Nearly fifteen years have passed since Hugo A. Owens Middle School first opened in the city's Deep Creek section. It has been almost four years since the death of its namesake, a prominent city leader and civil rights pioneer. But Owens' accomplishments remain enshrined in a display near the school's entrance and in the stories that students still hear from their teachers and others.

SUFFOLK
Ace Hardware Corp.’s new 336,000-square-foot import redistribution center on U.S. 58 is nearing completion and will open this summer. Construction of the facility in the CenterPoint Intermodal Center began last June.

VIRGINIA BEACH Elaina Grimaldi, waiting to be honored for her art, leaned toward her mother. “Can you tell me when the mayor gets here, because I don’t know what he looks like,” the 8-year-old whispered.

VIRGINIA BEACH

Going to a fast-food drive-through and placing an order isn’t a novelty, except maybe for those who aren’t as mobile as they used to be. That’s why Deborah Freeman recently decided to bring McDonald’s breakfast to the residents of Sentara Nursing Center-Windermere.

VIRGINIA BEACH

For older residents of southern Virginia Beach, the Senior Resource Center is the place to go for exercise, conversation and, some days, even formal teas.

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VIRGINIA BEACH Band captain Bethany Miller was busy warming up her fellow band members before the start of another rehearsal at Young Musicians of Virginia. “Don’t be shy about playing your instrument,” Bethany said. “If you make a mistake, make it big. We can always correct mistakes if we hear them.”

HamptonRoads.com's New Day in Olde Towne blogger writes up to the annual Memorial Day Parade being held in Portsmouth this week. Please click here to view the full page.  

GREAT BRIDGE It wasn't the hard concrete walls surrounding them on three sides. And it wasn't the heavy metal door closing behind them. When a gaggle of teenage girls walked into a holding cell last week in the bowels of the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, they were most startled by the very public metal bowl sitting in the back of the tiny room.

Ceremonial elders, a libation ceremony and a history lesson. Those are the traditions of Portsmouth's annual Umoja Festival to be held this weekend at the waterfront. Along with music acts, children's activities and food, organizers hope to share the rituals of various African cultures in an effort to promote cultural understanding and community togetherness.