Police responded at about 7 a.m. to the Cottage Grove Apartments, off Jefferson Avenue south of Briarfield Road, following an alert from ShotSpotter, a gunshot detection system.

Police found the teen lying on the ground in the 700 block of Gloucester Drive, inside the complex. He died at the hospital a short time later.

“An officer tried to save that young man’s life,” Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew said, choking up briefly as he described the rescue attempt that he said he viewed on video footage.

Drew began a news conference at police headquarters Tuesday morning by saying he was “frustrated that we’re having this conversation.”

Any loss of life is a tragedy, he said, “but when we start talking about youth and teenagers, we’re in another conversation.”

Drew said he wanted to clear up rumors that that the killing stemmed from a dispute inside a school that then “spilled over into the community.”

“We’re not tying this to an incident or a situation that has happened inside or at the schools,” he said.

Still, Drew said he wouldn’t rule out that the shooting was connected to the slaying of the 15-year-old Menchville High School student who was shot last week while waiting for the school bus on 16th Street and Garden Drive at Stuart Gardens.

“We’re two or three hours in,” Drew said, saying detectives are still tracking down leads and making such a connection between the cases would be “premature.”

The shooter in Tuesday’s killing is still at large. No arrests have been made in either case, and police have not released motives in either one.

This week’s slaying at Cottage Grove, he said, did not take place at a bus stop, and it was not immediately clear whether the slain teen was on his way to school when he was killed. High schools in Newport News begin at 7:10 a.m. daily, or about 10 minutes after Tuesday’s shooting.

Drew declined to say which high school the 17-year-old attended, though both the chief and Newport News Mayor Phillip Jones visited Heritage High School — less than half a mile from the shooting site — shortly after the slaying.

Later, Drew predicted that both of the killings would be solved. “We have good information coming in,” he said. “People are going to be held accountable.”

Jones said at the news conference that the shootings in both cases appear to have stemmed from particular issues between the young people.

“These appear to be targeted,” he said. “These are not random acts of violence.”

Still, Jones said, “This is unacceptable in the city of Newport News, and this has to stop.”

“I’m tired of getting the phone calls in the morning,” the mayor added. “I’m tired of going down to the scene. This is on parents. This is on families. There is no excuse for not knowing what your child has in their bedroom. If someone lives in your house, you should know exactly what they’re doing.”

Jones went to the crime scene Tuesday morning with Newport News City Council member John Eley, who represents the South District.

He and Drew then visited Heritage.

“The call to action that I have for you is, if you see something, please let us know,” Jones said at the news conference. “We have individuals that are trying to go to school. We have an amazing community, (and) I refuse to let these acts of violence characterize our city in a negative light. This is a great place to live, to work and to raise your family, and this has to stop.”

Drew said it struck him that parents at Heritage felt the need to remove their children from school on Tuesday.

“I saw kids’ faces in that hallway, and I saw parents taking their kids out of school, and that bothers me,” Drew said. “I want the students that are going to school here … to know that they’re safe being in our schools, and they’re going to be safe in these communities, and these acts aren’t going to be tolerated.”

Newport News Public Schools released a statement shortly before the press conference.

“While this undoubtedly will impact our community, our school staff remains diligent in ensuring the well-being of our students,” the statement reads. “Student support specialists and counselors are available to talk with students and families at all schools who may need support as they hear and learn more about these types of violent events in our community and across the country.”

Eliza Noe, eliza.noe@virginiamedia.com

Peter Dujardin, 757-897-2062, pdujardin@dailypress.com

Meteorologists expect between 1-2 inches of rain over the course of the day, but some areas could receive up to 4 inches, according to the National Weather Service in Wakefield. A flood watch for flash flooding is in effect for Virginia cities east of Interstate 95. Urban and poorly drained areas are also expected to flood.

Low pressure near the North Carolina and South Carolina border will bring “unsettled” weather to the region today, Wakefield meteorologists reported.

Storm cuts off Ocracoke Island, delays schools and threatens condemned cottages on the Outer Banks

In addition to flooding, wind gusts could get up to 34 mph on the coasts. Wave heights in Virginia Beach today are expected to swell to 7-10 feet, depending on the beach.

On the Outer Banks, ferry operations on the Hatteras Inlet are shut down due to weather and road conditions on Highway 12.

Eliza Noe, eliza.noe@virginiamedia.com

Meteorologists are watching for a non-tropical area of low pressure that could form a few hundred miles off the coast of the Carolinas. The hurricane center reported the low-pressure system may develop “some subtropical or tropical characteristics” over the next several days, and by early next week “a subtropical or tropical depression could form” and move northwest up the East Coast toward Hampton Roads.

Currently, the chance of tropical formation over the next 48 hours is low, about 10%. However, the chance of formation over the next seven days is 40%, or “medium,” according to the hurricane center.

The National Hurricane Center is also tracking Tropical Storm Gordon, a storm is about 2,500 miles from the U.S. East Coast and is moving to the west-northwest at 12 mph.

Eliza Noe, eliza.noe@virginiamedia.com

On July 26, Boar Head Provisions Co., based in Jarratt — about 75 miles west of Norfolk — recalled the Boar’s Head Strassburger Brand Liverwurst, made at the plant between mid-June and mid-July. The meat has a shelf life of 44 days, with “sell by” dates ranging from late July to late August.

The company also recalled ham and bologna products made on the same line, with more than 200,000 pounds of meat ultimately recalled.

“It pains us to impact the livelihoods of hundreds of hard-working employees,” a statement from the company said. “We do not take lightly our responsibility as one of the area’s largest employers. But, under these circumstances, we feel that a plant closure is the most prudent course. We will work to assist each of our employees in the transition process.”

Boar’s Head will also permanently discontinue liverwurst.

United Food & Commercial Workers Local 400, which represents workers at the Jarratt plant, said in a statement that workers will have the opportunity to transfer to other facilities during the closure or accept a severance package.

“Everyone agrees this unprecedented tragedy was not the fault of the workforce, so it is especially unfortunate that the Jarratt plant must close indefinitely and put so many men and women out of work,” the statement said. “Thankfully these workers have a union they can count on to always have their backs. We appreciate the extraordinary efforts Boar’s Head has made to keep our members on the job as long as possible and to ensure everyone is taken care of during this process.”

The family of a Newport News man who died after eating contaminated deli meat in late July said this month it would sue the meat manufacturer. Gunter “Garshon” Morgenstein, 88, bought Boar’s Head liverwurst June 30 from a Newport News Harris Teeter, and consumed some of it over the next several days. Though the hospital took “aggressive measures” to save him, he died July 18 at Riverside Medical Center.

A Williamsburg woman also filed a lawsuit against the company. It alleges she spent several days in intensive care after she consumed liverwurst purchased at a Harris Teeter.

“This is a dark moment in our company’s history, but we intend to use this as an opportunity to enhance food safety programs not just for our company, but for the entire industry.,” Boar’s Head’s statement continued.

Eliza Noe, eliza.noe@virginiamedia.com 

Emergency services received a call just before 11:30 p.m. about the shooting at the 800 block of East Washington Street, near White Marsh Road. At the scene, police found multiple people injured.

According to a police spokesperson, one man was pronounced dead at the scene, and another was pronounced dead at the hospital. Three other people were transported to the hospital, and they are currently receiving treatment for “serious but not life-threatening” injuries, police said.

The victims were 37-year-old William Eugene Goodman Jr. and 30-year-old Demonte Lamont Tillery, both of Suffolk.

Police have not said what may have led to the shooting.

The investigation is ongoing.

Eliza Noe, eliza.noe@virginiamedia.com

Gavin Stone, 757-712-4806, gavin.stone@virginiamedia.com

In the report, researchers compiled breeding results in 511 osprey pairs in a dozen study areas, including in Hampton Roads. Breeding pairs were monitored throughout the nesting season, or from March to August, to measure success. To maintain population, ospreys need 1.15 chicks per pair of breeding ospreys. The collective reproductive rate for the population being monitored was 0.55 young chicks per pair.

Areas where ospreys relied on menhaden as a primary food source saw the biggest deficits in reproductive rates. Areas where catfish and gizzard shad were the main source of food had sustainable osprey populations.

“A large number of osprey pairs did not lay clutches during the 2024 nesting season,” reads a report from osprey researcher Bryan D. Watts. “These pairs arrived from wintering grounds in a timely manner (late February to early March). Most of these non-breeding pairs remained resident throughout the nesting season and defended territories but were never documented to lay eggs.

“This is the first time this behavior has been documented on a large scale within the Chesapeake.”

In Virginia Beach, breeding performance for ospreys had a “minor deficit,” or a reproductive rate between 0.8 to 0.9 young per breeding pair. Around the Elizabeth River in Norfolk and Portsmouth and on the Eastern Shore, the rate had a “moderate deficit,” or 0.6 to 0.8 young osprey per pair. Areas on the Peninsula and Northern Neck had a “major deficit.”

While nests can be threatened by several factors — such as weather and predators — Watts noted that observations, studies and pollution did not prove to have significant impact on the nests. Poor breeding performance throughout the main stem of the Chesapeake Bay in 2024, he wrote, was driven by the loss of young after hatching.

This can be seen in “asymmetrical broods,” or when one hatchling is able to grow larger than another hatchling born in the nest at the same time.

“Asymmetric broods were common and widespread throughout the main stem of the Bay,” Watts’ report continues. “On average, pairs in the main stem lost 1.1 young between hatching and fledging. Both the high failure rate of nests and the high frequency of one-young broods for successful nests were driven by brood reduction caused by food stress.”

Last month, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission voted to form a workgroup to consider additional restrictions on the industrial harvest of menhaden, and Virginia is currently the only state on the East Coast that allows for menhaden reduction fishing in state waters. Lawmakers this year did not pass a bill to fund a local study on menhaden populations.

Chris Moore, Virginia executive director for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, said that menhaden industry management is “operating with a question mark” without the study. Existing data looks at menhaden populations across the East Coast, so not having Virginia-specific data makes it unclear how dire the situation could be.

“This year’s osprey data adds to the growing concerns about the number of menhaden in the bay and the importance of a robust menhaden population for species that depend on them for food and Virginia’s economy,” Moore said. “We must follow a precautionary, ecosystem-based approach to setting limits on the menhaden fishery.

“That approach must include the study of the industrial fishing impacts to the bay, as well as considering seasonal fishing closures from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.”

Eliza Noe, eliza.noe@virginiamedia.com

Jackson and three others created the project in 1991 around a kitchen table. She left her job as a Virginian-Pilot reporter to focus on the project full time. Since then, nearly 7,000 families have joined the project’s River Star Homes, which is made up of homeowners who have pledged to keep the river clean by taking care of their own yards. In addition, thousands of children across the region have learned on the Dominion Energy Learning Barge and 40-acre Paradise Creek Nature Park.

Before the project was formed, the Elizabeth Rriver was considered one of the most industrialized rivers in the world and was “virtually devoid of life for miles at a stretch.”

“I’ve had the great privilege of leading many thousands of supporters and partners to make so much progress toward turning around the health of a river once presumed dead,” Jackson said in a statement. “I’m hoping this is the next great thing I’m able to help do to continue the transformation of the Elizabeth River into the future.”

The nonprofit debuted the Ryan Resilience Lab this summer. Constructed inside a flood zone along one of Norfolk’s busiest commercial corridors, the lab is flanked by multiple residential neighborhoods and showcases what the future of sustainable coastal living might look like.

The facility features a floating entry pavilion and storage shed, a “living shoreline” instead of a hardened shore, an 80,000-watt solar energy system, rainwater collection system, and a permeable parking lot to keep polluted runoff from reaching the river.

“For the last three decades, we worked on fixing problems of the past — legacy pollution, loss of wetlands and oysters,” Jackson said. “Now we are refocusing to help people find hope and action for the future, as we inherit the highest rate of sea level rise on the East Coast.”

Eliza Noe, eliza.noe@virginiamedia.com

According to police, emergency services were dispatched to the intersection of Lynnhaven Parkway and Holland Road, near Green Run Elementary School, just before 10:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Officers found 43-year-old Freddie Morales, the cyclist, dead at the scene. The driver had minor injuries.

Public Information Officer Ricky LaBlue said the driver stayed on the scene and cooperated with investigators.

At this time, no charges have been filed.

Eliza Noe, eliza.noe@virginiamedia.com

Just before 9 p.m., officers went to the 800 block of 35th Street after receiving a notification from ShotSpotter, a gunshot detection system. At the scene, emergency services found a man “with at least one gunshot wound.”

He was taken to the hospital, where he later died.

At this time, police have not released the man’s identity, and the investigation is ongoing.

Eliza Noe, eliza.noe@virginiamedia.com

In a message sent out to the school community, officials said several Hampton schools were mentioned in anonymous online posts that threatened school shootings. At this time there is “no evidence that there is credibility” to the threats, and schools across the country were mentioned in the threatening posts.

“Even though there has been no credibility to these posts, out of an abundance of caution HPD road officers are increasing their presence today around school campuses throughout the school division,” the message states. “We have also scheduled additional weapons detection canine visits at our schools.”

Hampton schools already utilize various safety measures, such as weapons detectors, school resource officers, and surveillance systems. Anyone with knowledge of threats or concerns are encouraged to reach out to Safe School Hotline at 757-727-2255.

The threats come one day after a 15-year-old Menchville High School student was shot to death Tuesday morning as he waited at a school bus stop in southeast Newport News.

In Newport News, more law enforcement efforts were deployed at schools, but public information officer Matt Michalec said it was for added security and peace of mind. No threats were made against Newport News schools.

Eliza Noe, eliza.noe@virginiamedia.com