Mold Remediation in Hampton, VA

Virginia is continuing its fight against invasive blue catfish by boosting the fishery and making it easier to put blue cat into markets and restaurants.

The state has awarded a second $247,000 grant in an effort to control the Chesapeake Bay’s blue catfish population.

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin recently announced that L. D. Amory Company Inc. (Amory Seafood) of Hampton, Virginia, has been awarded the grant through the governor’s Blue Catfish Processing, Flash Freezing, and Infrastructure Grant Program.

“This reimbursable grant will support the implementation of a modern quick freezer and essential packing equipment that will allow Amory Seafood to increase processing capacity in its Hampton facility,” the governor’s office said.

“Once the expansion and modernization project is complete, Amory Seafood will purchase more blue catfish from local watermen, which supports economic growth and helps to remove the invasive species from Virginia waters,” it stated.

“I congratulate Amory Seafood on this expansion, as this project helps to increase processing capacity of the invasive blue catfish, provide additional market opportunities for Virginia watermen, and boost the Commonwealth’s seafood industry’s economic impact which was over $1.1 billion in 2019,” said Governor Youngkin.

The governor’s blue catfish grant program was established during the 2023 General Assembly session to address the overpopulation of the invasive blue catfish in the Chesapeake Bay. It is part of a larger baywide effort to combat a species wreaking havoc on Virginia’s ecosystems by incentivizing local waterman to catch and sell an abundant, inexpensive fish for consumer consumption. The state of Maryland was awarded $4.5 million in federal funds in March 2024 to work towards bringing the catfish population under control in state waters.

Blue cats are native to the Mississippi, Ohio, Missouri and Rio Grande river basins. During the 1970s and ’80s blue catfish were introduced by the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources to the James, Rappahannock and York river basins. The fish were introduced near Virginia’s fall line in fresh water for recreational fishing but soon adapted to the bay’s brackish and saltwater.

Virginia catfish quickly spread throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed into nearly every major tributary and are now being seen in North Carolina waters too. Blue catfish eat shad, herring, striped bass, menhaden, clams, muskrats, ducks and blue crabs and there is concern that the large catfish population are having a detrimental impact on the populations of these species.

Located in the City of Hampton, Amory Seafood is a fourth generation seafood company that has been harvesting, processing, shipping, and distributing seafood across the East Coast and North-Central United States for over 100 years. For the past ten years, the firm has been processing wild-caught blue catfish and is a certified USDA-approved catfish processor.

“On behalf of everyone at Amory Seafood, I thank Governor Youngkin, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the city of Hampton for this grant funding,” said Amory Seafood CEO Meade Amory.

“Once complete, this expansion will enhance our processing capacity, and improve quality and marketability of our products,” he said. “We will also be in a better position to support local watermen and reduce the number of invasive blue catfish which helps to protect native Chesapeake Bay species.”

Del. Keith Hodges of the 98th District of Virginia’s House of Delegates and who spearheaded the state’s blue catfish grant program said, “We estimate that the current blue catfish population is eating a million tons of peanut (small) menhaden annually and we have got to find ways to keep the catfish population under control.

“The two grants that have been issued will help prop up the processing end, but I’m hopeful that the next grant will go to Virginia watermen for purchasing and upgrading gear and other infrastructure to expand their end of the fishery. If funds can be directed to watermen it would encourage more watermen to get into the fishery,” said Hodges.

The first Virginia grant was awarded in 2023 to Sea Farms Inc. in Gloucester County, Va. The grant funds were used by the firm to purchase a blast freezing system to expand the firm’s freezer capacity for storage of large quantities of catfish fillets.

Tags: blue catfish, Hampton, invasive, Virginia, Youngkin

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There are plenty of spots to see Christmas lights this year across Hampton Roads. Here's our guide!

NORFOLK, Va. — The holidays are here, and that means it's time to see the region's most spectacular light displays!

People and organizations across the region are setting up their displays, some for the very first time and others as part of a long-standing tradition.

Some events are free to all, but some have costs associated with them. The best place to see all of the details will be on their websites, which will be linked.

If there's a major lights display we missed, let us know by sending an email to via the "Contact Us" page on our website.

Chesapeake

Christmas in the Country

The Triple R Ranch returns with Christmas in the Country from November 29 to December 21! It's free to drive through, but if you want to participate in the dine-in buffet (December 13-14 and December 20-21) or the Italian Night (December 6) it costs $30 for adults and $12 for kids 3-12.

But if you don't want a full meal, every Friday and Saturday, you can get drive-thru snacks as well! There's even a hayride for those inclined.

Hampton

Holiday Wonder Walk

The Wonder Walk has shrunk down to just five nights this year, from December 20 to Christmas Day on the 25th, but each night will feature food and drink vendors, several crafters and a few special surprises. There's free parking at marked areas of the Coliseum and at the Hampton Roads Convention Center, so you can take a stroll along the water and take in the dazzling light displays.

The length of the walk is just one mile and back.

Norfolk

Norfolk Botanical Garden's Garden of Lights

Immerse yourself among 1.5 million lights along the walk in Norfolk Botanical Garden from November 8 through January 5! There are food vendors, a tram that can drive you along the path if you wish, and you can even bring your dog along for free on Sundays if you're a Garden member.

Ticket pricing depends on the day but there's a calendar on the website to assist you with your planning. And if you're a Garden member, you might be able to get a discount on your ticket.

13News Now is a proud sponsor of this event.

Winterfest on the Wisconsin

With more than one million lights, live entertainment, dining and shopping and a dose of history, Winterfest on the Wisconsin is bigger than ever before this year. Hosted on the Battleship Wisconsin and in the Marina, the one-of-a-kind celebration offers discounts for members of the military and offers value night and premium night pricing.

The first day of Winterfest was November 15, but there are plenty of nights still available. Check out their website to plan out when you'll climb aboard.

Newport News

Celebration in Lights

For the 32nd season, the Celebration in Lights returns for drive-through holiday fun! Drive along two miles of Newport News Park and light displays every day from Thanksgiving Day to New Year's Day, 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.

That link also will show you a few more events in Newport News, including an ARTech Lights display beginning December 7 at the Downing-Gross Cultural Arts Center, and the Holiday Frost Con on December 13 that "combines the magic of the holidays with the excitement of anime," among others.

Suffolk

Festival of Lights at Sleepy Hole Park

Suffolk Parks & Recreation is hosting the fifth annual Festival of Lights at Sleepy Hole Park! You can drive through beginning the day after Thanksgiving and will be open Thursday through Sunday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Here are the all the days the free event is open:

Virginia Beach

Lights at the Beach

Experience jumping fish, musical crabs, lively elves and joyous penguins dancing against the backdrop of the moonlit Atlantic Ocean, all from the seat of your car.

Tickets can be found on Ticketmaster and are nonrefundable, but available each day until December 31. There's also a Holiday Light First Night Hike on January 1 from 5:30 p.m.-8 p.m.

Williamsburg

Busch Gardens Christmas Town

Christmas Town returns!

Busch Gardens in Williamsburg is once again transforming the park into one of the largest Christmas displays in not just Virginia, but in all of North America.

Parkgoers can check out the Christmas Town on select dates from November 15 through January 5.

Neighborhood Lights

One local real estate agent has returned with his 8th annual holiday map that highlights the best local light displays across Hampton Roads.

Sam Sansalone was interviewed by 13News Now last year about why he continues this passion project.

The Wainwright real estate agent said the project gives him something to work on that’s not ingrained in his job.

“I love to give and I wanted to find things that hadn’t been done before that people could actually use,” Sansalone said.

Each pin on his map is color-coded. If you see a blue pin, that means the lights are "very nice" and returning this year. Green pins mean the house is a "must-see." Yellow pins even mean there are minions from the movie "Despicable Me!" Orange pins are submitted by the community.

Red pins mean the home hasn't confirmed decorations for this year.

Eastbound and westbound traffic on I-64 to shift toward the median between Armistead Avenue and Rip Rap Road as early as Sept. 29

Hampton Roads District

HAMPTON — Starting as early as Sunday, Sept. 29, motorists on I-64 in Hampton will encounter a new traffic pattern between Armistead Avenue/LaSalle Avenue (exit 265A/B) and Rip Rap Road (exit 265C) as construction of the Hampton Roads Express Lanes (HREL) Hampton Segment continues.

As part of this long-term traffic configuration, traffic will be shifted toward the median from the outside lanes to the inside lanes on I-64 east as early as Sunday, Sept. 29, and on I-64 west as early as Monday, Sept. 30, to allow for continuing roadway work, drainage improvements, barrier setting, and noise barrier construction. The shift is estimated to be in place until summer 2025.

To complete the traffic shifts, the I-64 east off-ramp to Rip Rap Road (exit 265C) and the I-64 west off-ramp to Armistead Avenue/LaSalle Avenue (exit 265B) will be closed nightly Sept. 29-Oct. 3, from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. with signed detours in place.

Motorists are encouraged to use I-664 as an alternate route to avoid the work area when possible and are reminded to use caution when traveling near work zones, obey posted speed limits, follow lane markings and barrier guides, be alert to digital message signs and drive distraction-free.

Before hitting the road, consider using VDOT's free 511 Virginia traffic tools, or the free 511-integrated Waze GPS app, to check for the most up-to-date road and travel conditions. VDOT’s 511Virginia.org website and mobile app offer information about construction, traffic, incidents, and congestion, as well as access to traffic cameras, weather-related impacts and more.

This work is part of the HREL Hampton Segment that includes converting the three existing east- and westbound general purpose lanes on I-64 into one Express Lane, one part-time Express Lane, and two general purpose lanes in each direction. The project will widen I-64, repave the existing lanes, and add an additional 12-foot-wide travel lane in each direction from west of Mallory Street (exit 268) to LaSalle Avenue (exit 265A) for a total of 2 miles. This section of the interstate includes work on six mainline bridges and one pedestrian underpass. The two eastbound bridges over the Hampton River will be replaced while the westbound Hampton River bridge will be widened and rehabilitated.

The HREL Hampton Segment will ultimately become a part of an overall continuous 45-mile high-occupancy toll Express Lanes network on I-64, from west of Denbigh Boulevard in Newport News to the I-264/I-664 Bowers Hill interchange in Chesapeake. As traffic demand continues to increase in the region, incorporating the Express Lanes dynamic tolling model, together with other interstate improvements, provides an additional approach to managing congestion in the long term and providing more travel choices and a reliable travel network for Hampton Roads motorists. For more information on the Hampton Roads Express Lanes projects and to learn more about construction updates, traffic impacts and to sign up to receive project updates, visit 64expresslanes.org.

Photo caption: Map showing detour for off-ramp from I-64 east to Rip Rap Road

Photo caption: Map showing detour for off-ramp from I-64 west to Armistead Avenue/LaSalle Avenue.

hamptonroadspublicinfo@vdot.virginia.gov

757-956-3033