EVENTS

City of Norfolk Honors Veterans with Wreath Laying Ceremony 



(BMLTV) The City of Norfolk and the Mayor’s Advisory Commission on Veterans Affairs invites the public to attend the annual Veterans Day wreath-laying ceremony, Saturday November 11th 2:00 p.m. at the MacArthur Memorial. City Councilman Martin Thomas and Captain Jack Freeman, Commanding Officer Naval Support Activity Hampton Roads will give remarks. Fleet Forces Command Ceremonial Band will perform.

Hundreds will Rally at State Capitol to support EPA’s Clean Power Plan

Faith-Based, Public Health, Student and Environmental Groups Join Forces to Demand Climate Action
RICHMOND, VA - On Wednesday, November 19th, hundreds of Virginians from across the state will converge on Richmond to demand action to dramatically scale up clean energy in the Commonwealth, especially solar, wind and efficiency, to address the threat of climate disruption.

The rally will take place on the heels of a Joint Legislative Meeting by the Virginia House and Senate Commerce and Labor Committees on the President’s Clean Power Plan.
Hundreds are expected to attend.

Events at the rally will include a Mom’s Clean Air Force “Play-in” featuring children’s activities such as parachute games and finger painting, a giant word scramble demonstrating popular rejection of the false choice between a healthy environment and strong economy, and a moment of silence for those affected by climate disruption followed by a “moment of noise” to sound the alarm on climate and demand action.

RALLY: Common Sense for the Commonwealth: Rally for Clean Energy

TIME: Wednesday, November 19, 2014, 12:30 p.m.

LOCATION: Bell Tower, Capitol Square Grounds, 101 N 9th Street, Richmond, VA 23219

The key appearances will be Senator A. Donald McEachin, Senate Democratic Caucus Chairman Clark Mercer, Chief of Staff to Lieutenant Governor Northam Freeda Cathcart, Legislative Chair, General Federation of Women’s Clubs of Virginia – Blue Ridge Region

Passport Culinary Event Features  Celebrity Chefs

NORFOLK VA, March 31, 2013 -, Norfolk Sister City Association (NSCA) brings a new culinary event to Hampton Roads on April 3, 2014 beginning at 5:30 p.m. at the downtown Sheraton Norfolk Waterside Hotel. 

Celebrity chefs from 11 of the premier local restaurants will be judged on their specialty dishes inspired by the cuisine of the international sister cities affiliated with NSCA. 

The evening will include entertainment by local dance and music groups representing the cultures of NSCA’s sister cities. An international bazaar of goods and wares will accent the occasion.

Participating Chefs will represent the following restaurants:
    
Braise (Germany)                                                        Coastal Grille (England)
CP Shuckers (Philippines)                                           Eurasia (Japan)
Nawab (India)                                                              Sheraton Waterside (France)
Still Worldly Eclectic Eats (Ghana)                             Swan Terrace (Russia)
Todd Jurich’s Bistro (Canada)                                      Press 626 (China)
Small’s Smokehouse and Oyster Bar (Virginia)

The featured Judges will be:
               
Chef Patrick Evans-Hylton, Coastal VA Magazine (formerly HR Magazine)
Cathy Lewis, WHRO
David Nicholson, Daily Press
Tammy Jaxtheimer, The Virginian Pilot
Marisa Marsey, VEER Magazine
George Culver, Blogger, WHRO Blog contributor
Chef Steve Sadowski, Culinary Institute of Virginia
Chef Dedra Blount, Now You’re Cooking, Chesapeake PS
Chef Patrick Reed, Virginia Beach Public Schools
Chef Deon Foster, The Kitchen Koop

Tickets for PassPORT may be purchased for $50.00  through  Norfolk Sister Cities Association at 757-627-0530.

To learn even more about this event go to www.passPORTNorfolk.com

Norfolk Sister Cities Association connects the Norfolk Community with business, government and educational opportunities throughout the world.

American Indian and Alaska Native Children Exposed To Violence Federal Advisory Committee to hold second public hearing

(PRN/USN) WASHINGTON, February 10, 2014 - The Advisory Committee of the Attorney General's Task Force on American Indian and Alaska Native Children Exposed to Violence will hold its second of four public hearings in the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community in Scottsdale, Ariz., 8:30 a.m. MST, February 11, 2014 .

The advisory committee, which includes tribal members and national experts in American Indian studies, child health and trauma, victim services and child welfare will use information gathered during four public hearings to produce a final report of policy recommendations for the Attorney General in late 2014.

The Committee held its first hearing Dec. 9 in Bismarck, N.D.  Two additional hearings will be held in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Anchorage, Alaska.

For more information on the advisory committee, upcoming hearings, the full list of members, how to register for the event and how to provide written testimony, please visit: justice.gov/defendingchildhood.

NASA seeking student science experiments for balloon flight


PRNewsFoto/NASA

(PRN/USN) WASHINGTON, October. 30, 2013 - NASA is accepting applications from graduate and undergraduate university students to fly experiments to the edge of space aboard a high-altitude scientific balloon. This balloon flight competition is a joint project between NASA and the Louisiana Space Consortium (LaSPACE) in Baton Rouge.

NASA is targeting fall 2014 for the next flight opportunity for the LaSPACE-maintained High Altitude Student Platform (HASP). HASP is a balloon-borne instrument stack that provides an annual near-space flight opportunity for 12 undergraduate and graduate student-built instruments. 

A panel of engineers from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Va., and LaSPACE will review the applications and select the finalists for the next flight opportunity. Launched from the Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility's remote site in Fort Sumner, N.M., HASP flights typically fly for 15 to 20 hours at an altitude of approximately 23 miles. 

HASP houses and provides power, mechanical support, interfacing and communications for the instruments. It can be used to flight-test compact satellites, prototypes and other small payloads designed and built by students. 

HASP can support approximately 200 pounds of payloads and test articles. Since 2006, the HASP program has selected for flights more than 70 payloads involving more than 600 students from across the United States.

The application deadline for the flight is Dec. 20. A question-and-answer teleconference for interested parties will be held at 11 a.m. EST Nov. 15. For application materials, teleconference schedule and additional HASP details, visit: 

http://laspace.lsu.edu/hasp

For information about NASA's scientific balloon program, visit: 

http://sites.wff.nasa.gov/code820/

For information about NASA's education programs, visit: 

http://www.nasa.gov/education

Teaching Tolerance asks Congress to 'Mix It Up' in open letter

Annual event helps break down social barriers in schools nationwide 

(PRN/USN) MONTGOMERY, Ala., October 23, 2013 - In the wake of the recent government shutdown, the Southern Poverty Law Center's Teaching Tolerance project issued an open letter today calling on Congress to "Mix It Up."

On Oct. 29, students at more than 6,000 schools across the country will participate in the 12th Annual Mix It Up at Lunch Day event, which encourages students to step out of their cliques and sit with someone new in the cafeteria for just one day. The program was launched by Teaching Tolerance in 2002 to foster respect and understanding among students. To learn more, visit: tolerance.org/mix-congress.   

As one of the nation's leading providers of anti-bias education resources, Teaching Tolerance reaches hundreds of thousands of educators and millions of students annually through its Teaching Tolerance magazine, multimedia teaching kits, online curricula, professional development resources and classroom-friendly social justice documentaries. These materials are provided to educators at no cost.

The open letter can be viewed below:

Dear U.S. Congressional Representatives,

Here at Teaching Tolerance, we provide resources to educators across the nation to help them teach students how to get along with each other and to work together productively.  We believe that these are important skills for living and working in a diverse and democratic society.

I've noticed that many of you are finding it hard to work together, and some of you don't like to talk to people outside your party. I've even heard name-calling.  It reminds me of what happens in schools when kids are ostracized if they hang out with the "wrong" group.  Like many Americans, I'd really like you to figure out how to get along so you can work on issues that matter. 

I thought you might start by participating in Mix It Up at Lunch Day on Oct. 29, along with students in 6,000 schools across the nation, including 35 in Nevada; 59 in Kentucky; 68 in Alabama; 152 in Washington State; and 171 in Wisconsin. Go to our map to see your state.  The idea is simple: We ask students to move out of their comfort zones and connect with someone new over lunch.

Although it's designed for kids in grades K-12, the teachers we've talked to think Mix could work for Congress too.  It's so easy that 10-year-olds can plan it, so you'd have no trouble giving it a go.

You could probably ask your interns to help. Schools have been organizing Mix It Up events for 12 years, and millions of students have participated. Chances are that some of your young staffers already know what to do. 

In elementary school, they might have enjoyed a Mix It Up at Lunch with everyone in the school community, including parents and cafeteria staff, just like Sol Feinstone Elementary School in Newtown, Pa.  As middle schoolers, they might have danced, written poetry and seen a student-led flashmob – that's what students at Sandy, Utah's Albion Middle school did last year. 

 If they were in their high school's student council – and they probably were – they might have organized Mix several times a year (Thomas Jefferson High, Bloomington, Minn.), or planned a three-day extravaganza called "Lunchapalooza" (Palatine High School, Palatine, Ill.).

On second thought, you should probably not plan on "Lunchapalooza" or a flashmob.  It's your first time, so keep it simple. 

I've checked the calendar and you're all in session on Oct. 29.  Why not plan to eat lunch in the Senate or House cafeteria?  Your interns could help you find a group that includes people you don't normally hang with. Don't worry about what to say. Simple conversation starters like "What was your favorite TV show as a child?" or "Do you have a pet?" can help you get to know each other as human beings. 

Don't plan on talking about healthcare, taxes or the federal debt, OK? 

Instead, you could do what the students at H.C. Wilcox High School, Meriden, Conn., did and create a paper chain of written suggestions of ways you could be kinder to each other.  Or, if lunch is really fun, you might be inspired by the students at Chaminade College Preparatory School in West Hills, Calif., and leave the cafeteria in a conga line. 

Here's what we've learned after 12 years of doing Mix: When students interact with those who are different from them, biases and misperceptions can fall away.

That sounds like a good goal for all of us, including our elected representatives.

Respectfully submitted,

Maureen Costello, Teaching Tolerance Director

The Southern Poverty Law Center, based in Alabama with offices in Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi, is a nonprofit civil rights organization dedicated to fighting hate and bigotry, and to seeking justice for the most vulnerable members of society. 

For more information, see www.splcenter.org .

Pet symposium planned Saturday at Belvedere Park 

EAST LOS ANGELES  - Young people from the area will have an opportunity to learn about responsible pet care, community service opportunities and careers related to pets at the 2013 4-H Pet Symposium Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Belvedere Park, 4914 E. Cesar Chavez Ave. Young people, ages 5-19, and their families are encouraged to attend the event.

All children must be accompanied by an adult. Participants will learn how to appropriately train, feed and care for their dogs, cats, rats, rabbits, pigeons, turtles, tortoises and even pygmy goats. There will be a live cow milking demonstration and a detector dog demonstration, provided by the Office of the Los Angeles County Agriculture Commissioner.

Those attending also will get a peek into the world of veterinary medicine and learn how they can make a difference helping animals in their own communities.

read more

VISITNORFOLK CELEBRATES NATIONAL TRAVEL & TOURISM WEEK


Half Moone Cruise and Celebration Center. photo: abhi ahmadadeen/BMLTV© 


May 7th event to feature “Champions of Hospitality” Rally

 Norfolk, Va. May 2, 2013 - VisitNorfolk and the Norfolk Tourism Research Foundation will celebrate National Travel & Tourism Week, May 4th – 12th with a rally entitled “Champions of Hospitality” at the Half Moone Cruise and Celebration Center Tuesday, May 7th from 1:30 – 3:00 p.m. 

The best and brightest hospitality associates of the city will be honored for their contribution to Norfolk’s tour and travel industry and ambassadors for the city, Peter G. Decker III., Phillip A. Decker and Paul A. Decker will serve as masters of ceremonies. 

Cathy Keefe, media relations manager for the U.S. Travel Association, will also be present. Over 150 individuals have been nominated in over 20 different categories. One valuable, hard-working individual will receive the Peter G. Decker Hospitality Associate of the Year Award. 

The 2013 winner will join an elite group of Norfolk employees who have been noted with that distinction since VisitNorfolk held its first rally in 2002. Two traveling trophies will also be awarded to the “Most Spirited” organizations in attendance at the Rally. 

Tom Schaad, Stephanie Harris, Bruce Rader and Nicole Livas of WAVY TV-10, and Old Dominion University Head Football Coach Bobby Wilder will serve as judges for the “Most Spirited” contest. Alex Gervasi from 105-3 will also be present at the rally. The sponsors of this year’s rally are HMS Host, Norfolk Airport Authority, Pete Decker & Partners, MacArthur Center, DIA (Dave Iwans & Associates) and Southwest Airlines. 

The “Champions of Hospitality” Rally is open to the public, and Norfolk citizens and businesses are welcome to join VisitNorfolk and the Norfolk Tourism Research Foundation in honoring those who do so much for the city’s travel and tourism industry. For more information about the rally, or National Travel & Tourism Week, visit the Web site of VisitNorfolk at www.visitnorfolktoday.com 

MOCA SATELLITE GALLERY AT PAVILION two OPENING APRIL 18TH 

photo: rj clark/artist

(BMLTV) VIRGINIA BEACH, VA — The Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) is partnering with The Runnymede Corporation to open a permanent satellite gallery in the lobby of their Virginia Beach headquarters at 600 22nd Street, Pavilion II. The opening reception for MOCA Satellite Gallery at Pavilion II will be held Thursday, April 18th from 5-6:30pm with light refreshments. This event is free and open to the public.

Over the Edge for Make-A-Wish Greater Virginia 


photo:abhi ahmadadeen/BMLTV©

(BMLTV) NORFOLK, VA April 13, 2013 – Make-A-Wish® Greater Virginia will be hosting Over the Edge presented by Hendrick Collision Center on Saturday, April 13 at the Main Street Tower, 300 East Main Street, Norfolk, Virginia. 

Over the Edge is an event where individuals and teams have the opportunity to rappel 200 feet down the Main Street Tower in Downtown Norfolk. In order to participate in the event rapellers had to raise a minimum of $1,500. 

Companies and organizations had the opportunity to “Toss Your Boss” if they raised the minimum of $1,500. Through this event Make-A-Wish® Greater Virginia plans to raise the money to grant the wishes of at least 20 children with life-threatening medical conditions. 

Make-A-Wish® grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. Founded in 1980 when a group of caring volunteers helped a young boy fulfill his dream of becoming a police officer, the Foundation is one of the world’s leading children’s charities, with 62 chapters in the United States and its territories. 

With the help of generous donors and nearly 25,000 volunteers, Make-A-Wish® grants a wish every 38 minutes and has granted more than 226,000 wishes in the United States since its inception. For more information about Make-A-Wish®, visit www.va.wish.org and discover how you can share the power of a wish. 

Norfolk to offer free AIDS testing for World AIDS Day 


photo: abhi ahmadadeen/BMLTV©

(BMLTV) Norfolk, VA, December 2, 2012 -  The Norfolk Department of Recreation, Parks & Open Space together with Access AIDS Care will offer free AIDS testing in recognition of World AIDS Day. Testing will take place Tuesday, December 4th from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the East Ocean View Community Center, 9520 20th Bay Street, and is open to ages 16 and older. Test results will be available within 20 minutes.

World Aids Day is held on annually December 1st as an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, show their support for people living with HIV and to commemorate people who have died. The first World AIDS Day was held in 1988 and was the first ever global health day.

The Norfolk Department of Recreation, Parks & Open Space (RPOS) enriches the quality of life for Norfolk residents by providing a full spectrum of recreational programming for youth, adults and special populations. RPOS maintains over 100 City parks, 18 recreation centers, four computer resource centers, three neighborhood service centers, five specialty centers, six pools, eight cemeteries, over seven miles of beaches, and a number of playgrounds and athletic facilities. For more information, visit www.norfolk.gov/rpos, like the RPOS Facebook page at /NorfolkRPOS, or pick up the latest Good Times magazine at a Norfolk recreation center near you.

The African American Sports Hall of Fame to celebrate their sixteenth year anniversary

HRAASHF President Larry Bellamy, seven time NBA ALL Star, Alonzo Mourning, HRAASHF Chairman, E. Quiton Gordon, 2011. photo: abhi ahmadadeen/BMLTV©


2011 HRAASHF Scholarship recipients awarded by Clara Stanley. Bryan D. Archbald,Terron Smith, Rachel D. Clark, Courtney N. Lowers. photo: abhi ahmadadeen/BMLTV©


Ken Whitley, Coach and community contributor,U.S. Representative Scott Rigell, James Church,Business Executive, The 15th Anniversary of HRAASHF,Portsmouth Virginia 2011. photo: courtesy of HRAASHF©


The 15th Anniversary of HRAASHF,Portsmouth Virginia 2011. photo: courtesy of HRAASHF©
 
(BMLTV) NORFOLK VA., October 25, 2012 - The Hampton Roads African American Sports Hall of Fame will celebrate their sixteeth year anniversary at the Waterside Marriott in Downtown Norfolk this coming Saturday October 27, 2012 at 7:00 PM.

One of the big highlights of the evening will the induction of two time Olympian LaTasha Colander-Clark. Scholarships will also be awarded to outstanding High School Students from the Hampton Roads area.

For more information regarding The African American Sports Hall of Fame Celebration and Banquet, please! contact Yvette Todd at 757-404-1755

2012 Komen Tidewater Race for the Cure

photo: abhi ahmadadeen/BMLTV©

The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure® Series, the largest series of 5K runs/fitness walks in the world, raises significant funds and awareness for the fight against breast cancer, celebrates breast cancer survivorship and honors those who have lost their battle with the disease.

2012 Komen Tidewater Race for the Cure® 

Saturday, October 13, 2012 31st and Atlantic, Virginia Beach Oceanfront Day-of Registration starts at 7:00am Race starts at 8:30am 

Packet Pick-Up and Pre-Race Expo Thursday and Friday, October 11-12, 2012 Hilton Garden Inn Town Center 11:00am-8:00pm each day 

Go for a Spin; Get Homearama Discount

 

 Ride your bike to event for a $2.00 discount

(BMLTV) NORFOLK VA. October 11, 2012 –   Put the pedal to the pavement and ride a bike to Homearama 2012 at East Beach in Ocean View on Sunday, October 14, 2012 for $2.00 off your ticket.  Bike Day is all part of the Healthy Norfolk Initiative.

"I’m thrilled that Tidewater Builder’s Association not only chose East Beach for a record setting third Homearama but also included Bike Day which builds upon the growing bike-friendly culture we’re creating in the city” says Norfolk City Councilman Tommy Smigiel.

Free valet bike parking will be available.  Bike it to the EVMS Healthy House for the “Universe Between Our Ears” bike safety clinic, including helmet-fitting demonstrations and giveaways, courtesy of EVMS and the Healthy Norfolk Initiative. 

“We’re excited to partner with EVMS and Homearama to create an opportunity which shows people you can get improve your lifestyle with something as simple and fun as riding your bike around town” says Norfolk City Councilwoman Dr. Terry Whibley.

Healthy Norfolk is a community coalition focused on achieving excellent quality of life by promoting and supporting safe, healthy and active living in Norfolk.

Homearama 2012 runs from October 13-28th

Hours:  Noon until 9 p.m. Oct. 13 – 27

Noon until 6 p.m. Oct. 28

Open at 10 a.m. Wed., Oct. 24 for Mothers Day Out

Ticket sales will stop one hour before closing.

For more information about Homearama 2012 in East Beach, go to Around Town at www.norfolk.gov.