Starting January 1, 2021, it will be illegal to hold a phone while driving in Virginia. State officials say making it illegal and enforceable is a necessary step toward reducing deaths on the road. “If you’re looking down at your phone, texting or checking an email, you’re not looking at the road and that can…
Chesapeake Public Schools Halt Winter Athletics
Chesapeake Public Schools announced Wednesday that winter athletics will be delayed for one week to allow for further review and evaluation of the upcoming plan for the season. “We are all looking forward to the start of winter sports. In order to proceed, we need to make sure we are creating the safest environment possible…
Portsmouth Naval Medical Center to Receive 1st COVID-19 Vaccine Doses in DOD Rollout
Naval Medical Center Portsmouth will be one of the initial distribution sites of COVID-19 vaccines for military service members, the Department of Defense announced Wednesday. The DOD says it will start by administering a relatively small number of Pfizer’s vaccine to priority populations involved in “providing direct medical care, maintaining essential national security and installation…
Virginia Beach City Public Schools Returns to All-Virtual Instruction, Postpones Varsity Winter Sports
Virginia Beach City Public Schools will have all students on virtual learning, including students with disabilities, Tuesday, Dec. 8. The district sent out a message to parents on Monday, saying the Eastern Region of Virginia’s metrics of 477.7 cases per day and 10.1% positive rate for coronavirus tests put the district in the “red/red” for…
Starbucks To Give Free Coffee to Front-Line Responders in December
Starbucks announced on Tuesday that people who identify as front-line responders at one of their participating stores will receive an iced or hot brewed coffee for free. The deal is for tall brewed coffees, and will be offered at U.S. company-operated locations, as well as “select licensed stores,” through the month of December. Those eligible…
Merriam-Webster and Dictionary.com Announce “Pandemic” As Its 2020 Word of the Year
For the first time, two dictionary companies on Monday — Merriam-Webster and Dictionary.com — declared the same word as their tops: pandemic. Oxford Languages couldn’t settle on just one so they issued a 16-page report instead saying, “2020 is a year which cannot be neatly accommodated in one single `word of the year.’” John Kelly, senior research editor at Dictionary.com, told…
NASA Astronaut Ellen Ochoa, First Latina in Space, To Speak Virtually at Old Dominion University Tuesday
Ellen Ochoa, the first Hispanic woman to travel into space, and the first Hispanic and second female director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, will give a virtual presentation at Old Dominion University at 3 p.m. EDT on Dec. 1. The event is sponsored by ODU Presents and the Remote Experience for Young Engineers…
Wreaths Across America Needs Your Help This Holiday Season
The Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Office is asking Hampton Roads residents for help with the local Wreaths Across America campaign. The goal is to raise enough money to purchase 2,000 Veterans Wreaths which will be placed on veteran’s graves in nine different cemeteries in Camden, Currituck, and Pasquotank counties. “Please help us honor and remember as many fallen…
Williamsburg Cancels Grand Illumination Firework Events
Williamsburg has canceled its series of Grand Illumination fireworks events scheduled for Dec. 5, 12, and 19. The city says the cancellation is due to the statewide increase in coronavirus cases and new state restrictions on public gatherings. “Colonial Williamsburg’s top priority remains the health and safety of guests, employees and the community as a whole,”…
Shop Local and Support Small Businesses at These Local Outdoor Events
Shopping for the holidays will look a little different this year with businesses spreading out Black Friday sales to cut back on crowds. Many local businesses need your help this holiday season and are offering outdoor pop-up markets where you can shop safely. Old Beach Farm & Art and Eco Market join together for Small…