| Across Hampton Roads, historic Black cemeteries are filled with some of the most important members of the regionâs history. But how well their graves are treated depends on what jurisdiction they fall under. Some cemeteries are privately owned or abandoned and left in the hands of volunteer groups. With inconsistent funding and workers, upkeep can end up hit or miss. Others land in cities that take responsibility for their maintenance. City-owned cemeteries can still be flooded with preservation problems but end up with consistent, perpetual care. Read more in the Sunday Main News section
For years, a piece of city-owned land sat dormant on McLean Street in Portsmouth. The property was large â a little over 31 acres â but it needed work and took a long time to sell. Finally, after one deal fell apart, another developer appeared: the Miller Group, a Virginia Beach company that plans to put nearly 200 townhomes on the site. And the cityâs economic development authority gave the new buyer a much better price. It sold the land for a fraction of its assessed value â less than a fourth what the earlier buyer was going to pay and about $380,000 less per acre than the agency sold nearby land for a new casino. And afterward, the city assessor slashed the assessed value of the land by nearly 50% â an unusual move that went outside typical Portsmouth assessment practices. But those involved with the controversial deal, which was cited as one of the reasons for City Manager Angel Jonesâ firing, defend it by pointing to the expected tax revenue of about $730,000 a year. Read more in the Sunday Main news section Friendship leads to caregiving A look. A touch. A coy smile. An inside joke. That is all Julia, 21, and Tyme, 25, need to express their thoughts to each other. Julia has been Tymeâs caregiver for the past year. But they have been friends for 15. They met at the Ability Center of Virginia (formerly Cerebral Palsy of Virginia), a nonprofit aimed at helping people with different abilities lead happy and productive lives. Julia was 6 when she first volunteered as a peer buddy. Tyme was 10 and attending her first summer camp. Juliaâs mother, Michelle, is the executive director of the Virginia Beach-based program and had a feeling that her daughter would hit it off with Tyme. They did. Read more in the Sunday Break section Would it really be summer without Barack Obamaâs summer reading list? The former president has released his 2022 picks for the summer season, and Gloucester author S.A. Cosbyâs hit novel is on it. âIâve read a couple of great books this year and wanted to share some of my favorites so far,â Obama wrote on Instagram July 26. âWhat have you been reading this summer?â The novel by Cosby, âRazorblade Tears,â involves two formerly incarcerated men â one Black, one white â who are seeking to avenge the deaths of their sons, who were married to each other. Read more in the Sunday Break section
Since its founding in 1996, Raising Caneâs has kept its concept simple. Its menu and brand are centered around a classic favorite: chicken fingers. âWe serve what we call a perfect box â quality chicken finger meals, crinkle-cut fries, Texas toast, coleslaw and creamy Caneâs sauce,â said Dustin Shearer, Raising Caneâs vice president of company restaurants. Two new roughly 4,000-square-foot Raising Caneâs are under construction in Hampton Roads. Each location, featuring a 100-seat dining room and double lane drive-thru, will bring about 150 jobs to the area. Read more in the Sunday Work & Money section Diane Keaton Walter Scott Asks ... Rebecca Hall What America Eats - Refreshing Summer Salad | 