Community Corner

🌱 Patch AM: How would Portsmouth’s proposed 1% sales tax hike reshape local schools?

Coming up: Fleet Ride on the Portsmouth Patch calendar

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Saturday September 19th Patch AM
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Good morning Portsmouth! Your connection to what's happening around town is here. Take a sip of coffee and read on. ☀️

In today's newsletter:

  • How would Portsmouth's proposed 1% sales tax hike reshape local schools?
  • When will Portsmouth SNAP users get their new chip EBT cards?
  • Portsmouth faces new federal lawsuit over ex-officer's sexual assault case.

Also on today's calendar: FREE WEBINAR | "Under a Golden Sky: The Mosaics of Florence Baptistry" and 9 more events.

Today's riddle: What do you call cows dancing in the dark 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

  • Saturday: Clouds and sun; not as warm, with a high of 82 and low of 68 degrees.
  • Sunday: Very warm with periods of sun, temps: high: 87, low: 71. 🌶 Hot!
  • Monday: Cloudy, humid; a p.m. t-storm, with a high of 80 and low of 68 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. 1% retail sales tax for school construction on ballot in Portsmouth (wavy.com) — Portsmouth voters will decide in November whether to add a 1% local sales tax to fund school construction and renovations, including a new K-8 school where Hunt-Mapp once stood. City leaders back the measure, while some residents worry about already high taxes, as the proposal could raise about $10 million a year for up to 20 years.
   

2. More than $2 million in SNAP benefits reported stolen in Hampton Roads, as Virginia rolls out new EBT cards (13newsnow.com) — Portsmouth SNAP recipients are among the first in Virginia slated to receive new chip-enabled EBT cards aimed at cutting down on benefit theft, after the city reported about $117,000 in stolen benefits last year. The story explains how widespread fraud has hit Hampton Roads, why Norfolk and Portsmouth are prioritized, and what residents should do to prepare for their replacement cards and protect their benefits.
   

3. Virginia woman sues Portsmouth, ex-police chief over officer's sexual assault (wtkr.com) — A woman has filed a federal lawsuit against the City of Portsmouth and former Police Chief Tanya Chapman, alleging the city's hiring and oversight failures enabled a Portsmouth officer to sexually assault her at 17. The officer, Cleshaun Cox, has already been convicted in state and federal court, and the suit now seeks civil damages for the harm she says he caused.
   

4. Suffolk nearing end of ARPA projects (suffolknewsherald.com) — A major regional broadband project that will link Portsmouth with Suffolk, Chesapeake, Norfolk, and Virginia Beach via a 119-mile fiber ring is expected to be finished this fall, improving internet access across the Southside. Funded in part by Suffolk's ARPA dollars, the effort responds to pandemic-era concerns about online learning and work, and should eventually boost connectivity for Portsmouth residents as the network comes online.
   

5. Spanberger signs order tightening rules for Virginia data centers (dailypress.com) — Virginia's governor has tightened rules on data centers, banning state NDAs and requiring local approval for large projects, a move that could affect future development across the state. Portsmouth leaders Don Scott and Louise Lucas praised tougher oversight but pressed for ending major tax breaks, while nearby cities like Chesapeake and Virginia Beach are already restricting or pausing new data centers.
   

📸 Around Portsmouth

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • A BIG SHOUT-OUT to the young man who pulled my garbage can back to the house and out of the street after it had been dumped!
    That may seem like a small thing to some, but a good deed is never too small to be recognized. Your kindness and thoughtfulness did not go unnoticed,… (Nextdoor Cradock)
  • Olde Towne Farmers Market - September 19 - 9 a.
    m. - 2 p.m. - 400 High Street For more information, please visit: https://www.facebook.com/PortsmouthVAFarmersMarket (Nextdoor )
  • IMIA, LLC posted a job opening for Shipfitter - Manufacturing in Portsmouth. Apply here.
  • Plan Systems posted a job opening for Medical Office Clerk - Radiology in Portsmouth. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Portsmouth here.

Ok Portsmouth! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: Night Moo-s (Thank you John S. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!

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