An instructional assistant at Orange Elementary School found the gun on Monday afternoon while helping a child who arrived late take items out of their bookbag, Orange County Sheriff Jason C. Smith said in a statement posted on social media. The assistant notified administration and the school resource officer and the gun was removed from the school, Smith said.

It was determined that the 6-year-old brought the loaded Heritage Rough Rider single-action, .22-caliber “Cowboy style” revolver to school, but there’s no indication that the child intended to use the firearm, he said. No arrests have been announced in the case and Smith said the investigation was ongoing.

“This situation is very unfortunate and heartbreaking to this community,” Smith said. “We will get through this together. Situations like these remind us of how fortunate and thankful we are that nothing serious happened. Show your children lots of love and hold them tight!”

In January 2023, a 6-year-old student brought a handgun to school that he used to shoot and critically wound his first grade teacher as she taught class in Newport News.

While the presidential race may be the main event, dozens of candidates are running for state and local offices in Hampton Roads. The Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press voter guide — 757 Votes — explains what races are on the ballot and who is running for office.

The 2024 election guide contains Q&As with candidates running for mayor, city council, school board and in other special elections in Hampton Roads, as well as with candidates running for four congressional seats. The guide will be updated throughout election season with additional reporting on local races and candidates.

Early voting for the Virginia general election begins Friday, Sept. 20 and runs through Saturday, Nov. 2. Voters can cast ballots in person at their local registrar’s office or vote by mail.

Click on each race to learn more about the candidates.

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Congressional

U.S. House of Representatives, Virginia’s 1st District: Leslie Mehta (D), Rob Wittman (R).

U.S. House of Representatives, Virginia’s 2nd District: Missy Cotter Smasal (D), Jen Kiggans (R), Robert Reid Jr. (I).

U.S. House of Representatives, Virginia’s 3rd District: Bobby Scott (D), John Sitka (R).

Senate: Hung Cao (R), Tim Kaine(D).

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Chesapeake

Here’s a rundown of what is on the ballot in Chesapeake.

Mayor: Don Carey and Rick West.

City Council: Reagan Davis, Robert Ike Jr., E. R. “Jeff” Jefferies Jr., Patricia “Pat” King, Jennifer Naperala, S. Z. “Debbie” Ritter,  Les Smith Jr., Jeff Staples, and Eric Wray II.

School Board: Sam Boone Jr., Elijah Colon, Gregory Dono, Malia Huddle, Thomas Mercer Sr., Norman Pool, L. Jameel Shaheer, Daniel Stahler, Angie Swygert, and Rue Willis.

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Hampton

Here’s a rundown of what is on the ballot in Hampton.

Mayor: Jimmy Gray and Richelle Wallace.

City Council: Chris Bowman, Randy Bowman, Carolyn Campbell, LaToya Fleming, Hope Harper, Billy Hobbs Whalan McDew, Janice Richison and Aaron Weaver.

School Board: Stephanie Jackson Afonja, Ann Stephens Cherry, Tina Banks-Gray, Natalie Kidd and Reginal Woodhouse.

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Newport News

Here’s a rundown of what is on the ballot in Newport News.

City Council:

• • North District: Marcellus Harris
  • Central District: Rob Coleman, Scott Cox, Andrea Diggs, Stephen Ferguson, and Justin Kennedy.
  • South District: Clifton Atkins and Tina Vick.

School Board:

• North District: William Beverley, John Bloom and Rasheena Harris
• Central District: Rebecca Aman and Christopher Worthington
• South District: Maritsa Alger

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Norfolk

Here’s a rundown of what is on the ballot in Norfolk.

Mayor: Kenny Alexander, Giovanni “Gio” Dolmo and Tommy Leeman.

City Council:

• Superward 6: Jeremy Mason and Jeremy McGee.
• Superward 7: Carlos Clanton, James Graham, Phillip Hawkins, Rodney Jordan, Leon Judge and Christine Smith.

School Board:

• Ward 5 special election: Ken Paulson.
• Superward 6:  Rebecca Danchise Topping and Sarah DiCalogero.
• Superward 7: Alfreda Thomas and Ronald White.

Portsmouth

Here’s a rundown of what is on the ballot in Portsmouth.

Mayor: Harold S. Carothers III, Shannon E. Glover and Lisa L. Lucas-Burke

City Council: Sharon Anderson, De’Andre Barnes, Kathryn “Kitty” Bryant, William Smith “Bill” Dodson Jr., Malinda Johnson, Bruce LaLonde, Mia Phillips, Davy Smith III, Yolanda “Edmonds” Thomas, Kelvin Turner and Mark  Whitaker.

School Board: LaKeesha “Klu” Atkinson, Irene Boone, Kendall Bradshaw, Arnette “Love” McSwain, Lateacia Sessoms, Jaclyn  “Jackie” Walker, and Ingrid Whitaker.

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Suffolk

Here’s a rundown of what is on the ballot in Suffolk.

Mayor: David Bosselman, Michael Duman, and Clinton Jenkins

City Council:

• Nansemond Borough: Lue Ward
• Sleepy Hole: Roger Fawcett and Ebony Wright
• Whaleyville: LeOtis Williams and Jason Wooldridge

School Board

• Nansemond Borough: Valerie Fields and James Shores
• Sleepy Hole: Carly Bosco and Heather Howell
• Whaleyville: Thelma Hinton,  Sean McGee, and Jonathan Rankin

Sheriff special election: Interim Sheriff David Miles is running unopposed.

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Virginia Beach

Here’s a rundown of what is on the ballot in Virginia Beach.

Mayor: Bobby Dyer, Richard W. Kowalewitch, John Darrell Moss, Chris Taylor and Sabrina Devon Wooten.

City Council:

• District 1: Ryan Gilliam and David “Hutch” Hutcheson
• District 3: Michael Berlucchi, Christina M. Felder and Cleon Jones
• District 5: L.G. Shaw is facing Rosemary Wilson
• District 7: Cal “Cash” Jackson-Green and Mabinty Saffie Scott
• District 8: Cody Conner, Stacy Cummings, Phil Hines and Leland Jones

School Board:

• At large: Monty Gerald Ashliman, Jr. and Sharon Ruth Felton
• District 1: Rose Marie Dwyer, Jennifer Sue Franklin
• District 3: Mark Douglas Bohenstiel
• District 4 special election: Anissa M. Bowden, Alveta J. Green, and Shannon L. Kendrick
• District 5: Melinda Josa Rogers and Vincent Earl Smith
• District 7: Matthew Cummings and Noah Moreland

Sheriff special election: Aldo Dibelardino and Rocky Holcomb III.

Officials banned swimming, wading and surfing at Assateague State Park Sunday morning after Maryland Park Service rangers found several needles and needle caps, feminine hygiene products and cigar tips along the beach, Maryland Department of Natural Resources spokesperson Gregg Bortz said in an email.

A few more needles were found Monday and the ban on swimming in the ocean continued at the park, he said.

There have been no reports of injuries or people encountering these items while swimming, Bortz said. The department was working with other local, state, and federal agencies to determine when it’s safe for people to enter the water.

All of Assateague Island National Seashore’s ocean-facing beaches in Maryland and Virginia were closed to swimming and wading.

Maryland’s Department of Emergency Management raised its state activation level to “partial” in support of the incident.

In Ocean City, Maryland, the beach patrol temporarily banned swimming Sunday after discovering medical waste on town beaches. Emergency Services Director Joe Theobald stressed in a statement that the situation was serious and said town officials were working with the Worcester County Health Department to investigate the source.
“Until we are confident that the situation is under control, we recommend wearing shoes on the beach and avoiding the ocean entirely,” he said.

On Monday afternoon, Theobald said the amount of debris had “significantly decreased.” The town was continuing to monitor the situation, particularly as the next high tide cycles approached Monday evening and Tuesday morning.

Delaware’s Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control advised beachgoers to leave the beaches from the Indian River inlet to Fenwick Island Sunday afternoon and to refrain from swimming after reports of waste washing ashore on nearby Maryland beaches, the agency said in a statement. The department confirmed only minimal waste on Delaware beaches, including plastic caps and a single needle found near Dewey Beach.

“Despite the low level of waste observed, DNREC is taking the situation seriously and advising caution,” the agency said in a statement. The department maintains Delaware’s two state park beaches, but decisions about municipal beaches are up to town officials.

Delaware’s Dewey Beach temporarily barred swimming in the ocean Sunday. In an update Monday, the town said it was continuing to address the issue. Fenwick Island officials closed the beach for swimming Sunday and said in a statement that beaches would be inspected again late Monday and on Tuesday morning before a decision would be made on reopening.

A grand jury indicted Brendan Banfield on the charge of aggravated murder in the February 2023 killings of Christine Banfield and Joseph Ryan, according to a bench warrant filed in Fairfax Circuit Court. Banfield was also charged with one count of felony firearm use.

Police Chief Kevin Davis said at a news conference that Banfield was arrested while driving in Fairfax County, and that authorities were searching his home on Monday. An attorney for Banfield did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Banfield’s arrest comes nearly a year after Juliana Peres Magalhães, an au pair caring for the Banfields’ daughter, was charged with second-degree murder in Ryan’s killing. Magalhães is scheduled for trial in that case in November.

“The fact that we’ve indicted Brendan today and made that arrest does not mean that her case is being thrown out,” Fairfax County Commonwealth Attorney Steve Descano said. “We intend to go forward with that case as scheduled.”

On the day of the killings, authorities have said Magalhães called 911 at least two times within minutes, but ended the calls before speaking with first responders. More than 10 minutes later, authorities have said in court, Magalhães called 911 a final time and reported the emergency. Brendan Banfield then spoke into the phone and said he had shot a man because that man stabbed his wife.

Authorities soon arrived at the Banfields’ home in Herndon, Virginia, and found that Ryan had been fatally shot and Christine Banfield suffered from stab wounds. She was taken to the hospital, where she died.

According to affidavits, Magalhães told authorities she and Brendan Banfield left the house early that morning, leaving Christine Banfield home alone. Magalhães said she and Brendan Banfield returned later that morning.

When Magalhães and Brendan Banfield went inside, the two found Ryan holding a knife to Christine Banfield’s throat, Magalhães said. She alleged Ryan stabbed Christine Banfield and that Brendan Banfield then shot Ryan. Magalhães also told authorities that she shot Ryan once with a second firearm.

Authorities have said the killings were part of a larger scheme between Magalhães and Brendan Banfield, whom officials allege began a romantic relationship in the months leading up to the killings. At court hearings for Magalhães, prosecutors questioned her telling of events, arguing that Ryan was not known to be violent. Prosecutors also have said Magalhães and Brendan Banfield continued their romantic relationship after the double homicide.

Prosecutor Descano said Banfield would be arraigned later this week. He was being held without bail at the Fairfax County jail.

Saturday’s route will include sites symbolizing 400 years of the city’s Black history, including areas active in the trans-Atlantic slave trade, the Civil War and the modern civil rights movement. It was in 1619 that enslaved Africans first arrived in a British North American colony, aboard ship at present-day Fort Monroe in Hampton.

The Black History Museum & Cultural Center of Virginia, in Richmond, is among several community organizations collaborating with the race, which includes a 10.6-mile run and a 6.19K (3.85 miles) walk/run. Registration fees, which vary depending on the run or walk, include access to an audio app narrated by Hounsou; educational videos; and entry to a post-race festival and the Valentine Museum.

This is the event’s third year, and Hounsou has participated in each. He started his California-based nonprofit in 2019 to connect people of the African diaspora to Africa, to contribute to healing and reconciliation, and to raise money to combat modern slavery and human trafficking.

“I feel this compelling need to give back to my continent, to my people, and to champion the idea of reconciliation and reconnection,” he said in a news release.

Shakia Warren, executive director of the Black history museum, said  Richmond is the perfect setting.

“Throughout America’s history, there is no other city that defines the progression of African Americans’ freedom story like Richmond, Virginia,” she said in a news release. “From the expansion of the transatlantic slave trade along the banks of the James River, to the removal of the Confederate monuments, Richmond has become the center of African American culture and history in the United States.”

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If you go

A Time to Heal

When: 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20

Where: Main Street Station, 1500 E. Main St., Richmond

Cost: Free

Details: runrichmond1619.org 

Run Richmond 16.19

When: 8 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 21

Where: Kanawha Plaza, East Canal Street

Registration: Required. Information pickup Friday and Saturday.

Details: runrichmond1619.org

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 

But this time, he was seeking to benefit others, too.

“In these last 10 years, I went through a divorce, I moved, and just had a lot of personal stuff that I went through,” Scott said. “So turning 50 feels kind of more reflective. I wanted to do something big, but I wanted to do it in a way where I could give back.”

So now, Scott is riding his bicycle 588 miles across Virginia — and raising money for charity — to celebrate his 50 years.

It all began in early 2023, when Scott — a former college English teacher who now runs a fledgling business called Fennario Coffee Roasters — began talking to one of his new customers at the Farmer’s Market in Hilton Village.

That customer, Caroline Dutle, is the director of development at THRIVE Peninsula, a nonprofit that provides food and financial, housing and utilities assistance for those in need.

When THRIVE received a large whole-bean coffee donation a few months later, Dutle thought of her “coffee guy” and asked Scott if he’d be willing to grind the beans down before it’s given away.

“Most of our clients can’t afford coffee, let alone a coffee grinder,” Dutle said. “So a donation isn’t too helpful if it’s in bean form.”

Scott immediately said yes.

“He came to check out our facility, and has been really active and involved in supporting us ever since,” Dutle said. “So it all started with coffee beans.”

Scott took the beans home, ground them up and returned them in packages, ready for distribution. Though most consider coffee a staple, she said, for others it’s a “luxury item.”

“Any time we can provide things beyond the necessities, it’s a real treat for our clients,” Dutle said.

THRIVE Peninsula was founded 50 years ago by several churches in Newport News’ Denbigh section, and still considers itself a Christian-based organization. But Scott said he was drawn to the fact that the nonprofit helps people of all faiths — or no faith.

“I am sensitive to people telling me what to do or trying to evangelize me,” Scott said. “But (faith) doesn’t affect who gets help or who doesn’t get help. The only thing that you have to do is qualify financially.”

“And once I saw how selfless and giving these people are, the volunteers, I was like, ‘Man, I’ve got to be involved in this somehow.’ ”

THRIVE has a pantry where people can come once a month by appointment and get about a week’s worth of groceries. It also offers financial assistance and coaching.

So when it came time for Scott to mark his 50th birthday, he decided he wanted THRIVE to be the recipient of a charity event. He came to Dutle with a concept: He’d bike 500 miles to raise $5,000 and 500 pounds of food — all multiples of 50 — to benefit the organization.

Dutle liked the idea, and helped him put the plan — and the fundraising mechanisms — into action.

It began Saturday morning at Breaks Interstate Park near the Kentucky and Virginia border. Scott will then trek the Virginia portion of the TransAmerica Trail — 588 miles — over nine days. That’s about 65 miles a day.

The route will take him south to Damascus, then northeast to Radford, Christiansburg and Lexington. He will hit the Blue Ridge Parkway, then Charlottesville, Ashland and Richmond before heading back to Hampton Roads.

Scott can be followed online in real time — at www.tinyurl.com/heathwatch — as he makes his way through the commonwealth.

Though Scott has done lengthy rides in the past, this will be the longest. He said the first several days — where the route is most mountainous — will be the most challenging.

Luckily, Scott is no stranger to physical exertion. He has been an ultra distance runner in the past. And over the past couple years, his coffee business includes a guarantee to deliver the java the next day anywhere in Newport News by bike. That also ensures he’s getting in his daily rides.

“Rain and snow doesn’t stop me,” he said. “I had a broken rib last year, and was out delivering on the bike … so it’s gonna take a lot to stop me.”

THRIVE, for one, is appreciative.

“I think it’s just such a superhuman feat that Heath is taking on, and this is just an amazing opportunity for us to be recognized in this way,” Dutle said Friday. “He’s really garnered a lot of support within the community, and it’s been very helpful to THRIVE.”

Scott will carry a tent and sleeping bag, and plans to camp on his route. It’ll be a mixture of “stealth camping” — finding a spot in wooded areas along the way — and campgrounds, and a hotel for his night in Richmond.

He’ll bring a couple days’ worth of trail food with plans to replenish in small towns along the way.

“It’s all back roads, and you’re never more than an hour or two ride from any kind of convenience store,” Scott explained.

A friend plans to meet him Thursday at the Blue Ridge Parkway to help him resupply and offer moral support. Scott’s wife, Woodside High School art teacher Heidi Compton, will meet him in the evenings starting that same night.

He plans to be back on or about Sept. 15 — his 50th birthday.

Road construction on the Capital Trail will prevent Scott from finishing at the end of the cross-country TransAmerica trail in Yorktown. So he plans to end the route at the THRIVE building on Nettles Drive in Newport News, likely arriving by way of Warwick Boulevard.

Scott has already surpassed his initial $5,000 fundraising goal. That’s in large part because of Priority Bicycles, the New York-based company that makes the bike he’s riding, a belt-driven Priority 600.

“I’ve seen them do charitable work, on everything from suicide prevention to getting kids on bikes,” Scott said of the company. “I sent them a letter explaining what I was doing, and they didn’t hesitate. They got back to me within 24 hours and said, ‘We’d love to help out.’ ”

Scott asked Priority to donate a less expensive bicycle than the $2,500 one that Scott will be riding. “And they came right back and said, ‘No, let’s do the Priority 600,’ They completely donated it, no strings attached.'”

The bike will be raffled off as part of the fundraising effort. Tickets are selling for $25 apiece or five for $100, with all proceeds counting toward the $5,000 goal. And last week, an anonymous local family kicked in $2,630 — at the time just enough to hit the $5,000 mark.

“Their anonymity will be respected, but we can assure you that they are one of the most wonderful families we’ve had had the honor to get to know,” Scott wrote on his coffee company’s Instagram page. “They are true models of how to be a good human.”

The fundraiser is now up to $5,370 and counting, with 100% of the proceeds going to THRIVE.

Canned goods and other non-perishables are being collected at THRIVE (12749 Nettles Drive) or Village Bicycles (9913 Warwick Blvd.). Both are in Newport News.

“I’m just really excited,” he said Friday before leaving for the Kentucky border. “I’m pretty humbled by the outpouring of support from folks and the interest from folks. I was doing this as a kind of a small way to help try and raise some money, and the swell of support that I’ve gotten from the community, it’s just been unbelievable.”

THRIVE will host a community day Sept. 22 with Scott, featuring refreshments, a mobile coffee bar and an opportunity to learn more about the organization’s mission. That’s also when the donated bicycle will be raffled off.

To contribute or buy a raffle ticket for the bike, go to the donation website, “50 to 5000: Heath’s Trans-Virginia Birthday Ride for THRIVE,” at givebutter.com/HeathsRide4THRIVE.

“Trading river views for mountains tomorrow,” Scott wrote Thursday on Instagram, with a picture of his bicycle near the James River. “Who knows what adventures lay ahead?”

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

Autumn Cleveland would quietly set the mug on her mother’s nightstand so she could start her day with a hot cup of coffee.

“When she picked you, when she loved you, family or otherwise, there wasn’t any other love like hers,” Renee Cleveland said in a phone interview. “Her love languages were different than most. She showed you in tiny ways.”

The 23-year-old from Newport News had packed up her car late Aug. 29 to move to Maine, a state she had fallen in love with, her mom said.

She stayed in touch with her family through the evening of Aug. 31 and texted her parents that she loved them, said father Michael Cleveland. But after a few days went by and her family couldn’t reach her, they posted on social media that she was missing and asked a search team to help find her.

“Every ounce of us thought we were going to come up here … and see her, spoil her and make sure that she was good to go,” Renee Cleveland said. “My heart hurts.”

Her body was found Monday afternoon in her parked car in Dayton. Maine State Police continue to investigate her death and are awaiting autopsy results.

Her parents said Autumn was shy, soft-spoken and anxious, but had a few close friendships. She was very selective about who she let into her life, her mom said.

She loved Taylor Swift, cats and every type of sweet treat, especially chocolate. Her sister, Brooke Cleveland, said they always stopped at the closest ice cream shop after going hiking. Autumn never tried a flavor she didn’t like, her sister said.

“If she ever shared any of (her sweets) with you, you knew you that you were in her good graces,” Brooke said.

When she was comfortable, Autumn could be the loudest person in the room. Even her own laugh could catch her off guard, her mother said.

“When she would bust out laughing, or she knew that she was going to do something … funny, she would turn really red,” Renee Cleveland said.

She excelled in school and made the Dean’s List at Liberty University, which she attended for a year before deciding she wanted to travel.

She was born in Oregon, but spent much of a her childhood in Virginia. Her family moved a lot, and she became used to traveling when her parents split. She “had a bedroom everywhere,” whether it was with her parents, her sister’s couch in Virginia, with her brothers in Washington or her aunt’s spare bedroom in Oregon, which was always reserved for her.

She was especially close with Brooke and younger brother Christopher, her father said.

“My sister is very selfless,” Brooke said. “It wouldn’t matter if she was having the worst day ever, if somebody else was having a slightly bad day she would make sure to be there for them.”

After stuffing her bags with gifts for her relatives, she decided to move to Tampa last September. Autumn Cleveland always was prepared with research and itineraries, her mother said. And by the time she got there, she had a job and a room rented, her father said.

When she decided to move on a few months later, she joined her dad on a cross-country road trip and then headed to Virginia, where she stayed until she packed up to move to Maine.

Autumn Cleveland wanted to see the world before establishing her roots, her mother said. She wished for a future and a family, to someday be married and have children. She made plans to visit her family in the coming months to go wedding dress shopping for her sister, for holidays and her birthday Nov. 14.

“Anybody that met her fell in love with her,” Michael Cleveland said. “I know dads say that about all of their daughters, but it truly is true.”

Neopestalotiopsis disease, which first appeared several years ago in Florida, can cause light to dark brown spots on plant leaves and rotting of the fruit. To avoid it, some local growers started getting their plants from a supplier in Canada. But now, major nurseries there are also seeing symptoms, and they’ve recently warned the fruit growers.

“They are basically canceling orders (and in many cases refunding the deposit) or telling plug plant producers and farmers to take plants at their own risk — no reimbursements for bad or infected plants delivered this year,” said Phil Brannen, a professor in the Plant Pathology Department at the University of Georgia, in an Aug. 21 post on the university’s cooperative extension’s website.

It’s not the first time Hampton Roads has dealt with a strawberry disease, but this one could have a major impact on growers who count on the popularity of the fruit.

“That’s a major crop that draws the consumers to the farms,” said Jayesh Samtani, associate professor and small fruit extension specialist at the Hampton Roads Agricultural Research and Extension Center. “It’s the first crop that gives you fruit in the spring season.”

The disease can reduce a grower’s harvest by as much as 50%, Samtani said.

“It’s scary for sure,” said Roy Flanagan, Virginia Beach’s agricultural extension agent and owner of Flanagan Farms, which offers u-pick strawberries in the spring. “It’s a new enemy of the plant that you’ve got to figure out to combat.”

Virginia Beach is the commonwealth’s largest producer of strawberries thanks to the area’s temperate climate and nutrient-rich soil. The value of the crop in Virginia Beach ranges from $750,000 to $1 million per year. Meanwhile, a strawberry farm in Virginia Beach sees an estimated 1,500 visitors each week in May, according to the city.

Some area farms were able to order healthy cutoffs, or bare root plants, from California this year before they sold out, according to Samtani. Flanagan Farms and Cullipher Farm are among those. Others will take the risk with the Canadian plants or cancel their orders.

The situation likely will have long-lasting repercussions.

“The disease has a tendency to stay in the soil from one season to another,” Samtani said. “Even next year, if your plants come in clean, it would not be advisable to use the same site.”

Cindy Weatherly, who operates a farm in Pungo and Cindy’s Produce, a farm stand on Harpers Road, will skip growing strawberries this year to avoid contamination.

“This is an aggressive strain,” Weatherly said. “I don’t want to introduce a disease into my soil that I know nothing about until I watch someone else take care of it.”

To help stave off the disease, which thrives in warm climates, some growers will receive their plants a little later than normal, Samtani said. Strawberries in southeast Virginia are typically planted from last week of September through the first week of October. Chandler, Sweet Charlie, and Ruby June varieties are mostly grown locally.

Samtani plants berries at the research center each year. He’s expecting strawberry plants to arrive Oct. 10.

The Henley family is one of the city’s largest strawberry producers, growing them across 10 acres. They received the tips of strawberry plants from a supplier in Nova Scotia and have been rooting them in trays, said farm owner Barbara Henley. She’s already noticed some signs of the disease in one of the varieties, but is on track to plant in three weeks.

“Ours look fairly good,” Henley said, also a City Council member. “I’m afraid to say too much.”

The research center is advising growers about how to mitigate the disease if plants are infected. One option is fumigating the soil, which involves injecting a synthetic chemical gas. Sanitizing clothing, equipment, machinery and pruning tools also will be critical.

And fungicidal treatments can also help keep the disease under control. However, the most effective chemical — thiram — is being phased out by the Environmental Protection Agency, Samtani said.

Some factors, like weather, will be out of the control of growers. A dry, mild spring could keep the disease at bay.

“We don’t really know what’s going to happen until it all unfolds and the season progresses,” Samtani said.

Stacy Parker, 757-222-5125, stacy.parker@pilotonline.com

“You don’t want to wait until a week before the election and then decide to put it in the mail,” said Stephanie Iles, the city’s director of elections and general registrar. “There is a possibility that we might not get it in time.”

The United States Postal Service has faced nationwide slowdowns in the past few years due to strains from the pandemic and operational cutbacks. Virginia was hit hard, as Richmond served as a guinea pig for Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s cost-cutting plan of consolidating individual processing centers into larger regional hubs.

Local and state election officials are subsequently pushing absentee voters to request and return their mail-in ballots as soon as possible to avoid missing the deadline.

“I think we are all concerned about it,” Iles said.

Christine Lewis, Virginia Beach’s director of elections and general registrar, said she noted slower services during recent elections.

“It’s taking about three to five days for people to receive their ballots in the mail,” she said. “I would have said pre-COVID, it would usually take people about two days.”

Election Day is Nov. 5 but early voting starts Sept. 20.

To be counted, absentee ballots returned by mail must be postmarked on or before Election Day and received by the general registrar’s office by noon on the third day following the election. If possible, Iles and Lewis encouraged absentee voters who are approaching the deadline to consider dropping ballots off at the registrars’ office or a drop-box location.

“If I had to name what my biggest concern is with the 2024 general election, it would be the operational performance of the United States Postal Service,” she said, adding the department raised concerns prior to last year’s election. “We started hearing from registrars that they were having issues with mail ballots not being delivered to voters, not getting them back in time or ballots coming back as being undeliverable.”

Beals said absentee voters should get started on the process early so any mishaps or delays can be addressed.

“I know folks sometimes get their ballot and go ‘Well I’m just going to let it marinate here and think about it’ — you can’t do that this year,” she said. “You need to make sure that you mail it back (immediately) or drop it off.”

Absentee voting is a popular option nationwide, according to Elliott Fullmer, a political science professor at Randolph-Macon College. Fullmer, who researches voting and elections, said about 40% and 32% of voters used that method in 2020 and ’22, respectively.

He believes it’s always a good idea to take an earlier approach to absentee voting and said officials’ concerns should never be dismissed.

“I am glad they are voicing those concerns now because if there is something that is hurting the processing of ballots, it’s better to flag that now than before it is too late,” he said. “What I am encouraged by is that, despite the significant concerns that everybody had in 2020, I feel like the system worked well.”

Fullmer said Virginia has also made it easier to vote since the pandemic by expanding the number of voting methods.

Although Virginia ranked worst in the nation this year for postal service, there also have been improvements amid pushback from residents and lawmakers. Several federal legislators in Virginia, including Republican Rep. Rob Wittman of Yorktown and Democratic Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, met with Dejoy in July for an update.

The on-time delivery rate of first-class mail in Virginia improved from 66% to 77.4% during the first quarter of this year, according to a release about the meeting from Kaine’s office. But this fell short of the goal of 93%.

“The numbers are getting better,” Kaine told The Virginian-Pilot last month. “We still have some parts of the Richmond distribution area out around Charlottesville where it’s bad.

“Then the postal service frightened everyone last week by saying it might have to curtail services in rural areas (in 2025). Rural America relies more on the postal service than urban America does so that went over very poorly — so we have more work to do.”

Katie King, katie.king@virginiamedia.com