| Marine Corps veteran, businessman and Harvard graduate Phillip Jones made history last week by becoming the youngest African American elected as Newport News mayor after incumbent McKinley Price decided not to seek another term. Jones, 33, defeated three City Council members â Vice Mayor Saundra Cherry, David Jenkins and Tina Vick â by a substantial margin in the Nov. 8 election, winning 40% of the vote. But how did a political newcomer manage to defeat three opponents who had far more name recognition? According to supporters of Jones, they wanted a change.  Read more in this Sunday's Main News section Virginia Beach Police Chief Paul Neudigate was on hand to pin seven kids , who have spent the past 10 months attending monthly training sessions through Kids Law Academy. The Hampton Roads-based nonprofit introduces children of color to law enforcement careers and aims to build relationships with police officers. The law academy launched in 2020 amid nationwide racial justice protests against police brutality. Read more in the Sunday Main News section Fawkes takes a few steps on a grassy patch at Christopher Newport University, stops, raises his head toward the sun and flicks his ears to catch any sounds. The 6-month-old kitten with no eyes listens for his ownerâs voice, knowing he can follow that. He turns toward passing bikes, falling acorns and buzzing insects but only occasionally looks startled or hesitant. When students approach, Zoë Churchill, his owner, tells them to talk to him as they approach him slowly. Fawkes then gladly nudges his pink nose into their hands. âHe was so immediately brave,â said Churchill, who adopted Fawkes in August from Symbiotic a Suffolk-based nonprofit rescue group. âI would love for him to teach people how much he can do despite his disability. It doesnât make him any less perfect.â Since losing his eyes to a life-threatening infection in July, Fawkes has dared to climb on and off logs, high-step through tall grass and dip his paws in the ocean. Churchill and her boyfriend, Bruce Sheppard, also have helped him learn to navigate their one-bedroom apartment in Newport News with treats, voice commands and patience. Read more in the Sunday Break section
If you could have dinner with anyone from the past, whom would you pick? The Kingâs Arms Tavern selected a few Founding Fathers. Colonial Williamsburg is hosting a food series, Wine Dinner with a Nation Builder. The first two dates are already sold out â dining with George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and their wives is apparently popular. The next installment is Dec. 16 with the Marquis de Lafayette and Alexander Hamilton.
Read more in the Sunday Break section
The lack of available quality child care has reached a crisis level in the United States â and Hampton Roads is experiencing it, too. More than three-quarters of hundreds of Virginia employers surveyed in late August said child care availability was affecting their ability to recruit and retain workers, and about 40% reported their workers were leaving their jobs because of child care issues. Half of employers said employee child care issues were negatively affecting their businesses. The Virginia Chamber of Commerce Foundation, the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation and the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond conducted the survey to explore solutions for the stateâs labor shortage. Inside Business spoke with several stakeholders in Hampton Roads affected by or working in the child care arena. Read more in the Sunday Work & Money section
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