Community. 

The Commonwealth of Virginia has passed a Labor Day deadline to fix its unemployment system with thousands of claims still waiting. Rip it.

Norfolk Recreation, Parks & Open Space’s new after-school program, S.O.A.R., has launched with transportation from 18 schools and dinner included. Rip it.

A sitting City Council member and several candidates are calling for the resignation of Danica Royster from Council because she is running for election despite a tradition of appointees not running. Rip it.

Dominion Energy overcharged its Virginia customers $1.2 billion since 2015, according to testimony fild this week. Rip it.

Sign the Bike Norfolk petition to help bring more bike lanes to Granby Street. Rip it.

Kelvin White, a Norfolk HRT bus driver is being hailed as a hero after saving a lost toddler. Rip it.

Meet Dawson Odems, the new head coach at NSU football. Rip it.

The Jordan-Newby Library is now home to a ‘Food Hub’ run by the Foodbank of SEVA. Rip it.

Three ODU Tennis players ranked nationally with the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. Rip it.

A partnership between the Norfolk Animal Care and Adoption Center and Trello is giving residents a new way to see dogs in need of foster care. Rip it.

The Tides held back the Durham Bulls this week. The Bulls are currently the top-ranked team in the Triple-A East. Rip it.

The USS Arlington (LPD 24) returned to Naval Station Norfolk Wednesday after completing its Haiti earthquake-relief efforts. Rip it.

Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring held a gun violence prevention roundtable Tuesday at Primeplus Senior Center. Rip it.

Winterfest will return to Nauticus this year with 300,000 additional lights. Rip it.

Beyoncé and Jay-Z in partnership with Tiffany & Co are funding scholarships at NSU and other HBCUs. Rip it.

Culture.

LAVA MiniFest at Toast features over 10 different musical acts on two stages. Rip it. 

Slover has announced it’s 2021 – 2022 lecture series including topics like lighthouses and sea-level rise. Rip it. 

Watch the trailer for “The Gateway,” featuring scenes shot in Norfolk with stars Shea Wingham and Olivia Munn. Rip it. 

The Virginia Zoo is bringing in 28 new (inflatable) animals and lots of lights this winter for an exhibit called ZooLumination. Rip it. 

Network with other artists at HOMEGROWN: The Art of Networking this Thursday. Rip it. 

SITE-SEEING: an exhibition by Andy Harris opens Friday at Slowdive Gallery. Rip it.

Norfolk Zine Fest is back on Sept. 18th with all the indie presses, comics, zines, and creations. Rip it. 

The Countdown to EDL Fest: A Hip-Hop Carnival is on! Just 8 days out! Rip it. 

Currently on Display:
Going Places at Nauticus. Rip it. 
Washed Ashore at Norfolk Botanical Garden. Rip it.  
Work In Progress at the Hermitage Museum and Gardens. Rip it. 
Alma W. Thomas exhibit at Chrysler Museum. Rip it. 
SITE-SEEING at Slow Dive Gallery. Rip it. 
Racial Inequality at Offsite Gallery. Rip it. 
Homegrown at CommuneXCrop in the NEON District. Rip it.
Life and Limb at Baron and Ellin Gordon Art Gallery. Rip it.
Fence Street Gallery in the NEON District. Rip it.
Nature Homage at d’Art Center. Rip it. 
Edward Steichen: In Exaltation of Flowers at Chrysler Museum. Rip it. 
Betwixt Intermixed / Luminescent Effervescent Iridescent at Baron and Ellin Gordon Art Gallery. Rip it.

Commerce.

Republic on Granby is opening next weekend. Rip it. 

New housing construction was down over 30% year over year this summer. Rip it. 

Virginia leads the nation in federal rent relief distribution. Rip it.

Several senior S.L. Nusbaum staffers have split to form their own group, The Franklin Johnston Group. Rip it. 

Unemployment benefit ‘boosts’ are finished and economists don’t predict a major change in labor shortages. Rip it.

The new Berkley Supermarket celebrated its grand opening this week, bringing much-needed aid to a food desert. Rip it. 

22 businesses in the region landed on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies. Rip it. 

Alred Abuhamad is the new Interim president, provost, and dean of the School of Medicine, Eastern Virginia Medical School. Rip it. 

Cities across the region are struggling to hire enough trash truck drivers. Rip it.

Multi-generational households are on the rise in Virginia and shaking up real estate. Rip it.

Regional Economic Stats. Port Stats. Labor Stats.

Crowds.

**Please note that listed times are start times, many events run several hours**
All Weekend
Tidewater Horror Convention at the Wyndham Garden Hotel. Rip it. 
RACE performed live at Generic Theater. Rip it. 
September 11, 2001: The Day That Changed the World Exhibit at Slover. Rip it.

Friday: 
Yoga + Coffee at Cafe Mudita with Skys The Limit Yoga Co. 6:30 am. Rip it.
Art Matters at Chrysler Museum. 10:30 am. Rip it. 
Pumpkin Picnic at Hunter House Victorian Museum. 11:00 am. Rip it. 
LAVA MiniFest featuring 10+ musical acts at Toast. 5:00 pm. Rip it. 
Karen LaMonte: Théâtre de la Mode Open Reception at Barry Art Museum. 5:00 pm. Rip it. 
Silent Disco with Stonewall Sports at The Wave. 6:00 pm. Rip it.
Felicia Hoyas performs live at Maker’s Craft Brewery. 6:00 pm. Rip it. 
Danny Jams performs live at Cova Brewing Company. 6:00 pm. Rip it. 
History Meets Real Estate Tour of Freemason with Norfolk Tour Co. 6:00 pm. Rip it. 
SeamLess performs live at Varia. 7:00 pm. Rip it. 
Seven Cities Jazz Popup at The Plot. 7:00 pm. Rip it. 
NFK Night Vespers 2 with Seize the Zines and RVSH NFK at Nomads. 7:00 pm. Rip it. 
SITE-SEEING: an Andy Harris Exhibi Opening Reception at Slowdive Gallery. 7:00 pm. Rip it. 
Tales From the Campfire improv show at Push Comedy Theater. 8:00 pm. Rip it. 
Late Night Ladies Ride departing Smartmouth Beer. 8:30 pm. Rip it. 
Mossy performs live at Grace O’Malley’s Irish Pub. 8:30 pm. Rip it. 
Kevin Brinson performs live at Grain. 9:00 pm. Rip it. 
Under The Covers performs live at Waterside District. 9:30 pm. Rip it. 
Teacher’s Pet improv show at Push Comedy Theater. 10:00 pm. Rip it. 
Corrupt & Jess Apinga perform live for House Vibes at Chicho’s Backstage. 10:00 pm. Rip it.

Saturday: 
Saturday Morning Adventure Ride with Local Bike Shop. 8:00 am. Rip it.
Cova Moves: Burn Boot Camp at Cova Brewing Company. 8:30 am. Rip it.
Nature and Eco Tour with Norfolk Kayak Rentals. 9:00 am. Rip it. 
Yoga At The Plot with Bhav Brigade. 9:00 am. Rip it. 
Yoga + Coffee at Coalescence with Sky’s The Limit Yoga Co. 9:00 am. Rip it. 
East Beach Farmers Market on Shore Drive. 9:00 am. Rip it.
Bike and Brunch with Starving Artist Cafe. 10:00 am. Rip it.
Live Fresh Boombox Ride with Freshtopia. 10:00 am. Rip it. 
Bhav Brigade Yoga at Elation Brewing. 10:30 am. Rip it. 
2021 Neighborhood Expo at Lakewood Park. 11:00 am. Rip it.
Big Forest Fire performs live at Grain. 11:00 am. Rip it.
Wax Resist Watercolor Class with Morgan at 757 Creative Reuse Center. 12:00 pm. Rip it.
Reaver, We’re Going Down Swinging! Pop-Punk Party at Reaver Beach Brewing. 12:00 pm. Rip it. 
Norfolk Taco Festival at Waterside. 2:00 pm. Rip it. 
The Storyweavers perform live at Market on Monarch Way. 5:00 pm. Rip it. 
GrowlFest at the Virginia Zoo. 5:00 pm. Rip it. 
Stories on Stage at the Hermitage Museum and Gardens. 7:00 pm. Rip it. 
ODU vs. Hampton at Ballard Stadium. 7:00 pm. Rip it. 
DJ SugarBearz performs live at The Veil. 7:00 pm. Rip it. 
ODU Home Game Tailgate with Elation Brewing and Reaver Beach Brewing. 7:00 pm. Rip it. 
Travis Colby performs live at Varia. 7:00 pm. Rip it. 
The Unusual Suspects: Improvised Murder Myster at Push Comedy Theater. 8:00 pm. Rip it. 
DJ Joe Fu performs live at Grain. 9:00 pm. Rip it. 
Nine Deeez Nite at Waterside District. 9:30 pm. Rip it.

Sunday:

Chow.

Catch Frank and Patty’s at LAVA MiniFest this Friday. Rip it.

Park Place’s Cuttas Kitchen is on the move with a popup on the Peninsula. Rip it.

Americana Kitchen in Freemason is serving up a solid lineup of meal-prep packages. Rip it. 

Jack Eats returns with its sure-to-sell-out Ube pastries. Rip it.

Cherry-O ToGo has a non-stop supply of fried goodies for you. Rip it. 

Cure is ready to delight your tastebuds with pecorino cheese layered up with Rosmesco for a wonderful grilled cheese. Rip it. 

Benchtop drops Ripping Freshies, a Wet hop IPA made with Michigan-grown Chinook hops this weekend. Rip it.

New at The Birch Bar: Oven Friend Pickles. Rip it. 

LeGrand Kitchen just doesn’t stop. This time it’s Foie gras poundcake with candied pecan, miso toffee, and foie gras creme Anglaise. Rip it.  

Get crispy pork belly in a 5 cheese mac and cheese at A World of Good in OV. Rip it.

The popular Party Battery lager by Smartmouth is restocked this weekend. Rip it. 

If you haven’t been to La Brioche in the NEON District you are definitely missing out. Rip it. 

Food Truck Sightings:
Friday:
Flavor Savor BBQ at Cova Brewing. Rip it. 
Gavin Dishes at Benchtop Brewing. Rip it. 
Dinner Popup with Perla at Reaver Beach NFK. Rip it. 
Shawna’s Rich Eats at Maker’s Craft Brewery. Rip it. 
TFK Taco Bar at Smartmouth Brewing. Rip it. 

Saturday:
Luva Bowls & Miami Fusion at Cova Brewing. Rip it. 
Ghost Kitchen at Smartmouth Brewing. Rip it. 
The Chicken Coop at Benchtop Brewing. Rip it. 
Big Belly & Get Stuffed at Maker’s Craft Brewery. Rip it. 

Sunday:
Hashi Chow at Benchtop Brewing. Rip it. 
Bumbling Bee Vegan at Cova Brewing. Rip it.
Flavor Savor BBQ at Maker’s Craft Brewing. Rip it. 
Desmond’s Island Soul Grill at Smartmouth Brewing. Rip it.
The Chicken Coop 757 at Reaver Beach NFK. Rip it. 

The Ripcurrent.

Hit the streets of Norfolk with 15 of your friends on the same bike

Paul Stetson Rice

Chelsea, NFK

Paul is the creator of NFKVA.com. He was born and raised in Norfolk, graduated from Virginia Tech, and narrowly avoided law school. Chat with him about economics, entrepreneurship, hip-hop, and hiking. When he's not working on five different projects, you'll catch him sharing a beer with friends at a local brewery. Go Hokies!