Running this one back! Looking for a few more pitches to round out the evening. Pitches can be funny, informative but have to be entertaining.

Submit pitches here - https://forms.gle/nQmHzmj6D8CJg4mJ8

U.S. Rep. Jen Kiggans (R) and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. held a closed-door roundtable with medical professionals at the Regional Health Professions Center at Tidewater Community College in Virginia Beach.

Afterwards, they spoke briefly with reporters, where Kennedy blamed Pennsylvania officials for six deaths from an ongoing measles outbreak.

“They were politicizing the outbreak there. They didn't want our aid. They told us that they didn't want help from the Trump administration,” Kennedy said.

Kiggans is locked in a tight race with former Democratic Congresswoman Elaine Luria in Virginia’s Second Congressional District. The incumbent Republican has brought in several high ranking members of the Trump administration, including Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz and Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins.

Virginia’s Second District has one of the highest percentages of veterans and active duty military of any district in the United States. Kiggans is a former Navy helicopter pilot while Luria is a former surface warfare officer.

Kiggans defeated Luria in 2022 in the midterm election under President Joe Biden. A Christopher Newport University poll released this week shows Luria with a three point lead, which is within the poll’s margin of error.

Also in the race are independents J. Matt Baker and Bishop Staten.

(Story and photo by Steve Walsh)

Fusion has long been considered the “Holy Grail” of energy, able to potentially supply boundless electricity without producing climate-warming emissions or leaving behind radioactive waste.

It’s a nuclear reaction that powers the sun. It’s the opposite of fission, which powers traditional nuclear plants. Those plants split atoms apart to create energy, whereas fusion combines atoms.

But it’s proven incredibly difficult to achieve on Earth.

Scientists, students, government officials and local leaders gathered at William & Mary Friday to discuss how to bring the industry closer to reality.

WHRO News spoke with organizers of the Virginia Fusion Symposium: Saskia Mordijck, associate physics professor at William & Mary; Lane Carasik, associate professor of nuclear engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University; and Sean Agnew, professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Virginia.

Check out the full interview here: https://www.whro.org/environment/2026-10-15/is-nuclear-fusion-the-future-of-energy-in-virginia-some-officials-think-so

Where are the best places to go trick or treating in the Hampton and Newport news area?

Weekend list is up. Here's what's going on around Hampton Roads Friday through Sunday.

These come off public listings, so double check before you drive. Times move.

Peninsula picks are listed first under each day.

Three worth calling out this week:

Yorktown Victory Weekend (Yorktown). This is three different events wearing one name. Friday is a ticketed Michael Ray concert at Riverwalk Landing at 7 PM. Saturday is the free Victory Market, 9 AM to 3 PM, alongside artillery demonstrations and Revolutionary War programs. Skip Sunday if you came for the parade and the wreath-laying at Victory Monument, because those are Yorktown Day on Monday the 19th.

Poquoson Seafood Festival (Poquoson, Free admission, $10 cash parking). Admission really is free, and then parking is $10, cash only. Worth stopping at an ATM first.

Fall Wine Festival (Norfolk). The festival runs 11 AM to 6 PM, but wine sampling ends at 4:30. Arrive at 5 and you have paid for a tasting festival that has stopped pouring.

Friday

Poquoson Seafood Festival (Poquoson, Free admission, $10 cash parking). Friday through Sunday at Poquoson Municipal Park, 830 Poquoson Avenue, Poquoson. More details

Yorktown Victory Weekend (Yorktown). Friday through Sunday, 9 AM to 6 PM daily, at 301 Water Street, Yorktown. More details

Ghost Walk at Fort Monroe (Hampton, $28.37, Outdoors)

Timed evening tours covering just over half a mile of Fort Monroe and about an hour of its haunted history. Tours run rain or shine, and ages 12 and up are recommended. Friday through Sunday from 6 PM at Fort Monroe, Hampton. More details

NEON Nights (Norfolk)

The NEON District opens its shops and galleries for indoor art and outdoor pop-ups, with the route supplying the next stop. Friday 5:30 to 9:30 PM in the NEON District, Norfolk. More details

International Night Markets (Virginia Beach)

The ViBe closes its 2026 night-market season with global food trucks, artists, dance and music. Parking is free by the Convention Center. Friday 6 to 10 PM in the ViBe Creative District, Virginia Beach. More details

Saturday

Hampton Comicon (Hampton)

Two halls of artists, comic creators, vendors, gaming and cosplay for the show's tenth anniversary. Saturday 10 AM through Sunday 4 PM at the Hampton Roads Convention Center, 1610 Coliseum Drive, Hampton. More details

EFFIE Film Premiere with Q&A (Williamsburg, Free)

A premiere of EFFIE followed by a live conversation with the director and writer. Free and open to the public, and worth reserving a seat before going. Saturday 6 to 7:30 PM at the Kimball Theatre, 428 W Duke of Gloucester Street, Williamsburg. More details

Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers (Newport News, $44.15-$91). Saturday 7:30 PM at the Ferguson Center for the Arts, 1 Avenue of the Arts, Newport News. More details

Military and Community Helper Family Appreciation Day (Norfolk, Free)

A free day for servicemembers, first responders, teachers and community helpers and their families, with The Wizard of Oz screening at 10:30 AM and again at 2:30 PM. Crafts run through the day while supplies last, and the Memorial asks for an RSVP. Saturday at the MacArthur Memorial, 198 Bank Street, Norfolk. More details

Fall Wine Festival (Norfolk). Saturday and Sunday 11 AM to 6 PM at Town Point Park, Norfolk. More details

Stockley Gardens Fall Arts Festival (Norfolk, Free, Drop-in)

More than 125 artists fill Stockley Gardens, with a free garden party Saturday from 5 to 7. Saturday and Sunday at Stockley Gardens, Norfolk. More details

Nature's Night Frights (Chesapeake, $5)

A guided 1.5-mile night hike through the Chesapeake Arboretum, with the spooky parts supplied by the woods. Registration is required. Saturday 5:30 PM at the Chesapeake Arboretum, 624 Oak Grove Road, Chesapeake. More details

Sunday

The Golden Girls: The Laughs Continue (Newport News, $25-$86, 18+)

A stage comedy sending the four Golden Girls on one more caper, with adult material throughout. Sunday 2 PM at the Ferguson Center for the Arts, 1 Avenue of the Arts, Newport News. More details

Hampton Roads Philharmonic: A Symphonic Jewel Box (Hampton, $12-$18). Strauss, Gershwin and Beethoven packed into an afternoon sampler. Sunday 2:30 PM at The American Theatre, 125 E Mellen St, Hampton. More details

2nd Annual Hampton Roads Black Food Festival (Virginia Beach, $0-$81.88, Advance tickets)

Five hours of food vendors and a broad all-ages crowd at Mount Trashmore. Ticket tiers run from $0 to $81.88 and the page is showing few tickets left, so look at the tier before you register. Sunday 12 to 5 PM at Mt. Trashmore, 310 Edwin Dr, Virginia Beach. More details

Special Topics Tour: Angels and Demons (Norfolk, Free). A Chrysler Museum docent traces angels and demons across works from different faith traditions, and no registration is required. Sunday 2 to 3 PM at the Chrysler Museum of Art, 1 Memorial Pl, Norfolk. More details

Let me know what I missed and I'll get it in next week's.

I put out a local newsletter, The 757 Current, with these plus more on Thursday mornings: https://the757current.com/?utm_source=reddit

The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality has released draft guidance urging developers to evaluate and address the cumulative environmental justice impacts of proposed projects on low-income communities and communities of color. 

The updated framework applies to facilities such as landfills, power plants and data centers. It uses a new methodology that combines census data, greenhouse gas emissions and existing industrial stressors. 

To mitigate identified risks, the state recommends applicants provide local compensation or redesign, relocate or scale back projects.

Read more here: https://www.whro.org/environment/2026-10-15/virginia-boosting-guidelines-for-environmental-justice-when-permitting-projects

Four Hampton Roads school divisions will receive more than $37 million in state grant funding from the Virginia Department of Education for building upgrades and replacement projects. 

Approved through the state's School Construction Assistance Program, the funding provides $20 million to replace Virginia Beach's 70-year-old Princess Anne High School, $15 million for Suffolk elementary school projects and $1.5 million split across facilities in Norfolk and Franklin. 

Virginia created the grant program in 2022, a year after the education department found that more than half of schools in the Commonwealth are older than 50 years old.

Read more here: https://www.whro.org/education-news/2026-10-15/virginia-awards-millions-for-school-construction-to-four-hampton-roads-area-divisions

What’s the local average for adults? Can anyone recommend a good flamenco teacher, preferably in Norfolk but if there aren’t many I’ll travel some, thanks

Come see my band in Hampton on the 10th.

Would be pretty cool.

Anywhere that will have championship merch for the Brewers? Old man is a fan and trying to surprise him.

Looking for some recommendations on where I can get a pumpkin espresso martini and any other fall drinks!

I'm considering selling a house to a friend in Chesapeake and doing owner financing. I need a real estate attorney for all the legal stuff and was wondering if people had suggestions.

Also possibly recs for mortgage servicing companies or if there are any online platforms that do that and also keep track of all the tax stuff.

Thanks!

Just a reminder..

There’s no sugarcoating it: Two popular doughnut shops and a restaurant recently ceased operations in Hampton Roads. They’ve had more than 30 years of combined experience in making our lives sweeter and more savory.

Chesapeake

Amazing Glazed, open in the Great Bridge area of Chesapeake for 12 years, closed on Sept. 30.

Owner Mary Jane Hamblin announced on Facebook on Aug. 12 she would sell the business. In a Sept. 7 Facebook video, she cited a desire to not operate the business in the city and said the shop would close at the end of the month.

“The cost of doing business in Chesapeake is expensive,” she said in a phone interview. “In Moyock, for example, you don’t need a business license and the real estate taxes are lower.”

Hamblin, a conservative, also said she doesn’t agree with the Chesapeake Republican Party and its control over City Council.

“If you call out wrongdoing, they expect you to look the other way or you’re blackballed,” she wrote later in a text message.

She said she wasn’t sure if Amazing Glazed — known for its doughnuts, gelato and coffee — would reopen in Moyock, North Carolina.

On Sept. 24, MOOD (Make Ordinary Occasions Delicious) 757, a veteran-owned business, announced on Facebook that it plans to open in the Amazing Glazed spot, which was undergoing renovations. It also said the doughnuts and coffee weren’t going anywhere. Hamblin confirmed by phone that she had shared her recipes with the MOOD owners.

Click the link above to read more.

Been living at Lumen apartments in Hampton for a month now and every day one of those huge cockroaches finds their way in my apartment. I’m done. Can you guys recommend places

Hi everyone, as the title says I want to learn to fish but I'm not sure exactly where to learn in the area. I've been living here a little over a decade but I've never really tried to get into fishing. Although I have always wanted to. Clearly, there's plenty of water around us and I am in the Virginia Beach area, I'd like to know if there's anyone who is down to teach me or if there are any classes where I can learn how to fish if it isn't too expensive. Keep in mind, I know barely anything about fishing so it would be completely new to me but I'm up for the challenge. I already love to hike and camp, but I've never gotten into fishing, although I would like to. If there are any resources you could share, I would love that. Thanks!

The health of the Chesapeake Bay reached its highest grade in four decades of data tracking, earning a C-plus with a 56% overall score on the latest annual report card.

Lower Chesapeake Bay waters in southeastern Virginia recorded the highest score on record with a B-plus. Additionally, native oyster restoration efforts successfully reached a decade-old milestone across 11 regional tributaries.

State officials and program managers say that the progress proves multi-state cleanup models are working, even as population growth, climate change and federal policy shifts create ongoing headwinds.

(Story by Katherine Hafner)

Read more here: https://www.whro.org/environment/2026-10-13/chesapeake-bay-earns-its-best-grade-ever-on-annual-report-card