12 The Hampton Roads Messenger


Volume 8 Number 11 Around Hampton Roads Chesapeake Poet Nominated


for Poet of the Year Award winning poet, educator, and Chesapeake resident Synnika Lofton gets a nomination for Poet of the Year at The National Poetry Awards. After a preliminary round of voting, Lofton is one of four finalists. The final phase of voting has started and will end on July 20, 2014. Lofton is a highly public performance poet and the owner of Guerrilla Ignition—an independent recording and publishing company in Hampton Roads. He’s also an educator at Chesapeake Bay Academy.


The National Poetry Awards, founded by Troy Lewis, acknowledges the accomplishments of poets, writers, and community organizers throughout the United States. This year’s awards ceremony is being held in Norfolk Va., August 29-31. The inauguration speaker is author Ilyasah Shabazz, the daughter of the late Civil Rights activist


Malcolm X. For more information or to cast your vote, log onto: www. thenationalpoetryawards.com


Hampton City Mayor Proclaims Special Day for Bryant &


Cooling Assistance Applications Accepted Until


August 15 in Norfolk Cooling Assistance helps with the purchase or repair of cooling equipment and/or the payment for electricity to operate it. Apply online, by phone 664- 6035 or in person at any Norfolk Human Services location.


Qualified residents must be responsible for cooling expenses with a monthly gross income that meets eligibility criteria. For example, gross income must be at or below $1,265 for a single-person household and may not exceed $2,584 for a family of four. Households must include one child under age six, a disabled individual, or a vulnerable adult who is age 60 or over.


Apply online at www.commonhelp.virginia.gov


Portsmouth Economic Development Authority


Stratton College HAMPTON, VA – The Hampton Campus of Bryant & Stratton College will celebrate its 160th anniversary and receive a special proclamation from the Hampton City Mayor on Wednesday, July 16th at 1pm on its campus located within the Peninsula Town Center at 5030 Kilgore Avenue.


Mayor George E. Wallace will be on hand to honor the College by proclaiming the day as “Bryant & Stratton College Day” throughout the city of Hampton. “We are extremely excited to receive this prestigious honor from Mayor Wallace”, says Chris Sawyer, Hampton Campus Director, “and we remain committed to providing the residents of Hampton a premier source for top notch education and career training”.


The Bryant & Stratton College Hampton Campus is the only college located in the Peninsula Town Center. It is also one of only three colleges & universities in the entire city of Hampton.


Bryant & Stratton College is a private career college delivering outcomes based education and training through a flexible, contemporary curriculum in a personalized environment. The College is regionally accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, which is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, and has locations in New York, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin, as well as an Online Education division, and a Professional Skill Center. For 160 years, Bryant & Stratton College has been providing real world education leading to bachelor’s degrees, associate’s degrees and professional certificates in the fields of healthcare, technology, legal, business, & graphic design. Its Virginia campuses together enroll more than 4,000 students per year in a flexible variety of day, evening and online offerings.


Free Dog Waste Stations in


Newport News In an effort to reduce the amount of bacteria entering our local streams and waterways, the City of Newport News is offering free pet waste stations to neighborhoods and communities.


The pet waste station includes a sign, post, plastic bag dispenser and waste can. The City provides the station and any neighborhood, community group, or property management company with the ability to install and maintain the pet station, can apply to receive one or more.


“This is a great partnering opportunity between the City and homeowners associations and community groups,” says Allison Watts, an Environmental Specialist for the City’s Department of Engineering. “We also see this as an important educational element in the City’s overall environmental sustainability plan. We all need to understand that as a community, we do things that negatively impact our environment, but this is one thing we can do to better our environment.”


Interested organizations, clubs and groups are invited to complete an online application for the free pet waste stations through www.askhrgreen.org, a regional environmental program in which the City participates through the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission. askHRGREEN.org is known throughout Hampton Roads for its “Scoop the Poop” campaign. “The campaign was intended to drive home the message to pet owners to clean up after their pets. The addition of the pet waste station to the campaign takes us to the next level where we physically work together for a common goal,” says Watts.


Apply today at www.askhrgreen.org


EFFORTS TO INTENTIONALLY SABOTAGE THE PRINTING, DISTRIBUTION OR REPUTATION OF THIS PUBLICATION IS A VIOLATION OF THE US CONSTITUTION’S PROTECTION OF FREEDOM OF THE PRESS AND MAY CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF ANTITRUST LAWS. IF YOU KNOW OF ANYONE PARTICIPATING IN SUCH ACTIONS, PLEASE REPORT IT TO THE US JUSTICE DEPARTMENT.


July 2014


Focuses on New Objectives The Economic Development Authority (EDA) of the City of Portsmouth held a retreat in May and engaged in a robust discussion about the Authority’s vision, strategic direction and priorities.


The two-day retreat yielded a review of the Authority’s purpose, new ideas and action items.


The Authority discussed its role as an advocate on behalf of Portsmouth; a liaison and conduit among City Council, City Departments and citizens; an agent for buying and selling property; and a body for issuing development bonds, among other roles and abilities defined in the Authority’s charter.


The meeting generated several innovative ideas, starting with a focus on the High Street corridor between the waterfront and Frederick Boulevard as a long-term project, inventive entrepreneur development through a business incubator, a waterfront beautification project using lighting under the seawall, and various projects that highlight and promote the City’s history and historical assets.


The EDA will hold its annual meeting on Tuesday, July 15 at 8:00 AM in the Portsmouth Partnership Briefing Center at 200 High Street Suite 201.


Suffolk’s Get Up and Get Out Program Continues


this Summer SUFFOLK, VA -- Suffolk Parks & Recreation will be offering another session of the “Get Up and Get Out” program in late July. This six week, three day per week program of nutrition and physical activity guidance is designed to teach children, ages 6 to 17, and their families the benefits of making healthy choices. The next program begins July 21, 2014 and runs through August 28, 2014.


Each participant will receive a free one year membership to the East Suffolk Recreation Center. Participants 16 and over will receive an additional free one year Fitness Center membership. Participants will learn how to cook nutritious meals, make healthy eating choices and proper exercise techniques.


Classes meet Mondays, 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., for nutrition counseling and Tuesdays and Thursdays, 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., for physical activity at the East Suffolk Recreation Center, 138 South 6th Street. This program is free and open to the public. Registration is required.


For information regarding “Get Up and Get Out”, contact Michael Frickanisce at (757) 514-4504, (757) 514-4500, or mfrickanisce@suffolkva.us.


Beat the Heat with the Virginia Beach Emergency Home


Repair Program Summer has officially started. For households without air conditioning, high temperatures are uncomfortable and possibly dangerous. This is especially true for residents most at risk of heat-related illnesses, such as those with heart conditions, asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The Department of Housing and Neighborhood Preservation may be able to provide air conditioning to eligible Virginia Beach homeowners during the season through its Emergency Home Repair Program.


For information on part-time and full-time career opportunities, call: 757-575-1863


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