within the one-block boundaries.

As part of a yearlong pilot program, the city has created a Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area — DORA for short — which will allow adult beverages to be purchased and carried around as long as they’re in a special cup.

The initiative went into effect Monday.

The outdoor drinking area is zoned for along Duke of Gloucester Street between College Corner and Henry Street, with signs indicating the boundaries. Visitors can imbibe from noon to 9 p.m. daily and must purchase an alcoholic beverage from a participating establishment in an official DORA cup.

The idea sprang from the popularity of outdoor dining, which grew during the COVID-19 pandemic. ABC has since revamped policies to allow more opportunities for localities to offer outdoor drinking areas.

Mayor Doug Pons said the area is intended to enhance downtown Williamsburg, making it even more dynamic.

“We’ve seen how adding outdoor tables and chairs to Merchants Square has encouraged people to dine, gather and spend time downtown, bringing new life and energy to downtown Williamsburg in the past few years,” he said in a news release.

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VIRGINIA BEACH — Sandbridge Road, a two-lane winding thoroughfare with ditches on each side, is the only way to Sandbridge Beach. Every time it has closed over the years — for a wreck or a flood or a downed power line — thousands of residents and visitors have had no way in or out.

Emergency vehicles can access the area through Naval Air Station Oceana Dam Neck Annex. Residents can as well under certain circumstances, but that requires a surge of naval security and Virginia Beach police officers to control the route.

A push to build a new road to Sandbridge is nothing new, but it’s gaining momentum again following two recent accidents that shut down the road. City and Navy officials are urging an expedited environmental review of alternative route.

“It’s a safety concern,” said Elaine Fekete, president of the Sandbridge Beach Civic League. She’s lived in Sandbridge since 1995 and says road closures have increased in recent years.

A new road

A reliable alternative would slice through the northern part of Back Bay Wildlife Refuge, which concerns environmental groups about potential effects on birds and other animals.

The project would extend Nimmo Parkway 1.9 miles between Albuquerque Drive in the Lago Mar neighborhood to an improved section of Sandbridge Road via a city-owned right-of-way. A 800-foot bridge would be built over Ashville Bridge Creek in the refuge. Nimmo Parkway Phase VII-B would include a two-lane undivided roadway with shoulders, bike lanes and a shared-use path.

Extending Nimmo Parkway would have minimal effects on private property, requiring no business or residential relocations, according to the city and the Virginia Department of Transportation. It also has fewer impacts to wetlands and streams than redesigning roughly 3.4 miles of Sandbridge Road, which is bordered by homes, businesses, cemeteries, a church and the refuge.

The extension would tie into a recently improved 1-mile section of the east end of Sandbridge Road, which was completed last fall. Those improvements included straightening and elevating the road as well as adding 12-foot-wide travel lanes, new on-road bike lanes, a 10-foot-wide shared-use path, a widened shoulder, new reflective pavement markings, LED street lighting and pedestrian lighting.

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Most days on the highway, it often seems Virginia is for speeders.

Faced with the reality that fines, driver’s license suspensions or even the threat of jail time didn’t seem to make a dent in Virginia’s speeding problem, state lawmakers recently adopted a new strategy.

Under new legislation effective July 1, a judge must order a person convicted of reckless driving over 100 mph — a so-called “super speeder” — to install an intelligent speed assistance device in their vehicle. Judges have the option to mandate the use of the device for reckless driving convictions on a restricted license instead of fully suspending a person’s driver’s license. The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles will also offer use of the device in lieu of license suspension for drivers who have racked up too many demerit points.

“I think every person can come up with a reason why he or she speeds on any one given day,” said Holly Dalby, a spokesperson for AAA Tidewater. “There’s always an excuse.”

But 342 people were killed in Virginia in speed-related crashes last year, which she said shows why slowing down and driving responsibly is so important.

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A longtime Norfolk pet store, groomer and boarding facility is sticking around.

Muddy Paws, a Hampton Boulevard pet store celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, plans to move rather than close when its current location is redeveloped into apartments and ground-level retail in 2027.

“20 years isn’t long enough!” the store said in a social media post June 28.

A sign outside the store also announced plans to move.

The announcement said the store will release more details on the move in the future. The store’s owner did not respond to a request for comment by deadline.

The Old Dominion University Real Estate Foundation plans to build 117 one- and two-bedroom apartments at 3700 and 3708 Hampton Blvd., according to city planning documents. The seven-story redevelopment would also include a 343-space parking garage on the first two floors in addition to 3,715 square feet of ground-level retail space.

The apartments will be available for lease to the public, not just ODU students, according to a city planning official.

The Norfolk Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval of a conditional rezoning application related to the redevelopment on May 28. City Council will consider the application at an upcoming meeting.

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Updated statewide data shows the total confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis in Virginia have more than doubled the number of cases identified previously, but the state is still not experiencing an “outbreak,” according to the Virginia Department of Health.

Virginia has 79 confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis, the illness stemming from a cyclospora parasite infection. These cases include 38 from domestic exposure and 27 from international exposure, along with 14 confirmed cases with unknown origin or which are still being traced, according to VDH data from July 16 released Monday.

This is up from the 37 cases identified as of July 4 and updated on VDH’s website on July 15. Monday’s data does not include a breakdown of confirmed cases by health district or locality.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines an “outbreak” as when there are more cases than what is usually expected over a given time, within a specific location, and for a target population.

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This year’s Downtown Norfolk Restaurant Week starts Monday and runs through Sunday.

Customers can nab breakfast, lunch and dinner deals or multi-course meals at their favorite or newly discovered restaurants. And parking is free for two hours at downtown garages.

Special menus are available for some restaurants. Check Downtown Norfolk Council’s website and social media for updates. Reservations are recommended where available.

Fifteen restaurants have signed up, including 219 Bistro, Blackeyed Peas, Codex, Gershwin’s, Freemason Abbey, Glass Light Hotel & Gallery, Grace O’Malley’s Irish Pub, Leone’s, the Monastery, and Todd Jurich’s Bistro.

Click the link above for a rundown of available specials.

First it was Missy. Portsmouth renamed a boulevard after native hip-hop star Missy Elliott in 2022.

Then it was Timba. A Virginia Beach boulevard received a new moniker in honor of hometown super-producer Timbaland last year.

Now it’s Blackstreet’s turn. The Grammy-winning R&B group that formed in Virginia Beach will have its own Hampton Roads roadway.

Virginia Beach City Council unanimously approved a resolution to designate a city road, Beasley Drive, with the honoree title: Blackstreet Boulevard. Beasley Drive will not lose its official name. Street signs bearing “BLACKstreet Blvd” will be added underneath existing signage.

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All four members of the School Board who quietly voted against the hiring of a new superintendent have now spoken up.

They were the minority of a 5-4 decision on Monday to appoint Doug Brubaker as the school district’s chief executive. Brubaker, who is leaving a five year-tenure with the Texarkana Independent School District in Texas, will be the Chesapeake school system’s first administrator who wasn’t already affiliated with the district.

During the meeting, School Board members Malia Huddle, Norman Pool, Amanda Quillin and Angela Swygert did not explain why they opposed hiring Brubaker. They all said, later, that they remained silent out of respect for him and his family.

“I intentionally chose not to make a statement during the meeting because I believed that moment belonged to Dr. Brubaker and his family,” Quillin said on social media. “I felt it was more appropriate to take time to thoughtfully explain my reasoning afterward.”

Huddle, Pool and Swygert said they would’ve preferred a superintendent with ties to the state or city. Quillin said she was not convinced Brubaker was the strongest choice.

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It’s hard not to look. Digital screens on rows of slot machines, hundreds of them, are twice the size of iPads and three times as bright.

Shapes, cowboys, lemons and dragons pop in and out as the kaleidoscope of colors draws customers into a trance unbroken by the trill of dings and whistles.

A blackjack dealer shuffles a deck, a familiar crisp drumroll, before dealing cards onto the table. A gambler taps the felt to hit, then hits again and busts. The gaming floor at Rivers Casino in Portsmouth has a water hammer pulse.

Gambling is far from the only attraction. The casino has restaurants. It books comedians, bands and up-and-coming country music stars.

“We really made a concentrated effort to make this the entertainment capital of Hampton Roads,” General Manager Antonio Perez said.

The casino views itself as a competitor in the region’s hospitality industry, encompassing dining, sports, concerts and live performances.

“We know that there’s the Scope and there’s the amphitheater down at Virginia Beach,” Perez continued. “But we really want this to be the place where people could see really good nostalgic acts, up and coming and a diversity of acts, different types of comedians, and whatever it takes — to get people to come into the property and experience the property for the first time.”

The casino wants to compete against Hollywood blockbusters and even people’s cellphones for their attention, he said. Why go out to the movies when you can go inside a casino?

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Four businesses on Atlantic Avenue owned by Monica Kiraly and Ali Abay suffered financial losses from an all-ages Oceanfront curfew in April. Kiraly estimated their two pizza shops each lost roughly $13,000 from two weekend nights without customers. Their dessert restaurant and cafe also took a hit.

When they learned they could submit a claim to the city for financial compensation, they took time out of their busy schedules to draft letters and prepare reports.

In June, the city denied their claims along with multiple others, citing Virginia Beach’s sovereign immunity. No business claims for the curfew have been approved, according to city spokesperson Ali Weatherton.

“It was a waste of time,” Kiraly said. “We spent hours on that.”

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A juvenile court judge on Thursday found probable cause to certify four felony charges against a Poquoson police officer accused of holding a man and a teenager at gunpoint earlier this year.

Michael A. Disanto, 50, of Blue Heron Drive in York County, is charged with two counts each of abduction and using a firearm in a felony stemming from an incident in the early morning hours of April 19.

The charges will now go to a grand jury in York-Poquoson Circuit Court.

It all began when a 17-year-old crashed his pickup into Disanto’s Poquoson Police SUV that was parked outside the officer’s home. Disanto, who was sleeping and off-duty at the time, woke up to the crash, then stepped outside and saw his police cruiser had been struck.

He went back inside, put on his police vest and radioed the Poquoson police. Disanto asked dispatchers to send York County deputies, relaying that he saw the pickup had driven into a driveway several houses down.

Then he grabbed his gun and went back outside. Disanto saw the teen and a 65-year-old man approaching from over 100 feet away. He took cover in the bushes and ordered them to the ground at gunpoint.

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A Newport News man pleaded guilty to selling a gunman the handgun used in the shooting at Old Dominion University that killed an ROTC instructor.

Kenya Chapman, 32, appeared in Norfolk’s federal courthouse Friday morning dressed in a striped Norfolk City Jail jumpsuit.

He pleaded guilty to four of the seven counts on which he was indicted in March — three counts of making false statements while purchasing a firearm and one count of dealing firearms without a license.

The fourth charge stems from the sale of the handgun used in the ODU shooting. Federal agents used the call records and location data in a cell phone left behind by the shooter — Mohamed Jalloh — to track his movements to Chapman’s Smithfield residence.

Jalloh drove there the night before, stayed over and then called Chapman minutes before the shooting on March 12 in Constant Hall.

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A coalition of conservation groups are raising concerns over a proposed Lynnhaven Inlet storm surge barrier that could be built as part of a series of large flood protection projects in the city.

The organizations want to ensure plans are included to offset potential negative effects on the Lynnhaven River’s fragile ecosystem from the use of barrier gates near the Lesner Bridge.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Norfolk District is conducting a study with Virginia Beach on several potential structural measures that would protect the city’s infrastructure and its residents from tidal flooding.

Concepts include building a new floodwall in front of the Boardwalk and elevating roadways to reduce damage from the inundation of water from storms. The five-year Coastal Storm Risk Management Feasibility Study will be completed in 2028.

Last April, the corps requested the city select one most beneficial structure that could progress further through the design process in order to facilitate a cost estimate. At the recommendation of the city’s Public Works staff, the City Council chose surge barrier gates at the Lynnhaven Inlet, which is the source of tidal flooding for much of the city.

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Hampton Roads’ air quality is unhealthy for sensitive groups starting Thursday, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality said. The same warning has continued into Friday.

This is due to wildfire smoke spreading from Canada and the western U.S., according to the National Weather Service. More than 800 wildfires are burning in Canada, causing air quality alerts in several states. States across the Midwest and Northeast are expected to see more impacts from the smoke. The smoke may dim the sun, creating colorful sunrises and sunsets, and where the smoke is thickest it is slightly reducing visibilities and creating a burning or campfire smell.

In Hampton Roads, ozone and fine particle pollution will be elevated. This means that sensitive groups, including children, the elderly and people with heart or lung disease should monitor air quality conditions. These pollutants have been linked to short-term concerns according to the Virginia DEQ. People in these sensitive groups should reduce outdoor activities and watch for symptoms.

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