Mt. Trashmore Carnival won’t return 2026, LS Greenlink update, Strait of Hormuz: Sunrise Brief

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Top stories: Mt. Trashmore Carnival won’t return 2026, LS Greenlink update, Strait of Hormuz

1. The Mt. Trashmore Summer Carnival, a staple for decades at the famed Virginia Beach park, will not return in 2026, a city spokesperson confirmed to WTKR News 3 reporter John Hood Monday.

   Virginia Beach's Mt. Trashmore Summer Carnival won't be happening this year, city says Mt. Trashmore carnival 052524

   The city spokesperson did not give a reason but said the park will have a "full schedule of events planned throughout the summer." The beloved carnival was cut short just three days into the 2025 season after the city cited staffing shortages and public safety concerns.

   Increasing security became a focus for the event that drew thousands each year following the 2024 shooting death of a 15-year-old girl in the event parking lot. Jeyani Upshur was shot and killed on May 25, 2024 just outside the carnival. Cell phone video from the scene showed a fight break out in a large group. Markal Cook, a senior at Lake Taylor High School at the time of the shooting, was charged with second-degree murder in Upshur's death; he's currently awaiting trial.

   Joel Caldwell, whose company, National Event Management, operated the carnival — in addition to other local events like the Suffolk Peanut Festival — also passed away in January, according to an obit.

   After the 2025 abrupt closure, Mayor Bobby Dyer defended the decision. “We’re sorry that we had to close down a business that wanted to do business in Virginia Beach,” Dyer said. “But you know, sometimes it’s better to err on the side of caution, because if we don’t have the resources to make sure people are safe there, that responsibility is on us.”

2. Company and local, state, and federal leaders gathered at the LS Greenlink construction site for a ceremony to mark a construction milestone.

   Company leaders, elected officials celebrate progress of LS Greenlink facility in Chesapeake

   The 660-foot tall tower taking shape along the Elizabeth River is something Gov. Abigail Spanberger said should be celebrated, calling it a visible point of pride for the greater region. “That when we are looking towards a future of continued innovation and manufacturing, that right here in Chesapeake that work is happening," Spanberger said.

   LS Greenlink, a cable manufacturer that produces power cables, is part of a larger company called LS Cable and System, one of the largest cable manufacturers in the world. The site will cover nearly 100 acres in Chesapeake; there will be a building 13 football fields long and large carousels to feed the cables from the facility onto ships in the river to take them where they need to go. The manufacturing facility is expected to create more than 300 jobs. As of Monday, the company expected the project to be complete by the end of 2027.

   “This is an important milestone. But more importantly, it is a moment of accountability. When we first announced this project in 2024, we made a clear commitment: to invest in Virginia, to build advanced manufacturing capacity, and to modernize critical energy infrastructure while strengthening the U.S. supply chain," said LS Cable & System President & CEO Bon-Kyu Koo. "Today, we are doing exactly what we promised and we are going to be doing more.”

3. The U.S. military reports that its helicopters sank six small Iranian boats that were targeting civilian vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, as American forces push forward with the newly launched “Project Freedom” operation.

   Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, said U.S. forces have also opened a passage through the strait and stopped multiple Iranian attacks on ships under their protection. He said Iran launched cruise missiles, drones and additional small boats, and that “each and every one” of those threats was defeated.

   The developments come as President Donald Trump’s “Project Freedom” officially began on Monday, with U.S. forces working to help ships move through the strait amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East. Two U.S.-flagged merchant vessels successfully transited the strait on Monday, according to U.S. Central Command. When announcing the initiative, Trump said the U.S. would help ships from nations not involved in the U.S.-Iran conflict move freely through the Strait of Hormuz.

   It remains unclear how the initiative may impact energy markets, which are already facing challenges ranging from a jet fuel shortage in Europe to high gas prices in the U.S. The developments also raise questions about ongoing negotiations between the U.S. and Iran. Over the weekend, Trump said he is reviewing a new Iranian proposal to end the war, though the White House has not yet issued an official response. "I will soon be reviewing the plan that Iran has just sent to us, but can't imagine that it would be acceptable in that they have not yet paid a big enough price for what they have done to Humanity, and the World, over the last 47 years," Trump said in a statement.
   

This morning's weather: Warm & windy today, Tracking rain midweek

Meteorologist Myles Henderson says another warm and windy day. Highs will climb to the low 80s today with mostly sunny skies. It will still be windy with a SW wind at 10 to 20 and gusts to 30 mph.

For the latest weather updates, watch Myles live on News 3 This Morning here.

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