The “nation’s doctor” is on a campaign to combat what he calls an epidemic of loneliness and isolation taking its toll on roughly half the people in the United States. His call to action to “mend the social fabric of our nation” deserves broad support, from government, professionals and institutions — and from each of us.

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy, whose job is to give Americans the best scientific information about improving health and reducing the risk of illness, started warning about the dangers of loneliness before COVID hit. Now, he says, the crisis is more urgent.

Americans are used to surgeon generals using their bully pulpit to lead the fight against such scourges as smoking, drug addiction and obesity. One of Murthy’s goals is to convince us that loneliness is also a serious threat to physical health and can even cause premature death.  Research tells us that loneliness can cause or worsen cardiovascular disease, dementia, stroke, depression and anxiety. The effect of loneliness on a person can be as harmful as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. It can be worse than obesity and lack of exercise.

That’s not to downplay the devastating effects of loneliness on emotional and mental health. Murthy makes the case that the prevalent American attitude toward people’s mental or psychological state makes things worse. Too often, such problems are dismissed as a choice or personal flaw. There’s still a stigma attached to seeking help for mental-health problems.

Getting the word out about how widespread and real such problems are, and what serious effects they can have, is an essential part of bringing the epidemic under control.

Why is loneliness such a growing problem? People most likely to struggle with loneliness and isolation are having financial problems, in poor health or living alone. Yet, even though more older people live alone and are somewhat isolated, young adults are more likely to say they feel lonely.

Our technology, the internet and especially social media are major factors. Social media, if used wisely, can help people stay connected to family and friends. Too often, though, the interactions on social media take the place of or interfere with face-to-face relationships. Social media can also make people feel they don’t measure up to what may seem like the perfect lives of others, and it is used to bully people.

Social and other media also contribute and worsen the deep divisions in our society, making people feel more alone and even in fear of people of a different race or ethnicity, or with different sexual orientation or political beliefs.

Before the pandemic, Murthy focused on the workplace, where people spent much of their time and had the bulk of their interactions with others. He called on employers to give workers enough time off to nurture personal lives, and to encourage coworkers to know one another better.

During COVID, new problems developed as many people worked from home. Now, as more employees are being brought back into the office, is an ideal time for reforms.

Murthy’s advisory this spring calls on everyone — families, schools, workplaces, health-care systems, technology companies, governments, churches, communities and each of us — to join in. We need, once and for all, to make it clear that loneliness is a serious problem, that mental health is a part of overall health, and that combating loneliness will require major changes in the ways we think and do things.

Governments should provide funds for research and for developing effective strategies. Planners can develop parks and walkways that make it easier for neighbors to interact. Health-care workers and insurers can do more to screen for loneliness and encourage programs that help people build relationships. Schools, churches and other organizations have a role.

And so do individuals. Each of us should make more effort to put down that phone or walk away from that computer and spend time talking with and listening to friends, family and new acquaintances. The problem is serious, and the need is urgent.

By TASSANEE VEJPONGSA and RON TODT (Associated Press)

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A 40-year-old killed one man in a house before fatally shooting four others on the streets of a Philadelphia neighborhood, then surrendering to police officers after being cornered in an alley with an assault rifle, a pistol, extra magazines, a police scanner and a bulletproof vest, police said.

A 2-year-old boy and a 13-year-old were also wounded in the Monday night violence that made the working-class area of Kingsessing the site of the nation’s worst violence around the July Fourth holiday.

Police called to the scene found gunshot victims and started to help them before hearing more shots. Some officers rushed victims to hospitals while others ran toward the gunfire and chased the firing suspect. Officers ultimately arrested the assailant in an alley, Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said at a news conference. The shooter had no connection to the victims before the shooting, she said.

“On what was supposed to be a beautiful summer evening, this armed and armored individual wreaked havoc, firing with a rifle at their victims seemingly at random,” she said Tuesday afternoon.

Staff Inspector Ernest Ransom, the homicide unit commander, said witness interviews and video indicated that the suspect went to several locations in a ski mask and body armor, carrying an AR-15-style rifle.

“The suspect then began shooting aimlessly at occupied vehicles and individuals on the street as they walked,” he said. The vehicles included a mother driving her 2-year-old twins home, and one was wounded in the legs and the other hit in the eyes by shattered glass.

Philadelphia police on Tuesday afternoon identified the victims as 20-year-old Lashyd Merritt, 29—year-old Dymir Stanton, 59-year-old Ralph Moralis and 15-year-old Daujan Brown, all pronounced dead shortly after the Monday night gunfire; and 31-year-old Joseph Wamah Jr., who was found in a home early Tuesday, also with multiple bullet wounds.

Investigators believe Wamah was the first victim killed, but he wasn’t found by family members until hours later, Ransom said.

A 2-year-old boy shot four times in the legs and a 13-year-old shot twice in the legs were in stable condition, as were a 2-year-old boy and a 33-year-old woman injured by shattered glass.

Police said the suspect is believed to have acted alone and there was no reason to believe anyone else was involved. Police and prosecutors said no charges were planned at this point against a second person taken into custody who is believed to have obtained a gun somewhere and fired back at the shooter.

“When you are under fire in a mass shooting, there are rights to protect others and rights to protect yourself,” District Attorney Larry Krasner said.

Authorities asked for patience as they investigate every aspect of the shooting. That investigation, Outlaw said, “includes the ‘why.’”

Krasner said the suspect would face multiple counts of murder, as well as aggravated assault and weapons charges, and was expected to be denied bail.

Outlaw praised the bravery of officers who tended to victims and rushed them to hospitals as others “fearlessly ran toward the sounds of gunfire,” and captured the suspect.

“Their swift actions undoubtedly saved additional lives,” she said.

At a holiday weekend block party in Baltimore, about 90 miles (145 kilometers) to the southwest of Philadelphia, two people were killed and 28 others were wounded in a shooting. More than half of the victims were 18 or younger, officials said.

About four hours after the Philadelphia shooting, gunfire at a neighborhood festival in Fort Worth, Texas, killed three people and wounded eight.

Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney renewed his oft-repeated call to “do something about America’s gun problem.”

“A person walking down the city street with an AR-style rifle and shooting randomly at people while wearing a bulletproof vest with multiple magazines is a disgraceful but all-too-common situation in America,” Kenney said. “I was today at Independence Hall where they wrote that Constitution, and the 2nd Amendment was never intended to protect this.”

Krasner said that the morning after the shooting, he saw “completely empty streets” in the traumatized neighborhood on an otherwise beautiful morning.

“I saw every porch empty. I saw every door closed. I saw every curtain where there was a curtain pulled. I saw no kids playing,” he said, describing a bicycle left on a corner, apparently untouched for 12 or more hours, “as if everybody understood what happened here was so horrible that for right now this is a desert, and for right now everything that we associate with celebrating Fourth of July is off.”

Tim Eads said that on Monday night he heard fireworks, then gunshots, and saw police cars “flying by.” His wife was on the second floor “looking out the bay window and saw the shooter actually coming down this street here behind me.”

Eads saw the other man with a pistol who, he said, may have been firing at the shooter.

“He was using my car as a shield shooting out into the street,” Eads said.

A resident named Roger who declined to give his last name said he and his family were eating in the living room at about 8:30 p.m. when they heard eight to 10 gunshots.

“Everybody thought it was fireworks but … been around here about three years so I heard it enough,” he said. “I looked out the window and seen a bunch of people running.”

He said he heard about four more shots and “thought it was the end of it.” Ten minutes later, he said, police came “flying down here,” and about five minutes later he heard rapid gunfire open up right outside the house.

The Philadelphia violence was the country’s 29th mass killing in 2023, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University, the highest on record by this time in the year.

The number of people killed in such events is also the highest by this time in the year.

There have been more than 550 mass killings since 2006, according to the database, in which at least 2,900 people have died and at least 2,000 people have been hurt.

Fathers and sons traded stories and jokes among the crowd lining the streets for the annual South Norfolk Fourth of July parade.

But Gulf War veteran Carl Dozier’s son would not be joining him for the procession Tuesday.

“Independence Day is based on the blood of the patriots who came before,” Dozier, 76, said while wearing a wristband on his left arm featuring his son’s portrait and killed-in-action date.

In January 2008, Jonathan Kilian Dozier, was 30 when he was one of six men killed by an IED hidden within a house during fighting in Sinsil, Iraq. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Johnathan joined a family tradition of military service when he joined Army in 1997, according to his father.

Carl Dozier’s father, Wilbur “Red” Dozier, fought in World War II and Carl’s grandson, Jacob, is in the Coast Guard. Before he was killed, Jonathan was part of the same VFW Post as his father — 2894 — on Battlefield Boulevard in Chesapeake. The post now bears his name and Carl Dozier was wearing his veteran’s cap and red, white and blue button-up featuring a picture of the Constitution Tuesday.

“Have we ever been perfect? No. but we constantly move to be that more perfect union,” Dozier said.

Other veterans at the parade agreed.

William Brown, a 68-year-old Army veteran from Norview, followed his older brother Melvin into the military a year after his brother enlisted in 1973. He went on to serve until 1981 when he was medically discharged after carbon monoxide poisoning left him unable to walk. He’s learned to live with his disability, and Tuesday, with the sun shining down, had no complaints

“I still go on with life,” said Brown, with Disabled American Veterans Chapter 26.

He said there are bad current events bringing down Americans today, but we are still able to find the positives and keep building.

“The United States is a wonderful country, it’s a beautiful country,” Brown said. “It’s a country to serve.”

Fellow area native Charlie Hackman served between 1963 and 1967 and was a B-52 tail turret gunner. Later, he and his wife Dorothy, who grew up in South Norfolk, would found the company now known as Hackworth Graphics which is nearing its 50th year. Hackman said there are many people from all around who come to the South Norfolk community for the parade that celebrates the country’s freedom and work toward a better tomorrow.

“We may have a lot of problems during the year,” he said. But “it all comes together. There’s a lot of love, lot of fellowship, lot of remembrances.”

After the parade, Carl Dozier could be found flanked by friends, family and fellow veterans at the cookout at VFW SSG Jonathan K. Dozier Memorial Post 2984. The community gathered in the former fire station’s emergency bays, surrounded by awards the post has received.

To Carl Dozier, his son well articulated the meaning service and patriotism in a letter he sent back home after deploying.

“It’s believing in something greater than yourself,” Dozier said.

When a stock car careens toward a concrete wall at almost 90 mph, the driver has time for only a few words. Paul Lubno went with “this is it” as his Grand Stock car smashed into the Turn 1 wall at Langley Speedway after the throttle stuck in a 2021 race.

“It,” as it turned out, was not serious bodily injury for defending Grand Stock Division champion Lubno, who wisely wore his head-and-neck restraint (HANS) device that night. It’s a good thing, too, because although he admits to “seeing stars” as a fellow driver helped him from his vehicle — and a hook connecting the helmet to a restraint strap snapped off amid the violent collision — Lubno avoided nothing more serious than body bruises.

Instead, “it’ meant the end of his season and championship defense as his car’s body frame was bent worse than any he’d ever seen. Lubno, 57, who owns the most race wins in track history, remained frozen at 127 victories as he and his crew painstakingly repaired and refunded his Monte Carlo while sitting out the rest of the 2021 and ’22 seasons.

He’s back this season and as good as ever. In three races, he owns a victory and two second-place finishes as he sits just two points behind Tim Wilson for the division lead.

Lubno has his sights on division championship No. 8 — a total eclipsed on the 4/10ths-of-a-mile Larry King Law’s Langley Speedway asphalt oval only by the late Shawn Balluzzo’s 11.

“I’ll tell you straight up, I never thought we’d come back and win in our second race,” Lubno said. “That car was wrecked so bad that I didn’t even want to work on it. Even the brake pedal was bent.

“But the crew worked so hard, I had to win it for them. All of their hard work paid off.”

He’s not only referring to the labor it took to get the car back on the track. Lubno felt an issue with the sway bar — a suspension piece that reduces body roll — cost him a checkered flag as he finished second to Wilson in the Grand Stock season opener.

Lubno says the crew — crew chief Glenn Green, owner JR Smith, engine builder Marty Strickland, Phil Foster and Dale Parro — got that fixed before the second race of the season, the first of two twin 20-lappers. He won the pole and the first race, then finished second to Wilson in the second 20.

“I was all over it,” he said of his victory. “I was able to get up on the wheel and run up front from the start, and the car was as good after 40 laps as it was after the first.”

The victory came almost 40 years after the first for Lubno, whose tenure behind the wheel is longer than any other current competitor in the track’s 12 divisions. His first came during Ronald Reagan’s first term in the early 1980s in a 1968 Chevelle sporting dark blue house paint he applied.

Since then, Lubno, a mechanic at NASA for almost 20 years, has won 127 more races. He owns a championship in the erstwhile All-American and Limited Stock divisions along with five in Grand Stock.

Former Late Model driver Roger Brehm, whose business PC Doctor sponsors Lubno’s car — as does Smitty’s Better Burger and Watson Petroleum — thinks Lubno is good enough to challenge Balluzzo’s record 11 championships if he remains behind the wheel.

“Paul has excellent talent, he knows what to do to make a car run faster and he knows how to keep it raceable (during competition) until he’s ready to use it (all-out),” said Brehm, who doubles as Lubno’s spotter. “I think he has a really good shot (at Balluzzo’s record) because he can race for points as well as wins.

“He’s a thinking man who gets out there, analyzes things and does what he needs to get the best out of a car that night. He’s got some smarts.”

Assuming he stays healthy, Lubno should race enough years to challenge Balluzzo’s mark.

“I want to be like Red Farmer,” Lubno said, referring to the 90-year-old NASCAR Hall of Famer who won a heat race on a dirt track in Alabama in September.

But milestones are less of a motivation for Lubno than simply being at the track with his family, wife Melissa Ramey, grandson Brodie and granddaughter Emma Grace among them. His favorite photo came in Victory Lane, after a 2018 win, with four generations of Lubnos: his dad and son (both named Paul) and grandson.

“I love the camaraderie of hanging out with everybody and really love when the family is together at the track,” he said. “Besides, I don’t have anything better to do on Saturday nights.”

Langley Speedway on Saturday

What: Eight stock car races — twin Late Models, twin Virginia Racers, Super Street, Grand Stock, Super Truck, Karts

Where: Larry King Law’s Langley Speedway — 11 Dale Lemonds Lane in Hampton.

When: First race is at 7 p.m.

Tickets: Adults $15, military and seniors $13, kids (6-12) $7

By TASSANEE VEJPONGSA (Associated Press)

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A 40-year-old man with a rifle, a pistol, extra magazines, a police scanner and a bulletproof vest fatally shot four men in a Philadelphia neighborhood and chased and killed a fifth man inside a house, police said.

A 2-year-old boy and a 13-year-old were also wounded in the Monday night violence that made the working-class area of Kingsessing the site of the nation’s worst violence around the July 4 holiday.

The gunman fired at police as they chased him for blocks, police said. When they caught up, he surrendered in an alley, Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said at a news conference. The shooter had no connection to the victims before the shooting, she said.

“Thank God our officers were on the scene and responded as quickly as they did. I can’t even describe the level of bravery and courage that was shown, in addition to the restraint that was shown here,” Outlaw said.

About four hours after the Philadelphia shooting, gunfire rang out at a neighborhood festival in Fort Worth, Texas, leaving three people dead and eight hurt.

At a holiday weekend block party in Baltimore, about 90 miles (145 kilometers) to the southwest of Philadelphia, two people were killed and 28 others were wounded in a shooting. More than half of the victims were minors, officials said.

In Philadelphia, officers were flagged down at about 8:30 p.m. Monday. Multiple calls reporting shots fired also came from Kingsessing. Police found some victims and heard more shots as they were helping them, Outlaw said. Police told Fox 29 that a fifth victim had been chased into his home and shot to death. Bullet casings were found outside the home.

A second person was also taken into custody and may have returned fire at the suspect. Police did not know whether there was a connection between the two, Outlaw said.

She said that officers found dozens of shell casings strewn across eight blocks.

“You can see there are several scenes out here,” Outlaw said. “We’re canvassing the area to get as much as we can, to identify witnesses, to identify where cameras are located and to do everything to figure out the why,” Outlaw said.

Police on Tuesday afternoon identified the victims as 20-year-old Lashyd Merritt, 29—year-old Dymir Stanton, 59-year-old Ralph Moralis and 15-year-old Daujan Brown, all pronounced dead shortly after the Monday night gunfire; and 31-year-old Joseph Wamah, Jr., who was found in a home early Tuesday, also with multiple bullet wounds.

A 2-year-old boy shot four times in the legs and a 13-year-old shot twice in the legs were in stable condition, as were a 2-year-old boy and a 33-year-old woman injured by shattered glass.

Tim Eads said that Monday night he heard fireworks, then gunshots, and saw police cars “flying by.” His wife was on the second floor “looking out the bay window and saw the shooter actually coming down this street here behind me.” Eads saw the other man with a pistol who, Eads said, may have been firing at the shooter.

“He was using my car as a shield shooting out into the street,” Eads said.

A resident named Roger who declined to give his last name said he and his family were eating in the living room at about 8:30 p.m. when they heard eight to 10 gunshots.

“Everybody thought it was fireworks but … been around here about three years so I heard it enough,” he said. “I looked out the window and seen a bunch of people running.”

He said he heard about four more shots and “thought it was the end of it.” Ten minutes later, he said, police came “flying down here,” and about five minutes later he heard rapid gunfire open up right outside the house.

The Philadelphia violence is the country’s 29th mass killing in 2023, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University, the highest on record by this time in the year.

The numbers people killed in such events is also the highest by this time in the year.

There have been more than 550 mass killings since 2006, according to the database, in which at least 2,900 people have died and at least 2,000 people have been hurt.

By TASSANEE VEJPONGSA (Associated Press)

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A 40-year-old man with a rifle, a pistol, extra magazines, a police scanner and a bulletproof vest fatally shot four men in a Philadelphia neighborhood and chased and killed a fifth man inside a house, police said.

A 2-year-old boy and a 13-year-old were also wounded in the Monday night violence that made the working-class area of Kingsessing the site of the nation’s worst violence around the July 4 holiday.

The gunman fired at police as they chased him for blocks, police said. When they caught up, he surrendered in an alley, Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said at a news conference. The shooter had no connection to the victims before the shooting, she said.

“Thank God our officers were on the scene and responded as quickly as they did. I can’t even describe the level of bravery and courage that was shown, in addition to the restraint that was shown here,” Outlaw said.

About four hours after the Philadelphia shooting, gunfire rang out at a neighborhood festival in Fort Worth, Texas, leaving three people dead and eight hurt.

At a holiday weekend block party in Baltimore, about 90 miles (145 kilometers) to the southwest of Philadelphia, two people were killed and 28 others were wounded in a shooting. More than half of the victims were minors, officials said.

In Philadelphia, officers were flagged down at about 8:30 p.m. Monday. Multiple calls reporting shots fired also came from Kingsessing. Police found some victims and heard more shots as they were helping them, Outlaw said. Police told Fox 29 that a fifth victim had been chased into his home and shot to death. Bullet casings were found outside the home.

A second person was also taken into custody and may have returned fire at the suspect. Police did not know whether there was a connection between the two, Outlaw said.

She said that officers found dozens of shell casings strewn across eight blocks.

“You can see there are several scenes out here,” Outlaw said. “We’re canvassing the area to get as much as we can, to identify witnesses, to identify where cameras are located and to do everything to figure out the why,” Outlaw said.

Police on Tuesday afternoon identified the victims as 20-year-old Lashyd Merritt, 29—year-old Dymir Stanton, 59-year-old Ralph Moralis and 15-year-old Daujan Brown, all pronounced dead shortly after the Monday night gunfire; and 31-year-old Joseph Wamah, Jr., who was found in a home early Tuesday, also with multiple bullet wounds.

A 2-year-old boy shot four times in the legs and a 13-year-old shot twice in the legs were in stable condition, as were a 2-year-old boy and a 33-year-old woman injured by shattered glass.

Tim Eads said that Monday night he heard fireworks, then gunshots, and saw police cars “flying by.” His wife was on the second floor “looking out the bay window and saw the shooter actually coming down this street here behind me.” Eads saw the other man with a pistol who, Eads said, may have been firing at the shooter.

“He was using my car as a shield shooting out into the street,” Eads said.

A resident named Roger who declined to give his last name said he and his family were eating in the living room at about 8:30 p.m. when they heard eight to 10 gunshots.

“Everybody thought it was fireworks but … been around here about three years so I heard it enough,” he said. “I looked out the window and seen a bunch of people running.”

He said he heard about four more shots and “thought it was the end of it.” Ten minutes later, he said, police came “flying down here,” and about five minutes later he heard rapid gunfire open up right outside the house.

The Philadelphia violence is the country’s 29th mass killing in 2023, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University, the highest on record by this time in the year.

The numbers people killed in such events is also the highest by this time in the year.

There have been more than 550 mass killings since 2006, according to the database, in which at least 2,900 people have died and at least 2,000 people have been hurt.

There’s a grassroots effort for more grass in Norfolk, led by two women inspired by the public parks movement of the 19th century.

Mary Beth Horton and Liz Paiste bonded in their garden club over their shared interest in Frederick Law Olmsted, the landscape architect behind Central Park and dozens of other public green spaces nationwide. Now, the two are circulating a petition to turn part of the old Lamberts Point Golf Course into a 15-acre public park, citing a lack of parks in Norfolk.

“Because I have three dogs and I walk the entire west side of town, I was realizing how little green space for the public we have,” Horton said.

Horton and Paiste have calculated that only a small percent of Norfolk’s land area is dedicated to public park space.

Their petition has 1,098 signatures out of their 1,500 goal, as of Monday.

The 9-hole golf course, situated to the north of the rail yard and on the Elizabeth River next to Old Dominion University, closed at the end of 2022. Hampton Roads Sanitation District bought the golf course from Norfolk for $30 million and plans to use the 40-acre property for a second water treatment plant in the area. The first one, which is next to the golf course, treats water and discharges it into the Elizabeth River. The second one, part of a project called the Sustainable Water Initiative for Tomorrow, or SWIFT, will inject treated water into a groundwater aquifer.

But there are 15 acres leftover that still belong to the city. Horton, a real estate agent, checked city records and identified a parcel of land with undulating hills, winding paths and “spectacular views of the river,” as it’s described in the petition. She thought the space would be perfect for a park.

The golf course was built atop an old landfill site, which limits types of development that can happen on the land. That makes it particularly well suited for park space, which Paiste said is in surprisingly short supply in Norfolk.

Paiste contacted the city to learn how much was public parkland. From there, she found out how much land is mowed by the city, and determined that acreage was 3% of the city’s land area.

That is slightly less that the non profit Trust for Public Land calculates for Norfolk’s park space.

Norfolk has 1,792 acres devoted to parks, or about 5.5% of the city’s land, according to the organization, which advocates for creation and preservation of park space. That’s far less than other Virginia cities for which the organization has calculated the percent of park space. Chesapeake, which includes parts of the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, is 27% park space; Virginia Beach is 17%; Arlington is 11%; and Richmond is 7%, according to the non profit.

Horton and Paiste aren’t novices to outdoor advocacy.

Paiste serves as a tree commissioner on the board that advises the city on policies about the wellbeing of trees.

This is the third park Horton has championed. In 2015, the city slated an old schoolyard in North Meadow Brook for development into 48 homes. Horton was part of an organized push to keep the schoolyard as a public park, and reached a compromise with the city. The city took one acre for a new fire station, and preserved 3 ½ acres for a park. Horton raised $27,000 for fencing for a dog park. The park also has a playground and a basketball court.

“That taught me that grassroots initiatives actually work if they’re organized,” Horton said.

Horton has also worked on reestablishing bird habitat along the Elizabeth River Trail in West Ghent.

The future of the city-owned property is up for debate, and the city is seeking feedback from residents about what they want to see at Lamberts Point. Residents have the chance to chime in via a public survey or at a July 19 forum hosted at the former golf course clubhouse.

“As this is some of the last public waterfront property, there has been considerable interest” from the public about the city’s plans, according to the city’s website about Lamberts Point.

“It’d be nice to have a place you can escape that’s really just down the street,” Paiste said. “That, to me, is wonderful.”

Cianna Morales, 757-957-1304, [email protected]

Chesapeake Public Schools is expanding a student ID program that it piloted this spring.

The program, which was launched at Norfolk Highlands Primary, was intended as a way for the transportation department to better track students as they got on and off buses.

“The pilot has been very successful,” Director of Transportation David Benson told the School Board last month.

Benson said the ridership information provided by the badges is an “additional safety measure” that allows the school division to know when and where students enter and exit a bus.

Benson said the IDs have “dual capability,” with RFID codes that are swiped on the buses, and barcodes that can be used for other purposes. RFID, or Radio Frequency Identification, codes are used with specialized readers that have been installed on the school’s buses. The barcodes were used in the library to check out books, in the cafeteria to purchase meals and by the administration to capture tardiness information.

The program will be rolled out to all 28 elementary schools in the upcoming school year, and expanded to secondary schools in the 2024-2025 school year. Student photos will be on the badges.

GiGi Badawi, the division’s assistant director of technology and integration, said all schools will be provided with a card printer so they can print replacements if necessary.

Badawi said the division is exploring potential future uses, including to track attendance and control access to school buildings.

Nour Habib, [email protected]

Summertime means late sunsets, great weather and fun backyard barbecues. You can spend thousands of dollars on a premium grill if you want, but you’ll start to see diminishing returns at roughly the $500 mark. To get the most bang for your buck, consider a Char-Broil grill. They’re almost universally known as some of the best entry-level and midrange options for grill masters of all skill levels.

How to choose the best grill

Grill size

The first and most obvious consideration is what size of grill you need. One easy guideline is to have 80 square inches of grilling space for each person you plan on feeding. It’s OK to overestimate this, though, if there’s a chance you’ll throw larger backyard barbecues in the future. Most Char-Broil grills are 400 to 600 square inches. You can also find some larger options, and its portable models are generally much smaller.

Charcoal or gas burners

Gas is considerably more convenient in that it doesn’t produce nearly as much soot. It’s also easier to clean up. As long as you clean your grill properly after every use, gas burners are usually resistant to corrosion and clogs. It’s also a lot easier to light a gas grill and bring it up to temperature.

Charcoal, on the other hand, produces better flavor by vaporizing the flavorful, seasoned juices that drip from meat and imparting those vaporized flavors into the food. Lighting charcoal isn’t exactly difficult, but it takes more work than lighting a gas grill. Temperature management is the main difference in difficulty level, as getting a charcoal grill to the perfect temperature and keeping it there all evening does require a little expertise.

Helpful features

Char-Broil grills aren’t known for advanced features or novel technology, but they often have the simple touches needed to make your grill out easier. Some offer a cabinet-style design that hides a propane canister and some grill tools while also protecting them from the elements. Most have some kind of side tables, and they’re usually durable enough to support a plate full of burgers or ribs. There’s also sometimes a choice between cart-style wheels and casters. It’s important to consider this if you’ll be using it on a sturdy patio versus uneven ground in the backyard.

Best Char-Broil home gas grills

Char-Broil Performance Four-Burner

This straightforward model offers four burners with plenty of heat output in addition to a rugged, stainless-steel construction. It is built on top of dependable, locking casters and has a cabinet on the bottom for storing the propane tank and some grilling tools.

Sold by Amazon

Char-Broil Classic 360

With a lightweight body and three burners that combine for up to 20,000 British thermal units, this model is about as simple as they get. It’s also one of Char-Broil’s most affordable models.

Sold by Amazon and Wayfair

Char-Broil Performance Tru-Infrared 2-Burner

If you’re grilling in a small space that can’t handle much smoke, consider this compact option. Its infrared burners can deliver a great sear with minimal flare-ups, as long as you keep it clean.

Sold by Amazon

Best Char-Broil portable grills

Char-Broil Grill2Go X200

Thanks in part to its use of infrared technology, this compact model packs quite a bit of firepower. With 200 square inches of real estate, cooking for large groups will require some advanced grill management.

Sold by Amazon and Wayfair

Char-Broil Portable 240

It offers a great blend of performance, price and portability, and it has sturdy aluminum legs and overall durable construction. It’s designed to work with 1-pound propane canisters.

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Char-Broil Standard Portable

They don’t get any more affordable than this classic model, which uses 1-pound propane canisters to produce up to 11,000 Btu. It is great for couples on a budget but does require a decent amount of upkeep to work perfectly every time.

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Best Char-Broil charcoal grills

Char-Broil American Gourmet 800 Series

This rock-solid barrel grill is designed exclusively for charcoal, and it features adjustable cast iron grates and straightforward ventilation controls that make temperature control easy. Its large surface area can accommodate nearly two dozen burgers or chicken breasts at once.

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Char-Broil American Gourmet 18-Inch

If you’re not worried about serving large groups, this straightforward charcoal barrel grill can be a great choice that lasts for years. A single foldout side table and adjustable upper air vent provide just enough functionality for a wide range of meals.

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Char-Broil Kamander

This egg-shaped beast is designed to concentrate heat from burning charcoal to deliver your choice of a hard sear or long, low-temperature smoking. While it calls for a decent investment, it’s built to last for years.

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Char-Broil Oklahoma Joe’s Highland Offset Smoker

While it’s considerably different from a standard gas or charcoal grill, it’s the perfect, no-nonsense option for someone with experience in low-and-slow smoking. It comes in a few sizes, ranging from about 600 to over 1,000 square inches.

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Char-Broil grill FAQ

Q. Are infrared burners worth it?

A. Instead of heating your food directly using a flame, infrared grilling heats up separate elements that provide more consistent heating than traditional grill burners. With most brands, infrared burners aren’t worth the higher prices. That’s not really true of Char-Broil infrared grills, though, which aren’t usually that costly.

In terms of performance, infrared burners grill very similarly to standard gas burners. They can provide a more consistent sear, though, especially in the case of compact grills. They’re also slightly less prone to flare-ups and grease fires, although that depends largely on how clean you keep them.

Q. Do smokers work as grills?

A. Some can but typically not those from Char-Broil. Smokers, as a rule, are designed for low-and-slow cooking that turns tough cuts into juicy, tender deliciousness. Smoking is somewhat of an art that usually takes all day and calls for considerable attention to detail. Most smokers aren’t able to sear meat, which is basically a necessity if you’re grilling chicken or burgers.

Q. Is grilled meat healthy?

A. The biggest health risk from grilling food is probably the risk of burning yourself. Granted, eating nothing but grilled or smoked meat wouldn’t be a very healthy diet, but there’s nothing so unhealthy about the grilling process.

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Two Hampton Roads families who lost their patriarch have had their mortgages paid in full by a nonprofit that aims to support Gold Star families and the families of fallen first responders.

Anna Griffin lost her husband, Christopher, a firefighter who spent about 10 years with Norfolk Fire-Rescue, in October 2021 at age 50. He had endured a long battle with glioblastoma brain cancer caused by smoke exposure, according to the International Association of Fire Fighters’ line of duty death database.

Aimee Nelson lost her husband, Caleb, a Navy SEAL, in October 2011 at age 26 when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device while on a combat patrol in Afghanistan.

Both men were fathers. Griffin left behind one son, while Nelson left behind two. The Griffin family lives in Suffolk, the Nelson family in Virginia Beach.

In addition to paying the mortgages to Gold Star families and those who have lost first responders in the line of duty, Tunnels to Towers Foundation’s work includes providing mortgage-free homes and building modified homes for veterans and first responders with debilitating injuries. The foundation began in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks.

Tunnels to Towers paid the mortgages of 30 Gold Star and fallen first responder families from all over the country to commemorate Independence Day.

Aimee Griffin said in a news release that Tunnels to Towers had “lifted the biggest financial burden we had.”

“It’s allowed us to be able to try to enjoy more fun things together and not have to worry so much,” Griffin said.

Anna Nelson said her husband “loved God and his country” and that he “understood his profession to be a duty.”

“It is an incredible blessing to have the weight of a monthly house payment relieved from the incredible cost of raising two very active boys,” Nelson said.

Caleb Nelson, a native of Omaha, Nebraska, was assigned to the Naval Special Warfare unit in Norfolk after he completed SEAL training in 2006, according to the Associated Press, and had earned the rank petty officer 1st class. He was one of 12 siblings, and after being inspired to join the military by his grandfather, he went on to receive many awards, including the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.

The Associated Press reported at the time of his death that one of Nelson’s superiors, Capt. Tim Szymanski, commander of Naval Special Warfare Group Two, called him “a cherished teammate, a gifted SEAL operator and a loving husband and father.”

Griffin, a firefighter with the IAFF 4th District Local 68 in Norfolk, began his career with the Chinchilla Hose Company of South Abington Township before moving to Hampton Roads in 2008.  He was described as someone who loved helping people and giving back to the community.

Tunnels to Towers is funded by both its corporate partners and individual donors.

“All things we can enjoy because of our brave first responders and military members who put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe,” Frank Siller, chairman and CEO of Tunnels to Towers, said in a news release.

Gavin Stone, 757-712-4806, [email protected]