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"Remembering 5/31, Budget Updates, and Community Spirit in Virginia Beach"
Published 10 months, 3 weeks ago
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Good morning, this is Virginia Beach Local Pulse for Saturday, May 31, 2025.
Today marks a solemn anniversary for our city. Governor Glenn Youngkin has ordered all U.S. and state flags to be flown at half-staff in remembrance of the 12 lives lost at the Virginia Beach Municipal Center shooting on this day in 2019. The flags will remain lowered until sunset. Our thoughts are with the victims' families, the survivors, and first responders. We're also seeing real progress on the 5/31 Memorial near Nimmo Parkway and Princess Anne Road. The site, still under construction, will feature a pathway to the Heroes' Tree and a wall with the victims' names, serving as a space of reflection and healing. The memorial is expected to open to the public in May of next year, offering families and our community a permanent place to remember and honor those we lost.
Turning to the weather, we start our weekend with bright skies and mild temperatures in the low 70s by midmorning, climbing into the low 80s later today. There’s a light southerly breeze, and only a slight chance of a passing shower in the early evening, so it’s a great day to enjoy our oceanfront or local parks.
From city hall, there’s been a major budget development. City Council voted earlier this month to adopt the revised budget for 2025 to 2026, setting the city’s operating budget at about 2.8 billion dollars, up nearly 5 percent from last year. Notably, a proposed tax on pleasure boats was replaced by a flat annual registration fee, designed to fund dredging projects. Also, starting soon, our Emergency Medical Services will begin billing insurance companies for ambulance transport, aiming to reduce or eliminate out-of-pocket costs for patients.
In the job market, seasonal hiring is picking up for hospitality and tourism. Local hotels and restaurants along Atlantic Avenue are looking to fill dozens of positions, from hotel desk clerks to line cooks, as summer traffic increases.
There’s new business activity as well. The long-awaited Boardwalk Brew House opens today at 19th Street and Atlantic, bringing twenty local craft beers on tap and live music every weekend. Meanwhile, the beloved Pop’s Diner on Holland Road is closing its doors next week after forty years, citing retirement of its founders.
On our calendar for the weekend, the Neptune Festival hosts its Summer Kickoff Concert Series tonight at the Oceanfront, and there’s a community beach cleanup tomorrow morning at First Landing State Park starting at eight. For families, the Virginia Aquarium is hosting its annual Sea Turtle Festival with hands-on activities and talks from local marine biologists.
In sports, congratulations go out to the Ocean Lakes Dolphins baseball team for clinching a regional title last night. And in schools, several high school robotics teams are heading to national finals, a point of pride for our public schools.
For our crime report, police responded to a break-in on Lynnhaven Parkway late last night, resulting in one arrest and no injuries. Residents are reminded to keep vehicles and homes locked, especially as summer activity increases.
And to wrap up, a feel-good note: volunteers with the VB Grows community garden gathered yesterday to harvest and donate over five hundred pounds of fresh produce to local food banks, showing once again the generous spirit of our city.
This has been Virginia Beach Local Pulse. We'll see you tomorrow with more local updates.
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
Today marks a solemn anniversary for our city. Governor Glenn Youngkin has ordered all U.S. and state flags to be flown at half-staff in remembrance of the 12 lives lost at the Virginia Beach Municipal Center shooting on this day in 2019. The flags will remain lowered until sunset. Our thoughts are with the victims' families, the survivors, and first responders. We're also seeing real progress on the 5/31 Memorial near Nimmo Parkway and Princess Anne Road. The site, still under construction, will feature a pathway to the Heroes' Tree and a wall with the victims' names, serving as a space of reflection and healing. The memorial is expected to open to the public in May of next year, offering families and our community a permanent place to remember and honor those we lost.
Turning to the weather, we start our weekend with bright skies and mild temperatures in the low 70s by midmorning, climbing into the low 80s later today. There’s a light southerly breeze, and only a slight chance of a passing shower in the early evening, so it’s a great day to enjoy our oceanfront or local parks.
From city hall, there’s been a major budget development. City Council voted earlier this month to adopt the revised budget for 2025 to 2026, setting the city’s operating budget at about 2.8 billion dollars, up nearly 5 percent from last year. Notably, a proposed tax on pleasure boats was replaced by a flat annual registration fee, designed to fund dredging projects. Also, starting soon, our Emergency Medical Services will begin billing insurance companies for ambulance transport, aiming to reduce or eliminate out-of-pocket costs for patients.
In the job market, seasonal hiring is picking up for hospitality and tourism. Local hotels and restaurants along Atlantic Avenue are looking to fill dozens of positions, from hotel desk clerks to line cooks, as summer traffic increases.
There’s new business activity as well. The long-awaited Boardwalk Brew House opens today at 19th Street and Atlantic, bringing twenty local craft beers on tap and live music every weekend. Meanwhile, the beloved Pop’s Diner on Holland Road is closing its doors next week after forty years, citing retirement of its founders.
On our calendar for the weekend, the Neptune Festival hosts its Summer Kickoff Concert Series tonight at the Oceanfront, and there’s a community beach cleanup tomorrow morning at First Landing State Park starting at eight. For families, the Virginia Aquarium is hosting its annual Sea Turtle Festival with hands-on activities and talks from local marine biologists.
In sports, congratulations go out to the Ocean Lakes Dolphins baseball team for clinching a regional title last night. And in schools, several high school robotics teams are heading to national finals, a point of pride for our public schools.
For our crime report, police responded to a break-in on Lynnhaven Parkway late last night, resulting in one arrest and no injuries. Residents are reminded to keep vehicles and homes locked, especially as summer activity increases.
And to wrap up, a feel-good note: volunteers with the VB Grows community garden gathered yesterday to harvest and donate over five hundred pounds of fresh produce to local food banks, showing once again the generous spirit of our city.
This has been Virginia Beach Local Pulse. We'll see you tomorrow with more local updates.
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI