| On a weekday morning in December, Eric Hilton reached down to a table covered in piscine paraphernalia: fish skeletons, piles of fish bones, colorfully dyed fish sitting in small, clear tubs of liquid. He picked up a jar of floating tiny fish, preserved for posterity. âThere are probably at least 500 fish individuals in this jar. As you can see, theyâre much easier to keep than those 500,â he said with a grin, gesturing to the rest of the room. Rows and rows of jars in storage bays stretch nearly from floor to ceiling. Each jar contains at least one dead fish waiting for the day itâll interest somebody, somewhere in the world. This nondescript building on the Virginia Institute of Marine Scienceâs Gloucester Point campus is home to at least half a million fish. They comprise the Nunnally Ichthyology Collection, known more affectionately to its caretakers as the dead fish library. âWe really function like a library,â said Sarah Huber, curatorial associate and collection manager. âBut with dead fish.â Â Read more in this Sunday's Main News section The pandemic continued to envelop us, but vaccines provided some encouragement. So did the ability to attend a football game and cheer on our favorite team. Go to the beach. And celebrate, publicly, together. The year gave the region moments to reflect, smile, mourn, and be grateful. Hereâs a look back at an eventful year with a selection of photos by photographers from The Virginian-Pilot and the Daily Press. Read more in the Sunday Break section Everybody referred to the late Ronaldo âRohnâ Sitjar as Superman, his mother said. Like the superhero, Sitjar possessed a heart of gold, mom Yoni Austria said. The well-known and respected restaurateur died Oct. 3 after a valiant fight with COVID-19. The 50-year-old father of two and grandfather of three was Austriaâs only son. âEverybody loved him,â Austria said, noting prayers and tributes continue to pour in from around the world. âSince he was a little boy, he was a good kid who never gave me any problems.â Sitjar emigrated from the Philippines in 1976 with his mother, stepfather and sister when he was 4 years old. He graduated from Green Run High School in Virginia Beach in 1989 and attended Virginia Wesleyan University. He built his livelihood from a love of cooking, learned from his mother. He had catered for his church and with a blend of encouragement and faith, Sitjar decided to become a business owner. He opened his first restaurant, 757 Crave, in 2008. Read more in the Sunday Work & Money section
2021 Abe Goldblatt All-Tidewater Player of the Year: Kevon King
The 2021 high school football season will be remembered for many things, including amazing quarterbacks, as Oscar Smithâs Ethan Vasko, Green Runâs Xavier Davis and Mauryâs Saquan Miles all had remarkable seasons. But there was one player who stood out above the rest in the postseason: Oscar Smith running back Kevon King. The 6-foot, 200-pounder rambled his way to nearly 700 yards and 10 touchdowns during the playoffs. And who could forget his dominating performance in the Class 6 state championship game, when he rushed for 290 yards and three touchdowns to lead Oscar Smith over Madison for the title? And he did it with a dislocated finger that he suffered in the first series of the game.
Read more in the Sunday Sports section
 Meet the 2021 All-Tidewater Football team Read more in the Sunday Sports section
Anthony Anderson Parade Picks - Declutter Like You Mean It What America Eats - Michael Symon's Easy Eggs and Crispy Rice
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