Paid VB Oceanfront parking, new Suffolk teen center, Artemis II mission launch: Sunrise Brief

TOP STORIES: Paid VB Oceanfront parking, new Suffolk teen center, Artemis II mission launch

1. Paid parking returns Wednesday to the Virginia Beach Oceanfront as the city resumes its seasonal program and launches a new initiative giving residents a $50 parking credit.

   Paid parking returns to Virginia Beach Oceanfront April 1 with new $50 resident credit

   Each year on April 1, the city reinstates paid parking at meters and surface lots along the Oceanfront following the winter shoulder season, when visitors and residents are allowed limited free parking along Atlantic Avenue. City Parking Administrator John Crawford said the seasonal program is necessary to support operations. “We don’t receive any tax dollars or sales tax revenue,” Crawford said. “We’re a self-funded enterprise, so this helps us operate the garages and take care of them structurally.”

   While paid parking is returning for the season, the city is also launching a new program designed to offset costs for residents. Eligible Virginia Beach residents can apply for a $50 parking credit through the city's website and is credited on the HONK Mobile app. The credit which is good for 12 months can be used to pay for Oceanfront parking. Crawford said residents will be able to apply through a link on the city’s website by submitting proof of residency and a driver’s license. The link is expected to be active midday on Wednesday.

   Signs posted along the Oceanfront will also provide instructions for downloading just the app. Resident Brian Holmes said he plans to take advantage of the credit. “There’s many more things that are offered at the Oceanfront since I moved down here that I’ve been interested in doing,” Holmes said. “Any type of credit or incentive to offer to residents would be beneficial.”
   

2. A new partnership in Suffolk is stepping in to provide a safe space for teens after school, offering support, structure and opportunity for young people.

   Revamped Suffolk teen center aims to shape futures for local youth

   For many teens like Zion Outten, a high school senior, having a place to connect is vital. After moving from Portsmouth to Suffolk, he said it was harder to find connection with other teens. “It really wasn't like a lot of places where you can find and meet people of your age and just talk with them and have conversations, have fun,” Outten said.

   A ribbon cutting marked the opening of a new teen center at the Suffolk Family YMCA. Through a partnership with ForKids, the center offers academic help, mentorship and access to tools that prepare students for the future. Kait Eusebio Johnson, senior executive director of the YMCA of South Hampton Roads, said the collaboration brings together key resources for teens. “ForKids does an incredible job bringing in, resume building, college readiness, career readiness, and then the Y brings in volunteerism leadership, even the social aspect,” said Eusebio Johnson.

   Programs like this aim to close gaps for teens who may not otherwise have access to consistent guidance or safe after school environments. “They’ve helped immensely, they get tutors for us, they help us with schoolwork every day,” Outten said. For Outten, the center is more than just a place to go after school. He said it is a community that is helping shape his future. “They help me obtain a computer so I could do better in my CCAP class, game design and development, now I’m trying to go to Howard, continue to pursue things of that nature.”
   

3. More than a dozen engineers from the Space Launch System project at NASA Langley Research Center are in Florida this week for the scheduled Artemis II mission launch.

   NASA Langley engineers in Florida for Artemis II launch

   The launch window opens Wednesday at 6:24 p.m., with launch opportunities for the next six days. NASA's Artemis mission intends to get humans back to the moon's surface for the first time in more than 50 years, followed by the establishment of a permanent Moon base. First, Artemis II will take a crew of four astronauts around the moon and back. The Orion space capsule currently sits atop a rocket at the Kennedy Space Center launchpad.

   “We’re gonna be looking at data and we’re gonna be focused," Jeremy Pinier, the lead for the Space Launch System (SLS) project, told News 3 from Florida on Tuesday. Pinier says he and another dozen Hampton-based SLS engineers made the trip from Langley to see the launch in person and make sure their portion of the mission goes well. News 3 last spoke with Pinier in 2022 before the launch of the uncrewed Artemis I mission. He says his team has since made some changes to the Artemis rocket with the help of data collected from the first mission.

   Astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen will be inside the space capsule for the nine-day mission. Nearly 60 years ago, Neil Armstrong — the first man to make the leap — trained at NASA Langley ahead of the Apollo mission. “It’s in our blood in Hampton, Virginia to go to the moon,” said Pinier. “It’s something Hampton Roads residents should be proud of.” If Artemis II doesn't launch in the next week, the next window won't come until the end of April. According to NASA, Artemis III will launch next year, with a goal to get humans back to the moon aboard Artemis IV as early as 2028.
   

This morning's weather: Another step warmer & breezy, Several days in the 80s

Meteorologist Myles Henderson says another step warmer today with highs in the mid 80s, near our record high for the day. We will see partly cloudy skies, and it will still be breezy. A spotty shower is possible as storms pass by to our north.

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

Traffic map:

Interactive Traffic Map

For the latest traffic updates, watch Conor live on News 3 This Morning here.

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