Brake lights as far as the eye can see are a common sight in Hampton Roads. Most readers from the area will be familiar with coming to a complete stop in traffic on Hampton Roads’ many bridges, tunnels and crowded city streets. One side effect of this phenomenon is motorcyclists being left in a vulnerable position.

According to a 2015 California study, the most common form of a multi-vehicle motorcycle accident is the motorcyclist being rear-ended at a standstill, leading to head and back injuries or even death. This same study noted that when lane filtering is allowed, the chances of injury or death in such crashes decrease appreciably.

Lane filtering allows a motorcycle to travel between two lanes of traffic moving in the same direction when other traffic in these lanes is stopped or moving at a low rate of speed. This practice is a compromise between the European-style lane splitting adopted in 2016 by California and the current laws of the land that do not allow for lane sharing of any type.

This is the middle ground that several states seem to have settled on, including Arizona, Montana and Utah. Each of these states has placed reasonable restrictions on the circumstances in which filtering is allowed. These restrictions include which types of roads the action is allowed on, the speeds at which the motorcycle is permitted to travel in relation to surrounding traffic, and only allowing filtering between travel lanes. These laws ensure that motorcyclists are not pressed between two cars when rear-ended while still ensuring reckless activity remains illegal.

The commonwealth should follow this template of allowing reasonable lane filtering. As a rider myself, I have had someone approach from the rear at high speed on several occasions, and each time, I was lucky that I was able to escape onto the shoulder or the individual was able to stop themselves just short of my taillight. Another benefit of filtering puts motorcycles, which generally have greater levels of acceleration, out ahead of other traffic from a red light, putting them in “clean air,” reducing interactions between riders and drivers.

Virginia would make a good candidate for lane filtering as it would be the first state east of the Mississippi to adopt this type of legislation. The commonwealth also has a wide selection of roads, from the urban sprawl of Northern Virginia, Hampton Roads and Richmond to more rural communities, all of which could benefit in various ways.

A point of concern for drivers may be when motorcycles are moving between vehicles. However, this maneuver will be conducted at low speed and after comprehensive operator training, which will further mitigate risk to all on the road. As lane filtering only happens at low speeds or full-stop, the maneuver would continue to be illegal at higher speeds and on roads not conducive to safe execution. This should alleviate the concerns of car drivers that a lane filtering law would be used to promote reckless driving.

Movement on this issue has already been attempted as the Virginia House of Delegates saw a lane filtering bill proposed in the 2022 legislative session. This bill, HB838, was voted to be tabled by the transportation committee in a 6-0 vote. While legislators seem to be aware of the proposed solution to these possibly deadly rear-end crashes, there was a lack of interest in bringing it to a floor vote in the 2022 session. The next legislative session is always around the corner, so reach out to your delegates and let them know that a bill to allow motorcycle lane filtering should be a priority as it deserves proper debate.

Devan Allen of Hampton is a motorcycle rider and a senior at Old Dominion University, studying enterprise cybersecurity and information systems and technology with a concentration in network engineering.

Football fans in the nation’s capital are enjoying their biggest victory since Joe Gibbs’ Hogs won their third Super Bowl 31 years ago.

It may take a while before Washington celebrates similar on-field success.

Getting rid of owner Dan Snyder is the first step toward rebuilding a once-proud franchise, but it won’t be easy after decades of decline.

The Commanders’ new ownership led by Josh Harris and including Magic Johnson have plenty of major challenges ahead. Harris outlined his priorities Friday.

“I’m stressed. Training camp is next week and the first game is six weeks away,” said Harris, who also co-owns the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and the NHL’s New Jersey Devils. “We’ve got to get the team ready to win football games. We’ve got to get out in the community and start to pay it forward as Magic said and we’ve got to change the fan experience.”

Snyder’s 24-year tenure was filled with futility and disgrace. The team won just two playoff games in only six postseason appearances and the team’s stadium has aged poorly, causing fans to stay away.

Snyder’s behavior that ultimately led to his departure — the NFL fined him $60 million for improprieties corroborated by its investigation into workplace culture and business dealings — will remain a stain on the organization for the foreseeable future while the new regime works to build a winner and fulfill its goals.

Changing the team’s name again could eventually be part of the clean-slate process, but that may take some time. Harris made it clear winning over Washington’s long-suffering fan base is the immediate goal for a group that spent a record $6.05 billion on the franchise.

During the team’s glory days, fans sang “Hail to the Redskins” — the team’s former name, which was considered a racial slur against Native Americans and was dropped in 2020 — and crammed into raucous, intimate RFK Stadium in Washington, where some seats literally shook during touchdown celebrations. That atmosphere vanished entirely at the team’s current home, FedEx Field in suburban Maryland, which was rushed to completion by Snyder’s predecessor, Jack Kent Cooke.

“We’re going to throw a party every other Sunday,” Harris said. “When you have guests in your house, you treat them well. You don’t have couches that are broken. You don’t have TVs that aren’t working. That’s what we’re focused on right now. As far as the stadium experience long run, we would love to have a stadium where opposing players fear to come and our players love to come and feel welcome. That’s what I experienced at RFK. Whatever happens at the stadium, that’s the kind of stadium experience I want to create.”

Considering the jubilation fans have shown since Snyder’s departure, the new owners could enjoy a longer honeymoon period than usual. Revved-up fans partied at a pep rally at the stadium Friday while the owners met the media.

“I’ve waited seven years to see the fan base like this,” defensive tackle Jonathan Allen said.

The elation over the sale of the Commanders undoubtedly was felt inside NFL headquarters. The Snyder saga has dogged NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and the league’s 31 other owners for too long.

“It’s a hallmark day,” Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said after his peers unanimously approved the sale Thursday.

However, the league’s initial handling of an independent investigation into workplace misconduct led to a congressional review and included a referral to the Federal Trade Commission for potential business improprieties by Snyder.

That’s still a black eye for the NFL. The league won’t suffer. It never does.

For now, it’s all about the Washington fans. Maybe one day, they’ll be singing: “Hail to the … Commanders or RedWolves or …”

Jake Cave’s recall to Philadelphia, P.J. Higgins’ return to the Chicago Cubs’ organization, Ben Williamson’s pro debut and some good starts by Garrett Stallings and Justin Verlander are among the recent storylines.

The numbers

(listed with jersey number, name: position, level, team, organization)

BATTERS

16 Kyle Battle: OF, High A, Hudson Valley, Yankees; 9 games, .050 batting average (1 for 20), 1 R, 0 HR, 0 RBI, .224 OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage). On the 7-day injured list.

8 Justice Bigbie: 1B, AA, Erie, Tigers; 27 G, .376 (38 for 101), 21 R, 4 HR, 16 RBI, 1.027 OPS. Promoted June 13 from High-A West Michigan. With West Michigan – 37 G, .333 (46 for 138), 25 R, 6 HR, 27 RBI, .943 OPS.

44 Jake Cave: OF, AAA, Lehigh Valley, Phillies; 59 G, .346 (82 for 237), 61 R, 16 HR, 49 RBI, 1.113 OPS. With MLB, Philadelphia; 20 G, .222 (14 for 63), 3 R, 1 HR, 9 RBI, .619 OPS. Was sent down to Lehigh Valley on May 2 but recalled Friday by Philadelphia.

21 Matt Coutney: 1B, High-A, Tri-City, Angels; 23 G, .261 (10 for 35), 6 R, 1 HR, 7 RBI, .657 OPS. Promoted from Class A Inland Empire on June 19. With Inland Empire – 57 G, .277 (57 for 206), 33 R, 10 HR, 41 RBI, .845 OPS.

17 Andy Garriola: OF, A, Myrtle Beach, Cubs; 73 G, .221 (61 for 276), 31 R, 8 HR, 40 RBI, .639 OPS.

10 P.J. Higgins: 1B, AAA, Iowa, Cubs; 2 G, .333 (2 for 6), 1 R, 0 HR, 0 RBI, .762 OPS. Traded from Arizona to Chicago on July 15. With AAA, Reno, Diamondbacks – 58 G, .317 (71 for 224), 50 R, 6 HR, 46 RBI, .880.

23 Andre Lipcius: 2B, AAA, Toledo, Tigers; 79 G, .256 (75 for 293), 39 R, 6 HR, 37 RBI, .720 OPS. On the 7-day injured list.

8 Brandon Lowe: 2B/OF, MLB, Tampa Bay, Rays; 62 G, .205 (43 for 210), 28 R, 10 HR, 32 RBI, .706 OPS.

30 Nathaniel Lowe: 1B, MLB, Texas, Rangers: 96 G, .280 (106 for 379), 62 R, 10 HR, 48 RBI, .802 OPS.

9 Vinnie Pasquantino: 1B/DH, MLB, Kansas City, Royals; 61 G, .247 (57 for 231), 24 R, 9 HR, 26 RBI, .762 OPS. Out for the season; had surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder.

12 Chase Pinder: RF, AAA, Memphis, Cardinals; 42 G, .293 (34 for 116), 24 R, 1 HR, 17 RBI, .855 OPS. Assigned to Springfield on May 30 and went back to Memphis on June 4. With Springfield, 4 G, .250 (3 for 12), 2 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, .900 OPS.

3 Chris Taylor: OF/SS/2B, MLB, Los Angeles, Dodgers; 64 G, .208 (37 for 178), 29 R, 12 HR, 31 RBI, .736 OPS.

8 Bryce Windham: C, AAA, Iowa, Cubs; 30 G, .313 (26 for 83), 13 R, 0 HR, 19 RBI, .806 OPS.

10 Ben Williamson: 3B, Rookie, Arizona Complex League, Mariners; 1 G, .333 (1 for 3), 0 R, 0 HR, 0 RBI, .666 OPS.

74 Jared Young: DH/1B/RF, MLB, Chicago, Cubs; 13 G, .171 (6 for 35), 7 R, 1 HR, 5 RBI, .628 OPS after being promoted June 27. With Triple-A Iowa, 52 G, .326 (56 for 72), 40 R, 13 HR, 45 RBI, 1.031 OPS.

PITCHERS

29 Noah Dean: A, Salem, Red Sox; 14 G (14 starts), 1-6, 7.38 ERA, 39 IP, 39 H, 48 BB, 48 K.

43 Graham Firoved: High-A, Aberdeen, Orioles; 20 G (0 starts), 0-1, 6.17 ERA, 23 1/3 IP, 25 H, 13 BB, 34 K.

16 Hunter Gregory: Rookie (on rehab assignment), FCL, Blue Jays; 2 G (0 starts), 0-0, 9.00 ERA, 4 IP, 6 H, 0 BB, 3 K. With High-A Vancouver; 13 G (5 starts), 0-5, 7.11 ERA, 25 1/3 IP, 33 H, 11 BB, 30 K.

30 Aaron Holiday: High-A, Fort Wayne, Padres; 22 G (0 starts), 3-3, 4.75 ERA, 30 1/3 IP, 26 H, 26 BB, 37 K.

41 Daniel Hudson: MLB, Los Angeles, Dodgers; 3 G (0 starts), 0.00 ERA, 3 IP, 2 H, 3 BB, 5 K. On rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City and Rookie league, 8 G (6 starts), 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 8 1/3 IP, 4 H, 1 BB, 14 K. Moved on July 12 to the 60-day injured list with a right knee problem and isn’t eligible to return until early September.

52 Daniel Lynch: MLB, Kansas City, Royals; 9 G (9 starts), 3-4, 4.64 ERA, 52 1/3 IP, 50 H, 16 BB, 34 K.

17 Alex Mauricio: AA, Somerset, Yankees; 22 G (0 starts), 1-2, 4.25 ERA, 29 2/3 IP, 30 H, 10 BB, 32 K.

71 Connor Overton: MLB, Cincinnati, Reds; 3 G (3 starts), 0-1, 11.45 ERA, 11 IP, 19 H, 7 BB, 9 K. Underwent Tommy John surgery and is out until 2024.

17 Sean Poppen: AAA, El Paso, Padres; 28 G (1 start), 1-0, 7.34 ERA, 34 1/3 IP, 49 H, 24 BB, 37 K.

54 Colin Selby: AAA, Indianapolis, Pirates; 25 G (0 starts), 0-0, 3.29 ERA, 27 1/3 IP, 18 H, 16 BB, 38 K.

31 Garrett Stallings: AAA, Norfolk, Orioles; 5 G (5 starts), 2-2, 4.44 ERA, 24 1/3 IP, 26 H, 9 BB, 26 K. With AA Bowie; 13 G (7 starts), 3-2, 4.73 ERA, 53 1/3 IP, 48 H, 19 BB, 53 K. Promoted from Bowie to Norfolk on June 24.

35 Justin Verlander: MLB, New York, Mets; 14 G (14 starts), 4-5, 3.47 ERA, 83 IP, 70 H, 26 BB, 70 K.

48 Ryan Yarbrough: MLB, Kansas City, Royals, 12 G (5 starts), 2-5, 5.21 ERA, 38 IP, 39 H, 9 BB, 23 K.

Where they’re from

BATTERS

Kyle Battle: Glen Allen High, Old Dominion.

Justice Bigbie: Chesapeake (Grassfield High), Western Carolina.

Jake Cave: Hampton (Kecoughtan High and Hampton Christian Academy), Peninsula Pilots.

Matt Coutney: Old Dominion.

Andy Garriola: Old Dominion.

P.J. Higgins: Old Dominion.

Andre Lipcius: Lafayette High, Tennessee.

Brandon Lowe: Suffolk (Nansemond River High), Maryland (Newport News native).

Nathaniel Lowe: Born in Norfolk.

Vinnie Pasquantino: James River High, Old Dominion.

Chase Pinder: Poquoson High, Clemson.

Chris Taylor: Virginia Beach (Cox), U.Va.

Ben Williamson: William & Mary.

Bryce Windham: Old Dominion (Norfolk native).

Jared Young: Old Dominion.

PITCHERS

Noah Dean: Old Dominion.

Graham Firoved: Virginia Beach (First Colonial), Radford, Virginia Tech.

Hunter Gregory: Chesapeake (Hickory), Old Dominion.

Aaron Holiday: Old Dominion.

Daniel Hudson: Va. Beach (Princess Anne), Old Dominion.

Daniel Lynch: Hampton native, Douglas Freeman High, U.Va.

Alex Mauricio: Norfolk State.

Connor Overton: Old Dominion.

Sean Poppen: Chesapeake (Cape Henry), Harvard.

Colin Selby: Chesapeake (Western Branch), Randolph-Macon.

Garrett Stallings: Chesapeake (Grassfield).

Justin Verlander: Old Dominion.

Ryan Yarbrough: Old Dominion.

In a surprising but welcome about-face, Gov. Glenn Youngkin is pushing Republicans to embrace early voting in the upcoming General Assembly races.

Youngkin helped launch a new website called Secure Your Vote Virginia, a voter portal created by The Republican Party of Virginia in partnership with The Republican State Leadership Committee, Spirit of Virginia PAC, Virginia House Republican Caucus and Virginia Senate Republican Caucus.

“Absentee voting by mail and early voting in person are both safe and secure ways to cast your ballot in Virginia and make your voice heard,” reads the website, which explains why voting matters to Republicans and offers a way to request a ballot.

This refreshing new attitude toward expanding voting access is in stark contrast to Youngkin’s prior efforts to cast doubt on the process.

While running for office, he called for a statewide audit of the voting machines used in the 2020 election, despite the fact that the Virginia State Board of Elections’ audit report, published in March 2021, confirmed the results of both the 2020 presidential election in Virginia and the Senate campaign that saw Democrat Mark Warner reelected.

Once elected, Youngkin’s administration formed an Election Integrity Unit within Attorney General Jason Miyares’ office to “investigate and prosecute violations of Virginia election law, work with the election community throughout the year to ensure uniformity and legality in application of election laws, and work with law enforcement to ensure legality and purity in elections.”

That sounds familiar. Around the country, other Republican attorneys general or extremist elections officers used such initiatives to undermine elections rather than to foster trust in them.

Even now, after the Trump campaign and its Republican allies have lost or withdrawn more than 60 post-election lawsuits, GOP office holders, candidates and party propagandists continue to sow doubt about American elections, using baseless claims about the 2020 presidential vote to advance a false narrative about its trustworthiness.

Miyares’ Election Integrity Unit, which employs some 20 prosecutors, attorneys and paralegals, has yet to release a report or any other findings regarding its work over the last year. In a response to a request by the Virginia NAACP last fall, the attorney general’s office said it has investigated complaints, provided legal advice and intervened in only three specific legal issues related to the election. Records obtained from the new unit showed no credible reports of election fraud in the most recent election cycle, and no record of “election cheating” dating back to 2008, according to the NAACP.

So, why is the administration suddenly interested in reassuring voters that our statewide election system is fair and safe?

It turns out that it is really difficult to win elections, regardless of party, if voters are unable or unwilling to cast a ballot. The national campaign to discredit our electoral system worked — a little too well.

Amid all the questions and suspicions of the past three years, Virginia has seen a decrease in the number of voters who take advantage of the early voting and absentee process. In the 2020 general election, nearly 2.7 million people voted absentee. In 2021, that number was about 1.2 million. Last year, it was 992,000.

This after Gov. Ralph Northam’s administration ushered in sweeping voter rights legislation, including making Election Day a holiday, removing the requirement that voters show a photo ID prior to casting a ballot and expanding early voting to 45 days before an election without a stated reason — a benefit touted by Secure Your Vote Virginia.

Now Republicans are concerned that their voters will stay away from polls in future elections. As Youngkin says in a video on the new website, “I need your early vote this year. We can’t go into our elections down thousands of votes.”

Regardless of party affiliation, access to voting is a pillar of democracy. As others around the country continue to restrict voting rights, we encourage Youngkin’s move toward restoring faith and widespread participation in our system.

All it took was a simple and direct text message, and the emergency dispatchers instantly knew the evolving situation on the ground had changed.

“I’m gonna need fire,” the message read.

Newport News Emergency Communications Center dispatchers Flora Soule and Katy Thomason immediately called for a change of tactics — hastening a fire truck to get to the scene in time — according to a press release.

An emaciated cat was in danger, stuck on the ledge of a cement column that supports an interstate overpass.

Firefighters, state police, animal shelter, animal referral and animal welfare center staff as well as the dispatchers would all contribute to the life-saving measures that ultimately ensured the feline’s survival.

The tale began Wednesday.

A concerned citizen called Newport News Animal Welfare Division, alerting authorities that they’d spotted a cat on the interstate. Soule and Thomason provided Virginia State Police with the cat’s location.

Authorities headed that way and quickly learned they’d received inaccurate information about the animal’s exact whereabouts. The cat was not on the interstate. The cat was on top of the cement pillar, and Soule and Thomason received the text.

“I’m gonna need fire.”

Newport News firefighters arrived 15 minutes later, and three wearing cat cloves and armed with an animal transfer cage scaled a ladder. During their ascent, the cat skirted away and back toward the opposite side of the pillar.

Lt. Pat Primeaux reached out. The cat moved forward. Premieux kept his hand still, outstretched. She drew even nearer and then pranced right into the lieutenant, bumping his hand with her head.

Firefighters discovered the cat’s front paw was pinned inside her non-breakaway collar which had embedded into her leg, which was cut and infected. They found several burns on her paws and additional lacerations.

The feline, which authorities began referring to as “Ledge Cat,” was dehydrated and emaciated — weighing just over 3 pounds.

Emergency responders drove Ledge Cat to Peninsula Animal Referral Center, and Dr. Rachel Gunther and her vet care team stayed hours past the center’s closing time to suture her wounded leg.

On Thursday, Ledge Cat was escorted to the Peninsula Regional Animal Shelter, where she was accessed by more veterinarians and put into the shelter’s system.

Later that day, Soule arrived at the shelter and took Ledge Cat home — with plans to foster her.

Colin Warren-Hicks, 919-818-8139, [email protected]

A Portsmouth bar that opened nearly two years ago has closed after a series of violent incidents led to the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority revoking its licenses last month.

Notorious Lounge, located in the Manor Village shopping center off Portsmouth Boulevard, opened in October 2021 with VABC licenses for serving wine and beer for consumption on and off the premises and for serving mixed beverages. VABC initiated an investigation into the location after a shooting in the parking lot on June 18.

VABC found that Notorious “failed to take reasonable measures to prevent an act of violence” from occurring on their property, on nearby properties or on any nearby public property. Additionally, Notorious did not sell the amount of food in comparison to alcohol — 45% —  required to comply with the terms of its mixed beverage restaurant license, and failed to submit a complete and accurate annual review report for the year ending in April, according to VABC.

At about 1:30 a.m. June 18, a man was heading to his car after leaving Notorious when he was shot in the torso, sustaining serious injuries that were not considered life-threatening. Asked why this shooting was considered the fault of Notorious, a Portsmouth police spokesperson said “it appears” all involved in the shooting were patrons of Notorious, “as it was the only establishment on that property open at the time.”

A Portsmouth police spokesperson said there had been 13 incidents at the location since it opened in October 2021. Previously, only nine police reports had been taken at that address since 1998, when their records begin, zero of which were for violence. The 13 incidents included eight involving firearms that were either fired, displayed or stolen, and six people have been shot at the location, according to police.

Mike Joynes, an attorney who represented Notorious in this matter, said the owners tried to take steps to improve safety after the instances, but attributed the violence to the surrounding area.

“I think that efforts were made all around by everybody concerned,” Joynes said in an interview Friday. “I think people need to understand, you’ve got to pick your location very carefully then you also have to watch because lots of times things are attributed to the establishment simply because they may be the only place that’s open.”

Last month in Virginia Beach, the VABC revoked the license of West Beach Tavern on Cleveland Street in the wake of a May 7 shooting outside the bar. The owner was later jailed for five days on misdemeanor charges accusing her of illegally selling alcohol and running a disorderly business. She has a court hearing scheduled for August.

In Norfolk, several downtown shootings in 2022 led to a crackdown on nightclubs, with the city pulling operating permits of five establishments. Legacy Restaurant and Lounge on East Plume Street was the latest one to close, shutting down in late June after operating for several months without alcohol sales following a quadruple shooting outside the bar that August.

VABC’s order of summary suspension listed prior incidents at Notorious that include shots being fired at the restaurant during an event on April 17; a physical altercation between patrons and security that resulted in a person being shot by security on April 29; and on April 30 and May 1, multiple reports of patrons being assaulted by security during incidents in which pepper spray was used. On June 11, someone was charged with aggravated assault after a victim was found unconscious on the ground in the parking lot outside Notorious, according to VABC.

The business has fully stopped operating since surrendering its licenses on July 3, the owners confirmed via email, and a phone number listed online for Notorious is no longer in use.

By surrendering their licenses, the owners waived their options to negotiate further or proceed to a formal hearing, and admitted to the violations VABC noted.

Joynes declined to comment on whether the restaurant was at fault in the June 18 shooting, saying that surrendering their licenses means “we take no position.”

“(The owners) are upset, I mean they put a lot of time and a lot of energy and a lot of money and it’s like it’s beyond their control — it’s other people’s actions — and you try and do everything the right way and other people are sabotaging you either because of the location and the amount of crime that’s around you,” he said. “That’s why people need to be very careful where they decide where to put establishments at this point.”

Joynes added that the law, specifically Virginia Code Section 4.1-225 outlining the reasons VABC can suspend or revoke licenses, “has draconian aspects to it.”

“This law that’s based on public safety has got a lot of problems with it,” adding that businesses like gas stations and supermarkets that have shootings on their properties aren’t held responsible to the degree that restaurants are. “The way that the law is being administered I think is being done in a disproportionate manner.”

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

It seems just like yesterday when I took my daughter to the Belvedere Coffee Shop & Diner to enjoy a special pancake breakfast.  She was graduating from Beach Day Preschool, so my husband and I wanted to mark the occasion with one of her favorite breakfast spots. The diner was located across the street from the preschool, so my husband often treated her to a Friday breakfast date before her 9 a.m. drop off at school. Over the years, the iconic diner became an early morning family tradition.

Now, my daughter is one year shy of high school graduation, and the Belvedere is no longer on 36th Street. The Belvedere hotel was torn down in 2019 and redeveloped into a Hyatt. Like many Virginia Beach locals, we were sad to see one of our favorites go.

But wait. Guess what? It’s back. The Belvedere has reemerged into the Belvedere South Coffee Shop & Diner inside the new Moxy hotel on 12th Street. Luckily, the owner, a Virginia Beach local, knew how important the iconic restaurant was to its customers. He included it into his new hotel project.

The shiny new coffee shop looks like the original version with an open griddle, blue stools, cozy booths and same logo. The menu is identical, with one exception: no cottage cheese. I think I’ll be alright. You’ll still find the classic diner staples like fried eggs, French toast, omelets, creamed chipped beef and breakfast burritos. On my recent visit, I felt nostalgic watching the magic happen on the griddle. The cooks made it look so easy as they effortlessly whipped up hash browns and pancakes on the griddle. The restaurant still has a retro, old-school vibe but with a fresh feel in its new South End location.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t talk about the diner’s new cool home inside the Moxy hotel. The eclectic and stylish hotel complements the diner’s current location with its fun and hip vibe.

The vibrant lobby is decorated with beach chairs, a Zoltar Fortune Teller machine and an array of games for guests such as a life-size Jenga and Connect Four. Also, you check in at a bar that comes with a complimentary cocktail.

The rooms are creative and functional. You won’t find any closets in these chic uncluttered rooms. They’re equipped with clothing hooks and a space to store the luggage. Amenities include a 42-inch flatscreen TV, built-in USB port and something very special for bedtime. Each room has an old school phone that helps guests doze off with bedtime stories. My favorite room was a special suite that includes a built-in Tiki Bar and hammock chairs.

So, here are my easy directions to the new diner. Walk or drive 24 blocks south from the original Belvedere location to grab a meal at Belvedere South Coffee Shop & Diner. It will be a tasty walk down memory lane, and you’ll also have fun touring the whimsical Moxy hotel.

It’s located at 1201 Atlantic Ave.

Lee Belote, [email protected]

A reader and I recently compared notes about tomato varieties we are growing this season and some we’ve grown in the past. It seems we like some of the same varieties, including Early Girl, an early indeterminate variety that produces ripe fruit about 60 days after transplant. I added that I was leaving it out of my mix this year and that I am getting away from growing the indeterminate types. The reader asked why, and I joked, “Maybe I’m just getting lazy.” To be honest, there is a bit of truth to that.

I’ve addressed this in the past, but perhaps it’s a good time to revisit. Most tomatoes fall into one of two categories of growth habit: determinate and indeterminate. There is a third, semi-determinate, type, whose characteristics are somewhere in between. Determinate types set fruit in a relatively shorter time, and as the stems stop elongating, the bushy plants top out at 3 to 5 feet tall. Their growth is “determined.” After a concentrated harvest period, they die. Their bushy habit means growth is more easily managed, so they’re a good choice for containers.

Indeterminate types are much taller growing, from around 6 feet to, sometimes, more than 10 feet. The harvest is slow and steady, as they continue to produce more fruit along the lengthening vine. They require more pruning and training to keep them from toppling over. A healthy plant can keep going until the cooler fall temperatures slow it down, and frost finally finishes it off. (Another example is the popular Better Boy variety, 70 to 75 days.)

In choosing which type you want, consider the length of your growing season, the space you have and the time you are willing to devote to training the plants. Consider, too, how you intend to use the tomatoes. For instance, if you are making sauce to store, a determinate variety can deliver the amount you need in a short time frame and let you get your processing done.

Orchestrating an extended harvest with determinate types can require a bit more planning. You might choose several varieties with different maturity dates, or you might stagger your plantings. If you are sowing your own seed, staggering may complicate things: You’ll need to make successive sowings. Otherwise you’ll need to make an extra trip or two to the garden center  to get transplants for staggering the times.  I usually add a late planting of several plants, rooted from suckers later in June, to keep the tomatoes coming.

I grow most of my tomatoes in 18- by 15-inch round nursery containers, the ones that trees and shrubs are sold in. Years ago, I purchased a roll of concrete reinforcing wire and made 5-inch cages that fit around the containers. The system works well with determinate types, and they are much easier for me to manage. Containers do require frequent watering, but you can still call me lazy.

And one more thing

If it seems as if your tomatoes have been taking their good time ripening this season, you are not alone. I’ve heard it from a few friends. Halfway through July, I’m getting tomatoes, but I’m impatient with the slow dribble.

May and June were unseasonably cool, which may have contributed to plants’ getting off to a slow start. And then July came roaring in hot. Through the first two weeks of the month, daily temperatures averaged 82.2 degrees (90 daytime and 74.4 nighttime), according to the National Weather Service. For plants that were started late, these temperatures might have interfered with pollination and fruit set.

But I didn’t have this problem. What I have is plenty of large, beautiful green tomatoes that don’t want to color up and ripen. And ripening is about the proper temperature and a plant hormone called ethylene.

In optimum temperatures — 70 to 75 degrees — tomatoes take about six to eight weeks to go from pollination to full maturity, according to Cornell and Purdue universities. In the early stages of development, the fruits get bigger, reaching “mature green” stage in some 45 to 50 days. At this point — which is where I seem to be stuck — the lycopene and carotene pigments develop, coloring up the fruit and signaling its ripening. For this, optimal temps are 68 to 77 degrees. Above 85, tomatoes don’t produce the pigments, and above 85 to 90, ripening slows and eventually stops.

Is there a workaround? Yes! Call it the old banana or apple in a bag trick. Bring your tomatoes indoors where the temperatures are close to the optimum. Place them in a sealed paper bag or box with a ripening banana or apple (this provides the ethylene, or ETH). In a few days you should be on track. If the tomatoes were picked when the blossom end was pink, they should ripen in four to five days. Next, be sure to have good bread, bacon, lettuce and Duke’s mayo on standby. And don’t forget the mozzarella and basil.

What’s going on in your garden and landscape this year? Doing something differently or trying something completely new? Write in and let us know.

Send questions to [email protected]

Seems things are heating up just a tad. I’ve recently read a few articles bemoaning the fact that the average temperatures worldwide are on the increase, with many areas recently seeing record high temperatures. Dr. Maria Neira, an environmental scientist and director of the Public Health, Environment and Social Determinants of Health Department of the WHO, recently stated: “Yes, it’s hot. But this could be one of the coolest summers of the rest of your life.”

Really? Wow!

I believe my first real conscious sense of truly oppressive heat was those two summers spent in the third floor apartment my parents rented in Langley Park, Maryland, while my father completed his studies at the University of Maryland. The heat radiated downward from the flat tar roof into our apartment below, often making sleep impossible. Between the heat and a mandated 7:30 bedtime, I was convinced I was finally in that Hell I’d been hearing so much about in Sunday School.

Dad finally gave up and tapped out. He said he needed a window A/C for the master bedroom where he studied because it was just too darn hot in there. After it was installed, I used every excuse I could think of to sneak in to enjoy a few minutes respite from the blazing inferno of the living room. Ultimately, I was always discovered and run out. It was an early, but immensely important, life lesson: Some get A/C, some don’t.

Air-conditioning became a moot point in our family dynamic when we moved to California, land of the ugly — yet functional — rooftop sump cooler. These are essentially just big metal boxes mounted on your roof containing a cage-style fan and a water-filled pan at the bottom over which the air is blown as it enters the ducts into the home. Despite many triple digit days in Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley — where the streets would actually start melting — we never did have air-conditioning. It didn’t seem to slow us kids down too much, and we roamed the neighborhood from morning until dinner time with only occasional stops to drink from someone’s garden hose or run through a lawn sprinkler.

I’ve lived in the South since I was 20 years old, and in my younger days, I rented a few older homes that had no A/C. To keep things somewhat bearable, my wife and I would use the cheap 20-inch box fan we bought at Kmart and move it from room to room around the house as needed. At night, it was placed in an open bedroom window, where it would blow hot humid air over us until we’d eventually pass out from sheer exhaustion on sheets puddled by our own perspiration. Affordable rentals with whole house A/C, or even just a big window unit, were highly desirable but few and far between for a young couple in Gainesville’s student ghetto. I’ve come a long way from those early days, but the experience did give me a profound appreciation for life’s little luxuries.

Unfortunately, not everyone enjoys the same comforts I take for granted. I wonder how, at this stage of life, I would cope with the loss of this luxury. It’s a somewhat sobering but realistic question to ask, given southern and western parts of the country are currently enduring extremely high temperatures. Even countries in Europe and in our Northeast and Northwest, none typically big on air-conditioning, have been suffering through hotter summers in recent years. Despite nearly 90% of households nationwide having some sort of air-conditioning, many households still do not have it.

Regardless of one’s views on the subject of climate change, some facts can’t be denied: The planet has seen an increase in the average temperature worldwide of roughly 2 degrees Fahrenheit since 1900. Current projections call for a minimum 4-degree increase by the end of this century. The impact of such temperature increases is already being felt and can’t be overstated.

From the challenge of raising crops and animals to the warming oceans’ impact on both marine life and weather, the fragile balance of nature is tilting in a direction that doesn’t bode well for us here in the first quarter of the 21st century. One recent article even points to possible mass migrations of entire populations away from regions of Africa, Asia and South America already experiencing food instability due to the devastating effects of heat and draught.

Despite such apocalyptic thoughts, I’m no “end timer.” I remain hopeful for the future — that greater minds than mine might somehow find a fix which ensures a continuing quality of life for us all. In the meantime, if you need me, I’ll be enjoying the A/C and a cool drink at my place while hoping things don’t go completely off the rails any time soon.

W.R. van Elburg is a James City County resident. He can be reached at [email protected].