“Myths and legends have been written and spoken about the Vietnam era. And oftentimes, I think back on those days in Vietnam, about how much we did, what we didn’t do and what we could have done.” 

Loved ones sniffled and wiped away tears as the poignant words of the late Lt. j.g. William “Bill” Collins Jr. filled an auditorium Friday at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story. The Vietnam veteran, who died in 2017, was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star for his military service. Rear Adm. Brad Andros, commander of Navy Expeditionary Combat Command, presented the medal to the Collins family, who accepted the award on behalf of William.

“He would always say to me, the Navy provided him with the best years of his life,” said Jacqueline Collins Kilduff, William’s daughter. 

William, a native of Waverly, Virginia, joined the Navy in 1964 when he was a junior at William & Mary. He did so as “an afterthought,” rather than according to any particular plan.

“At the behest of the Army — he got a draft notice — dad joined the Navy. Back at William & Mary, he had passed the test for OCS (Officer Candidate School), and for some damn reason he thought joining the Navy would mean he would be home more often than his army captain father,” Killduff said, adding with a laugh. “I’m going to chalk that idea up to youthful delusion.”

Three years later, then 26-year-old William was sent to Vietnam, serving as the officer-in-charge of Patrol Craft Fast, Coastal Division Eleven from November 1967 through July 1968.

“I had folks tell me that my dad was in the Brown Water Navy. I had never heard that term before, but later he explained that he spent many days on patrol ‘up some damn river or other,’” Killduff said.

William was part of Operation Game Warden, and the mission was to deny Vietcong access to resources in the Mekong River Delta. Because water travel was the primary means of transportation and communication, control of the delta — which wound through 15,000 square miles of Vietnam — was considered crucial.

Rows of nipa palm trees crowded the banks of the narrow rivers and canals. The broad leaves of the palms grew to 30 feet high, allowing enemies to move virtually undetected.

The Navy used patrol boats to check cargo and identify papers of boaters plying the waterways, set up night ambushes at suspected enemy crossing points, transport and support allied forces, and enforce curfews.

Skirmishes and bloodshed were commonplace.

In the seven months he was in the jungle, William conducted 120 combat patrols in shallow and hazardous waters and was involved in 38 firefights.

“I lost no sailor to any action, for which I am particularly proud,” William said in an interview with the Navy Memorial Archive.

Following his service, William returned to Virginia. He worked as the Vice President of Administrative Services for Farm Credit System for 25 years before moving to Sussex County and beginning a third career as an auctioneer and real estate agent for Briggs Real Estate.

William kept his Vietnam stories to himself for decades, his daughter said. It was only after a family trip to Ireland, when William used his Navy training to fix their broken down tour bus, that Kilduff began to see her dad in a new light.

“There he was in his standard Vietnam veteran khaki pants and golf shirt, under the bus on the ground. And when he yelled ‘Go,’ the Irish bus driver cranked that bus up. … Suddenly after years of being dubious about my dad — the churchgoing, Lions Clubs suburban barbecue king — I realized he was a pretty cool guy, a real hero,” Kilduff said.

William died March 15, 2017, at 75 years of age.

“Everyone who ever met my dad knows he loved singing and enjoyed eating peanuts, oysters, very rare steaks, and drinking cold beer out of the frosty mug, which is another habit cultivated on a certain boat somewhere in murky brown water far from home,” Kilduff said.

William is part of the history of swift boat sailors and an inspiration for future riverine sailors, said Command Master Chief Clayton Alec-Finkelman of Maritime Expeditionary Security Group Two.

“We have a great responsibility to honor the past because it is an important part of who we are today,” Alec-Finkelman said.

Alec-Finkelman was a riverine sailor — a modern day Brown Water Navy sailor — deploying to the rivers in Iraq, Tigris and Euphrates from 2006-07.

“When I walk around in my uniform or if I am just picking up milk from the store, a lot of people thank me for my service. Sometimes I feel not worthy of that. What did I do today, except go to work? Or pick up milk?,” Alec-Finkelman said.

“They are really thanking me because of people like Lt. j.g. Collins. They don’t know anything about me, but they know those stories — the stories of the Navy and the people that came before us who accomplished great deeds.”

Caitlyn Burchett, [email protected]

Coors’ beer may be ubiquitous in gas stations and groceries stores across the country today, but in the 1970s, it was a hot commodity unavailable east of the Mississippi River. And a quest to bootleg 400 cases from Texarkana, Texas, to Atlanta in the movie “Smokey and the Bandit” catapulted the legacy brand to a cultural phenomenon.

Now, a hotel in Coors’ home of Golden, Colorado, is paying tribute to the film – and the brewery’s 150th anniversary – with a themed lodging package that offers guests a chance to pose with a car inspired by its famous Trans Am and, of course, plentiful beer.

Embed from Getty Images

Movie buffs can book a reservation at The Eddy Taproom & Hotel (1640 8th St, Golden), for a curated experience that is sure to satisfy fans who are “eastbound and down, loaded up and truckin’.” The package, which starts at $900 for two people, includes a trip to the Rods & Bodz Museum, which showcases many cars made famous on the silver screen; a guided brewery tour in Golden; a three-course dinner and pairing led by the hotel’s Cicerone; and a life-size cut out of Burt Reynolds that guests can keep in their room.

Guests also get a six-pack of craft beer upon arrival and a Coors Banquet gift package.

“We’re excited to offer guests the opportunity to celebrate our town’s brewing history and to relive the thrill of Smokey and the Bandit,” said Chris Luersen, general manager of The Eddy Taproom & Hotel, in a statement.

“Golden is not only the home of Coors but also a vibrant hub of craft brewing, distilling and outdoor adventure. This package allows visitors to experience the town’s exciting culture while also enjoying a unique blend of nostalgia and modern luxury,” he added.

“Smokey and the Bandit,” starring Reynolds, Sally Field and Jerry Reed and Jackie Gleason, was released in 1977 — the same year that Coors grew into the 5th largest brewery in the United States. Despite its size, however, Coors still only distributed beer in 11 Western states (as it had done since the end of Prohibition), including Texas.

That distribution was one of the major plot points in the movie: A wealthy Texan wanted to drink his favorite beer at a car race in Atlanta, but since it wasn’t sold legally there, he hires truck driver Cledus “Snowman” Snow (Reed) to transport it across the country (at speeds exceeding the speed limit), with Bo “Bandit” Darville (Reynolds) and his Trans-Am acting as a distraction for the police. The film was a huge hit — and it made Coors into a highly sought-after star.

The brewery would eventually begin selling beer on the other side of the Mississippi River in 1981 and was distributed in all 50 states by 1991.

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Joel Streed | (TNS) Mayo Clinic News Network

At some point in their lifetimes, most people will experience a nosebleed. It’s common for adults and children, especially during dry winter months.

Although rarely life-threatening, nosebleeds can cause anxiety and sometimes are difficult to control.

Why do nosebleeds occur?

Epistaxis, more commonly known as a nosebleed, occurs when a small blood vessel in the nose ruptures. The bleeding most commonly arises from the nasal septum, the partition that divides the two sides of your nose on the inside. The rupture can occur when something traumatizes or irritates the mucosa lining of the septum. Common causes are nose-picking, forcefully blowing the nose or an impact to the outside of the nose or face.

Nosebleeds are more likely to occur when the nasal mucosa is dry and irritated. When there is low moisture content in the air, such as in the winter when homes are warmed with furnaces or electric heat, the blood vessels are more prone to tearing. A person also may be more likely to experience a nosebleed during an allergy episode or when fighting an upper respiratory infection.

Other less common causes of nosebleeds may lead to recurring or serious bleeding. People with clotting or blood vessel disorders like hemophilia or who use anticoagulant medications for a heart condition have a greater risk of recurring nosebleeds. Growths in the nose, perforations in the septum, uncontrolled high blood pressure and some types of nasal sprays also can increase the risk of epistaxis.

Types of nosebleeds

Anterior nosebleeds start in the front of the nose. They are the most common type of epistaxis and usually are identified by brisk bleeding from one nostril. Less commonly, nosebleeds may start from a blood vessel toward the back of the nasal cavity. This type of nosebleed is a posterior bleed and tends to be more severe, often requiring emergency treatment.

Follow these tips to avoid nosebleeds:

• Avoid vigorous nose-blowing and stuffing tissues or other objects into the nose.
• Discourage children from nose-picking and keep their fingernails trimmed.
• Use over-the-counter nasal saline sprays and topical moisturizing gels to moisten the nasal mucosa.
• Use a home humidifier to keep moisture in the air during winter.
• If you smoke, consider quitting. Tobacco smoke dries out the nasal mucosa and increases the risk of nosebleeds.

If you get a nosebleed

Fortunately, most nosebleeds stop on their own after a few minutes. By staying calm and following some simple steps, most nosebleeds can be managed without medical assistance.

Follow these steps:

For serious bleeds or frequent nosebleeds, seek medical attention with your health care team or in an emergency department.

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©2023 Mayo Clinic News Network. Visit newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Two Suffolk police officers were arrested this week and both have been placed on administrative leave, according to a statement from a city spokesperson.

Senior police officer Marco Leslie was arrested Monday and charged with one count of obtaining money under false pretenses.

Master police officer James Babor was arrested Thursday and charged with three counts including forging and uttering a public document, computer fraud and obtaining money under false pretenses.

It was not immediately clear whether the two cases were related.

By BOBBY CAINA CALVAN, JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER and CHRISTOPHER WEBER (Associated Press)

LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — An emergency official who defended a decision to not sound outdoor alert sirens on Maui as a ferocious fire raged has resigned.

Maui Emergency Management Agency Administrator Herman Andaya had said this week that he had no regrets about not deploying the system because he feared it could have caused people to go “mauka,” a Hawaiian term that can mean toward the mountains or inland.

“If that was the case, then they would have gone into the fire,” Andaya explained. He stepped down Thursday, a day later.

The decision to not use the sirens, coupled with water shortages that hampered firefighters and an escape route clogged with vehicles that were overrun by flames, has brought intense criticism from many residents following the deadliest wildfire in the U.S. in more than a century.

With the death toll at 111, the search for the missing moved beyond the devastated town of Lahaina to other communities that were destroyed. Teams had covered about 58% of the Lahaina area and the fire was 90% contained as of Thursday night, Maui County officials said.

Six forensic anthropologists with the Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency are assisting in gathering and identifying human remains, the Pentagon said in a statement Friday. The group is experienced in verifying DNA from long-lost service members, many of whom died as long ago as World War II.

Mayor Richard Bissen accepted Andaya’s resignation effective immediately, the County of Maui announced on Facebook. Andaya cited unspecified health reasons for leaving his post, with no further details provided.

“Given the gravity of the crisis we are facing, my team and I will be placing someone in this key position as quickly as possible and I look forward to making that announcement soon,” Bissen said in the statement.

The lack of sirens has emerged as a potential misstep, part of a series of communication issues that added to the chaos, according to reporting by The Associated Press.

Hawaii has what it touts as the largest system of outdoor alert sirens in the world, created after a 1946 tsunami that killed more than 150 on the Big Island. Its website says they may be used to alert for fires.

On Wednesday, Andaya vigorously defended his qualifications for the job, which he had held since 2017. He said he was not appointed but had been vetted, took a civil service exam and was interviewed by seasoned emergency managers.

Andaya said he had previously been deputy director of the Maui County Department of Housing and Human Concerns and chief of staff for former Maui County Mayor Alan Arakawa for 11 years. During that time, he said, he often reported to “emergency operations centers” and participated in numerous trainings.

“So to say that I’m not qualified I think is incorrect,” he said.

Arakawa, who noted Andaya was scrutinized for the job by the county’s personnel service, said he was disappointed by the resignation “because now we’re out one person who is really qualified.”

“He was trying to be strong and trying to do the job,” Arakawa said about the wildfire response. “He was very, very heartbroken about all the things that happened.”

Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez said earlier Thursday that an outside organization will conduct “an impartial, independent” review of the government’s response and officials intend “to facilitate any necessary corrective action and to advance future emergency preparedness.” The investigation will likely take months, she added.

Corrine Hussey Nobriga said it was hard to lay blame for a tragedy that took everyone by surprise, even if some of her neighbors raised questions about the absence of sirens and inadequate evacuation routes.

The fire moved quickly through her neighborhood, though her home was spared.

“One minute we saw the fire over there,” she said, pointing toward faraway hills, “and the next minute it’s consuming all these houses.”

Displaced residents are steadily filling hotels that are prepared to house them and provide services until at least next spring.

Authorities hope to empty crowded, uncomfortable group shelters by early next week, said Brad Kieserman, vice president for disaster operations with the American Red Cross. Hotels also are available for eligible evacuees who have spent the last eight days sleeping in cars or camping in parking lots, he said.

Contracts with the hotels will last for at least seven months but could easily be extended, he said. Service providers at the properties will offer meals, counseling, financial assistance and other disaster aid.

Green has said at least 1,000 hotel rooms will be set aside. In addition, Airbnb said its nonprofit wing will provide properties for 1,000 people.

The governor also has vowed to protect local landowners from being “victimized” by opportunistic buyers. Green said Wednesday he instructed the state attorney general to work toward a moratorium on land transactions in Lahaina, even as he acknowledged that would likely face legal challenges.

Since the flames consumed much of Lahaina more than a week ago, locals have feared a rebuilt town could become even more oriented toward wealthy visitors.

The cause of the wildfires is under investigation. But Hawaii is increasingly at risk from disasters, with wildfire rising fastest, according to an AP analysis of FEMA records.

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Kelleher reported from Honolulu and Weber from Los Angeles. Contributing to this report were Associated Press journalists Michael Casey in Concord, New Hampshire; Jennifer McDermott in Providence, Rhode Island; Seth Borenstein in Washington, D.C.; and Heather Hollingsworth in Kansas City, Missouri.

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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.

Firefighters worked to keep open the only route out of the capital of Canada’s Northwest Territories as a wildfire moved closer to the city of 20,000 and residents rushed to beat a noon Friday deadline to evacuate.

Airtankers flew missions overnight to keep the highway out of Yellowknife open, and authorities were guiding a long caravan of motorists through fire zones, officials said. Meanwhile, a network of fire guards, sprinklers and water cannons was being established to try to protect the city from the fire, which had moved to within 15 kilometers (9 miles).

Northwest winds combined with minimal rain were complicating efforts to slow the fire, which could reach the city limits by the weekend, emergency officials said. There was a chance of limited rain on Friday, but officials said it likely wouldn’t be enough to help.

“We’re heading into a critical couple of days,” Shane Thompson, a government minister for the Territories, told a news conference.

Thousands of people have fled the fire, one of hundreds of wildfires raging in the territories, driving hundreds of kilometers (miles) to safety or waiting in long lines for emergency flights, as the worst fire season on record in Canada showed no signs of easing.

Ten planes left Yellowknife with 1,500 passengers on Thursday, said Jennifer Young, director of corporate affairs for the Northwest Territories’ Department of Municipal and Community Affairs, adding that the agency hopes 22 flights would leave Friday with 1,800 more passengers.

Yellowknife Mayor Rebecca Alty said the fire didn’t advance as much as expected on Thursday, but “it is still coming,” and heavy smoke that is expected to move in increases the urgency of evacuating while it’s still possible.

Alice Liske left Yellowknife by road with her six kids earlier this week because the air quality was so bad. She worried about how so many people would flee the city in such a short time.

“Not only that,” she said, “but when we go back, what will be there for us?”

Canada has seen a record number of wildfires this year — contributing to choking smoke in parts of the U.S. — with more than 5,700 fires burning more than 137,000 square kilometers (53,000 square miles) from one end of Canada to the other, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.

As of Friday morning, more than 1,000 wildfires were burning across the country, over half of them out of control. Hundreds of kilometers (miles) to the south of Yellowknife, hundreds of properties were ordered to evacuate because of the threat from a wildfire near West Kelowna, British Columbia.

The evacuation of Yellowknife was by far the largest this year, said Ken McMullen, president of the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs and fire chief in Red Deer, Alberta.

“It’s one of those events where you need to get people out sooner rather than later” because of the danger the fire could block the only escape route even before reaching the community.

As people fled, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with his incident response group. He asked ministers to work to ensure communication services remained available and said there would be no tolerance for price gouging on flights or essential goods.

On Thursday, at the Big River Service Station about 300 kilometers (185 miles) south of Yellowknife, the line of vehicles waiting for fuel was “phenomenal,” employee Linda Croft said. “You can’t see the end of it.”

Resident Angela Canning packed up her camper with important documents, family keepsakes and basic necessities as she prepared to leave with her two dogs, while her husband stayed behind as an essential worker.

“I’m really anxious and I’m scared. I’m emotional. … I’m in shock,” she said. “I don’t know what I’m coming home to or if I’m coming home. There’s just so much unknowns here.”

The evacuation order issued Wednesday night applied to Yellowknife and the neighboring First Nations communities of Ndilo and Dettah. Indigenous communities have been hit hard by the wildfires, which threaten important cultural activities such as hunting, fishing and gathering native plants.

About 6,800 people in eight other communities in the territory have already been forced to evacuate their homes, including the small community of Enterprise, which was largely destroyed. Officials said everyone made it out alive.

A woman whose family evacuated the town of Hay River on Sunday told CBC that their vehicle began to melt as they drove through embers, the front window cracked and the vehicle filled with smoke that made it difficult to see the road ahead.

“I was obviously scared the tire was going to break, our car was going to catch on fire and then it went from just embers to full smoke,” said Lisa Mundy, who was traveling with her husband and their 6-year-old and 18-month-old children. She said they called 911 after they drove into the ditch a couple of times.

She said her son kept saying: “I don’t want to die, mommy.”

The Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra’s upcoming season is bigger and more star-studded than ever, its director said.

This year’s program, which begins in September, features six Masterworks concerts in addition to three specialty concerts and will include a new collaboration with actors with the new Ellis Island Program in addition to longtime favorites.

“There’s a lot to like and love and lot of familiar, wonderful big hits but also a lot of stuff that I think people will find as discoveries,” said WSO music director Michael Butterman. “That mix of familiar and fresh is one that I hope will characterize what we do in general.”

The symphony’s season-opening concert is slated for Sept. 8 and will feature pianist Simone Dinnerstein taking part in her first-ever performance of Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 2.

During a recent sabbatical from performing, Dinnerstein learned the piece, calling it her favorite concerto but one she has long felt daunted by.

“I just never felt that I was ready to learn it,” she said. “And I didn’t have the time that I felt I needed to really dig into it.”

There’s something “muscular” about the piece, Dinnerstein said, which seemed “so large both in scope and the physical endurance required to play it that I’ve been scared of it my whole life.”

For her first performance of the piece, Dinnerstein will be playing on the symphony’s brand new Steinway piano. The piano was was funded by the E.K. Sloane Fund of the Hampton Roads Community Foundation together with a matching gift from Two Friends of Music, along with additional funds from the Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra.

“I’m so excited for the inaugural concert of our new Steinway, and I can think of no one I’d rather share it with than the brilliant Simone Dinnerstein,” said WSO music director Michael Butterman. “Her thoughtful musicianship combined with her virtuosity make her the ideal pianist to reveal all the colors and the power of this magnificent instrument.”

For her part, Dinnerstein is “thrilled” to play a piano with such a storied pedigree as she visits Williamsburg for the first time.

“I hope I’m going to have some free time so that I can look around because it sounds like a beautiful place,” she said.

In addition to Dinnerstein, guest artists coming to Williamsburg this season include violinist Philippe Quint and pianists Asiya Korepanova and Aldo López-Gavilán . The always-popular Holiday Pops concert, scheduled for Dec. 2 and 3, will feature John Riesen, who appeared on season 17 of America’s Got Talent in 2022. Cirque de la Symphinie, which was added to the slate last year, will also return, this time at the Ferguson Center in Newport News for an expanded performance.

One concert Butterman said he is especially looking forward to is the Ellis Island performance on March 15.

According to the season program, the production features the “stories of seven immigrants who came to America through Ellis Island” in the first half of the 20th century. The performance will feature spoken texts performed by actors from Colonial Williamsburg, which were selected from real interviews with immigrants about their experiences coming to America, “(weaving) monologues from the actual words of these immigrants into an orchestral tapestry that frames and comments on their poignant, humorous, moving and inspiring stories.”

“It’s so germane to social studies programs in schools,” Butterman said. “I wanted to find a way to offer that and … it’s a piece that works perfectly well for an adult audience but would also work well for schools. So it seems like, why limit it to one or the other?”

The ever-popular Cabaret & Cocktails performance is scheduled for Jan. 21 and will pay tribute to Aretha Franklin with guest vocalists Capathia Jenkins, a Broadway star, and three-time Grammy nominee Ryan Shaw.

This will be Butterman’s second with the symphony after joining prior to the 2022-23 season.

“Certainly last season felt, especially as the season went on (with each concert) bigger than the last in terms of attendance and response and so on, like there was kind of a crescendo of public enthusiasm,” Butterman said. “We’re hoping that we’ve got some good momentum now and hopefully we can ride that into this next season and keep building on what we have.”

Sian Wilkerson, 757-342-6616, [email protected]

YORK — For years, Will Joyner’s mother wouldn’t let him grow out his thick, curly hair. As soon as it reached ear level, off to the barber he went.

By 2020, Will had decided he wanted a mullet — long hair in the back, shorter on the top and sides — just like his father and uncle had sported in their pasts. When hair salons shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic, he seized his chance.

Three years later, the 16-year-old Seaford resident has brown locks that fall all the way down to the middle of his back — a key piece of the mullet that just placed fifth nationally in the teen division of the 2023 USA Mullet Championships.

“I have a very good mullet, and I felt like people around the country should have the honor of getting to see it,” he said. “It feels great that I did so well.”

Will, a junior at York High School, competed against 90 other teens in the annual summer competition, which also has categories for kids, men and women (“femullets”). This year’s edition had more than 1,000 total entrants, 900-plus of them in the kids’ division.

Popular in the 1980s, the mullet hairstyle has made a recent comeback. The USA Mullet Championship began in 2020 in Fenton, Michigan, where contest founder and mullet aficionado Kevin Begola has an apparel and footwear company.

The first year, Begola was only looking for the best mullet in his state as a fun marketing idea. But after drawing 130 entries and interest from ESPN8: The Ocho channel, he expanded the event to a national field.

The competition also raises money for Homes for Wounded Warriors, a nonprofit that builds and remodels housing for injured veterans. This year, donations from participants and their supporters have topped $176,700.

Winners are chosen by online voting and a panel of judges who critique hairdos based on length, style, uniqueness and showmanship. Champions receive a trophy, cash awards and prizes from sponsors such as Fritos, B Fresh Gear and Cigar City Brewing.

About 16,000 people cast votes on the 10 teen finalists, each sporting a named mullet. Begola described Will’s “Seaford Special” as “very long and majestic.”

“His natural curls are something that a lot of other contestants have to pay for,” Begola noted. “We see perms and all sorts of extra stuff being done to amplify a mullet. He doesn’t hide his ‘party in the back,’ either. It’s there and ready to show you what he is all about.”

Will, a longtime fan of the ’80s for its music, cars and big hair, spotted a notice for the mullet championship on Facebook. His family encouraged him to submit photos, including his mother Jenny Joyner, whose feelings on the mullet have fully evolved.

Joyner admits that she originally thought Will was trying to irritate her with the idea and wouldn’t care for long hair properly. Today, she considers her son’s unique mullet an important part of his identity.

“Then the more it grew, the prettier it got,” she said. “What girl would not kill for those curls? The longer it grew, the compliments got more frequent. The more this happened, the more confident he got, and the more his personality developed. So yes, I love his beautiful hair and am so proud of the young man he is becoming.”

Will gets trims and shaping from his regular barber, Colts Cut at The Wrights Cut Family Barber Shop and Salon in Gloucester Point, about every three weeks. Other than that, his styling consists of basic shampoo and conditioner.

“It’s all natural,” he said. “I get cat-called a lot for it, by people of all different ages.”

Beyond his mullet-growing talents, Will enjoys fishing, riding motorcycles and working on cars. He also plays tackle for the York High football team, letting his long hair flow out the back of his helmet (“Nobody messes with it,” he says). After graduation, he plans to join his family’s plumbing business.

As for keeping the mullet going, Will’s answer is immediate.

“Absolutely yes,” he said. “I can’t cut it off now. Also, my mom loves my hair now, so I’m glad I didn’t give up on what I know was meant for me.”

Alison Johnson, [email protected]

After closing its Williamsburg flagship store two years ago, Yankee Candle is planning to return to the area this fall, but with a much smaller operation.

Williamsburg Premium Outlets announced Wednesday that a Yankee Candle would be opening there in October.

“Fans of the brand will be happy to know the store is back for good,” Premium Outlets said in a news release.

The store will be located between The North Face and The Children’s Place.

Yankee Candle Village opened on Richmond Road in Williamsburg in November 2005. The 42,000-square-foot village featured a variety of items in addition to candles and became a popular tourist destination. It closed in April 2021, although the reasons behind the closure were never clear.

Earlier this year, Richmond-based entertainment company Uptown Alley purchased the building and plans to turn it into a multi-level entertainment center that will feature bowling, an arcade and a restaurant. The company plans to open the new center in the spring of 2024.

The new Yankee Candle in the James City County-based Premium Outlets will be the 12th smaller Yankee Candle retail outlet in Virginia. There are three in Hampton Roads, including at Patrick Henry Mall in Newport News, at Greenbrier Mall in Chesapeake and at Lynnhaven Mall in Virginia Beach. Other stores are in Leesburg, Fredericksburg, Gainesville, Prince William, Roanoke, Winchester and two in the Richmond area— Short Pump Town Center and Chesterfield Towne Center.

Premium Outlets also announced two other new stores joining the retail center: A pop-up Columbia clearance store that will be open through the end of the year, and Stone Haven, which will be located next to Sperry and the Michael Kors Outlet and sell natural stones, crystals, beads, jewelry and other collectable products.

Wilford Kale, [email protected]

By JOSH BOAK and EMILY SWANSON (Associated Press)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has devoted the past several weeks to promoting the positive impacts of his policies — but his efforts have yet to meaningfully register with the public.

Only 36% of U.S. adults approve of Biden’s handling of the economy, slightly lower than the 42% who approve of his overall performance, according to the new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Both figures are close to where Biden’s approval numbers have stood for about the past year and a half, including just two months ago. Signs of an improving economic outlook have done little to sway how people feel about the Democratic president as he gears up for a 2024 reelection campaign that could pit him against his predecessor and 2020 opponent, Republican Donald Trump.

Job growth has stayed solid with the unemployment rate at 3.5%, while the pace of inflation has slowed sharply over the past year to the annual rate of 3.2%.

Both Biden and Trump have weaknesses as older candidates seeking a rematch. Trump, 77, faces a series of criminal indictments that include his possession of classified material and allegations that he tried to overturn the 2020 election, which has rallied support among Republicans while leaving him with substantial vulnerabilities in a potential general election contest.

Biden, 80, has yet to fully bring Democrats to his side as the lingering aftershocks of inflation still weigh on people’s minds. Along with members of his cabinet and Vice President Kamala Harris, Biden has been speaking about the $500 billion worth of new investments by private companies that he said came from incentives he signed into law.

Erica Basile, a teacher who describes herself as a “staunch Democrat,” said she feels the economy is “mediocre, but improving.”

“I do think in many ways they’re working very hard at getting the economy back on track post-COVID,” said Basile, who lives in Lynnwood, Washington.

Just 65% of Democrats approve of Biden’s economic leadership, while 76% approve of how he’s handling the job overall.

In follow-up interviews, some survey respondents felt torn between the desire to return to a sense of normalcy after Trump’s presidency and the desire for even more sweeping policies to address climate change, health care costs and taxes.

“When Joe Biden was selected to be the nominee and eventually won, my feeling at the time was that he could be the most milquetoast and undramatic president to help the country cool down,” said Steven Peters, 41, who works in information technology in White House, Tennessee. “Unfortunately, that’s what he’s been. I’m dissatisfied because I had hoped there would be more change.”

Peters added, “He’s really middle of the road when a lot of people would like to see more dramatic action.”

For GOP supporters, such as Merritt Rahn, 74, Biden has gone too far. Rahn said he is retired but also works at Home Depot and sees higher gasoline and food costs as making it harder for families to get by financially. The Jensen Beach, Florida, resident said Biden will further hurt the U.S. by moving energy sources away from oil and gas.

“It’s a death to our society and economy,” said Rahn, who added that he believes Biden “has no clue what’s going on.”

The poll also found that 55% of Democrats say they don’t think Biden should run again in 2024, though a large majority — 82% — say they would definitely or probably support him if he is the nominee. Overall, only 24% of Americans say they want Biden to run again.

Among Democrats who approve of how Biden is handling the economy, 58% would like him to seek another term. Just 20% of those who disapprove of his performance on the issue want the incumbent president to run again.

Biden continues to struggle to appeal to younger Democrats, especially on the economy. Only 52% of Democrats under age 45 say they approve of his handling of the economy, compared with 77% of those older.

The president has used the term “Bidenomics” to try to encompass his ideas to lower costs for people on Medicare, shift toward electric vehicles and renewable energy, and build factories for advanced computer chips and batteries. Yet some are still struggling to understand what the term means.

Asked about the definition of Bidenomics, Cory O’Brien, 39, said: “You know what, dude, I have no idea. Biden is a free market capitalist like most moderate Democrats are.”

The age gap extends to Biden’s reelection campaign: Just 34% of Democrats under 45 want him to run again, compared with 54% of those older than that. Still, about three-quarters of younger Democrats say they’ll most likely support him if he’s the nominee, though only 28% say they definitely will.

O’Brien, who works in education and lives in Massachusetts, said he expects the 2024 election to be “miserable” for voters because of the likely Biden and Trump rematch.

“I think it’s going to be a miserable election cycle,” he said. “We’re going to see a lot of the same stuff that we saw in 2020.”

Biden also faces renewed pressure related to investigations over his son Hunter’s business dealings. The poll finds that a majority of Americans — 58% — have hardly any confidence in Biden to reduce corruption in government, though that’s unchanged since January. Another 30% have some confidence and 10% have have a great deal of confidence.

The poll shows that 23% of Americans say they have a great deal of confidence in Biden’s ability to effectively manage the White House, 31% have some confidence and 45% have hardly any. Despite the fact that Biden has achieved several of his major policy goals, just 16% say they have high confidence in his ability to do that, while 38% say they have some confidence and 44% hardly any.

Few Americans say they think the national economy is doing well: 34% describe it as very or somewhat good. No more than about a third of Americans have called the economy good since 2021.

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The poll of 1,165 adults was conducted August 10-14, 2023, using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.

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This story has been corrected to say 10% of those polled have a great deal of confidence in Biden to reduce corruption in government.