(VIRGINIA MERCURY) – “We needed this rain,” farmer and entrepreneur Graham Redfern said from his front porch in Caroline County Wednesday as U.S. Rep. Eugene Vindman, who represents Virginia’s 7th District in Congress, approached.

The lawmaker was there to learn about the crops and products at Redfern Hemp Co., one of the state’s small businesses whose future hangs in the balance between soon-to-start federal restrictions on hemp THC products and Virginia’s not-yet-finalized retail cannabis market.

The rain was one certainty for Redfern, and a welcome one at the start of his planting season. But another, he said, is that most of his products will become illegal later this year, when the federal hemp crackdown kicks in.

“It’s scary,” Redfern said of thinking six months forward. He added that some of his staff members are thinking about looking for other jobs.

Redfern’s company, which employs 14 full-time staff and 5 part-time staff, makes body creams, dog treats, chocolates and gummies from hemp. His products offer calming and pain management effects for customers, while other parts of the hemp plant help create oils, birdseed and fibers.

Tamra Herndon, a longtime customer of Redfern, said the products have been helpful for her mental and physical health.

As an amputee, she experiences “phantom pain” where her left leg used to be, along with joint pain from walking on her prosthetic leg. The combination of THC and CBD in Redfern’s products helps both ease aches and calm anxiety.

Read more on virginiamercury.com

Atlantic Avenue Association hopes to attract locals with “Own the Beach”

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — People living in or near cities like Washington D.C., Charlotte, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh could soon be seeing a fresh batch of advertisements promoting the Oceanfront resort.

Tuesday, City Council voted unanimously to spend $1 million to fund the SURGE campaign. It’s an immediate ad blitz designed to combat any negative sentiments potential visitors may have garnered by recent events, according to Deputy City Manager Amanda Jarratt.

Saturday night shootings in March and April left total of 14 people injured at the resort. As a result, City Council instituted an all-ages curfew at 9:30 p.m. for weekends — later overturned — that business owners said effectively turned off the city’s economic engine and communicated an unwelcoming message.

Jarratt said the campaign looks to leave all that in the past.

“Over the last few weeks, unfortunately, we’ve experienced several issues that have potentially have negative impact on our perception and reputation,” Jarratt said. “And so this is a concerted effort to actively reinforce our family-friendly brand and maintain focus on increased visitor tourism for this 2026 resort season.”

The city’s Convention and Visitors Bureau will focus on “the drive and fly markets” in proximity to Virginia Beach, with digital media placements with streaming services and online travel platforms.

The city hasn’t tracked an overwhelming negative reaction to events this spring, Jarratt said, but “felt it best to be proactive.”

“While there may be some concern over gas prices, certainly airline prices have increased as well, … we feel like more individuals are going to be traveling domestically, and we want to ensure that they are visiting the city of Virginia Beach,” Jarratt said.

The money for the ads comes from the Tourism Advertising Program Special Revenue Fund. Traditionally $11.4 million each year is spent on marketing, according to Jarratt. She points to the $2.6 billion in 2024 visitor spending as return on investment.

“I think it’s terrific,” said George Kotarides, owner of Dough Boy’s Pizza. “I applaud them for doing that. But we’re hoping that we can move into a more localized campaign in conjunction.”

Saturday, the Atlantic Avenue Association has organized “Own the Beach.” Kotarides, who founded the association, helped to organize the effort out of concern for the resort’s reputation in the region following the last two months.

“It’s quiet, you know? It’s not as active as it normally is,” Kotarides said. “So we’re hoping that this creates a little bit of energy.”

Own The Beach is a campaign where, so far, nearly 60 businesses have agreed to offer $10 deals on Saturday.

“We got amusements, attractions, dessert and sweets, restaurants, bars, parking, there’s a couple parking lots offering $10 all day parking, so there’s a lot of different businesses that are participating,” Kotarides said.

He called it a pilot program, of sorts, to see if it attracts locals for a day.

“We just need to take this as an opportunity, really, to start fresh and do something new and different and try to make a little lemonade out of lemons, if you will, and get people together, get the community together,” Kotarides said.

To read a complete list of deals from participating businesses click here.

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (AP) — Virginia Sen. L. Louise Lucas has carved out a reputation as a fierce and outspoken advocate during her political career. One issue, in particular, has been at the forefront of her agenda: legalization of marijuana, which she says disproportionately affects members of the African American community.

She felt so strongly about the issue, she sponsored a legalization bill and opened her own cannabis shop. Now, she’s under the microscope as federal law enforcement appears to have raided that business. It wasn’t immediately clear what they were looking for but it’s drawn attention to Lucas and her 34-year career in politics.

In 2019, she became the state’s first Black woman to hold the leadership post of Senate president pro tempore after Democrats seized the majority.

The next year, she appeared at a protest of a Confederate monument that led to felony charges against her. A judge later dismissed the charges.

Lucas was born in Portsmouth and worked at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard earlier in her life, where she was the first female ship fitter, according to a biography in the state library.

She has been the CEO of a Portsmouth business that runs residences, day programs and transportation for intellectually disabled adults. And in 2021, Lucas opened a store in her hometown of Portsmouth, The Cannabis Outlet, that sells legal hemp and CBD products.

“Let’s talk about pot,” Lucas said in a social media post on X in 2022. “Yes, we legalized it and I even opened the Cannabis Outlet after we did! But the job isn’t done. People are still in jail for something that is legal today.”

An armored FBI vehicle and several agents were seen outside Lucas’ cannabis store on Wednesday. The FBI would say only that it was conducting a court-authorized search warrant in Portsmouth.