That ending the agricultural reserve program was proposed at all — then argued with questionable logic — shows a troubling division between Virginia Beach government and the rural communities it takes for granted. THE INDEPENDENT NEWS PUNGO — Two years ago, following his appointment as… Continue Reading
BY SCOTT MORRIS PLEASANT RIDGE — I am a 12th-generation farmer of land in the Pungo area, and I would like for my son to have the option of being the 13th. We sat at the Virginia Beach Excellence in Agriculture… Continue Reading
Dear Editor: Virginia Beach City Manager Dave Hansen believes that the agricultural reserve program, or ARP, is no longer needed. That statement in itself should set off flares. Remember that City Councilmember Barbara Henley, who represents the Princess Anne District,… Continue Reading
The author, the former Comprehensive Planning Coordinator in Virginia Beach, argues that preserving the Virginia Beach Agricultural Reserve Program within the proposed operating budget and capital improvement plan is consistent with the city’s Comprehensive Plan. BY JERYL ROSE PHILLIPS VIRGINIA… Continue Reading
Dear Editor: I grew up in Pungo at Vaughan Farms, and I now live in Massachusetts. It baffles me that here in Massachusetts, where people think “city,” municipalities actively seek to purchase open land and green space from citizens to… Continue Reading
BY BARBARA HENLEY VIRGINIA BEACH — We’ve come to take our agricultural reserve program for granted. Time has passed and there has been a lot of turnover of people, so the value of it is not fully understood. Our ARP was… Continue Reading
BY JOHN-HENRY DOUCETTE COURTHOUSE – Virginia Beach City Manager Dave Hansen wants to end the agricultural reserve program, which buys development rights so farmers can continue to work their land, and put that money toward flooding. The ARP, as it… Continue Reading
BY JANE BLOODWORTH ROWE RED MILL — When Emma Dizon was a child, she and her family pushed a metal shopping cart, loaded with food her father prepared in their Queens home, down the New York City sidewalks to a nearby… Continue Reading
THE INDEPENDENT NEWS COURTHOUSE – A sergeant in charge of a decorated community policing unit and an officer who worked a case last year that took drugs and a weapon off the street were honored as the supervisor and officer… Continue Reading
BY KENDRA LOUKA PUNGO — Valentine’s Day surely rerouted the planned paths for some people. Only two years ago, the U.S Census Bureau reported $2.6 billion in jewelry merchandise sales in February. Such as engagement rings. Valentine’s Day is a marked… Continue Reading