| November 12, 2026|Issue #68|Newport News, VA |
Good morning, Newport News!
Let’s start the morning with some great news from Heritage High School. 🎉 Heritage is officially fully accredited and has earned the NNPS Power of One Award after scoring 85.97 points under the 2025–26 Virginia School Performance and Support Framework. That achievement belongs to the whole Heritage community, from students and teachers to staff, families and community partners. As Heritage puts it, every lesson taught, every student supported and every relationship built helps move the school forward. Now that’s a pretty good way to start the day. 💜💛
In today’s newsletter:
☀️ Weather 🏗️ What’s About to Rise Over Downtown Newport News? 🏆 How a Heritage High Teacher Just Won $25,000 🏚️ What Could Replace This Long-Vacant Jefferson Avenue Building? 📅 Events Here’s what’s up. |
Trivia Question❓How much of the USS Monitor was recovered from the ocean floor? A. About 5% B. About 20% C. About 50% D. Nearly all of it Answer at the bottom of the newsletter |
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🏗️ What’s About to Rise Over Downtown Newport News? |
The Gist: Construction has officially started on a roughly $450 million Navy housing project near Huntington Avenue and Warwick Boulevard. Plans call for two 17-story residential towers with about 750 units and 1,500 beds for sailors, plus a 1,050-space parking garage, retail space and Navy services. Why It Matters: This is part of the Navy’s larger $1.7 billion Hampton Roads housing investment, but more than $450 million is being directed into Newport News. Beyond giving sailors newer housing, the project will bring hundreds of residents and new commercial activity into downtown. The first building is expected to open in 2029, with the full development targeted for completion in 2031.
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🏆 How a Heritage High Teacher Just Won $25,000 |
The Gist: Heritage High School science teacher Lauren Burns got the surprise of a lifetime when she was named a 2026–27 Milken Educator Award winner. The national honor comes with an unrestricted $25,000 prize, and Burns is the only Virginia educator selected this year. Why It Matters: Burns is the first Newport News Public Schools teacher ever to receive the Milken Award. She teaches biology and AP Biology, leads Heritage’s science department and serves as a model and dual-enrollment teacher.
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🏗️ What Could Replace This Long-Vacant Jefferson Avenue Building? |
The Gist: Newport News is preparing to demolish the roughly 18,000-square-foot former Unclaimed Freight furniture store in the Sedgefield area after it sat vacant for years. The property owner has agreed to the demolition, and equipment is already staged at the site. Why It Matters: The building sits along Jefferson Avenue between Mercury Boulevard and J. Clyde Morris Boulevard, an area the city has targeted for redevelopment. Removing the vacant structure could be one of the first noticeable changes along that stretch of the corridor.
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Gospel Night With Tamela and David Mann |
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Join Tamela and David Mann for Gospel Night, an evening of faith, love, and soul-stirring music at the Ferguson Center for the Arts. Hear powerful gospel anthems and heartfelt love songs backed by the Virginia Symphony Orchestra. Earl Bynum and the Mount Unity Choir join the guest artists, with Donald Lee III conducting. Settle in for a one-night-only performance in Diamonstein Concert Hall, where voices and orchestra come together for an experience designed to lift your spirit and touch your heart. |
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Friday, November 13
The Rotunda Concert Series – Christopher Newport University, Trible Library Rotunda | 12:00 PM (Free admission)
Main Street Chess Club – Main Street Library (110 Main St) | 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM (Ages 7–17, no registration required)
34th Annual Tennis Ball – Mary M. Torggler Fine Arts Center at CNU | 6:30 PM
Andy Gunnin Comedy Show – Cozzy’s Comedy Club (9700 Warwick Blvd) | 8:00 PM
Young Lion Live Reggae – Chef Life Brewery & Distillery (11800 Merchants Walk) | 8:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Saturday, November 14
Preschool Storytime – Pearl Bailey Library (2510 Wickham Ave) | 10:30 AM – 11:15 AM (Free)
Smart Money Moves for Young Families – Paperbacks Ink | 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM (Free)
Origami in Nature – Newport News Park Discovery Center | 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Intro to Genealogy – Main Street Library (110 Main St) | 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM
4th Annual Picklefest – Tradition Brewing Company (700 Thimble Shoals Blvd) | 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM (Free entry)
Algonquian-Inspired Earrings Workshop – Virgil I. Grissom Library (366 Deshazor Dr) | 1:00 PM – 4:30 PM
Pokémon Club – Main Street Library (110 Main St) | 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
NaNoWriMo: Pearl Bailey Write-In – Pearl Bailey Library (2510 Wickham Ave) | 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
14th Annual Oyster Bash & Newport News Brews Competition – Hellenic Community Center (60 Traverse Rd) | 4:30 PM – 8:00 PM ($75)
November Stargazing – Virginia Living Museum (524 J. Clyde Morris Blvd) | 5:00 PM – 11:30 PM
Gospel Night with Tamela & David Mann – Ferguson Center for the Arts (1 Avenue of the Arts) | 7:30 PM
The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui – CNU Studio Theater (1 Avenue of the Arts) | 7:30 PM ($14 general admission, $9 seniors and CNU faculty/staff, free for students)
Andy Gunnin Comedy Show – Cozzy’s Comedy Club (9700 Warwick Blvd) | 8:00 PM
Sunday, November 15
Virginia Living Museum's 60th Birthday Celebration – Virginia Living Museum (524 J. Clyde Morris Blvd) | 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (Free celebration activities listed)
The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui – CNU Studio Theater (1 Avenue of the Arts) | 2:00 PM ($14 general admission, $9 seniors and CNU faculty/staff, free for students)
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🏃 Frosty Feat 5K Returns This December |
The Frosty Feat 5K is coming to Newport News on Saturday, December 12, at Copeland Field across from Warwick High School. The family-friendly event is sponsored by the Newport News Public Schools Wellness Program and includes a 5K at 9 a.m. and a 1-mile fun run at 8:30 a.m. Registration is $20 for the 5K and $5 for the fun run, with prices increasing after November 11. Packet pickup is Friday, December 11, from 4 to 7 p.m. at Todd Stadium. Read More... |
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⚾ Phil Forbes III Earns a Hall of Fame Honor |
For generations of Menchville baseball players, Phil Forbes III has been a familiar face in the dugout. Now, the longtime Monarchs coach is getting statewide recognition. Forbes has been selected for the Virginia Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame Class of 2026, joining five other coaches being honored this year. His career includes leading Menchville to the 2009 state championship and earning USA Today Coach of the Year honors along the way. The Hall of Fame induction is set for Dec. 10, adding another chapter to a coaching career that has left a lasting mark on baseball in Newport News. . |
Meme of the Day |
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COMMUNITY
🥽 CNU Is Turning the USS Monitor Into a Virtual-Reality Experience
CNU has received a $10,000 grant to create an immersive virtual-reality experience based on the USS Monitor. Students will use historic letters, blueprints, photos and 3D scans of artifacts from The Mariners’ Museum and Park to let users virtually step aboard the famous Civil War ironclad. The project brings together CNU students and faculty, NOAA and The Mariners’ Museum, mixing Newport News history with some seriously modern technology.
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SPORTS
🏀 Builders Make Hampton Work for It
The Apprentice School men’s basketball team opened its season with a 67-56 loss to NCAA Division I Hampton University, but the Builders kept it competitive much of the night. They cut a 22-point second-half deficit to seven with just over three minutes left and outscored Hampton 30-18 in the paint. Donovan Means led Apprentice with 14 points, while Devon Brown added 13 points and nine rebounds. The Builders return to action Saturday at William Peace University.
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🐾 Meet Wool Sweater: Tiny Dog, Big Opinions |
Wool Sweater is a 1-year-old Chihuahua mix with plenty of personality packed into a tiny frame. He came to the shelter as a stray and can be a little cautious at first, but once he trusts you, he turns into a sweet little lap dog. He’s looking for a patient home that will let him warm up at his own pace. If you’ve got another dog, the shelter can arrange a meet-and-greet. If Wool Sweater sounds like your kind of guy, stop by the Peninsula Regional Animal Shelter, 5843 Jefferson Avenue in Newport News, and ask to meet him. Just know he may judge your outfit before deciding you’re his person. 🐶 |
💡 Answer to Trivia Question: B. About 20% |
😊Thanks! |
Thanks for reading The Newport Newser today. If you found something useful, please share it with someone who has a set of fancy dishes nobody is allowed to eat off of.
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