Friday marked the first day of early voting, and Chesapeake voters turned out to cast their ballots, citing concerns about both local races and Virginia's 2nd Congressional District race.

Gas prices, food costs, women's reproductive rights, education, and the war with Iran were among the top issues on voters' minds.

Lorraine and Michael Greene, Chesapeake voters, said the economy and cost of living are issues they want elected officials to address.

"Gas prices, food prices, inflation," the Greenes said. "We discuss things all the time about the prices of gas and food and how it's affecting younger people that can't afford housing, so all of these things are very important."

This midterm election includes U.S. House and Senate races on the ballot for Virginia voters. Parts of Chesapeake fall within Virginia's 2nd Congressional District, where Jen Kiggans and Elaine Luria are competing for a seat that could determine which party controls the House.

"We want to make a change. We want to make a difference in how the country is going," the Greenes said.

Virginia's ballot also includes 3 constitutional amendments this election cycle. Voters will decide on questions related to reproductive health care rights, marriage equality, and automatically restoring voting rights for individuals with felony convictions once they complete their prison terms.

Steven Radcliffe, a Chesapeake voter, said women's rights and voting rights are driving his participation this election.

"Women's issues, voting rights," Radcliffe said.

Chesapeake voters will also decide 10 local races five City Council seats and five School Board seats. Incumbents Amanda Newins, Daniel Whitaker and E.R. "Jeff" Jefferies Jr. are among those competing to keep their council seats against a field of 12 challengers. On the School Board, Kim Scott, John McCormick and Amanda Quillin are seeking another term, while 10 candidates are competing for the two seats being vacated by Amanda Walker and Mike Lamonea.

Marcella Boothe, a Chesapeake voter, said education is her top priority.

"To make sure our kids get educated," Boothe said.

Radcliffe also said Chesapeake's rapid expansion is a factor when voting for city council candidates.

"I am concerned a little bit with Chesapeake and the growth that we're experiencing, because you know, we don't have room enough for everybody in here anymore. So, traffic is bad," Radcliffe said.

Harvey Hoeflein, a Chesapeake voter, cited foreign policy and trade as his key concerns.

"The war on Iran, the tariffs," Hoeflein said.

Early voting continues through Oct. 30.

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It may be a little early to put up holiday lights at home, but crews in Virginia Beach are already preparing for the holiday season.

The Virginia Aquarium will host the first-ever Holiday Trail of Lights, a new holiday light display replacing the former Holiday Lights at the Beach event.

The display will stretch from the aquarium's North Building to its South Building and will open to the public Nov. 20.

William Younce, director of Beach Events, said crews are taking advantage of the warm weather while they install the display.

"As you enjoy it, you're going to be wearing jackets, but we're all setting it up sweating," Younce said.

The new event also presents a different challenge for crews who previously worked on Holiday Lights at the Beach.

"The skill set of us putting the show together and installing it is completely different. We've never had to use scissor lifts at the beach before," Younce said.

Tickets will be sold online beginning Sept. 24. Visitors will be able to enter the trail from either the North or South Building of the Virginia Aquarium.

A limited number of tickets will be available for each time slot each night through the holiday season and into the new year. There will also be a twilight hour, which begins earlier but is expected to have fewer guests on the trail.

The location of the holiday lights display at the Oceanfront changed due to infrastructure concerns with cars on the boardwalk, but some of those displays will still be staying in the city.

Younce said the new event is designed to create a similar atmosphere of family memories that visitors experienced at Holiday Lights at the Beach.

"The whole entire trail will be broken up into seven zones, and each zone is themed with a light theme, with a decor theme, and with a music theme," Younce said. "So all throughout the process you're going to be hearing the show, you're going to be seeing the show, and in some sections you're going to be feeling the show."

The Holiday Trail of Lights will open Nov. 20 and continue through the holiday season.

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A new career center has opened at Eastern Shore Community College in Melfa with the goal of connecting residents with job opportunities and helping students gain real-world experience.

The Virginia Career Works Eastern Shore Center, located inside the colleges Workforce Training Building, is designed to serve as a one-stop location for job seekers, employers and students.

We are actually the perfect place to house a one-stop career center, said Dr. Daryl Minus, president of Eastern Shore Community College.

The center will offer services including career counseling, rsum building, mock interviews and job searches. College students will also have opportunities to connect with employers for internships and other hands-on experiences.

Part of the vision is to be able to connect not just those in the community to these opportunities but our students right here on campus where we leverage our own career services for internships to be able to get them real-world experience, Minus said.

Although the center has just opened, officials say they have plans to expand its reach across the Eastern Shore.

It's exciting to be able to be a hub where we can bring together career services, rsum building, mock interviews, job search for job seekers, and all those things in one place, Minus said.

The center is a partnership with the Hampton Roads Workforce Council. Sean Avery, CEO of the council, said the organization brings decades of workforce-development experience to the effort.

This is our seventh center, so we've been doing this for a long time. We've been in existence for 52 years. We know how to do workforce development. We know how to get people connected to opportunities, Avery said.

The center could also help major industries on the Eastern Shore, including the aerospace sector, connect with workers in the region.

Officials are also exploring satellite locations in other communities so residents who live farther from the college can access career services without having to travel to Melfa.

We're gonna have satellite locations throughout the region, so individuals don't have to always worry about, How am I gonna get to Eastern Shore Community College?" Avery said. We've already been looking at Cape Charles. We're already looking at Chincoteague, up that area.

The new center is expected to serve both job seekers looking for employment and employers searching for qualified workers throughout the Eastern Shore.

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HAMPTON, Va. Hampton Police recovered the body of an unidentified man near the boat ramp at Gosnold's Hope Park on Sept. 17 at approximately 6:04 p.m.

First responders were called to the area to investigate a possible drowning.

"Upon arrival, officers located an unidentified adult male in the water. The scene was secured, and members of the Hampton Public Safety Dive Team responded and recovered the body," a Hampton Police spokesperson said. "The deceased was transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, where an official cause and manner of death will be determined. The identity of the deceased has not yet been confirmed."

SUFFOLK, Va. Sheetz is expanding to Southeast Virginia with its first location in Suffolk set to open next week.

The new store, located at 1517 Holland Road in Suffolk, will open on Tuesday, Sept. 22.

Customers can grab free self-serve coffee and soda on opening day.

A grand opening celebration will begin at 9 a.m. outside the store and offer major giveaways, including $250 in Sheetz gift cards and Free Sheetz for a Year (a value of $2,500 on a gift card). A ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place at 10:45 a.m.

Over the past several years, we have received a significant number of inquiries from local residents who have wanted to see Sheetz come to this area, said Travis Sheetz, President and CEO. Building in this community is meaningful to us and represents a significant step in our Virginia growth. Its an exciting time for Sheetz, and we look forward to giving customers locally everything they need in one stop, creating quality jobs, and being a positive force in Suffolk and the future southeast Virginia communities we serve.

Bumper-to-bumper traffic is a reality for anyone traveling to or from the Outer Banks on Saturdays and Sundays during the summer, and it's what comes with the territory of traveling to and from Duck or Corolla.

That traffic extends to neighborhood roads, especially in Southern Shores, as tourists seek to use the roads as a shortcut to N.C. 12. Charlie Ries lives on one of the stretches visitors try to use as a shortcut to N.C. 12.

"We notice how much traffic we are facing on our little street by the pollution, the soot that we see on the railings of the deck," said Ries.

Ries and more than 100 neighbors have organized to form the "Build the Corolla Bridge" movement. The origins of it go all the way back to May.

"We wrote a letter to all of the office holders at the state and federal level, and to the candidates for those positions as they've been chosen, laying out the case for this bridge and why we feel so strongly about it," said Ries.

Ries explains why the group feels so strongly about the long-delayed two-lane tolled Mid-Currituck Bridge Project becoming a reality.

"This is an important project for the safety of the Outer Banks in hurricane or wildfire environment, and also for the economic growth, not only down here on the Outer Banks, but in mainland Currituck," said Ries.

This summer, the group took time to also hand out a survey to visitors stuck in the weekend traffic. One of the survey questions asks visitors if they'd be willing to pay a $30, $40 or $50 toll to use the bridge and bypass hours of sitting in traffic.

"Everybody checked the $30 or something higher. That showed that the drivers are willing significantly to contribute to the financial cost of building such a bridge," said Ries.

Ries shares where he sees the movement going from here.

"I think we're going to keep getting the word out. I've been speaking to community groups here, I'd like to go to Raleigh, I've visited congressional offices in Washington. We want to stay in touch with the Department of Transportation, we want to follow the legal cases as they proceed to resolution, and we want to be helpful," said Ries.

News 3 reported in April that regional leaders remain committed to the project. Right now, until the spring of 2027, they are actively trying to find ways to close the current $800 million funding gap for the $1.2 billion project.

Though he wishes it wasn't that expensive, the price tag isn't a worry for Ries.

"I think there's no reason to lose hope. It would take a couple of years to to build a bridge, but the sooner we get started, the better for public safety for those of us who live on on the island or visit the islands, and also for economic growth and and preservation of our fantastic vacation experience," said Ries.

For more information about the group, you can head to their website here.

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