The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA) articles from July 2003

The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA) archives from July 2003

Judge Gives Virginia Beach, Va., Charity Mothers Inc. Last Chance to Comply.
July 1, 2003

New State Budget Benefits Residents of Pasquotank County, N.C.
July 2, 2003

Wet Weather Forces Delay of Housing Showcase in Portsmouth, Va.
July 3, 2003

Suffolk, Va., Car Dealer Plans to Turn Acres into Dealership.
July 4, 2003... Byline: Linda McNatt Jul. 4--SUFFOLK, Va. -- As the brick, marble and mortar of the old Obici Hospital crumble to dust, a local car dealer is making plans to turn the 22 acres of land it sits on into a car dealership. Hospital...

Virginia Representative Skeptical of Plan to Consolidate Military Stores.
July 4, 2003... Byline: Jack Dorsey Jul. 4--Saying he is the "No. 1 skeptic" of a Pentagon plan to consolidate all of the military's exchanges, Rep. Ed Schrock, R-Va., promised Navy Exchange employees in Virginia Beach on Thursday that he will follow...

Virginia Beach, Va., Officials Hope Holiday Can Lift This Summer's Business.
July 4, 2003... Byline: Christopher Dinsmore Jul. 4--VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.--Usually the summer season is fully swinging by the Fourth of July. But the hotels, restaurants and shops along the Oceanfront strip are praying for an end to their midsummer...

Catalog Retailer with Call Center in Virginia Beach, Va., Acquired by Fund.
July 4, 2003

Developer Plans Condos to Replace Norfolk, Va., Neighborhood Apartments.
July 5, 2003... Byline: Christopher Dinsmore Jul. 5--NORFOLK, Va.--Attention, Larchmont. The deals are by no means done, but the latest rumors appear to be true. Sooner or later, the Bolling Square Apartments will be no more. A developer is planning...

Plans for Off-Campus Dorms in Norfolk, Va., Upsets Local Residents.
July 5, 2003... Byline: Harry Minium Jul. 5--NORFOLK, Va.--A proposal by Norfolk State University to build housing for students off campus has caused a conflict between the Central Brambleton neighborhood and the university that so far appears to have no...

Norfolk, Va., Nightclub Appeals to Upscale Clientele.
July 5, 2003... Byline: Tris Wykes Jul. 5--TIME is not on your side. Not if you're dressed like the young dude on a recent Saturday night. His collared plaid dress shirt might do and the neat jeans are acceptable, but those sneakers? They're going to keep...

Virginia Beach, Va., Disc Jockey Pays Dues on Graveyard Shift.
July 6, 2003... Byline: Michael Davis Jul. 6--From 7 p.m. to midnight, Monday through Friday, Zak Tyler is the on-air talent at country radio station WGH-FM Eagle 97 in Virginia Beach. After midnight, his other talent emerges: That of high-tech...

Global Economy Spawns New Breed of Nightshift Workers.
July 6, 2003... Byline: Michael Davis Jul. 6--They sweat while you sleep. As you're drifting off, they're clocking in. And they're as alert at "jazz noon" -- that's midnight to daywalkers -- as most of us are at lunchtime. A small but diverse...

Financial Newsletter Publisher Thrives on Little Sleep.
July 6, 2003... Byline: Michael Davis Jul. 6--The schedule accommodates The Gartman Letter's subscribers, about 350 institutions such as financial giants Goldman Sachs and BNP Paribas. Gartman shoots for a publication time between 5:30 a.m. and 5:45...

Virginia Beach, Va., Alternative Schools Become 'Centers' in Name Switch.
July 6, 2003... Byline: Susan E. White Jul. 6--VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- Principal Bill Wicks believes he and his staff at the Center for Effective Learning have done everything they can to boost the test scores and the accreditation status of the...

US Airways Workers Get Used to Overnight Shift at Norfolk, Va., Airport.
July 6, 2003

Virginia Beach, Va., Tow Service Comes to Boaters' Rescue.
July 7, 2003... Byline: Paul Clancy Jul. 7--VIRGINIA BEACH -- The call comes in shortly after 10 a.m. A boatload of fishermen has run out of gas between Chesapeake Light and Rudee Inlet, but they can't say exactly where. "Stephanie, can you find out...

Portsmouth, Va., Firm Offers Speedy Internet Access without Cable.
July 7, 2003... Byline: Deborah Markham Jul. 7--A dozen people surround the L-shaped bar sharing cigarettes, beer and after-hours conversation. While her brother, Kevin, 32, tends to customers, Stefanie Osfolk, 25, is the only one seated at a table for...

Capeville, Va., Crop-Duster Started with Feet in Soil.
July 7, 2003... Byline: Tony Germanotta Jul. 7--CAPEVILLE, Va. -- Harvey Belote is a low-flying guy. In fact, when his yellow biplane bumped to a stop off Route 13 recently, one of its chemical-spraying booms was sporting a telltale grass fringe. He...

Chesapeake, Va., Planners Seek Public Input on Future Development.
July 7, 2003... Byline: Melissa Scott Sinclair Jul. 7--CHESAPEAKE, Va.--In 50 years, Chesapeake could be veined with more four- and eight-lane highways, or its spine could be a north-south, light-rail line. Suburbs could spread to every swamp-free...

Suffolk, Va., Schools Increase Technology, Aim to Enhance Education.
July 7, 2003... Byline: Matthew Bowers Jul. 7--SUFFOLK, Va. -- Bright blue wires stream from cardboard boxes on the floor of a former pantry. The vertical lines move and merge like traffic before disappearing into the black hole left by a removed ceiling...

Holiday Weekend, Sweltering Weather Boost Virginia's Beach Businesses.
July 8, 2003... Byline: Kate Wiltrout Jul. 8--A three-day weekend, a patriotic holiday and a dose of sweltering weather proved to be the right prescription for the region's beach businesses and other tourism sites struggling with summer's anemic start....

Currituck, N.C., Launches Aggressive Advertising Campaign.
July 8, 2003... Byline: Jeffrey S. Hampton Jul. 8--A large ad in the 2003 edition of the Carolina Heritage Guide advertises in bold letters: "Corolla, The Best of the Outer Banks." A two-minute television spot on Outer Banks TV-12 lauds the beauty of the...

Some Jails in Virginia Charge Inmates Up to $1 for Room, Board.
July 8, 2003... Byline: Michelle Washington Jul. 8--Schoolchildren pay each day for their lunches. So why do inmates pay nothing for three meals a day and a place to sleep? That question led state Del. Thelma Drake to sponsor a bill that allows...

Officials Perplexed by Declines in Some Virginia Beach, Va., Property Values.
July 8, 2003... Byline: Jon W. Glass Jul. 8--VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.--It's a gated community with a waterfront pool and stunning views of the Chesapeake Bay, located off Shore Drive in one of the Beach's hottest real estate markets. You'd think the...

Maritime Board to Dismantle 21 Ships in Virginia's James River Reserve Fleet.
July 8, 2003... Byline: Scott Harper Jul. 8--NEWPORT NEWS, Va.--The 21 shabbiest ships in the James River Reserve Fleet, also known as the Ghost Fleet, could be gone and dismantled by the end of the year, the head of the U.S. Maritime Administration said...

Norfolk, Va., Shop Caters Exclusively to Surfer Girls.
July 8, 2003... Byline: Cherise Williams Jul. 8--NORFOLK, Va.--Stephanie Davenport was tired of driving 30 minutes from her West Ghent home to the Oceanfront to buy surfing gear. Her daughter Payton, a fellow body boarder, disliked ending her beach...

Congestion on Roads in Virginia Beach, Va., Worries Area's Ambulance Crews.
July 8, 2003... Byline: Tom Holden Jul. 8--VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.--Rescue 14's ambulance hurried along General Booth Boulevard, the next-to-last leg of its trip to Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital. In the back, strapped to a gurney, was a farmer...

Businesses in Some Virginia Localities Create Incentives to Draw Teachers.
July 8, 2003

Kitty Hawk, N.C., Council Puts Limits on House Sizes.
July 9, 2003... Byline: Michelle Wagner Jul. 9--KITTY HAWK, N.C.--The Town Council has approved an ordinance that limits the size of houses based on setback requirements, ending a moratorium of more than a year on construction of homes with seven or more...

Virginia Beach, Va., Interested in Acquiring Right of Way for Light-Rail Line.
July 9, 2003... Jul. 9--VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.--City leaders are interested in buying a portion of Norfolk Southern Railway property to support a potential light-rail link between Town Center and downtown Norfolk. The City Council on Tuesday gave City Manager...

Family Members Plan to Sell about $30 Million of Smithfield Foods Stock.
July 9, 2003... Byline: Michael Davis Jul. 9--Members of the family that owns the biggest block of Smithfield Foods Inc. have filed to sell stock worth about $30 million as the company's share price has edged up. Since early June, five members of the...

Suffolk, Va., Won't Have to Relinquish Title as Virginia's Biggest City.
July 9, 2003

Joint Maryland-Virginia Crab Board Dissolves Because of State Budget Cutbacks.
July 9, 2003

Portsmouth, Va., to Limit Towing in Parking Deck Across from Downtown Hotel.
July 9, 2003

Norfolk, Va., Task Force Pares Possible High School Stadium Sites to Two.
July 9, 2003

Investors in Virginia Companies Wonder if Good Times Will Last.
July 10, 2003... Byline: Tom Shean Jul. 10--For some investors, it's been a great four months. But can the runup in stock prices last? Publicly traded companies are likely to provide some answers in coming weeks as they report their earnings for the...

Hotel in Suffolk, Va., Awaits Financing for Construction, Renovation.
July 10, 2003

North Carolina Birthing Center Blames Insurance, Lack of Doctors for Shutdown.
July 11, 2003... Byline: Catherine Kozak Jul. 11--NAGS HEAD, N.C.--Advocates of midwifery care for pregnant women are rallying behind the only birthing center on the Outer Banks, which abruptly was closed in late May. "The bottom line is, we need...

Population Growth in Suffolk, Va., Outpaces Rest of State.
July 11, 2003... Byline: John-Henry Doucette Jul. 11--SUFFOLK, Va.--No city or town in Virginia is growing as fast as Suffolk. Estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau released Thursday show that the city's population jumped to 69,966 between 2000 and 2002,...

Ford Unveils Prices for New Norfolk, Va.-Built F-150 Pickup.
July 11, 2003... Byline: Michael Davis Jul. 11--Challenging rival automakers in an overheated market, Ford Motor Co. on Thursday unveiled prices for the new, Norfolk-built F-150 pickup, predicting it will retain its domination of the truck business. ...

Norfolk, Va., Maritime Firm Settles Fuel-Dumping Complaints.
July 11, 2003... Byline: Scott Harper Jul. 11--NORFOLK, Va.--A local maritime company and five of its employees have settled criminal complaints that they discharged diesel fuel into the Elizabeth River then tried to cover it up when questioned by...

Chesapeake, Va., Planning Commission Splits on Shipping-Container Vote.
July 11, 2003... Byline: Carolyn Shapiro Jul. 11--CHESAPEAKE, Va.--The Planning Commission heard more than two hours of public feedback late Wednesday night before splitting in a 4-4 vote on a proposal to amend the city law governing shipping-container...

Newport News, Va., Northrop Grumman Workers Learn from Carrier Construction.
July 11, 2003... Byline: Carolyn Shapiro Jul. 11--NEWPORT NEWS, Va.--A short time before the aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan set sail for sea trials in May, Tom Sweeney Jr. found a glitch in one of the catapults. Sweeney, a pipe fitter foreman, assumed...

Ownership of Norfolk, Va., Mall Changes Hands.
July 11, 2003

Judge Says Husband, Wife Executives of Development Firm Guilty of Fraud.
July 12, 2003... Byline: Tom Shean Jul. 12--NORFOLK, Va. -- Citing the details of trial documents and witnesses' testimony, a federal judge declared Friday that the husband-and-wife officers of defunct AGM Development Corp. were guilty of bank fraud and...

Virginia Beach, Va., Infant Care Unit Faces Uncertain Future.
July 12, 2003... Byline: Liz Szabo Jul. 12--VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.--Doctors at Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital are concerned that the medical facility, which recently downgraded its trauma center, is in danger of closing or scaling back its neonatal...

Project to Redirect Landfill Traffic Should Ease Congestion in Suffolk, Va.
July 12, 2003... Byline: Phyllis Speidell Jul. 12--SUFFOLK, Va. -- There's a lot happening along U.S. 58 near the Southeastern Public Service Authority landfill. Within a couple of miles, Business 58 merges with the highway; big rigs line up for their...

Research, Development on Aircraft Carrier Reagan Led to 1,300 Design Changes.
July 12, 2003... Jul. 12--NORFOLK, Va.--Named for a Republican revolutionary, the aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan is more evolutionary. The Reagan "is a transitional ship," said Brian Persons, the Navy's deputy program officer for carriers. On the...

Smithfield Foods Gives Scholarship to Slain Virginia Beach, Va., Officer's Son.
July 12, 2003... Byline: Matthew Jones Jul. 12--VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.--Though Carson Pocceschi is only 9 months old, people are already talking about college. Not where he'll go or what he'll study, but what he'll pay: Zero. The son of slain Officer...

Suffolk, Va., Commercial Trash Customers See Disposal Fees Double.
July 12, 2003... Byline: Linda McNatt Jul. 12--SUFFOLK, Va. -- Commercial trash customers in the city got a surprise in the mail this month -- a bill for trash disposal that had more than doubled. For residents and businesses alike, if they have...

Virginia Beach, Va., Rolls Out New Trolley System for Oceanfront.
July 12, 2003... Byline: Tamara El-Khoury Jul. 12--VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.--City Council member Richard A. Maddox waited only seconds to ride a VB Wave. Considering he was on his way to the inauguration ceremony for the revamped trolley system, that's a...

Chesapeake, Va.-Area Construction Firm, Land Owners Settle Wetlands Cases.
July 12, 2003... Byline: Cindy Clayton Jul. 12--CHESAPEAKE, Va.--A construction company and the owners of three development sites have reached a settlement with the Environmental Protection Agency to pay $9,000 in penalties and restore more than 24 acres...

Virginia Beach, Va., Computer School Abruptly Shuts Down, Stranding Clients.
July 12, 2003

New Dean of Virginia's Old Dominion University Business School Likes Changes.
July 13, 2003... Byline: Bill Choyke Jul. 13--Nancy Bagranoff finds the changes around Old Dominion University and all of Hampton Roads refreshing. The former Richmond resident says she is struck by the growth and building she sees now. As the new dean...

Norfolk, Va., Eatery Testimonies Has Religious Nourishment on the Side.
July 14, 2003... Byline: Cherise Williams Jul. 14--NORFOLK, Va.--Chicken and dumplings, collard greens, and fried corn cakes aren't the only things on the Testimonies restaurant menu. Spiritual nourishment comes as a side order. That's what William...

Suffolk, Va., HUD Loan Backed Only by City's Vow to Repay It.
July 14, 2003... Byline: John-Henry Doucette Jul. 14--SUFFOLK, Va.--Federal housing officials have little more than the city's word that it will pay back a big-dollar loan, a new twist on public borrowing that may help other small governments finance civic...

Navy Gets Tougher on Housing Proposed for Jet-Noise Zones near Its Airports.
July 14, 2003... Byline: Jon W. Glass Jul. 14--VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.--In the long-running debate about jet noise, the Navy is raising the stakes. Navy officials have told Virginia Beach and Chesapeake planners that they will oppose new housing...

After Medicaid Rejected Them, Program in Virginia Helps Immigrant Family.
July 14, 2003... Byline: Katrice Hardy Jul. 14--CHESAPEAKE, Va.--After 14 fragile years of life, Jose Arroyo barely looks half that age. His red blood cell count dropped so low recently that he couldn't talk, walk or move his left arm and leg. Several...

Norfolk, Va., Army Engineers First to Require Mitigation for Ruined Mud Flats.
July 14, 2003... Byline: Scott Harper Jul. 14--Mud flats smell bad, like moldy carpets. They breed mosquitoes. They clog creeks and coves and make life difficult for boaters and waterfront residents in coastal Virginia, where these squishy moonscapes are...

Virginia's Info Technology Symposium May Be Held in Hampton Roads in 2004.
July 14, 2003... Byline: Deborah Markham Jul. 14--The state's marquee information technology event might be headed to Hampton Roads next year, Virginia's secretary of technology, George C. Newstrom, recently hinted. "Hampton Roads is the umbilical cord...

Three Banks with Norfolk, Va.-Area Presences Make Quarterly Earnings Reports.
July 15, 2003

Virginia Beach, Va., Call Center Lays Off 388 Workers.
July 15, 2003... Byline: MICHAEL DAVIS Jul. 15--A Virginia Beach-based call center company has laid off nearly 400 workers -- most of its local labor force -- after losing a large piece of business. Abacus Communications let the employees go earlier...

Planned Chesapeake, Va., Condo Complexes Face Ire from Adjacent Business Park.
July 15, 2003... Byline: Robert McCabe Jul. 15--CHESAPEAKE, Va.--Plans to build two condominium complexes on opposite sides of a business park are drawing strong criticism from the park operators. The principals of BECO Construction Inc., who own Butts...

Virginia Beach, Va.'s Oceanfront Developer Proposes Classy Mixed-Use Project.
July 15, 2003... Byline: Jon W. Glass Jul. 15--VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.--Some people who've seen plans for the Ocean Beach Club use words like "gorgeous" and "top class." It is the kind of development, they say, with the potential to elevate the Oceanfront...

Officials in Suffolk, Va., Challenge Proposal to Build Housing Subdivision.
July 15, 2003... Byline: John-Henry Doucette Jul. 15--SUFFOLK, Va.--Officials see a proposed subdivision off Turlington Road as an assault on the city's tough planning guidelines meant to control growth. Millstone, as the subdivision is called, would...

Move to Less Trauma Care Goes Well at Virginia Beach, Va., General Hospital.
July 15, 2003... Byline: Elizabeth Simpson Jul. 15--The news that Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital was downgrading its trauma center June 27 touched off concerns throughout the community that medical care in the state's most populous city would...

Hospital in Albemarle, N.C., Named 'Most Wired' in United States.
July 15, 2003

Senate Panel Approves Funds to Buy Land Near Virginia Beach, Va., Refuge.
July 15, 2003

Off-Airport Parking Business Sues Airport in Norfolk, Va., over New Fee.
July 16, 2003... Byline: Debbie Messina Jul. 16--NORFOLK, Va.--An off-airport parking business is challenging Norfolk International Airport over a new fee levied on them this month. Norfolk International now charges Park Shuttle N Fly a fee of 8...

Three Norfolk, Va.,-Area Banks Report Increases in Second Quarter Income.
July 16, 2003... Byline: Tom Shean Jul. 16--Helped by sharply higher earnings from mortgage lending, three community banks in Hampton Roads reported robust increases in second-quarter net income. TowneBank in Portsmouth said its net income for the...

Crews Restore Most of Electric Power to Norfolk, Va., Naval Station.
July 16, 2003... Byline: Matthew Dolan Jul. 16--NORFOLK, Va.--Utility crews have restored most of the power to the Norfolk Naval Station after a massive outage early Monday cut off electricity to about half of the world's largest Navy base. The power...

Chesapeake, Va., Council Approves One of Two Condominium Plans.
July 16, 2003... Byline: Robert McCabe Jul. 16--CHESAPEAKE, Va.--In razor-thin decisions Tuesday night, the City Council OK'd one condominium complex and denied another that had been proposed to sit on either side of a business park. After an hour and...

Norfolk, Va., Councilman Suggests Turning Museum into Cruise Ship Terminal.
July 16, 2003... Byline: Harry Minium Jul. 16--NORFOLK, Va.--Councilman W. Randy Wright suggested Tuesday that the city hire a consultant to explore the idea of converting Nauticus into a cruise ship terminal. City officials are mulling the possibility...

Virginia Transportation Agency Rejects Norfolk, Va.-Area's Long-Term Road Plan.
July 16, 2003... Byline: Tom Holden Jul. 16--The Virginia Department of Transportation has rejected as financially unsound the region's long-term transportation plan and wants the leaders who drafted it to submit a new one. The plan is the region's...

Federal Contracts Are Excluding Small Businesses, Norfolk, Va., Executive Says.
July 16, 2003... Byline: Dale Eisman Jul. 16--WASHINGTON--Small businesses in Hampton Roads and across the country are gradually being crowded out of the market for federal contracts as government managers opt to deal with larger firms that can provide a...

Smithfield Plans to Acquire Farmland Industries' Pork Division.
July 16, 2003... Byline: Michael Davis Jul. 16--Hungry Smithfield Foods Inc. wants to put yet another company into its shopping cart. The meat giant said Tuesday that it plans to pay $363.5 million in cash for the pork division of Farmland Industries...

Norfolk Area among Virginia Regions to Receive Smog Zone Designation.
July 16, 2003... Byline: Scott Harper Jul. 16--Hampton Roads, Roanoke, Richmond and sections of the Shenandoah National Park are among the areas expected to be declared smog zones under new federal guidelines for combatting air pollution. The proposed...

Congressional Panel Grants $7 Million for Chesapeake, Va., Road Projects.
July 16, 2003

Virginia Public Colleges Face Surge in Would-Be Students.
July 17, 2003... Jul. 17--RICHMOND, Va.--Thousands of high school graduates could be turned away from Virginia's public universities and have trouble getting into community college classes because of an unexpected surge in demand, education officials warned....

Old Cape Henry Lighthouse in Virginia Beach, Va., Is Due for Repairs.
July 17, 2003... Byline: Ellyde Roko Jul. 17--VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.--About 30 years ago, after the sand around the Old Cape Henry Lighthouse had dwindled to expose the soft sandstone base, workers patched the structure with cement. But that cement,...

Officials in Portsmouth, Va., Defend Cost of Mosquito-Control Program.
July 17, 2003... Byline: Louis Hansen Jul. 17--PORTSMOUTH, Va.--The City Council's recent decision to triple spending on mosquito control creates the costliest program per square mile in South Hampton Roads and among the most expensive in the country. ...

Military Deployments Hampered Economic Growth in Norfolk, Va., Area.
July 17, 2003... Byline: Tom Shean Jul. 17--CHESAPEAKE, Va.--Hampered by the absence of several thousand military personnel deployed to the Middle East, the pace of economic expansion in Hampton Roads slowed modestly during the first half of the year, a...

Teachers in Portsmouth, Va., Receive Discounts from Some Area Businesses.
July 17, 2003... Byline: Mike Gruss Jul. 17--PORTSMOUTH, Va.--A half-dozen teachers trickle through Way Back Yonder Antiques each day, looking for values in furniture, jewelry, clocks and china. But come fall, teachers browsing at this shop and others...

Sniper Trial Moved to Virginia Beach, Va., Predicted to Be Good for Business.
July 17, 2003... Jul. 17--VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.--When sniper suspect John Allen Muhammad goes on trial here in October, money and publicity will pour into the city. Though merchants and Beach officials are quick to say they'd rather not profit from the...