Hampton Roads, Virginia

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Hampton Roads’ economy is strong and is poised for a fourth-straight year of growth, according to the 25th annual State of the Region report from Old Dominion University’s Dragas Center for Economic Analysis and Policy, which was released Tuesday.

On average, the region is growing faster than at any time over the past 15 years, with 2023 wages higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic, more people employed that ever before in the civilian workforce and inflation dropping from 9% in 2022 to less than 3% this summer. The report states that trend, along with falling interest rates, will continue into 2025.

“The region’s economic engine has picked up speed,” said Robert M. McNab, director of the Dragas Center and lead author of the report, presented at the Norfolk Waterside Marriott.

The report noted some less-than-ideal economic conditions, however, with residents leaving to seek better job opportunities, and negative consumer perception of the cost of housing, goods and groceries.

“We are poised for growth in 2025,” McNab said. “That is a seismic change in terms of how the economy is performing in Hampton Roads. It’s not a minor change. It’s moving up more than 150 points in terms of the rankings of Hampton Roads relative to other metro areas.”

It’s mostly good news, though, when it comes to the region’s ‘three pillars’ — defense, the Port of Virginia and the hospitality and tourism industry.

Defense spending locally topped $28 billion in 2023 and is expected to reach more than $30 billion by 2030.

But even as the Port of Virginia outperformed most other ports on the East Coast, according to the report, the amount of cargo moving through it wend down due to lower consumer and producer demand for imports. The port, though, has invested in improvements and is primed for future expansion, the report states.

“We were able to compete for cargo with all the other ports,” said Vinod Agarwal, economics professor and deputy director of the Dragas Center for Economic Analysis and Policy. “Investment in the port is paying off and the port has become efficient.”

And while the hospitality and tourism industry outperformed markets in Virginia and the U.S., the report noted the increase in housing costs due to a 15-year construction deficit, with home prices in the region up 56% from 2015. It said many are housing-cost-burdened, spending more than 30% of wages on a mortgage or rent.

The report said, however, that localities could improve the housing market by making changes to regulations to make building them in Hampton Roads easier for developers. It said building any type of housing influences the overall market and puts the responsibility on cities and counties to make needed changes to fix the housing shortage.

The report also discussed public libraries, the aging populations and disability rates.

To view the complete report, see below:

https://www.wavy.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/10/ODU-state-of-the-region-report-Oct.-2024.pdf

NORFOLK, Va. — If you live in neighborhoods like Huntersville, Franklin Arms or Calvert’s Square, running basic every day errands can be a real challenge, with the closest grocery store in some of these communities sitting multiple miles away. This is even more of an issue for seniors and for residents who can’t drive. Luckily, the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority is stepping in to help.

On Wednesday, a bus of more than 100 people pulled up to the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office Senior Fest at the Chartway Arena, with some coming from these neighborhoods.

A year-long program to help grow five businesses in Hampton's Phoebus neighborhood is reaching its final stages.

Last year, Retail Alliance — a Norfolk organization dedicated to supporting the growth of local businesses — won a $100,000 state grant and used the money to start a pilot program in the historic Phoebus neighborhood.

The organization joined with Phoebus Partnership to select five local shops, which would then spend several months working directly with consultants on everything from branding to storefront improvements to websites and social media. The hope was to help businesses reach more customers and improve customer experience, leading to an increase in revenues.

NORFOLK, Va. — The International Longshoremen's Association and the U.S. Maritime Alliance issued a joint statement Thursday saying a tentative deal has been reached, less than a week after the union's strike began.

Union members will return to work Friday after the union agreed to extend its contract with the Maritime Alliance to January 15 after it expired Monday.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A new restaurant is being proposed in the Seatack community of Virginia Beach. In fact, some marking of the land has begun off Owl’s Creek Lane.

Sea Shadow Inlet, LLC, has plans to build a 5,000-square-foot restaurant with 95 parking spaces at 919 Owl’s Creek Lane. Michael Sifen is the developer.

NORFOLK, Va. — A local cold case detective's work in solving a cold murder case from the 1980s is gaining national attention in a new Netflix documentary.

“Into the Fire: The Lost Daughter” chronicles crimes committed by a man with ties to Norfolk.

It tells the story of a mother’s unshakable determination to uncover the truth behind the mysterious "1989 disappearance of the daughter she placed for adoption," according to Netflix.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WRIC) — A CSX freight train derailment caused delays and the cancellation of two Amtrak trains on Saturday evening.

According to a CSX spokesperson, at around 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept 28. a CSX train derailed after it struck two trees on the mainline tracks near Denbigh Boulevard and Richneck Road in Newport News.

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — A local man was sentenced to 26 years behind bars in Norfolk Circuit Court Friday in connection to a 2022 murder-carjacking in Ocean View.

Kenneth Yates, 45, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, use of a firearm, possession of a firearm by a felon and grand larceny (auto) on June 10. Yates’ first-degree murder charge was ultimately dismissed as part of the plea deal.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The third man swept up by an unexpected current at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront on September 21, who spent several days in a coma after washing ashore, has died, his brother told News 3.

Guilmer Joselino was at the beach with his two brothers, Sergio Olcot Ajbal and Santos Olcot Ajbal, and friend Sergio Xinico around 8:30 p.m. Saturday near 16th Street when one of them was caught by a wave.

PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Police in Portsmouth say they're investigating an incident that left one woman shot and two others hit by a vehicle.

Investigators say they were called to London Boulevard just west of Effingham Road just before 2 a.m. on Sunday.

SUFFOLK, Va. — A massive Spectrum internet and cable outage caused by Hurricane Helene has been impacting customers in Hampton Roads and northeast North Carolina, a representative from Spectrum's parent company told News 3.

Homes and businesses in Hampton Roads, Western Tidewater and northeastern North Carolina began reporting the outages on Friday, according to outage detection website downdetector.com.

FRANKLIN, Va. — A Suffolk man is dead after he was shot and then crashed a car into a house in Franklin, according to a press release from the chief of police.

The victim, 37-year-old Davon Davis, was found at the scene on Dorchester Street around 3 a.m. after he was apparently shot and drove the car into the house. He died at the scene.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A 26-year-old man and 16-year-old boy are in the hospital fighting for their lives after a wrong-way crash on I-264 in Virginia Beach Friday night, Virginia State Police said.

Davian Wallace, 26, was driving eastbound in the westbound lanes in a Chrysler 200 just before midnight Friday when he struck the 16-year-old, driving a 2024 Kia Soul, head on, police said.

HAMPTON, Va. - Hampton University's Proton Cancer Institute had a long line of men out the front door Saturday morning — waiting to be screen for prostate cancer and learn better ways to get healthy.

The Institute's third annual Prostate Cancer and Men's Health Awareness Fair saw more than 400 sign up in advance, organizers told News 3.

The fair partnered the institute with more than a dozen vendors and saw that men would have the chance to be screened for cancer through a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test.

A study has revealed that young people who responded say the cost of living, lack of career opportunities and housing availability are the key factors influencing a decision to leave the Hampton Roads area. (Billy Schuerman / The Virginian-Pilot)

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — A Virginia Beach man who struck his ex-girlfriend around a dozen times in the head with a brick in an attempt to kill her will spend more than 20 years in prison.

63-year-old Bobby Randall Bland, formerly of the 4100 block of Front Royal Road in Virginia Beach, was sentenced on Monday after pleading guilty back in February to charges of malicious wounding, statutory burglary of building with the intent to commit rape/rob/murder/arson and assault and battery of a family member.

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY)– A man is seriously hurt after an auto-pedestrian incident in Norfolk Monday night.

According to police, the man was hit by a vehicle in the 2900 block of E Little Creek Road at 10 p.m. The man was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.

CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) – The City of Chesapeake is holding a City Council meeting on Tuesday to discuss potential changes to Chesapeake’s voting system.

The change could impact the way city council members represent the city. They are considering putting this change to a vote for the upcoming November election.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Those looking forward to a new, less flood prone road to Sandbridge, will still likely be waiting nearly another decade.

The City of Virginia Beach, under the advisement of the Federal Highway Administration and Virginia Department of Transportation are now undertaking the process of completing an environmental impact study to fully analyze the scope and effects of extending Nimmo Parkway a mile and a half to Sandbridge Road.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) – A former Virginia Beach businessman who is accused of sexual assault is on trial again, nearly six months after the original trial ended in a mistrial.

According to officials, Benjamin Young, the former owner of Hybrid Air Inc., was accused of sexually assaulting a 19-year-old former employee in August of 2022 when she came to pick-up a paycheck.