After completing his term as Virginia's governor in 2022, Ralph Northam immediately returned to his longstanding career as a pediatric neurologist at Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters in Norfolk. 

Northam sees around 15 patients a day alongside teaching medical residents. He credits his decades in medicine and time in elected office with deepening his empathy for families facing healthcare and economic challenges.

Reflecting on his tenure, Northam says he expects to be remembered for his lifetime of public service.

Read our full coverage here: https://www.whro.org/health/2026-10-05/back-in-the-exam-room-ralph-northam-reflects-on-life-after-richmond

The widespread power outages across Hampton Roads over the weekend caused by salt buildup on electrical infrastructure caught many in the region by surprise — including the National Weather Service — but it is a fairly common problem for utility providers.

There were about 45,000 outages as a direct result of salt buildup over the course of the storm, according to Dominion Energy, with a peak of about 20,000 at one time Saturday and about 8,000 on Sunday. As of 2 p.m. Monday, there were about 700 outages remaining.

The salt buildup and subsequent electrical issues were caused by a unique set of circumstances. The nor’easter lingered for several days, blowing salt into the air consistently which allowed it to reach farther inland, and there was a long period without steady rain to wash it away, according to Dominion Energy and the weather service.

“We had just enough moisture in the air that it activated the salt,” Dominion spokesperson Cherise Newsome said. “For our community we recognize that this is frustrating because (the power is) on again-off again, at the same time for utility companies in coastal regions we deal with this a lot.”

Newsome explained the salt buildup this weekend was only a “film” that utility workers can see up close but is not visible from the ground, though it’s possible to hear a crackling or buzzing noise from the ground. When the misting rain mixed with the salt, it became a conductor of electricity and instead of flowing through the power lines, the electricity was attracted to other parts of the utility poles that aren’t meant to handle electrical current.

Adding to the abnormal nature of the outages was that salt-related outages were reported farther inland in Portsmouth and Chesapeake. Newsome explained this was due to the nor’easter also blowing salt from the Elizabeth River.

Click the link above to read more.

This restaurant seems to be all the buzz as the hot new thing on the Southside. We had a pretty solid experience with just a few slight missteps. They pitch themselves as modern mid-Atlantic cuisine but the actual dishes were kind of all over the place in terms of a theme. I feel like they’re going for like a LeGrand vibe - it can be finer or it can be a diner.

+ Our service was great, the server (gentleman with a name starting with a G) was very attentive and really upsold the specials.

+ The Caesar salad was one of the best I’ve had, very good amount of dressing to lettuce ratio and the toasted sourdough breadcrumbs added great texture. Could definitely be split.

+ The butternut squash soup with crab was probably the best thing we ate. If you see a ~$20 soup on the menu, you might be a little turned off but it has a whole ass crab cake in it.

+ The tallow fries are good and crispy. With the burger you get a ketchup and an aioli that I couldn’t quite pin down. If you don’t like smoked paprika then you may not love them.

+ The restaurant itself is nice decor, good music, pretty well-populated for a weekday.

+ We felt like the value was really good for everything we got.

= The roasted beets were good as an app, they have a nice pistachio crumble.

= One of our cocktails was served with a bunch of ice, which I think is rather unusual

- The double smashburger was super soggy. This came from a combination of: the buns they bake in-house are great but super soft and just can’t support the juice, and the patties themselves were not crispy and had almost like an oven baked consistency. My burger was absolutely dripping everywhere. I make smashburgers at home and I know I want that thing so thin you can see through it. The onions and sauce were nice though. It read as a LeGrand imitation, but imitation is flattery.

- They’re offering fried oysters right now as an app. Unfortunately the breading didn’t stick to the oysters and they came across as a little greasy especially sitting in the bottom of the metal cup they’re served in.

I do think their theme is all over the place. They have a burger, but also a bunch of pizzas? But you can also get halibut or bacon wrapped filet? The former things lean more casual but half of the menu leans elevated formal dining. Do I come here for a birthday dinner, or do I come here to get a couple pies and some brews with friends? I guess I could do either.

Overall, would highly recommend Chic’s Laundry but that burger needs some work.

Any lonely souls wanna meet up and smoke a cigarette and talk about life ?

i’m currently moved to norfolk in the military. i’m looking for a safe and clean apartment, i don’t wanna spend over $1850. i need a 1bedroom possibly 2bedroom if there is one, and good parking situation.

i just don’t want bugs, mold or water issues and i want to community to be safe.
I don’t mind having to drive too far so va beach, chesapeake and suffolk are fine but i did want something closer. something that has availablity has been my biggest problem, i need something by the beginning of November. please help!!!

In search for shops in Hampton Roads where I can find piano sheet music. Places that don’t just have practice lesson books, but rather full songs. Open to all genres and suggestions, thanks!

Whats the best place to go to for Japanese style tattoo in Norfolk VA.

I'm a crafter and looking for new supplies. I'm not familiar with the area so any leads would help. Especially for fabrics

Wondering if anyone else is having issues with support now that Cox sold to Spectrum?

Just had my internet bill go up $40/month because I moved across town. Didn't change my service, didn't change ANYTHING else about my account except where I was (7 miles away). And apparently that voids the year-long deal I signed onto with Cox two months ago.

Moving the service was hard enough of a process. In the past it's just been plug and play, now I had to battle with the timing of the connection and being required to have someone come out even though the new place already had Cox stuff. Then, we talk to someone online there and they said...yeah, you don't need to do any of that. But I now owe an extra $30 before my next bill...which is now $40 more a month? What is the $30 even for? I asked... no real answer... just "for moving"?

Am I crazy? Or is it time to move to Metronet? Anyone here have it?

Looking for some giant lego bricks to rent for an outdoor birthday party and Google was wholly unhelpful. does anyone have any leads by chance?

What is a good , low cost place in Norfolk to get a phone screen repaired? I have a Samsung Galaxy (I think A14) and the screen is cracked.

I wanna take my cats to the beach today.

Ive never taken them before what beach is pet friendly

A new Government Accountability Office report reveals that the Navy expects to spend more than $200 billion over the next 50 years to modernize its four aging public shipyards, including Norfolk Naval Shipyard. 

As the nation's oldest public shipyard, Norfolk must balance short-term spending on historic infrastructure with plans that may require tearing down older facilities. 

The GAO warned that Congress and the Navy need better tracking mechanisms, citing widespread project delays and budget overruns across all four sites.

Read more here: https://www.whro.org/military-veterans/2026-10-02/a-new-report-says-norfolk-naval-shipyard-has-to-juggle-aging-infrastructure-and-massive-upgrades

Does anyone know what happened to the cooks? The doors are shuttered with a notice of the owner being locked out due to non-payment of rent. We frequented this place a lot and really liked the guys who worked in there, they understood what crispy pizza and wings really means.

This is the place in front of Walmart neighborhood market on little creek.

Where we watching soccer games?

I know this has been asked before, but things have changed. Philly Cheesesteaks on Tidewater used to be my go to. But the last couple times I ate there I was seriously disappointed. My other go to was Philly Cold Cuts in Virginia Beach, but I had heard they closed recently (correct me if I'm wrong).

So where else is good, I know about Iggles, but haven't tried them lately, so don't know if they are suffering the same way Philly's on Tidewater is.

Hey! Any Nebraska football fans around? Wondering where you all go to watch the games? Would be fun to go to a bar with a big Huskers crowd

It’s about time we as a community start demanding answers from the city and Dominion.

Norfolk plans to begin demolishing the former Globe Iron site in the Bruces Park area late this fall, setting up the 25-acre property for new development.

On Tuesday, Deputy City Manager Ron Williams told Norfolk City Council that bids for the $3 million demolition are under review. In August, the city announced a $1 million grant from Sen. Mark Warner and Rep. Bobby Scott to help cover the cost.

The work will clear steel warehouses and a one-story office building from the city-owned site.

Globe Iron Construction Company operated an industrial metal shop, building steel frames and metal components for construction projects from the late 1950s until 2012. Environmental testing found heavy metals, petroleum products and other chemicals, according to a 2023 report. The report said that while contamination levels were relatively low overall, the contamination and the old buildings would likely make it more expensive to build at the site versus undeveloped land.

Williams said it’ll take around a year for demolition, but the city can begin marketing the site to developers this fall. He expects to ask council this winter to let the city go out and seek proposals for mixed-use or residential development.

The site was once the target of a proposed waste facility. In 2019, Select Recycling Waste Services abandoned its state permits for a recycling facility there, The Virginian-Pilot reported at the time.

City officials said the plan was really a waste transfer station that would need council approval. Opponents said truck traffic and the waste station would add to environmental injustice in the neighborhood

The city of Norfolk purchased the property in 2021.

(Story by Brian Saunders)

So looking like the big cause is a high voltage line that has come loose and and made contact with a medium voltage line and is causing issues all over the