The state of the republic is precarious, but I am hopeful that democracy will prevail because it is resilient. We the people have faced serious threats in the past, including even a Civil War, and we have overcome them. We must continue to pass laws to strengthen our democracy in many states, while in others, we will not back down from defeating a new generation of Jim Crow laws crafted to keep targeted communities from the polls.

We all have a role in strengthening our democracy — especially as the leading Republican presidential candidate who summoned the Jan. 6 insurrection faces multiple indictments and remains under investigation. We have arrived at a moment in our history where many candidates are unwilling to concede defeat at the polls and instead claim, baselessly, that elections were stolen from them.

Those lies have undermined trust in our elections and even our election officials. Across the country, seasoned election officials have been driven out of office because of threats and harassment by election deniers. The same lies have also been used as fuel to pass dozens of laws in the states that make it harder for Americans — particularly in Black and brown communities — to have a say in choosing their elected leaders.

Those new anti-voter laws follow a slew that has passed since the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act a decade ago. Since the high court’s 2013 decision in Shelby County v. Holder, 94 restrictive voting laws have been passed in 29 states.

Another ruling from the Supreme Court in 2019, Rucho v. Common Cause, controversially ruled that federal courts cannot review and strike down partisan gerrymanders despite recognizing that those unfair maps are “incompatible with democratic principles.” The result has been still more politicians choosing their voters instead of voters choosing their politicians.

Just as our protections for voters have been undercut by the Supreme Court, so have our campaign finance laws. The Citizens United decision in 2010, and other rulings that followed, have brought unlimited amounts of special interest money into our elections — much of it from undisclosed donors.

Meanwhile, a series of ethics scandals have engulfed the Supreme Court. Investigative reporting has revealed that several conservative justices accepted lavish vacations from billionaire conservative donors. None of these trips ever appeared on the justices’ financial disclosure filings. In some instances, the billionaires who bankrolled the private jets and luxury yachts later had business before the court, but the justices did not recuse themselves from those proceedings.

But despite these and other setbacks, many Americans continue to fight for a democracy that lives up to its promise. There are legislative efforts to turn back these attacks on our democracy — and they’re working. In 2021, some of the most comprehensive legislation in decades to protect the freedom to vote passed the House of Representatives but was stopped in the Senate by filibusters.

In December, strong bipartisan majorities in the House and the Senate passed reforms to the Electoral Count Act to curb efforts to overturn presidential election results and defy the will of the people. And reforms to safeguard our democracy continue to pass at the state and local levels. These laboratories of democracy have passed laws to strengthen voting rights and expand access to the ballot for all Americans; they have created independent redistricting commissions to end gerrymandering and remove partisan politics from the redistricting process; and they have enacted reforms to break the grip of big money in politics by creating citizen-funded elections that empower small donors as a viable option for those seeking elected office.

And just this month, the Supreme Court handed down two rulings — Moore v. Harper and Allen v. Milligan — victories for voters and our democracy. With these rulings, courts nationwide can hold state lawmakers accountable when they pursue unfair and discriminatory voting maps and voter suppression tactics.

“We the People” are the first three words of the Constitution. It’s up to us to ensure that our democracy includes everyone, endures and delivers for the people. We narrowly averted disaster on Jan. 6, 2021, but the threats to our democracy remain. Together we must stand strong and united because when we the people do so, we win.

Marilyn Carpinteyro is the interim co-president of Common Cause. She wrote this for InsideSources.com.

Wearing a camouflage Norfolk Tides jersey, white pants pulled up to the knees and high black socks, Grayson Rodriguez peers with malice aforethought over the tip of his glove toward an imaginary batter, the way he always does before a windup.

His head is tapped. It wiggles back and forth.

This isn’t actually Rodriguez, an imposing 6-foot-5 Texan who’s made a living throwing blinding fastballs. It’s his bobblehead likeness, given away to fans as part of a club promotion last month.

The toy, which sits in the offices of several Tides front-office staffers, has prompted some good-natured ribbing from teammates.

“It’s a lot of fun,” the real Rodriguez said this week. “Some jokes are made, but it’s definitely a lot of fun.”

Rodriguez, a 23-year-old right-hander, will continue his attempt to rejoin the parent Baltimore Orioles when he starts Monday’s series finale against Charlotte at Harbor Park.

After one start to open the season at Norfolk, Rodriguez was promoted to make his major league debut April 5.

In 10 starts with the Orioles over nearly two months, he went 2-2 with a 7.35 earned-run average, prompting a return to Triple-A in late May with a directive to hone his fastball command and sharpen his slider.

Since then, Rodriguez has gone 4-0 with a 2.22 ERA in five starts. He’s walked 12 and struck out 39 in 28 1/3 innings since his demotion, holding opponents to a .191 batting average in that span.

His signature pre-windup stare-down was only one part of what the bobblehead’s manufacturer got right, Norfolk manager Buck Britton said.

“I think it’s great,” Britton said. “He’s got a big head, so he’s got a bobblehead when he walks around every day. I thought they did a decent job with it. They got the hand and the glove in the right position. I think they did a good job with it.”

The Tides, who won the International League first-half title to bring the league championship series to Harbor Park in September, will give away bobbleheads honoring former Norfolk standout Gunnar Henderson on July 28. The horizontal figure depicts Henderson, who is now with the Orioles, sliding into third to complete a triple.

Rodriguez, the 11th overall pick in the 2018 draft, was especially pleased with what his own likeness was wearing.

“I’m a big camo guy,” he said. “So, yeah, the camo jersey was the icing on the cake.”

The self-deprecating Britton, who had a quite respectable nine-year playing career given the fact he was a 35th-round draft pick out of Lubbock Christian University in 2008, laughed when asked how his fellow Texan’s bobblehead compared to his own.

The older brother of former Orioles and New York Yankees star reliever Zack Britton, the skipper and former role player was never the focus of such a promotion.

“My bobbleheads were ones where I taped over the name and just put ‘Buck Britton,’ ” he said, laughing. “Bobbleheads weren’t bringing people to the yard to watch me play.

“I like to take credit for, like, Dollar Beer Nights: a Buck Beer Night. Everywhere’s got ’em.”

David Hall, [email protected]. Twitter @DavidHallVP.

By JULIO CORTEZ and HOLLY RAMER (Associated Press)

BALTIMORE (AP) — Gunfire erupted at a block party in Baltimore on Sunday — killing two people, wounding 28 and leaving an extensive crime scene that marred the U.S. holiday weekend, police said. Three of the wounded were in critical condition and more than a dozen were under 18.

The shooting took place just after 12:30 a.m. when at least two people opened fire at a block party in the Brooklyn Homes area in the southern part of the city, said Richard Worley, Baltimore’s acting police commissioner. No arrests had been made by late afternoon. Worley said it wasn’t clear if the shooting was targeted or random.

The shooting comes amid gatherings around the country leading up to the July Fourth holiday. Elsewhere, a shooting in Kansas left seven people with gunshot wounds and two more victims hospitalized after being trampled as people rushed out of a nightclub early Sunday morning, police there said.

The violence in Baltimore occurred as federal prosecutors there this week touted their efforts to reduce violent crime in the city. Police have reported nearly 130 homicides and close to 300 shootings so far this year, though that’s down from the same time last year. Authorities have vowed to crack down aggressively on repeat violent offenders.

Nine of Sunday’s victims were transported by ambulance and 20 walked into area hospitals with injuries from the shooting, Worley said. Nine remained hospitalized Sunday afternoon.

An 18-year-old woman was found dead at the scene and a 20-year-old man was pronounced dead at a hospital shortly after, police said.

“I want those who are responsible to hear me, and hear me very clearly,” Mayor Brandon Scott said at the scene. “We will not stop until we find you, and we will find you. Until then, I hope that every single breath you take, that you think about the lives that you took, think about the lives that you impacted here tonight.”

Scott asked anyone with information to come forward to assist investigators locate the “cowards” who were responsible for the shooting.

Gov. Wes Moore said his “heart breaks for these victims, their families, and the Baltimore community that is coping with the loss.”

“Maryland has had enough of watching gun violence continue to ravage our state and our nation,” Moore said in a statement. “The fact that these horrific shootings continue to take place is abominable. We as a state will continue to do everything we can to prevent senseless acts of violence like the one we saw last night.”

Authorities said the crime scene was extensive and that it took some time for detectives to work it.

Hours after the shooting, a number of officers remained working behind police tape amid densely packed two-story housing blocks. Folding tables and plastic cups were scattered on the street, apparently left behind when people ran from the gunshots.

Lakell Nelson said there had been several false alarms of people mistaking the sounds of fireworks for gunfire earlier in the night while she was at the block party. The actual shooting started as she was getting to her car.

“The shots were just going on and on and on,” she said.

That’s when two young women approached her and said they’d been shot, with one woman showing how a bullet had gone through her shorts.

Nelson said she told the women to get in the car and she sped through red lights to get to the nearest hospital.

“When I pulled up to the door of the hospital, my car was almost getting ready to be inside the hospital, because I was determined to get those babies in that hospital,” Nelson said.

A police union official said in an email Sunday there were no officers specifically assigned to the gathering.

“There were only three officers assigned to the Brooklyn area of Baltimore City’s Southern District. This is a large area, and to police it safely and effectively you need about seven to eight officers per shift,” said Mike Mancuso, president of the Baltimore City Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 3.

Mancuso said about 2,800 officers are needed to effectively police the city, but staffing is down to about 2,100.

Worley said Sunday afternoon that the department hadn’t been aware in advance that the event was happening, and he said organizers hadn’t received a permit. He said that the department would examine its response.

___

Ramer reported from Concord, New Hampshire. Kimberlee Kruesi in Nashville, Tennessee, contributed to this report.

The fifth “Indiana Jones” film might have trouble fulfilling its box-office destiny.

Disney’s “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” opened in first place at the domestic box office this weekend, collecting a lackluster $60 million, according to estimates from measurement firm Comscore.

The long-anticipated sequel matched the low end of already modest projections in the $60-million to $65-million range domestically. Internationally, the action film grossed $70 million for a global cumulative of $130 million, according to studio estimates. This is a troubled start for the tentpole, which has a reported budget of $300 million.

Rounding out the top three at the domestic box office this weekend are Sony Pictures Animation’s “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” which added $11.5 million in its fifth frame for a North American total of $339.9 million, and Disney and Pixar’s “Elemental,” which made $11.3 million in its third weekend for a North American cumulative of $88.8 million.

Directed by James Mangold, “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” stars Harrison Ford in his final outing as Indy, the heroic archaeologist on a daring mission to capture a precious artifact. Among the supporting cast of the film are Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Antonio Banderas, John Rhys-Davies, Toby Jones, Boyd Holbrook, Ethann Isidore and Mads Mikkelsen.

The latest installment of the “Indiana Jones” franchise, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May, received a 68% rating on review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes and an average B-plus grade from audiences polled by CinemaScore.

“Ford’s sheer movie-star charisma is the one flame this film can’t extinguish,” Times film critic Justin Chang writes.

“As throwback entertainment, ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’ engages only in fits and starts. … But as a meditation on Indy’s (and Ford’s) mortality, on the passage of time and the plasticity of the motion-picture medium, it’s an unexpectedly, even accidentally resonant piece of work, especially as it gradually finds its footing in the final stretch and sprints toward a loopily audacious climax.”

Also new to theaters this weekend was DreamWorks and Universal Pictures’ “Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken,” which bombed in sixth place with $5.2 million in the United States and Canada. Internationally, the animated feature earned $7.6 million for a worldwide total of $12.8 million.

Helmed by Kirk DeMicco, “Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken” centers on a high-school mathlete (voiced by Lana Condor) who discovers she is descended from royal sea warriors whose duty is to fiercely protect their underwater kingdom. The main voice cast of the family film also features Toni Collette, Annie Murphy, Sam Richardson, Liza Koshy, Will Forte, Colman Domingo, Jaboukie Young-White, Bill Chapman and Jane Fonda.

The quirky teen comedy garnered a 65% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a solid A-minus grade from audiences polled by CinemaScore.

“At a moment when animated family features are often adaptations of existing intellectual property or additions to a franchise, ‘Ruby Gillman’ stands out as an original story, something to be lauded,” writes The Times’ Tracy Brown.

“Exactly how original is another question: While watching ‘Ruby,’ it’s impossible not to think of other recent animated films such as Pixar’s ‘Luca,’ a fish-out-of-water tale featuring young sea monsters, or ‘Turning Red,’ a panda puberty story involving mother-daughter tensions.”

Opening in wide release next weekend are Lionsgate’s “Joy Ride” and Sony’s “Insidious: The Red Door.”

©2023 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Monday, July 3

Flip Flop Republic, with Stoney Banks

The band’s name may suggest guys in beach wear singing breezy tunes about summer nights, cocktails and boats.

While the Gulf Coast-based quintet’s sound is rooted in Trop Rock – Jimmy Buffett is the patron saint of the sub-genre of island music – they embrace reggae, blues, country, punk, rock and pop, drawing on influences ranging from Bob Marley to Sublime and Police.

“It’s got a Southern-fried vibe,” says Joe Lowder, who’s the band’s lead guitarist, co-lead vocalist, main songwriter and spokesman. “But we’re all in to different genres.”

“And we really like to mix up the rhythms.”

The five-piece band – two guitars, bass, drums and keyboards – makes its Outer Banks debut Monday, July 3, at Roadside Bar and Grill in Duck.

They’re on the road in support of their latest CD “Physical Science,” which they’re releasing one track at a time on iTunes and Amazon.

It showcases Republic’s daring diversity, from the pop-reggae gems “Sunrise and “Lost in the Fire” to the yacht-rock-ish “Girls from Cali” and “Time and Space” to the atmospheric, swaying “Mockingbird,” which addresses the subject of copycats on social media.

Jams from the band’s deep vault include the roots-reggae “Let Life Flow” and “Two to Tango,” which should have you reaching for a cold one, as well as the slightly twangy “Sunny Kind of Feeling.”

The Nashville-based singer-songwriter Stoney Banks will offer up a set of original country-reggae tunes.

When: 7 to 10 p.m.

Cost: No cover

Where: The backyard at Roadside Bar and Grill, 1193 Duck Road, Duck

Info: Flip Flop Republic on Facebook

Thursday, July 6

Gypsea Souls

Nothing seems out of reach for the Southern Shores-based duo of guitarist-vocalist Brad Privott and vocalist-multi-instrumentalist Amanda Clare Williams.

The Souls, playing every Thursday at Mimi’s Tiki Hut at Blue Water Grill and Raw Bar in Manteo, traffic in remakes of classic soul, rock, reggae and country tunes.

Privott and Williams, who are both top-notch vocalists and musicians (Williams plays keyboards, guitar, mandolin and ukelele), tinker with tunes to add their own flavor.

“We dive in the best we can,” says Williams, noting the duo uses recorded rhythm (drums and bass) tracks on most songs.

On the playlist are, among others, Martha and the Vandellas (“Heat Wave”), Fleetwood Mac (“Dreams,” “You Make Loving Fun”), Bob Marley (“Buffalo Soldier”), Prince (“Kiss”), Tom Petty and Stevie Nicks (“Stop Dragging My Heart Around”), Bill Withers (“Ain’t No Sunshine”), The Black Crowes (“Hard to Handle”), Chris Stapleton (“Tennessee Whiskey”), The Supremes (“Where Did Our Love Go”) and Michael Jackson (“The Way You Make Me Feel”).

“If we feel like we can do the song justice,” says Williams, who’s been performing with Privott since 2016. “We’ll give it a shot.”

When: 5 to 8 p.m.

Cost: No cover

Where: Mimi’s Tiki Hut at Blue Water Grill and Raw Bar, 2000 Sailfish Drive (Pirate’s Cove Marina), Manteo

Info: Gypsea Souls Facebook page

Fundraiser for Scott Sechman

In a show of support for a fellow musician, singer-guitarist Monte Hooker of Kitty Hawk has started a GoFundMe page for singer-songwriter Scott Sechman.

The Southern Shores-based Sechman (a former Coast columnist) recently was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer and is receiving chemotherapy.

While he has insurance, there is a need for travel expenses and lost wages.

Sechman, who moved to the Outer Banks from southern California in 2015, is well-regarded on the local music scene for his inventive guitar playing, unique remakes (The Beatles, Bob Dylan and Traffic, among others) and emotive vocals.

Hooker, who himself is undergoing radiation treatments for squamous cell carcinoma on his vocal cords, wrote this (he’s not talking or singing as he recovers) in Facebook Messenger:

“Scott is the real deal musician, (he) loves music, loves family and friends and, most of all, enjoys making people happy by using his skills.”

To donate, visit GoFundMe.com and search for Scott Sechman Cancer Relief Fund.

Any firework that leaves the ground is illegal in Dare County, which is home to all the towns of the Outer Banks except Corolla and Ocracoke. And in some towns, all fireworks are illegal, sparklers and coiling snakes included.

In Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills, the local ordinances follow North Carolina law, banning bottle rocks and mortars and anything that leaves the ground or has a report or “bang.” Pyrotechnics, commonly known as “safe and sane” fireworks, are the only ones allowed in North Carolina. They include caps, snakes and glow worms, smoke devices, trick noise makers, sparklers and other sparkling devices such as fountains.

Anyone violating the fireworks ordinance faces a mandatory court appearance and $250 fine. But the law appears to be rarely enforced.

In Duck, the sale of fireworks is permitted, but the use of all fireworks, including sparkers, smoke bombs, snake pellets and the like, is prohibited. Southern Shores, Nags Head and Cape Hatteras National Seashore also prohibit all fireworks of any kind.

The town of Manteo’s law prohibits the “shooting of firecrackers, sky rockets, Roman candles or other fireworks of any description” in town.

On Cape Hatteras National Seashore, it is illegal to detonate fireworks, or have fireworks in your possession, on all land managed by the National Park Service, including all beaches from the Nags Head border through Hatteras and Ocracoke islands.

In addition to fireworks being illegal and a fire risk to local communities, the personal use of fireworks can be a significant nuisance to humans, pets and wildlife.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Twitter owner Elon Musk has limited the number of tweets that users can view each day — restrictions he described as an attempt to prevent unauthorized scraping of potentially valuable data from the social media platform.

The site is now requiring people to log on to view tweets and profiles — a change in its longtime practice to allow everyone to peruse the chatter on what Musk has frequently touted as the world’s digital town square since buying it for $44 billion last year.

The restrictions could result in users being locked out of Twitter for the day after scrolling through several hundred tweets. Thousands of users complained Saturday of not being able to access the site.

In a Friday tweet, Musk described the new restrictions as a temporary measure that was taken because “we were getting data pillaged so much that it was degrading service for normal users!”

Musk has pushed back on what he calls misuse of Twitter data to train popular artificial intelligence systems like ChatGPT. They scour reams of information online to generate human-like text, photos, video and other content.

Musk elaborated on the limits Saturday, saying unverified accounts will temporarily be restricted to reading 600 posts per day, while verified accounts will be able to scroll through up to 6,000.

After facing backlash, he tweeted that the thresholds would be raised to 800 posts for unverified accounts and 8,000 for verified accounts before later settling on 1,000 and 10,000 tweets, respectively.

The crackdown began to have ripple effects, causing more than 7,500 people at one point Saturday to report problems using the social media service, based on complaints registered on Downdetector, a website that tracks online outages.

Although that’s a relatively small number of Twitter’s more than 200 million worldwide users, the trouble was widespread enough to cause the #TwitterDown hashtag to trend in some parts of the world.

The higher threshold allowed on verified accounts is part of an $8-per-month subscription service that Musk rolled out earlier this year in an effort to boost Twitter revenue. It has fallen sharply since the billionaire Tesla CEO took over the company and laid off roughly three-fourths of the workforce to cut costs and stave off bankruptcy.

Advertisers have since curbed their spending on Twitter, partly because of changes that have allowed more sometimes-hateful and prickly content that offends a wider part of the service’s audience.

Musk recently hired longtime NBC Universal executive Linda Yaccarino as Twitter’s CEO to try to win back advertisers.

An Associated Press inquiry about Saturday’s access problems triggered a crude automated reply that Twitter sends to most media queries without addressing the question.

NORFOLK — A few Septembers ago, after an underground pipe burst beneath the playing surface at Harbor Park, Kenny Magner noticed members of a construction crew starting to dig near the first base dugout in search of the problem.

Magner, the Norfolk Tides’ longtime head groundskeeper, asked why the men were digging there. They produced the ballpark’s blueprint and pointed to where it mapped the  hidden pipe.

“No, no, no,” Magner said, pointing to the third base side of the field. “It’s actually over here, not over there where you guys are.”

Never mind what the blueprint said. Magner, who’s been on the job for the Tides in some capacity since he was a teenager in the early 1970s, argued with it and won.

It’s perhaps debatable whether Magner knows more about Harbor Park than anyone on the planet. But there is definitively no one who possesses more knowledge of the ballpark’s playing surface and what goes on beneath it.

Magner, who plans to retire after this season, is Norfolk’s Sodfather.

With Harbor Park about 75% constructed in 1992, the team’s new ownership group looked at Magner and said, essentially, “Here’s a ballpark. Now make us a field.”

With Magner calling the shots, a contracted construction crew began to assemble the sand-based surface, with special attention to drainage and flood prevention.

The result, after much trial and error, was a field that glowed emerald green under the lights when the highly anticipated $15 million ballpark opened to a sellout crowd on April 14, 1993.

It was a far cry from the first time Magner, now 65, laid eyes on the place.

“Absolute mud hole,” he said, adding that the area was strewn with railroad ties. “I mean, literally, a mud hole.

“You wouldn’t imagine we’d have what we have now then.”

Tides president Ken Young remembers the blank canvas similarly.

“My biggest recollection is that it was a big bowl of mud,” Young said, laughing. “I have a few reollections, but that mud is one of the big ones.”

Just like the game of baseball itself, there is much more going on than meets the eye with Harbor Park’s field.

Below the pristine surface is a series of pipes, wires, sprinklers and drains. And that’s just the beginning of the unseen.

Most fans likely look at the surface, allow themselves a moment to be impressed with its green hue and uncanny symmetry and never give it another thought — oblivious that there’s a whole world going on under that grass.

A foot below the sod is a 4-inch layer of pea gravel, which drains naturally. A cobweb of perforated pipes, known as a French drain system, runs through the pea gravel.

A 12-inch layer of sand sits on top of the gravel, above which sit the sod and the immaculately tended Tifway 419 Bermuda.

Magner and the contractors had to build it all from scratch, turning that “absolute mud hole” into a major league-caliber field in a matter of months, in time for opening day 30 years ago.

Magner, while still tending to the surface at old Met Park before it was demolished, trained on the job.

“I learned it by the ‘don’t-do-that-again’ school of thought,” said Magner, an energetic and plain-talking native of New Bedford, Massachusetts, who spent his adolescence near Norfolk’s Lake Taylor High. “I don’t have a degree or nothing in turf management. I do know baseball from the early days, when it wasn’t about the aesthetics. It wasn’t about all of that. It was just about the game.”

___

Racing the clock

As 1993’s opening day fast approached, Magner and the crew worked around a giant crane that lifted, piece-by-piece, sections of Harbor Park’s concrete seating bowl from near what became home plate.

A few days before the ballpark’s debut, some newly placed rolls of grass weren’t yet green. The workers had to scramble to beat the clock.

Young, a Philadelphia native who had made his bones in the food service industry, had just led a group that bought the Tides from their parent New York Mets.

Young stood near one of the main entrances to the seating bowl on opening night, listening to fans’ initial reactions to the now emerald surface.

“Look at that field,” one said.

“Look at that!” replied another.

“That’s really cool to hear when you’re standing there,” Young said.

“It’s a feeling of awe when you see it because that’s what makes the facility. You can have the seats in and the padding and everything else, but when the field’s dirt, it doesn’t look like a baseball stadium particularly. And then when that sod finally goes in and you see it for the first time that way, oh man, that is an exhilarating feeling.”

Never mind that the announced crowd of 12,113 had filed in past welders putting finishing touches on the stadium, as well as tarp-covered pieces of equipment that hadn’t yet been put into place.

“It’s a hit!” proclaimed a large front-page headline above a massive aerial photo the next day in The Virginian-Pilot, which had stories and opinion pieces on everything from pre- and postgame traffic flow and Young keeping an eye on brisk souvenir sales to how happily fans paid $1.50 for a bag of Virginia peanuts and $4 for a 24-ounce Budweiser.

“Rough on the outside, Harbor Park was nearly picture perfect on the inside,” The Pilot’s Carl Fincke wrote in a short front-page piece, a reference to the ballpark’s unfinished external business. “The park’s work-in-progress state did not detract from the enjoyment of the game.”

Columnist Janet Shadden wrote about the quaintness of the new venue.

“A stadium is where you go to watch a game,” Shadden wrote. “A ballpark is a place where you relax with your kids. Norfolk has built a ballpark.”

And Magner, learning as he went, had somehow spearheaded the building of a world-class playing surface with a budget ranging between $200,000-$300,000.

“The field was absolutely green and gorgeous on opening day,” said Paul Fraim, who as a city councilman at the time was instrumental in striking a deal with the Mets and getting the badly needed ballpark built.

Fraim fought resistance from citizens who were dubious of putting the facility next to the Elizabeth River because of concerns over potential tidal flooding. The way the field’s bones were put together from the start, it’s never been a major concern.

“What was done by Kenny was absolutely a work of art,” said Fraim, who once got thrown out of the stadium’s construction site after wandering in on a preseason Sunday to check out the progress.

“It was just gorgeous.”

___

An early start

There is an oft-told story about how Magner came into his job when, in the spring of 1977, Tides GM Dave Rosenfield fired Magner’s boss and said to Magner, “You’re the head groundskeeper. Go out there and get the field ready.”

But his groundskeeping origin story runs a little deeper.

When Magner’s father, Gaylord, was sent to Hampton Roads by the Navy, the family moved across the street from Met Park, which was off Military Highway. Magner was in his early teens.

One of his father’s friends encouraged Magner to go stand outside the ballpark and try to catch foul balls. He and a friend chased stray balls for a while until the ballpark’s head groundskeeper, Smokey Olsen, handed him a rake and asked him to help with the infield. It evolved into an internship of sorts.

“He let me in the ballpark free, gave me a free RC Cola,” Magner said. “I was down in the bullpen sitting with the players down there by the fence. I thought I was the coolest guy in the world.”

Magner started working at Met Park full-time in 1975, electing to stay in the area even after his family was shuffled off to Annapolis, Maryland, where his father worked at the U.S. Naval Academy.

The way Magner worked his way into the top job was simple: He’d come to work early and have the field ready before Olsen arrived. That was enough for Rosenfield.

“All I thought about was the baseball field,” said Magner, who still carries that trait to this day. “And if there’s something wrong, I lose sleep and worry about it. That’s what made me stick to it: ‘I can figure this out. I can figure this out.’ I ain’t no educated guy. I ain’t no ‘smart’ man. I just look at myself as a guy who got up and went to work every day and got the job done.”

___

Next in line

When Magner retires in February — he’ll stick around long enough to help install another new playing surface at Harbor Park for the first time since 2014 — longtime assistant Justin Hall will become the head man.

It’s not lost on Hall that he’s taking over for a man who knows more about the playing surface than its own blueprint.

“I’ve been thinking about it a lot. It means a lot,” Hall said. “I’m pretty thankful that I got to learn from him for 10 years now. I’ve just been trying these last couple of years to just absorb as much as I can. He’s one of the legends, I think. I think most people around the league would say that. Not many people do it for that long — or do anything for that long. Yeah, it’s (a) privilege to learn underneath him.”

Magner’s ongoing obsession with the field is a necessary part of the job. Major league grounds crews typically have four to five times the manpower of Norfolk’s two, who get help from interns and, on rainy occasions, front office staffers.

A few years ago, a snowstorm shortly before the home opener left Harbor Park’s playing surface discolored in spots. Magner barely slept a wink.

It’s why the field in Norfolk looks and plays like those in the big leagues.

“I would put it up against anybody,” Tides General Manager Joe Gregory said. “Especially in the unique weather we have here — the amount of rain, hurricanes, seemingly four seasons in a day. Kenny’s done a great job with it.

“He’s done it also with a pretty small budget and minimal help over the years.”

Young, who owns a handful of other minor league franchises around the nation, has dealt with countless groundskeepers over the decades. He knows Magner’s type.

“Like any good groundskeeper, the field, the grass, all of that is his baby,” Young said. “And an excellent groundskeeper just wants that field to look immaculate. And when something happens … that’s really out of your control, oh man, that depresses him and those like him.”

___

Keeping in touch

Magner, who lives in Virginia Beach, plans to relax, hunt and fish in retirement. He even threatened to come to the ballpark and heckle Hall, the way some fans bust his chops by yelling, “Hey, you missed a spot!” when he appears on the field.

But he’ll be available to share his unique institutional knowledge with Hall and his assistant, whether it’s a question about mowing or dragging the field or locating a wayward underground pipe.

Fraim, who served as Norfolk’s Mayor from 1994-2016, keeps a framed copy of the “It’s a hit” edition of The Pilot on the wall outside his downtown law office.

Even 30 years on, Fraim continues to marvel at what Magner pulled off.

“The facility drained as well as any facility, I would say, in baseball,” Fraim said. “For the concerns everybody had, even with heavy rains, the field would be playable later that day or the next morning or the next mid-afternoon. The field itself is one of the great things about the stadium.”

Magner, incidentally, has no plans to amend the inaccurate blueprint. Never mind what almost happened the day he had to correct it.

“They would’ve dug the place up looking,” Magner said, laughing.

“I’m going to leave it be. They’ll be calling me regular.”

Which epoxy resin coatings are best?

Epoxy resin coatings are versatile and protective. They provide strength for numerous uses that adhesives and glues can’t match. That’s why these superior coatings are popular in industrial, construction, marine and creative applications when a durable, long-lasting coating is required. 

It takes proper instructions and a little skill to mix and apply an epoxy resin coating properly. It also requires knowledge about this type of product to choose one that will match your needs. Our buying guide has you covered with everything you need to know about epoxy resin coatings plus a roundup of the best products on the market.

Why use epoxy resin coating?

There are many finishes available, from paints and varnishes to powder coatings, but none offer the combination of visual quality, hardness and ease of use. Most varnishes, though simple to apply, are neither particularly hard nor durable in extremes. Powder coating is very tough — it’s actually a form of epoxy — but requires baking in an industrial process, which is often impractical.

Epoxy resin coatings are a two-part mix — synthetic polymer (resin) plus hardener. They combine ease of application (via brush, roller, pad, or pour) with immense strength once cured properly. Epoxies also have numerous creative applications which can be interesting to explore.

Features of epoxy resin coatings

Clarity: For many uses, clarity is important. You should look for UV protection — which prevents yellowing in sunlight — but the effectiveness can be difficult to judge without experimentation and time to assess any change. It’s worth checking customer reviews to get a good idea of the actual clarity.

Chemistry: There are aspects of the chemistry that will have an impact on your choice. In particular, the chemistry of an epoxy resin coating impacts the curing time and temperature demands. While it’s not unheard of for epoxies to harden overnight, some can take several days — and the environment may need to be controlled to some extent.

Mixing: In order to make an epoxy resin coating, the first step requires mixing the resin and hardener together. Most formulas require equal parts or a 1:1 ratio. However, some epoxies must be mixed using a 2:1 ratio for them to cure properly. Each product includes instructions that will indicate the mixing ratio. Keep in mind that it’s important to follow the directions precisely for the components to turn into an epoxy that cures and produces a clear, bubble-free finish that’s hard and long-lasting. 

Application: Workability is another aspect to consider. Technically, the two components in epoxy resin coatings start to harden as soon as they are mixed, but an “open time” is usually listed by the manufacturer during which they stay fairly liquid. This is vital for surfaces like countertops and other large areas so you have time to cover the whole surface uniformly. There are also self-leveling products, but they only help to a degree, mostly by filling in marks from your brush or other tools.

While larger bottles of course cover greater areas, one-gallon packs from different manufacturers won’t necessarily provide the same coverage. Expected coverage should be provided, usually in square feet at a specified thickness.

If you’re using epoxy resin coating for creative purposes, you may want to check for compatible pigments and whether it’s suitable for molding — there are often limits to size or thickness (although it may be possible to build up multiple layers).

Smell: Some epoxy resin coatings can give off an unpleasant smell, so you might want to look for one known for its low odor.

Best epoxy resin coatings

Art ‘N Glow Clear Casting and Coating Epoxy Resin

This is a high-quality option from one of the top names in creative epoxies. It’s offers an uncomplicated mixing process and can be used as a surface finish or for small molded items. It’s excellent for tinting with wide color range. It also dries very hard, has low odor and is UV resistant.

Available at Amazon 

ProGlas Clear Epoxy Resin

We like that ProGlas is an easy-to-use product that offers great value for money. The simple mixing ratio and long “open time” allows for extended working on large surfaces. UV inhibitors help preserve clarity. 

Available at Amazon 

Pro Marine Supplies Promise Epoxy Crystal Clear Epoxy Resin Coating

This epoxy works on more surfaces than many and is very affordable. It’s another straightforward mix. It can be used with a number of nonporous surfaces and is FDA-compliant for food items. It’s also UV resistant.

Available at Amazon 

Naked Promise Diamond Clarity The Artist’s Resin

Free of odors and toxins, The Artist’s Resin dries solid with a high-gloss finish. The clear formula makes it ideal for countless projects, including arts and crafts. Pigments can also be added to it to produce customized colors. 

Available at Amazon 

Dr. Crafty Clear Epoxy Resin

This comprehensive kit includes equal parts resin and hardener with enough product to mix up to two gallons of coating. Once cured, it’s clear, hard and glossy. Two measuring cups and two mixing sticks are also included. 

Available at Amazon 

Let’s Resin Epoxy Resin

Easy to mix, this resin dries crystal clear. The hard finish makes it ideal when used as a coating or to create unique crafts and arts. You can choose from large or small bottles to fit your needs. 

Available at Amazon 

With low odor, an easy mix and a fast cure time, this epoxy is a good choice for indoor projects. Once set, the finish is durable and glossy.  As the name suggests, the formula rejuvenates tables, bars and other types of furniture. 

Available at

Spresin Epox-It Epoxy Resin

Epox-It is another quality resin coating that dries hard to a finish that resists damage. It’s easy to mix and use and is suitable for many types of projects including coating wood furniture and making jewelry. 

Available at Amazon 

Craft Resin Epoxy Resin

Formulated for craft making, this resin is straightforward to mix and doesn’t have a strong odor. It dries clear without bubbles, so it won’t be noticeable on your artistic creations. It also provides UV protection and is food-safe. 

Available at Amazon 

EPE EasyPour Epoxy Resin

In addition to a generous amount of resin and hardener, this comprehensive kit includes two measuring cups, a mixing spatula and a spreader — everything you need to coat objects, make molds and more. The formula mixes with ease and has a shiny, bubble-free finish when dried. 

Available at Amazon 

Other top epoxy resin coatings

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Bob Beacham writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.

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