The quintessential Paul Trible moment for 26 years at Christopher Newport University is not about new buildings rising or endowment ballooning or graduation rates soaring. It looks like this: âIâve seen him so many times, when an old student is visiting, walk up, call them by name, shake hands, ask them how they are doing;â said Jay Paul, director of CNUâs distinctive Honors Program. CNUâs recent commencements have distinct Trible style, too. Instead of the usual long speeches and parade of students getting a diploma and a quick handshake, the last two featured a three-minute Trible speech to students and families -- âprobably my shortestâ -- before sending them on a ceremonial tour, to ring the same bell tower chimes the students rang as freshmen and having families to deposit at the alumni center, where the plan is to open them at the graduatesâ 50th reunion. Read more in the Sunday Main News section 
More than two years have passed since the start of the pandemic, but the region is still feeling its effects on the workforce, particularly in the tourism industry. While some workers who were sent home or opted not to work during the height of the crisis have returned to work, there are more jobs available at hotels, restaurants and tourist attractions this season than employees to fill them. Those businesses are expecting to struggle to provide top-notch customer service this summer because theyâre short-staffed and, in the Outer Banks, in dire need of workforce housing. As challenging as it may seem, the situation is better than last summer. Thatâs because wages have increased, international workers are returning and employers are offering incentives. Read more in the Sunday Main News section The legal effort in Virginia Beach to get two school library books ruled obscene may be a longshot â in part because, a pair of local legal experts say, such a legal conclusion is quite rare. In Virginia Beach Circuit Court, Judge Pamela Baskervill, found probable cause that âGender Queer: A Memoirâ by Maia Kobabe and âA Court of Mist and Furyâ by Sarah J. Maas are âobscene for unrestricted viewing by minors.â But what exactly is âobscene?â Virginia law says itâs any item containing sex as a dominant theme âwhich, taken as a whole, does not have serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value.â This can be anything from books to photos to sound recordings. Virginia Beach lawyer Kevin Martingayle said the circuit courtâs decision is going to be a âtough callâ and the context of each book as a whole will play a part in the decision. Read more in the Sunday Main News section Imagine early settlers nearing the shores of Virginia and seeing those oblong, greenish-gray shells jutting from the water. Oysters would become an important food source and building material for them, especially in Jamestown. Oysters are still significant: They help clean the Chesapeake Bay, with each adult oyster filtering about 50 gallons of water a day. Virginia is the largest producer of hatchery-based farmed oysters on the East Coast; local markets cultivate and sell nearly 40 million oysters each year, according to the Virginia Institute of Marine Science at Gloucester Point. Read more in the Sunday Break section
When Symone Harcum was 7, she went to stay with her grandparents in Texas for the summer. She still isnât sure why but her grandmother, who was not a theater-goer, took her to audition for a summer theater program in Houston. Her grandmother was determined that Harcum be allowed to try out even after being told that she was too young. But she auditioned and was cast as narrator for âThe Velveteen Rabbit.â That led to her working with the Ensemble Theatre for 10 years and her now-promising career in opera. Harcum, a Norfolk State University alum, recently finished her role with the Virginia Opera as Countess Almaviva in Mozartâs âThe Marriage of Figaroâ and she is a 2019-20 graduate of its Herndon Foundation Emerging Artists program. In the fall of 2020 she was a finalist in the New York-based Tri-Cities Opera competition and the New York International Opera and Premiere Opera Vocal competition. And she earned first place in the 2021 Opera Ithaca competition.
Read more in the Sunday Break section
A new apartment complex and hotel representing $100 million of investment in the Central Business District of Virginia Beach recently opened for residents and travelers. In April, The Constitution Apartments and Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott officially opened side-by-side along Thalia Creek at the intersection of Bonney Road and Constitution Drive near Town Center. Virginia Beach developer Ripley Heatwole Co. worked with Landmark Hotel Group to come up with the vision for the properties that aligned with development in the district. The deal started with a handshake agreement between Daniel Heatwole, Ripley senior vice president, and Landmark President Akhil Jain. The project moved forward through the pandemic despite challenges finding materials and workers. Two years later, the $85 million apartment complex was fully preleased before Clancy & Theys Construction Co. in Newport News finished construction of its 219 one-, two- and three-bedroom units, Heatwole said. Rent ranges from $1,700 to $3,000 per month. Read more in the Sunday Work & Money section
Attention Readers: Parade Magazine will not publish Sunday, May 29th. For a sneek preview of the next issue:
Dog Days with Melissa McCarthy Parade Picks - Summer by the Numbers What America Eats - Crunchy, Colorful Chicken Salad | 
