Few things are better for building confidence and momentum going into a state tournament than a win against a quality opponent.

Kellam got one on Friday, beating Grassfield 2-1 for the Class 6 Region A softball title on Ava McMichael’s walk-off RBI double that scored Carson Griffth from first base in the bottom of the seventh inning with the winning run.

“We knew going into the game that it was going to be tooth-and-nail to the end,” said Knights’ pitching ace Abby Adamek, who threw a four-hitter and struck out eight. “I knew our team would come together, because there’s always someone who comes through.

“It was so exciting to see everyone react to the winning run. It was really special.”

Although the Knights are 22-1 going into their Class 6 state quarterfinal at 5 p.m. on Tuesday at home against Colgan (17-6), from Manassas, Friday’s win was far from their first close call. The Knights own five wins over state tournament participants and three of them were nail-biters.

“Since our very first game (a 2-1 win over Kempsville, which just missed making states), we’ve played tough competition in our region and had to make adjustments and be on our A-game,” Adamek said.

Adamek, a junior left-hander who has allowed one or no runs in 18 outings this season, is a big reason for the Knights’ success. She’s struck out 215 in 149 innings, with a 0.71 ERA, so her performance against Grassfield – one of best-hitting teams in Hampton Roads – was typical.

“They are all athletic, very strong hitters, so I knew I had to be unpredictable if I wanted to be successful,” Adamek said. “So I tried to move the ball to both sides of the plate and I was really climbing the ladder with my riseball – especially high and outside.

“I have so much trust in my defense this year, and I know they have my back at any moment. Their energy is fantastic; you just feed off of that as a pitcher.”

That goes both ways.

“Abby is always calm and poised and seems to handle anything in stride,” Knights’ coach Lori Gavin said. “Her teammates rally around her, play good defense and hit the ball well around her.”

First baseman Sydney Harris has swung the hottest bat, with a .473 average, five home runs and a .919 slugging percentage. Leadoff hitter McMichael (.408 average), Adamek (.343) and second baseman Grace Andes (.333) – who have teamed with Harris for three seasons – have also been steady at the plate.

As Adamek indicated, she’s gotten good defensive performances behind her everywhere, but singled out right fielder Griffiths. That figures as the junior has robbed five batters of singles by throwing them out from right field.

It’s a combination that has Adamek and her teammates thinking state title.

“If there was ever a time to do it, it is now because we have a very special group of girls,” Adamek said of the Knights, who finished the regular season No. 1 in the 757Teamz rankings. “We expect the competition in the state tournament to be even harder, so not being caught off guard because we’ve played those tough teams will be a big asset for us.

“It’s going to come down to those tooth-and-nail moments. I think we’re excited enough, and pushed ourselves far enough, to make it happen this year.”

Just before 11 a.m., folks begin gathering, grabbing a glass of wine and finding a seat at the bar that wraps around the kitchen.

There’s small talk until Janie Jacobson begins greeting everyone, welcoming them to her home.

But today it’s more than her home, it’s also her cooking school.

Classes take place at the home of Jacobson in the Croatan neighborhood of Virginia Beach, just south of the resort area.

On the menu: eggplant parmesan meatballs, salt and pepper brick mushrooms and orange tiramisu.

With assistant Caryl Felty, Jacobson moves about the kitchen with aplomb. She pulls out a pan of roasted eggplant cubes, passing them under the noses of the 10-or-so participants, before placing them in a food processor.

“You just want to give it a few pulses,” Jacobson says. “It should come together, but there should still be some chunks in there.”

Folks scribble notes on the recipe sheets that are placed in front of them.

“How many pulses would you say,” asks one. Jacobson says five or six.

It goes like this for a little more than an hour as the meatballs are spooned out onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet (“I love parchment paper,” Jacobson tells the class) then in the oven to bake.

Courses are done, demonstration style, in stages so the entire meal comes together at the same time. Each class includes an entree, side and dessert.

Jacobson started teaching at the stalwart Kitchen Barn, located in Hilltop, more than 30 years ago and has been teaching in her home for the past 10 years.

“My love of teaching comes from first my love of food which started when I was a child,” she says.

“I was always in the kitchen with mom and the housekeeper, my second mom, growing up. I got into healthy cooking when I was a teenager and continued my education in New York City at The Natural Gourmet Cookery School in the 80s. I took a teacher’s training course there as well.”

When she moved back to Virginia Beach, she started teaching locally.

“I always was a visual learner and, now, to be with my students, sharing and showing them each step in the recipe gives them the confidence to make the recipe at home,” says Jacobson.

“I love it when students come back and share with me what they made for their family and friends. I feel a real sense of accomplishment to contribute in that way.”

In this class, the eggplant meatballs come out of the oven, their arrival met with oohs and aahs. Folks pull out smartphones and take photos just as the mushrooms finish on the stovetop. The orange tiramisu is pulled from the refrigerator where it has been chilling.

Everyone moves to a large table and the dishes are presented family style. Jacobson continues to answer questions, and folks make small talk. Each bite was delicious, the meatballs flavorful and tender, the mushrooms delicious and smoky, and the orange tiramisu creamy and decadent.

Classes are held on select Wednesday mornings from 11 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. and are priced at $70 a class, with a discount for a series of three classes.

There are two additional cooking classes in the spring schedule, one on June 7 that features shrimp and scallop scampi over orzo and one on June 14 that showcases turmeric chicken salad.

The summer schedule starts on July 12 with an entree of spaghetti with corn carbonara and clams, and continues on July 19 with roasted chicken with tomato butter and romaine pecorino salad; July 26 with lobster salad; Aug. 9 with summertime chicken salad with blueberry vinaigrette; Aug. 23 with warm pickled shrimp on watermelon steak; and Aug. 30 with swordfish salad.

Classes on the summer schedule continue Sept. 13, Sept. 20, and Sept. 27. Contact Jacobson for full details.

For more information on Cooking with Chef Janie Jacobson, call or text Jacobson at 757-513-5435 or email [email protected].

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Recipe

Eggplant Parmesan Meatballs

From Janie Jacobson

Ingredients

2 medium globe eggplants, cut into 1-inch pieces

8 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup Italian breadcrumbs

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/2 cup grated pecorino cheese

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves

2 tablespoons chopped sun-dried tomatoes

1/2 teaspoon bomba calabrese, an Italian spicy Calabrian pepper spread

1 egg plus 1 egg yolk

3 garlic cloves, minced

24 ounces favorite marinara sauce

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Salt

Method

Roast the eggplant: preheat the oven to 375F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and add the eggplant cubes to the sheet pan. Toss with 6 tablespoons olive oil and salt. Roast the eggplant for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool. Place the roasted eggplant in a food processor, pulsing until chunky in consistency.

Prepare the meatballs: raise the oven temperature to 425F. In a large bowl, add Italian breadcrumbs, grated parmesan cheese, grated pecorino cheese, basil, sun-dried tomatoes, bombs, egg and egg yolk, and garlic. Mix until incorporated.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop up the mixture and place the formed balls onto the baking sheet; you should have about 20 balls. Drizzle balls with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, place in oven, and bake for 16 minutes.

Prepare the dish: add the marinara sauce to a baking dish and evenly place the roasted meatballs on top. Sprinkle meatballs with the mozzarella cheese.

Reduce the oven to 375F and bake 15 minutes or until sauce is heated and cheese is melting.

Serves 6-8.

Patrick Evans-Hylton, [email protected]

By SETH BORENSTEIN (AP Science Writer)

The cause of global warming is showing no signs of slowing as heat-trapping carbon dioxide in Earth’s atmosphere increased to record highs in its annual Spring peak, jumping at one of the fastest rates on record, officials announced Monday.

Carbon dioxide levels in the air are now the highest they’ve been in more than 4 million years because of the burning of oil coal and gas. The last time the air had similar amounts was during a less hospitable hothouse Earth before human civilization took root, scientists said.

The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration announced that the carbon dioxide level measured in May in Hawaii averaged 424 parts per million. That’s 3 parts per million more than last year’s May average and 51% higher than pre-industrial levels of 280 ppm. It is one of the largest annual May-to-May increases in carbon dioxide levels on record, behind only 2016 and 2019, which had jumps of 3.7 and 3.4 parts per million.

“To me as an atmospheric scientist, that trend is very concerning,” said NOAA greenhouse gas monitoring group leader Arlyn Andrews. “Not only is CO2 continuing to increase despite efforts to start reducing emissions, but it’s increasing faster than it was 10 or 20 years ago.”

Emissions used to increase by maybe 1 part per million per year, but now they are increasing at twice and even three times that rate, depending on whether there is an El Nino, Andrews said.

“The relentless rise in atmospheric CO2 is incredibly worrying if not wholly predictable,” said Brown University climate scientist Kim Cobb, who was not part of the research.

Carbon dioxide levels are rising so that each year is higher than the last. However, there’s a seasonal cycle with carbon dioxide so that it reaches its highest saturation point in May. That’s because two-thirds of the globe’s land is in the northern hemisphere and plants suck carbon dioxide out of the air, so during late spring and summer carbon dioxide levels fall until they start rising again in November, Andrews said.

Carbon dioxide levels rise more during El Nino climate cycles because it is drier in the northern hemisphere. An El Nino is brewing. That 3.0 increase may be a sign of an El Nino bump, she said.

There are two main ways of tracking greenhouse gases. One is to monitor what’s coming out of smokestacks and exhaust pipes, but about half of that is absorbed by the oceans and lands, Andrews said.

The other way is to measure how much carbon dioxide is in the air. NOAA and partner agencies measure all around the world. Hawaii has the longest history of direct measurements and is the home of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography’s Keeling Curve, which has kept track of carbon in the air since 1958 when the May reading peaked at 317.5. Emissions have gone up about 33% since then.

“Current emissions are going to remain in the atmosphere for thousands of years and they’re going to continue to trap heat energy near Earth’s surface for thousands of years,” Andrews said.

Because of that “we are still dealing with CO2 in the atmosphere that was emitted in the early-to-mid 20th century,” University of Oklahoma meteorology professor Jason Furtado, who wasn’t part of the monitoring teams, said in an email. “This is why we have to see emissions DROP in order to have a chance to reverse climate change. And even if/when we reverse the CO2 emissions rate, it will take some time before the climate system responds.”

This year NOAA had a complication in its reading.

NOAA and the Scripps Institution have two distinct monitors that have slightly different measurements. Scripps measured 423.8 parts per million and often runs a bit below NOAA. Both have been at the remote Mauna Loa volcano for decades but last November’s eruption cut off power to the NOAA monitor and it’s been unable to use it since. NOAA established another one at Mauna Kea Volcano, 21 miles away.

Scripps got their Mauna Loa site working and put one at Mauna Kea and their data shows that Mauna Kea is an accurate substation for Mauna Loa, Andrews said.

Many activists and scientists advocate for returning to 350 parts per million levels.

“CO2 now is higher than any time in the last 4 to 4.5 million years when the atmosphere was about 7 degrees Fahrenheit (3.9 degrees Celsius) warmer and sea levels were 5 to 25 meters (16 to 82 feet) higher,” Andrews said.

Temperatures were higher with similar amount of carbon dioxide in the air because carbon dioxide traps heat for so long and millions of years ago the build up of carbon dioxide was much more gradual, allowing heat to build and ice to melt to raise seas, scientists said.

“We are absolutely at levels unseen in human civilization,” Furtado said. “Humans are running a massive experiment on the Earth climate system via burning carbon, and the results are turning out not great for a lot of people on this planet.”

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Follow AP’s climate and environment coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment

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Follow Seth Borenstein on Twitter at @borenbears

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Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about AP’s climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

By Chris Bryant (Bloomberg Opinion)

After two years when it seemed everyone hit the road to live their best #vanlife or explore the outdoors in a larger motor home, some of the air is rushing out of the recreational-vehicle boom.

Buyers are balking at soaring prices, forcing U.S. RV manufacturers to temporarily shutter production and dealers to discount inventory. The industry faces a testing period of declining sales and earnings, but a renewed commitment to more affordable camping options will ensure its long-term prospects.

Demand for RVs rocketed in 2020 and 2021 as consumers constrained from flying overseas found a safer way to satisfy their wanderlust. Instead of working from home, RV owners could toil from a national park instead.

With dealer lots emptied out, frenzied buyers were sometimes forced to pay more than the recommended retail price and spend well in excess of $100,000 on a motor home.

Though manufacturers faced higher costs, they were still able to boost gross margins via price increases and sales of more high-spec vehicles. However, the bubble has now begun to deflate.

Airstream producer Thor Industries Inc.’s North American RV order backlog shrank 80% in the year to Jan. 31 and revenue slumped 39% in the fiscal second quarter, forcing it to cut full-year sales guidance. Forest River Inc.’s first-quarter revenue also declined 39%, which the Berkshire Hathaway Inc.-owned business attributed in part to “rising interest rates, inflation and other macroeconomic conditions.” Overall RV shipments to dealers declined 52% in the first four months of this year, according to the RV Industry Association.

A sales pullback was inevitable in this cyclical industry — many people who wanted an RV now have one — yet the level of retail buyer caution appears to have caught the industry by surprise.

“There has been a little bit of sticker shock from consumers when they see the increase of new RV prices and the interest rates that are associated with financing,” retailer Camping World Holdings Inc. Chief Executive Officer Marcus Lemonis told investors last month, noting that customers are looking to the used market as an alternative.

So far there haven’t been a glut of first-time purchasers dumping their vehicles and quitting the RV life. However, some recent buyers may discover they have negative equity — meaning they owe more than their depreciating vehicle is worth — making it harder for them to trade in their old rig for a new one.

Dealers are wary of holding too much new inventory — in part because their own borrowing costs have increased — and some are having to cut prices to shift aging stock. So now might be a good time to buy a new RV, providing you have the cash.

In April, John North, CEO of Lazydays Holdings Inc., said the RV dealer was advertising “significant discounts” while this month Jason Lippert, the boss of RV-equipment supplier LCI Industries, said consumers should be able to obtain “a much lower price on product than what they would have got six months ago.”

Two-thirds of the 40 North American dealers surveyed recently by Truist Securities are discounting 2022 model year inventory by 30% or more from the manufacturer’s suggested retail price. “Affordability — unit inflation and higher financing rates — remains the single largest impediment to consumer demand,” its analyst Michael Swartz told clients this week.

However, if the industry’s production discipline continues, very limited inventories may prevent prices falling as much as RV fans might hope.

For now at least, the European RV market remains in much better shape because production severely constrained by a chassis shortages has kept dealer inventories fairly low.

Luxury manufacturers like Morelo (owned by Knaus Tabbert AG) and family-owned Volkner Mobil GmbH have full order books and wealthy customers who are less affected by inflation. Volkner’s bespoke land yachts with space to carry a Ferrari or Bugatti in the vehicle underbelly can cost up to 3 million euros ($3.2 million).

“Two decades ago people would start out with a tent or smaller camper before trading up. Today we have customers who’ve never owned a mobile home before and insist on one of our luxury vehicles,” co-owner Stephanie Volkner told me. “Our clientele aren’t just older people, we have 30-year-old customers with small kids.”

Mercedes-Benz Group AG also remains bullish on the “glamping” trend and recently announced a new line of luxury electric camper vans.

However, after attracting so many Gen Z and millennial converts recently — the median age of a first-time RV buyer in the U.S. has fallen to 32 from 41 — manufacturers can’t afford to neglect entry-level customers.

Camper vans still offer good value compared with the soaring cost of flights, rental cars and hotel stays, and RV owners are able to generate extra income via peer-to-peer renting platforms. Yet along with higher loan payments, insurance and campground entry have also become much more expensive lately.

In a nod to these pressures, French manufacturer Trigano SA said last week it would soon launch new vehicles that “appeal to budget-conscious consumers.”

“Mindful” of the impact of inflation and rising interest rates on consumer affordability, Thor said in March it is “working with our suppliers to lower input costs and introducing new product offerings at value price points.” (Thor and rival Winnebago Industries Inc. report fiscal third-quarter earnings next month.)

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©2023 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com/opinion. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

NORFOLK — Joseph Rosa admits that he sometimes wakes up and has to remind himself what city he’s in.

It’s hard to blame the Norfolk Tides infielder; since signing with the Seattle Mariners as a 17-year-old free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2014, Rosa has played for 14 teams in three countries at nearly every level of professional baseball.

Just two weeks ago, in fact, the 26-year-old Rosa wasn’t even with an affiliated club, playing instead for Mariachis de Guadalajara of the independent Mexican League.

But since the Baltimore Orioles signed him May 24 and assigned him to Norfolk, Rosa has done nothing but rake. Through 12 games since joining the Tides, he’s batting .356 with no home runs and five RBIs.

Rosa went 0 for 4 with an RBI walk in Sunday’s 13-4 win over Gwinnett in the finale of a seven-game series at Harbor Park.

As has been the case all season for first-place Norfolk, others picked up the slack. Robbie Glendinning and Colton Cowser homered for Norfolk, which took five games in the series.

Rosa, who was born in New York City but spent his childhood in the Dominican Republic after age 7, didn’t come out of nowhere. He kind of came out of everywhere.

Rosa had been out of affiliated ball since opting for free agency following the 2021 season. That came after nine stops in the Mariners’ organization, followed by a successful 2022 season in the independent Atlantic League, two stints in the Dominican Winter League and time this season with two teams in Mexico.

Just like that, Rosa finds himself on the cusp of the major leagues with the Orioles.

“It’s been kind of a ride,” Rosa said. “I thought it was going to take me more time to come back again. But it was really quick.”

Rosa came to Baltimore’s attention rather organically. When he played for Leones del Escogido in the Dominican following the 2020 and ’22 seasons, Felipe Alou Jr. was on the coaching staff.

Alou, now the manager at high Class-A Delmarva, saw something he liked and put in a word with the parent club.

When the Tides found themselves with a need on the infield, Rosa was summoned.

“He’s just a guy who came in with some energy, and he’s playing really well,” Norfolk manager Buck Britton said. “He’s picking us up at shortstop, at second. It just goes to show that there’s players everywhere.”

Success is not entirely new for Rosa, who has put in 691 professional games and more than 2,800 plate appearances. Playing for Gastonia in the Atlantic League last season, he hit .308 with 21 homers and 92 RBIs in 124 games.

Chris Vallimont, a right-hander who has roomed with Rosa for about a week now, has marveled at the new guy’s ability at the plate.

“I was kind of asking him: I was like, ‘What did you hit in the Mexican League, like .800?’ ” Vallimont said. “Because he comes over here and he’s hitting, like, .500. I was like, ‘Golly!’ ”

Rosa’s approach, he said, has been simple. He’s worked on being selective when he swings while trying to stay in the middle of the field.

It’s worked so far, though sustaining such success is rare.

Still, despite his serpentine path to Norfolk, Rosa is optimistic that his bat and his glove could make him an asset in the major leagues.

“I think I could keep playing good and help somebody out up there,” he said. “Whatever they want, I’ll do.”

Vallimont, a 26-year-old Pennsylvanian, described Rosa as a “quiet” roommate with whom he’s building a friendship.

“Awesome guy to be around,” Vallimont said. ‘I have no complaints. Really, this whole team is awesome to be around. Fun group of guys to be with.”

For Britton, a former scrappy utilityman who would do anything he could to get his name on the lineup card as a player, having Rosa on the roster only adds to what already has been one of the best Tides teams in recent memory, in an organization stocked with elite prospects.

“Maybe it’s a diamond in the rough that we found and a good thing for the organization,” Britton said. “Bringing in competition is always good, man. It raises the level of everybody’s game.”

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

Appointed/elected

The board of directors of Albemarle Area United announced the appointment of new members including Dr. Keith Parker, superintendent for Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Public Schools; Jamie Koch, executive director of the Outer Banks Family YMCA; and Deborah White, director of patient care services at Sentara Albemarle Medical Center.

Awards and honors

Amber Egyud, chief operating and nursing officer at Chesapeake Regional Healthcare, was inducted into the fellow designation program of The American Organization for Nursing Leadership during the organization’s annual conference in May. The designation recognizes a nurse leader’s sustained contributions to the specialty of nursing leadership, commitment to service and influence in shaping health care.

Dae-Hee Kim, a marketing professor at the Luter School of Business at Christopher Newport University, received the O’Hara Leadership Award in Education from the Direct Marketing Association of Washington and its Educational Foundation. He was selected for the award based on published research, innovative teaching in direct and indirect marketing and for mentoring several winning student competition teams.

Janele Marek, director of marketing at Chesapeake Regional Healthcare, was named a 2023 Top Hospital Marketer of the Year by Xpectives Health. The award recognizes health care marketers who drive innovation and work toward better patient health outcomes. She joined the health system in 2021 and managed the creation of a new brand platform, “Innovative for Life,” which increased brand awareness.

The following Pender & Coward attorneys were included in the 2023 list of Virginia Super Lawyers or Rising Stars by the Super Lawyer rating service: Dave Arnold, eminent domain; Jeff Gray, business litigation; Ra Hee Jeon, family law; Annie Lahren, immigration; Bryan Peeples, environmental; Jeff Rosen, business litigation; Bob Samuel, personal injury; Kerry Stolz, workers’ compensation; Diane Thompson, estate and probate.

Virginia Beach Parks & Recreation was selected as a finalist for the 2023 National Gold Medal Awards for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management by the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration, in partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association. This is the third straight year that VBPR has been named a finalist, competing among the best park agencies from around the country. The final phase of judging, a five-minute video, will take place this summer and winners will be announced during the 2023 NRPA Conference, Oct. 10-12 in Dallas.

Grants and donations

Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters received a $50,000 Connecting Communities grant from Rite Aid Healthy Futures to provide low- and moderate-income patient families with healthy, shelf-stable food and assistance with referral for food and other needs. The organization provided more than $4.5 million in grant funding to children’s hospitals across the country, giving them additional resources to address hunger and food insecurity through innovative, community-rooted initiatives.

Norfolk State University announced that Conrad Hall, a member of the board of visitors, made a $1 million gift to support the creation of the Conrad M. Hall Endowed Chair in Constitutional and U.S. History at the university. The position will add to the department of history and interdisciplinary studies and the department of political science program offerings. It will allow the university to recruit renowned constitutional scholars as professors to enhance the degree programs. A native of Norfolk, Hall retired as CEO of Dominion Enterprises Inc., after a 40-year career in the media, marketing and information services industries.

The 2023 Supernova International Ska Festival received a grant for $9,930 from the Virginia Tourism Corp. Regional Marketing Program. The festival is the largest ska event in the United States. It will take place at Fort Monroe in Hampton Sept. 15-17. The festival is partnering with the city of Hampton and Fort Monroe Authority and will feature 36 bands from nine countries. The Grammy Awards named the festival as one of its Top 10 indie festivals for 2023.

New branding

In early May, Sentara announced new names and branding for its components. The health care system said the change to Sentara Health reflects its enhanced focus on promoting the overall health and well-being of its consumers including patients, members and communities. The change also represents the deepening alignment between its health care services and health plans. By the end of the year, Sentara will retire the Optima Health and Virginia Premier brands, unifying the plans under one brand, Sentara Health Plans.

New location

Nuts & Buds, a family-owned business, and the retail and online store for G. Ryan Howell Farms, celebrated a grand reopening at its new location, 6470 Caratoke Highway in Grandy, North Carolina, on April 20. The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the store, which specializes in CBD products, drew a large crowd of customers, vendors and supporters. For information, visit nutsandbuds.com.

Hampton Roads and Virginia leaders in the LGBTQ+ community denounced decisions by Target to remove some items from its annual Pride collection and move displays to the back of the stores in some locations.

“I think they are caving to the people who are a small minority but the loudest in the room,” said Rachel Anderson, president of the board of directors for Hampton Roads Business Outreach (HRBOR), the area’s LGBTQ+ chamber of commerce.

Target made the changes to its annual Pride collection after criticism from anti-LGBTQ groups, who knocked over displays and expressed outrage over bathing suits made for trans women, according to The Associated Press. The retailer said it has sold products during Pride Month in June for more than a decade.

Target said in a May 24 statement it was removing items at the center of the controversy, though it did not name which items. In an Instagram post, designer Erik Carnell said his items had been fully removed from Target stores and its website.

Anderson, a Chesapeake attorney, said the decision limited shoppers who could only access the items in stores. She noted that the vast majority of Americans supported LGBTQ equality, referencing a recent GLAAD survey where 84% of non-LGBTQ respondents said they supported equal rights for the community.

“The minority should not dictate what happens in this world,” Anderson said.

But as a business owner, Anderson said she realized the tough position Target was in. Several states with Targets allow gun owners to open carry weapons, which could lead to intimidation of employees. She understood the need to maintain the safety of workers and customers.

De Sube is a founding member of the Transgender Assistance Program of Virginia, which helps transgender Virginians with housing costs and other bills. She remembers years ago when Hampton Roads Pride celebrations were a small community affair, and large corporations ignored the LGBTQ+ community.

Now, those same companies are clamoring for the community’s business.

“But when things get a little tough, they bow out,” Sube said. “They chicken out. We want our businesses to support us.”

The changes to the displays aren’t consistent between Target locations, either, Sube said. In Norfolk, the Military Circle Target’s Pride display was still near the front entrance as of Thursday afternoon. Pride merchandise was also still up front at the Hampton Target on Friday morning.

One state lawmaker said the displayed merchandise shrank at two Hampton Roads stores at least. Kelly Convirs-Fowler, who came out as bisexual last year, said she purchased several items from the Pride collection before the company’s announcement. When she heard about plans to remove items, she visited the Targets on Independence Boulevard in Virginia Beach and Greenbrier Parkway in Chesapeake and said the amount of items in stock was significantly smaller than before.

“It would be a shame for Target to lose business because a community once embraced is being bullied back into the closet,” Convirs-Fowler said in a text message.

Lawren Burroughs is a transgender woman who practices law in Virginia Beach and serves on the National Trans Bar Association board of directors. When she was transitioning around 2016, she remembers Target coming under attack for allowing customers and employees to use bathrooms that corresponded to their gender identity.

At the time, she said the stance made her feel safe and welcome in the stores. But she said Target’s recent actions are a step back in its support for the LGBTQ+ community. She found it troubling that Target caved to the threats from anti-LGBTQ+ groups.

“The timing is horrible, and it makes it feel like a less friendly place,” Burroughs said.

Burroughs said she hoped the world would reach a place where LGBTQ+ items were so ordinary that they could be displayed on shelves all year, rather than just Pride month, without controversy.

Equality Virginia, a statewide advocacy agency for the LGBTQ+ community, was one of more than 100 organizations that signed a letter to Target condemning the company’s actions and asking it to reject anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric.

For decades, companies have marked Pride month with special campaigns in solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community, Equality Virginia Executive Director Narissa Rahaman said in a news release.

“Pride is about visibility, and the actions that companies such as Target are taking are antithetical to that very goal,” Rahaman said.

Rahaman said it was more important than ever for companies to stand with the community, given the upswing in anti-LGBTQ+ legislation that has exploded in recent months. According to AP reporting, nearly 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced in state legislatures around the country this year, and at least 18 states have passed laws restricting or banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors.

In Virginia, a Democrat-controlled state senate has prevented those laws from passing. Although if a future election changes that, anti-LGBTQ+ legislation could pass in this state as well, Sube said. That’s why it’s important for her nonprofit group to be visible out in the community standing up against anti-transgender laws.

Trevor Metcalfe, 757-222-5345, [email protected]

Debt bill

After several weeks and long debates, the House finally passed the debt ceiling bill. This is a great win for many people who benefit from essential programs related to health care, education, child care, food stamps, student debt forgiveness, and so many other programs. Virginia Organizing sends a “thank you” to Rep. Jen Kiggans for voting in favor of the debt ceiling bill. During a visit to Kiggans’ office Wednesday, Virginia Organizing members were assured that she wouldn’t contribute to any cuts of Social Security benefits; we are pleased that she kept her promise.

While it is great that Congress is moving in the right direction toward not going into default, there is still more work to be done. The fight continues. We need more affordable child care, food programs and Medicaid benefits. We need better work requirements that won’t risk people losing their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.

Patrice Smallwood, member of Virginia Organizing, Norfolk Chapter and State Governing Board, Chesapeake

No way

President Joe Biden should not consider pardoning former President Donald Trump as several have suggested. E.J. Montini’s column “President Joe Biden should pardon Donald Trump” in The Arizona Republic states that a presidential pardon of Trump is “the right thing to do.” Montini relies on Gerald Ford’s pardon of Richard Nixon quoting Ford as saying that he was “absolutely convinced … that if we had had an indictment, a trial, a conviction, and anything else that transpired after this that the attention of the president, the Congress and the American people would have been diverted from the problems that we have to solve.”

Trump is not Nixon. Nixon was unprincipled. Trump is in an unprecedented league of thuggery. Nixon was principled enough to “disappear,” to rehabilitate himself and to give the nation time to heal. Trump appears incapable of considering what is best for the nation. A pardon would further embolden him, and the nation would still be diverted from the problems needing solutions — bigotry, violence, climate, economy, etc.

Acknowledging that he is “not naïve enough to believe that granting a pardon to Trump would — in any way — begin the process of healing or put the tragedy behind us,” Montini still says it is “the right thing to do.” “Right” for whom? Surely not the majority of Americans — many of whom are weary of a man who would rather destroy the nation than admit that he was fired.

Biden should continue to decline to comment on Trump’s legal issues and let justice prevail. That is the right thing to do for our country.

Barbara Tuck Lovell, Norfolk

Wake up

Before COVID-19, the United States was flying high. China was in check, for the most part, the economy was roaring and people were making money in their retirement accounts. Cue COVID-19, the world shut down, and we have not fully recovered.

I feel we are not going to recover with the current occupant of the White House trying to lead us. Mass shootings are up, law enforcement is handcuffed by corrupt district attorneys, people’s work ethic is in the toilet, the American nuclear family is under attack, transgender women are winning in women’s sports, and school teachers are under a tremendous pressure to teach our children right from wrong and they are getting zero support from local school boards. The common denominator is failed leadership across the board from liberal politicians. If you can’t see this, you are blind. Wake up, America, before we go the way of Rome.

Steven Duke, Hampton

Two former William & Mary men’s players competed for a team that took the winner-take-all $1 million first prize Sunday in the first edition of The Soccer Tournament.

Marcel Berry and William Eskay played for Newtown Pride FC, based in Sandy Hook, Connecticut — a city thrust into the limelight in 2012 because of a deadly mass shooting at elementary school — in the 7-v-7 event.

Newtown defeated SLC FC 2-0 in Cary, North Carolina, to win the 32-team tournament. The club has announced it will donate a portion of the winnings to Sandy Hook Elementary School charities.

A MILLION DOLLAR CELEBRATION FOR THE MILLION DOLLAR CHAMPIONS! 💰

Congrats @NewtownPrideFC on making HISTORY as the first-ever TST champs. pic.twitter.com/ztWco6adP6

— TST (@TST7v7) June 4, 2023

Newtown dominated the run of play. Berry hit the crossbar in the 30th minute, and Eskay was denied on a scoring chance in the 31st. But Gabriel Costa broke the tie in the 35th of 40 regulation minutes.

Like its predecessor, The Basketball Tournament, TST games conclude with the Elam Ending — a basket on the hardwood, a goal on the pitch. The target score to win throughout the tournament was one more goal than the leading team’s score at the end of regulation time — in this case, 2.

After 10 minutes of scoreless play during the ending phase, one player per team was removed, providing more attacking space. After five minutes, the game was reduced to 5-v-5.

Kelvin Nunes then scored the decisive goal, igniting a celebration.

KELVIN NUNES SCORES THE $1 MILLION GOAL!!!!@NewtownPrideFC IS YOUR TST 2023 CHAMPIONS!!!!!!!@Ally pic.twitter.com/JE9CSanFO0

— TST (@TST7v7) June 4, 2023

LOCAL BASEBALL

Chili Peppers keep Pilots winless

Leading by four runs at the seventh-inning stretch, the Peninsula Pilots saw hopes of their first victory of the Coastal Plain League baseball season dashed.

The Tri-City Chili Peppers (5-1) went ahead with a seven-run seventh and went on to post a 15-10 victory over the Pilots (0-3) Sunday night before 618 at Shepherd Stadium in Colonial Heights.

The loss spoiled one of the best games of Trey Morgan’s career. Leading off for the team his father, Hank, manages, the VMI All-Southern Conference player batted 5 for 6 with two runs and an RBI.

Also for the Pilots, Barham White of LSU-Eunice homered and drove in three runs, Hunter Cole had a hit and two RBIs, future Nebraska Cornhusker Aaron Manias had two hits and two RBIs, and Hickory High graduate Mason Dunaway of James Madison had two runs and two RBIs.

Cole, from Granby High, was one of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference’s best players this season.

Tri-Rivers outhit the Pilots 15-13. Longwood’s Michael Dolberry, from nearby Prince George, was the Peppers’ prime contributor, driving in six runs and falling just a triple short of the cycle. He scored three runs. VCU’s Brandon Eike added a home run among three hits, four RBIs and two runs.

FIELD HOCKEY

Ex-ODU goalkeeper achieves shutout with American team

Former Old Dominion and York High goalkeeper Kealsie Robles posted a shutout as the U.S. Women’s National Team began its 2023 Hockey5s Pan American Cups campaign with an 8-0 triumph against Costa Rica in pool play in Kingston, Jamaica.

Monday, the U.S. will face Guatemala at 2:40 p.m. and Paraguay at 6:40 p.m.

Robles is now an assistant field hockey coach for Queens College in Charlotte, North Carolina.

MADISON, Ill. — Kyle Busch had been in and out of his car through a lengthy weather delay. He had idled on the track through two red flags. He had kept his poise through 11 cautions, including five down the stretch as he tried to protect his lead.

It must have seemed like Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race, at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, would never end.

It finally did in the twilight, though, some six hours after the green flag initially dropped. Busch got a big push from Chesterfield County native Denny Hamlin on the last restart and then held him off in a green-white-checkered finish for his third victory of the year.

“That was pretty awesome, man, to sit on the pole, lead a lot of laps and have my guys do such a great job today. It was pretty phenomenal for us,” Busch said. “We’re going to have a great time with this one. This one is pretty cool.”

Bubba Wallace, fighting for a top-10 finish, brought out the 11th and final yellow when his brake rotor let go with five laps remaining, the last in a series of broken rotors that ended the race for at least three other drivers.

Busch, who had held off Kyle Larson on each previous restart, had one last phenomenal jump in him. He was well ahead of the rest of the field by the backstretch with just more than a lap left. He was never seriously challenged by Hamlin after taking the white flag, giving Richard Childress Racing another victory after triumphs at Talladega and Auto Club Speedway.

“Anytime we give him a car capable of winning, he’s going to win it,” Childress said. “Those last three or four or however many restarts, I thought that was pretty tough, but I knew he would do his job.”

The win was especially gratifying for Busch’s crew chief, Randall Burnett, who not only produced a car fast enough to win the pole in his hometown but also made all the right calls Sunday. Burnett hails from nearby Fenton, Missouri, and had plenty of friends and family in a sellout crowd of about 60,000 on a brutally hot late spring day.

“It means a lot to me coming home,” Burnett said.

Hamlin finished second while Joey Logano, the winner a year ago in the Cup Series debut at the track, got around Larson on the final lap for third. Martin Truex Jr. rounded out the top five ahead of Ryan Blaney, last week’s winner at Charlotte.

“Long day for sure,” Logano said after climbing out of his car. “There were four or five cars that were just better than us. We made some good adjustments at the end and we were in the hunt.”

It was a long day for Corey LaJoie, who filled in for Chase Elliott in the No. 9 car for Hendrick Motorsports and spent most of the day near the back before finishing 21st. Elliott was suspended for the race for intentionally wrecking Hamlin last week.

It also was a long day for everyone on pit stands. There were some technical issues that not only prevented them from having communication with teams back at their shops, but also limited the amount of data they were able to see.

“It was interesting for sure,” Truex said. “It was just an uphill climb.”

LATE START

The race went to caution on the second lap when Tyler Reddick spun on the backstretch. Moments later, the race was halted due to pop-up lightning in the area. While the delay lasted about two hours, rain never fell on the track.

HOCEVAR’S DEBUT

Carson Hocevar made his Cup Series debut in place of LaJoie in the No. 7 for Spire Motorsports. But the car still carried LaJoie’s name, so the 20-year-old Hocevar walked through the fan area several hours before the green flag, handing out drinks to make sure everyone knew he was in it.

Hocevar was on the move Sunday when his brake rotor broke during Stage 2.

“I was running 16th and it was so surreal. I thought we were going to have a good day and be in a good spot,” Hocevar said. “Hopefully that call for a Cup ride isn’t the only one I get in my life.”

BRAKING PROBLEMS

The egg-shaped oval at World Wide Technology Raceway is particularly hard on brakes. Reddick was running seventh when his rotor exploded, putting him into the wall and out of the race.

CREW MEMBER HURT

Thomas Hatcher, who changes the right front tire for Erik Jones, was hurt when he got tangled with another crew member as the car slid into the stall during a pit stop. Hatcher was taken by ambulance to a hospital but was awake and alert.

UP NEXT

The series heads next Sunday to the road course in Sonoma, California. Daniel Suárez became the first Mexican-born driver to win a NASCAR Cup Series race when he dominated the final stage a year ago