Community Corner

🌱 What Suffolk’s $2B plan and new tech mean for your neighborhood

Also check out Christmas with the Saints Tea Tasting on the Suffolk Patch calendar

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What's up Suffolk! Let's start this morning right by getting caught up on what's going on around town. Keep reading to stay in the loop. ☕️️

In today's newsletter:

  • What Suffolk’s $2B plan and new tech mean for your neighborhood
  • Why did Suffolk parents learn of a school arrest from Facebook first?
  • What were Suffolk’s most surprising Google obsessions in 2025?

Also on today's calendar: Patrick Ryan and 5 more events.

Find out what's happening in Suffolkfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Today's riddle: What did one tuna say to the other after getting caught stealing files from work? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

Find out what's happening in Suffolkfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

  • Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high of 44 and low of 26 degrees.
  • Friday: Some sun, then clouds; chilly, temps: high: 42, low: 32.
  • Saturday: Sunny to partly cloudy, with a high of 51 and low of 30 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. 2025 Year in Review: January (suffolknewsherald.com) — Suffolk’s gunshot-detection sensors are helping police reach shooting scenes faster, and the city has approved a $2 billion capital plan that includes demolishing Driver Elementary and replacing Elephant’s Fork Elementary. The School Board also issued a verbal warning to member Dawn Marie Brittingham after finding she violated a communication protocol with staff.
   

2. Suffolk Public Schools employee arrested on sexual battery charge; parents question why they found out via social media months later (13newsnow.com) — Parents in Suffolk are demanding answers after learning through social media that a Suffolk Public Schools employee was charged in October with sexual battery tied to an alleged August incident at King’s Fork High School. Both the employee and the reported victim remain employed, and the division says an internal investigation found no ongoing risk, leaving families frustrated by the lack of direct notification.
   

3. Taylor Swift, 6-7 and Demon Slayer among Hampton Roads' top Google searches of 2025 (pilotonline.com) — Suffolk residents are part of a Hampton Roads Google trends list topped by Taylor Swift tracks, Demon Slayer movie tickets, and even slang like “67” and “glazing.” The data reflects what spiked in curiosity locally during 2025, from concerts and football jerseys to viral phrases teens are looking up.
   

4. Federal cuts are taking a toll on the Great Dismal Swamp, local officials say (whro.org) — Federal funding cuts are already shrinking hours and maintenance at Great Dismal Swamp facilities in Suffolk, including the Jericho Lane pavilion and the refuge’s visitor office. Local programs like field trips and environmental curriculum for Suffolk Public Schools have lost all federal grant support, forcing the Friends of the Great Dismal Swamp to scale back education efforts while seeking new funding sources.
   

5. Evelyn Wagoner, 70, of Norfolk (wydaily.com) — Friends in Suffolk will remember Evelyn Wagoner as a woman whose faith and hospitality extended to Open Door Church, where she and her husband worshiped while serving their community. The Norfolk native was a writer, editor, publisher, and dancer who nurtured Christian and local writing circles for decades before her passing at age 70.
   

📸 Around Suffolk

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🗓 Upcoming Events in Suffolk

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★ Featured events ★

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📣 Suffolk Shout Outs!

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🗓 Events Nearby

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • If you get a SMS like this, delete it and do not click on the link.
    It's a phishing scam designed to steal your personal info. (Nextdoor Idlewood)
  • Does anyone know of a good voice coach?
    My voice is betraying me and I’d like to regain my singing voice. TIA (Nextdoor Northern Suffolk)
  • Smithfield Foods, Inc. posted a job opening for Export Freight Planner in Suffolk. Apply here.
  • Suffolk Public Schools posted a job opening for Social Studies Teacher in Suffolk. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Suffolk here.

Ok Suffolk! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: I could get canned for this!
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

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