Free Republic

The campaign of Virginia Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Terry McAuliffe is brushing off the endorsement of his Republican opponent, Glenn Youngkin, by the Hampton Roads Black Caucus (HRBC). Youngkin tweeted Saturday that he was "humbled" by the endorsement by the HRBC, which bills itself as a nonpartisan organization aimed at "enhancing the Black community." The group previously endorsed Democrats McAuliffe for governor in 2013 and Ralph Northam for governor in 2017. "I am incredibly humbled and honored to have the support of the Hampton Roads Black Caucus, and look forward to working closely with them and all Black Virginians to implement...

In the next year or two, the seabed between Hampton and Norfolk will start to change. Mud and sand will slowly move as a custom-built boring machine tunnels alongside the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel. Travelers funneling through the existing HRBT may not notice the adjacent construction just on the other side of the tunnel wall. Cargo ships and Navy vessels, carrying thousands of containers and sailors, may pass over the project’s construction completely undisturbed. And that’s the way Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization officials want it to stay. “It’s something we’re really proud of,” said Robert Crum, executive director for the...

Gov. Ralph Northam announced Friday that Virginia has selected a contractor to build two new tunnels and widen a major highway in Hampton Roads. The $3.3 billion price tag — funded by regional gas and sales taxes, tolls and other sources — makes it one of the two biggest transportation projects in commonwealth history. Northam (D) touted the deal, saying he is “proud of the hard work and negotiations that have taken place over this past year,” and state Sen. Frank W. Wagner (R-Virginia Beach) in return offered praise for the embattled governor. “I want to personally thank Governor Northam...

On the river boat “River Queen”, in Hampton Roads, President Abraham Lincoln and Sec of State. William Seward met with Confederate VP Alexander Stevens, Asst Sec of War John Campbell Sen Robert Hunter These men met to discuss a possible end to almost 4 years of bloody Civil War. The Hampton Roads Peace Conference lasted about 4 hours and produced no visible results. A detailed account of this event can be found at: https://www.essentialcivilwarcurriculum.com/the-hampton-roads-peace-conference.html

CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) — Virginia Secretary of Transportation Aubrey Layne on Wednesday discussed a plan to ease congestion in Hampton Roads — but it comes with a cost to some. In October, the Commonwealth Transportation Board voted to allow VDOT to convert eight miles of HOV lanes on I-64 into toll lanes. The conversion to high occupancy toll (HOT) lanes or express lanes will impact the stretch of I-64 from the I-264 interchange up to Interstate 564. Solo drivers will be able to use the lanes for the first time during peak hours, but they will have to pay a...

State Sen. Frank Wagner, a Republican candidate for governor, said Monday he'd like to turn much of U.S. 58 into an interstate as part of his plan to juice transportation construction in Virginia with an increase in the gas tax. The increase, part of a tiered plan that would charge more per gallon when prices are low, then roll back the rate when prices rise, wouldn't just affect rates in Hampton Roads or Northern Virginia, which have regional taxes. It would be statewide in implementation and effect, Wagner said. Wagner is charting an unusual course in this GOP primary: running...

Scientists say treated wastewater could help Virginia’s coast respond to rising seas. A local sanitation department for the Hampton Roads region wants to start injecting the water deep underground instead of dumping it in rivers that flow into the Chesapeake Bay. The U.S. Geological Survey says the water could likely expand the sandy aquifer underground, causing the ground to rise. …

PRESIDENT-ELECT Donald Trump has proposed a $1 trillion plan to fix America’s infrastructure. It relies on public-private partnerships as its primary source of financing. Our country’s complex transportation network needs an overhaul, but private investment is not the answer, mainly because of the returns that investors expect. Public-private partnerships can be an excellent procurement tool, but selecting the right project is key. Virginia has been a national leader in such deals since the General Assembly passed the Public Private Partnership Act in 1995. The law was designed for the partnerships to be used as an option for certain projects if...

There’s a famous old fable known as “Belling the Cat.” For those who haven’t heard it, it goes like this: A bunch of mice are threatened by a vicious cat, and they call a council to figure out how to solve the problem. One mouse proposes that they place a bell around the cat’s neck. That way, they’ll hear the cat approaching and have plenty of time to run and hide. The mice applaud the plan. They love the plan. It’s a great plan. One mouse asks who’s going to volunteer to place the bell around the cat’s neck. Suddenly,...

WAVY, the NBC affiliate in Hampton Roads, Virginia asks “has zero tolerance gone too far?” as it reports this story: A suspended seventh grade Virginia Beach student will find out soon if he is expelled for the rest of the year for shooting an airsoft gun. Like thousands of others in Hampton Roads, Khalid Caraballo plays with airsoft guns. Caraballo and his friend Aidan were suspended because they shot two other friends who were with them while playing with the guns as they waited for the school bus. The two seventh graders say they never went to the bus stop;...

A few years ago, Alaska’s proposed “Bridge to Nowhere” became a national symbol of wasteful government spending on little-needed projects. Now Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) has pushed through his own version of this embarrassment, a $1.4 billion highway outside Hampton Roads that qualifies as a “Road for Nobody.” McDonnell has perplexed people across the state by his insistence on adding a tolled, four-lane highway parallel to U.S. 460. It will stretch for 55 miles from Petersburg, a Richmond suburb, southeast to Suffolk. The deal signed in December to build the road is especially insulting to traffic-jammed Northern Virginia, where...

U.Va. Institute Assists Citizens with Sea-Level Rise Issues on Virginia's Coast August 20, 2012 — Virginia's largest city may get up to 45,000 acres smaller over the next century, due to an anticipated 2.3 to 5.2 feet of relative sea-level rise expected in Virginia Beach – a rise that would also impact the entire Hampton Roads region and the Eastern Shore. Recognizing the challenges this will pose, the University of Virginia's Institute for Environmental Negotiation is assisting citizens and decision-makers in long-range planning. Under director Frank Dukes, associate director Tanya Denckla Cobb and graduate associate Melissa Keywood – all from...

Release from VDOT: RICHMOND — The Virginia Department of Transportation today dispatched inspection teams to bridges and tunnels across the state soon after the 5.9 magnitude earthquake to assess any potential damage. Currently, no damage has been confirmed to bridges, tunnels or roads. Inspections are expected to continue for 24 hours. All four tunnels in the Hampton Roads area (Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel, Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel, Downtown Tunnel and Midtown Tunnel), as well as Virginia's two mountain tunnels on Interstate 77 have been inspected with no sign of damage. VDOT's Culpeper and Fredericksburg Districts did report some minor damage to buildings....

After stirring the political pot in the VA-2 GOP primary, the Hampton Roads Tea Party takes the spotlight in a major newspaper article. The No-Longer-Silent Majority will be heard! http://hamptonroads.com/2010/06/hampton-roads-tea-party-gains-clout-after-scrappy-start

Word is spreading about the pending announcement by the Hampton Roads Tea Party (SE Virginia) regarding which GOP candidate its Board will endorse in the widely watched VA-2 congressional primary. Warner Todd Huston's PubliusForum has picked up the story. This could be such a big deal that the announcement of the announcement is getting big play.

Inside sources had it right - the Tea Party in SE Virginia is about to jump into the GOP Congressional race there in a big way. Question is - who'll be their pick in the crowded field of candidates? Here's the announcement on their web site: TEA PARTY BOARD TO ANNOUNCE ENDORSEMENT IN SECOND DISTRICT CONGRESSIONAL RACE Continuing to build upon the strength and momentum of successful Tea Party activism around the country, the Board of Directors of the Hampton Roads Tea Party (HRTP) will announce its candidate endorsement in Virginia's Second District Congressional race. The candidate backed by the...

This wasn’t your great, great, great, great-grandfather’s Boston Tea Party. There were some protesters dressed in Colonial garb and a handful of men in wigs, but the Hampton Roads Tax Day Tea Party also drew small business owners, realtors, retirees, stay-at-home moms and children on spring break. Police officials estimate that up to 700 people gathered at Town Center Wednesday to protest government spending. They also vented against bank bailouts, socialism, restrictions on gun rights and the influence of international law.

Across South Hampton Roads, thousands more families have signed up for subsid ized school lunches for their children. "It'd be safe to say that has somethi ng to do with the economy," said Jay Ratliff, director of food services for the Virginia Beach school system, which is serving 2,000 more free or reduced-price lunches each weekday than it served last year. In the five cities, the percentage of students getting free or subsidized lunches - generally for 40 cents or less - has risen for two years, with the largest increases this fall. The need extends beyond the school doors.

Hampton Roads Transit has announced that light rail construction will be suspended at noon today at Harbor Park because of crowds anticipated for tonight’s rally with Sen. Barack Obama. No road closures or other changes have been announced by the city in anticipation of the rally, scheduled for tonight at 9:30 p.m. Already, construction crews have torn up asphalt in the A and B parking lots in front of Harbor Park’s main gate, according to an HRT news release. The lots will be the site of a station and lot where commuters can park their cars to ride on the...

CASA GRANDE, Ariz. -- A Virginia Beach-based Navy SEAL was found dead Wednesday morning on a golf course in Casa Grande. The SEAL, whose name was not released, was a Special Warfare Operator from Hampton Roads, Va. He died while conducting a parachute training operation out of Marana, about 30 miles south of Phoenix. The body was found near one of the greens shortly after 7 a.m. by a Mission Royale Golf Course maintenance worker on his morning rounds. Casa Grande police said the Navy arrived immediately to retrieve the body. "I was just coming out of the garage and...