VB 7.5% meal tax, NOODLE economic impact, Ukraine granted interceptor license: Sunrise Brief

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Top stories: VB 7.5% meal tax, NOODLE economic impact, Ukraine granted interceptor license

1. Restaurant owners in Virginia Beach say the city's 7.5% meals tax is driving up costs for both businesses and customers, and now the Virginia Beach Restaurant Association is pushing for a reduction.

   Virginia Beach restaurant owners push to lower one of the highest meals taxes in the country

   Customers in Virginia Beach pay the city's 7.5% meals tax on top of Virginia's state and local sales tax, bringing the total tax on a restaurant bill to more than 13% before gratuity.

   The Virginia Beach Restaurant Association is expanding its effort to rally both restaurant owners and the public behind lowering the tax. The campaign is encouraging residents to speak up and support what it's calling the "86 the VB Meals Tax" initiative. Executive Director Martha Davenport says restaurants are feeling many of the same financial pressures as their customers and believes it's time for city leaders to revisit the tax.

   "Everything that somebody is feeling at home, they're being in a restaurant industry," Davenport said. The association says its immediate goal is a reduction in the meals tax. As the campaign grows, the association also plans to make the meals tax an issue in this year's city council races. "The third phase will be looking at we have some city council elections coming up. We want to talk to not only the incumbents, that we want to talk to the candidates that are running in those races," Davenport said.

2. The $3 million NOODLE: The Thinkers Convention generated between $1.01 million and $1.14 million in economic activity, along with $58,000 to $65,000 in local tax revenue, according to a report sent by the city of Newport News.

   Newport News report shows $3M+ NOODLE convention had $1M+ economic impact

   The city of Newport News spent $3.03 million in surplus funds to stage the event. The two-day event drew roughly 4,000 attendees, according to the Institute for Service Research report. On May 22, about 250 people attended; on May 23, attendance was roughly 3,750 throughout the day.

   The city described the event as a one-time investment to activate downtown and assess potential for future conventions. The event itself was made free to the public. Vice Mayor Curtis Bethany responded to criticism about the cost of the festival. "What I would say is don’t look at it at face value. There is so much more opportunity that can come from this as long as we build strategically around this event," he told reporters on Wednesday.

   More details and the full report can be found here.

3. President Trump said Wednesday the U.S. will give Ukraine a production license to build its own Patriot missile interceptors for defense, granting a major request from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy amid the ongoing war with Russia, CBS reports.

   Ukraine gets Patriot license from Trump, but missiles it needs are years away

   Speaking alongside Zelenskyy during the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, Trump said his administration would grant the license to Ukraine, although he said the companies behind the Patriot defense system — Lockheed Martin and RTX Corporation (formerly Raytheon) — haven't been informed yet.

   Zelenskyy made a pitch for the Patriot licenses on CBS News' "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" in May. "I asked previous administration, I am asking today's administration — give Ukraine licenses," he said. "We will increase the production of Patriot missiles. It will be very helpful for us, it will be very helpful for Middle East, for everybody whom United States will decide to help."

   At the same time, Trump, who has long expressed understanding for Russian President Vladimir Putin, if not outright admiration, voiced a little sympathy for Russia. Putin, who instigated the war in 2022, could also end it by withdrawing from Ukrainian territory.  "It's been tough on Russia," Trump said.  

This morning's weather: Turning hotter, scattered storm chances this weekend

Forecaster Derrah Getter says high temperatures today will be in the low to mid 90s. We have a chance of afternoon showers and storms. A level 1 out of 5 severe weather threat is in effect for the lower and middle Peninsulas and southern Eastern Shore. Accomack County is under a level 2 out of 5 severe weather threat. Damaging winds will be possible in the strongest storms.

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

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