A Chesapeake Planning Commission member filed a lawsuit against City Council this week in which he alleged the governing body repeatedly violated the law by not turning over documents he requested through the Freedom of Information Act.

Commission Member Levin Turner said the requested documents were circulated during an Oct. 25 closed door City Council session by Councilmember Debbie Ritter in an effort to prevent him from getting seated on the commission. Turner, who unsuccessfully ran for council in 2018, was appointed to the commission following that meeting anyway, despite the reservations expressed by Ritter.

Read more in the Sunday Main News section

n the wake of the Jan. 6 shooting, much has been said about the heightened discipline problems that Newport News schools have experienced in the last several years, and lack of administrative support in dealing with disruptive and dangerous student behaviors.

But special education experts across the state say it is also important to note that the school division likely failed in providing the 6-year-old student the supports and services he needed.

An attorney for the child’s family said earlier this month that the boy has “an acute disability,” and that, as part of a specialized “care plan,” his parents had been attending school with him every day up until the week of the shooting.

Many special education experts have called the accommodation a “red flag,” saying it indicates there were significant behavior concerns that likely called for additional supports. They also say the student’s family statement raises multiple questions about what the school division was doing to support the child.

Read more in the Sunday Main News section

A gleaming, hand-painted bronze sign reading “Veni Vidi Vici” hangs above a wall of stained paint cans, dividing a vast work floor from a second-story mezzanine.

The work floor is 100 feet by 100 and contains band saws, table saws and steel saws, and piles of burned-out theater lights. Elvis once sang to Norfolk sailors here.

The old stage is gone. The work floor is overlooked by the original wooden, stadium-style seats in the wraparound mezzanine, seats that now stay folded, collecting dust.

The room that was once the Norfolk Municipal Auditorium, built in the 1940s as Norfolk’s largest entertainment venue, is now where the Virginia Opera builds its sets.

The place is a piece of Norfolk history where, now, the sights and scenes of fictional stories are brought to life for present-day audiences.

Read more in the Sunday Break section

Mitch Peters found a way to bring a little bit of home to Virginia Beach.

The Michigander and wife Cathy opened Virginia’s first Biggby Coffee, founded in Michigan, at 2422 Princess Anne Road on Jan. 10. The chain has more than 300 locations in 13 states, mostly in the Midwest.

Peters knew the brand well and enjoyed the coffeehouse when he visited relatives. Founded in 1995 as Beaner’s Coffee, the chain was rebranded to reflect the big letter “B” in its signage — and the way that regulars referred to it.

Read more in the Sunday Work & Money section

Smiley Faulks was on the bench when the Bethel High boys basketball team opened the season Nov. 29.

But two minutes into the game, Faulks jogged to the scorer’s table to check in.

“When he went in, people stood up and started screaming,” Bethel coach Craig Brehon remembered recently. “They were just overjoyed to see him out there again. You could feel the energy from the crowd.”

Faulks is back on the court regularly this season, returning to the lineup nearly a year after a horrifying fall that led to a diagnosis of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. He never stopped smiling, but for months Faulks, his family and team weren’t sure he’d ever play basketball again.

“The gym got quiet, you could hear a pin drop it was so quiet,” Faulks’ teammate, Brandon Croslin, said of that season opener. “Then, when he ran onto the court, it was a standing ovation. Everybody was so happy, the players, the other team, everybody. It was like, ‘Smiley was back.’ It was amazing.”

Read more in the Sunday Sports section

Note To Readers:  A reminder that Parade magazine is now only found along with your e-edition of either The Virginian-Pilot or Daily Press each Sunday morning.  Print copies of Parade magazine ceased after the November 13th issue.

Tracee Ellis Ross