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Pharrell Williams’ Guide to Virginia Beach Includes a Favorite Book Store and Lots of Food

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Pharrell Williams’ Guide to Virginia Beach Includes a Favorite Book Store and Lots of Food


As a Virginia Beach native, Pharrell Williams shares what he loves most about his home state.


Heather Cromartie

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His career as a producer, singer and songwriter may have brought Pharrell Williams global fame, but his upbringing in Virginia continues to be a driving force in his life today. 

Born in Virginia Beach, Pharrell graduated from Princess Anne High School, where he collaborated with fellow Neptunes creative force Chad Hugo and wrote and produced songs that continue to be popular today including I’m a Slave 4 U by Britney Spears in 2001 and his own hit from 2003, Frontin.

More recently, in 2019, Pharrell founded the Something in the Water music, arts and culture festival in Virginia Beach where he celebrates his hometown each spring. He is also a partner with the city of Virginia Beach on a multimillion-dollar project at the former convention center to develop a year-round destination named Atlantic Park. Spanning retail, restaurants, apartments, a live entertainment venue and surf park, it’s expected to debut in 2025.

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And earlier this year, Louis Vuitton hired Pharrell as its creative director of menswear.

Pharrell recently shared with Penta what he loves most about the state where he was raised and still loves.

Your ideal long weekend in Virginia involves…Definitely family, friends, and food in large amounts. I’m always traveling for work and have experienced many different parts of the world, but coming back to Virginia is always so important to me and my family.

Your favorite place in Virginia and why… The oceanfront of Virginia Beach. I love to just be there and take it all in: the calming waves, the people. It’s a space for everyone and its potential is vast.

The off-the-radar Virginia destination that most people don’t know about is… 

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The bookstore at the Edgar Cayce A.R.E. [in Virginia Beach]. I can spend hours and hours there. This place would be a gem in any city or state in America, but thanks to Edgar Cayce’s belief in Virginia Beach decades ago, we get to enjoy it today.

The three things you love most about Virginia are… The people, the water, and the location combined create a special kind of energy. It’s almost medicinal to me. The people are wildly creative in a way I haven’t experienced anywhere else in the world. Then you have the water—it’s everywhere. The Atlantic Ocean, the Chesapeake Bay, rivers and waterways that make their way through the state. Location-wise, we are right in the middle of the East Coast. Put these things together, and you have something special. It’s also important to remember and to reflect on how all of these elements make up Virginia’s past.

Your favorite Virginia restaurants… Food is such an important component of any time spent in Virginia. I love to showcase the food here, and a few really step up to collaborate with us during our festival. Restaurants like Commune, Lovesong, the Pink Dinghy, Waterman’s, CLTRE., Session, Three Ships, Terrapin, the Fishin’ Pig, Feather ’n Fin, and Luce have all hosted events with us, catered and more. When I am home, I am definitely eating.

The souvenirs to bring back from Virginia are… anything from WRV, which stands for Wave Riding Vehicles—it’s a skate and surf shop that has been there since I was a kid. Then you have the wide selection of books and rarities from Edgar Cayce’s A.R.E. I also love collecting those items you can’t buy or put a price on that represent Virginia. I once asked a firefighter for an official t-shirt to wear on stage. 

Surprising facts about Virginia include… Virginia is already a place so well-studied and full of history … so I’ll share some fun stories from me. A few years ago, my team and I went to Tokyo to visit the Sony Corporation. The all-Japanese team at Sony starts their presentation and the very first slide was a picture of Three Ships Coffee on 19th Street in Virginia Beach. We were so blown away by that, and it turns out the Sony team from Japan enjoyed their time at the coffee shop so much that when they came down to Something in the Water, they wanted to host an event there. I also heard a story of a music manager from New York who named his book club the Orange Crush after trying one while at the festival. Virginia exports and traditions reach far and wide.

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This interview has been edited for length and clarity



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Significant snowfall over the next 48 hours in West Virginia and far western Virginia

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Significant snowfall over the next 48 hours in West Virginia and far western Virginia


RICHMOND, Va. — Friday will be windy and cold with highs in the 40s and wind chills in the 20s and 30s. A few scattered showers will be around, especially later in the day. Rain chances will be higher north of I-64, where some wet flakes could mix in. Wind gusts over 30 mph are possible.

For those traveling, the mountains of West Virginia will see significant snowfall over the next 48 hours, with one to two feet possible in the highest elevations. The Virginia panhandle will pick up a few inches of snow.

Saturday will be breezy with highs in the upper 50s to 60. Sunday will be mostly sunny with highs in the lower 60s.

Monday will be mostly sunny with highs in the low to mid-60s.

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A cold front will move through Tuesday morning with the slight chance of a shower.

Wednesday will be cooler with increasing clouds. Highs will be in the lower 50s.

As of now, it looks like a storm system will bring some rain into the area Wednesday night into Thursday.

Stay With CBS 6, The Weather Authority.

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Virginia Football vs. SMU Game Preview, Score Prediction

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Virginia Football vs. SMU Game Preview, Score Prediction


Virginia and SMU will meet for the first time ever on Saturday at Scott Stadium, finally clashing on the gridiron nearly three years after the two programs were supposed to face each other in the Fenway Bowl at the end of the 2021 season. There is plenty at stake in this one, as the13th-ranked Mustangs look to keep their unblemished ACC record intact and clinch a spot in the ACC Championship Game, while the Cavaliers are hoping to clinch bowl eligibility and send their seniors out with a win in their final game at Scott Stadium.

Read on for a full preview of Virginia vs. SMU with everything you need to know, including game details and notes, an opponent scouting report, what to watch for, and a score prediction.

Who: Virginia Cavaliers (5-5, 3-3 ACC) vs. SMU Mustangs (9-1, 6-0 ACC)

When: Saturday, November 23rd at 12pm ET

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Where: Scott Stadium (61,500) in Charlottesville, VA

How to watch: ESPN2

How to listen: SiriusXM 381, SXM App 971 | Virginia Sports Radio Network

All-time series: first meeting

Read Virginia’s injury report for the SMU game here: UVA Football Week 13 Injury Report: Kam Robinson, James Jackson, Corey Thomas

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See below for UVA’s week 13 depth chart for the SMU game: Virginia Football Depth Chart vs. SMU | Takeaways, Analysis

Virginia Cavaliers week 13 depth chart vs. SMU

Virginia Cavaliers week 13 depth chart vs. SMU / Virginia Athletic

2023: 11-3, 8-0 AAC
2024: 9-1, 6-0 ACC

For Rhett Lashlee and the Mustangs, their first foray into the Atlantic Coast Conference couldn’t be going much better, save an 18-15 loss in week 3 to BYU, a team that is still alive for the Big 12 Championship. SMU comes to Charlottesville riding a seven-game winning streak, which includes a 66-42 victory over TCU, an impressive 34-27 win on the road at then-No. 22 Louisville, an overtime victory over Duke that was a bit fortunate as the Blue Devils squandered multiple chances to win the game late, but the Mustangs followed that up with their most impressive win of the season, a 48-25 victory over Pitt. Last week, SMU was tested by Boston College, but ultimately pulled away for a 38-28 win.

SMU has the second-ranked scoring offense in the ACC, averaging just under 40 points per game. Powering that offense is a very strong run game, the second-best rushing offense in the ACC (190.9 rushing yards per game and 24 rushing touchdowns), which is headlined by one of the top running backs in the country in Brashard Smith, who has racked up 1,026 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns and is averaging more than 100 yards per game.

Though SMU leans heavily on its ground game, the Mustangs are more than capable of throwing the ball as well. Quarterback Kevin Jennings ranks fourth in the ACC in completion percentage at 65.4% and is careful with the football, throwing 15 touchdowns to just six interceptions. He has a plethora of targets in the passing game, as SMU boasts three receivers with at least four touchdowns, four who have at least 20 catches, and five who have hauled in multiple touchdown passes this season.

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SMU’s run defense is even better than its rushing offense, leading the ACC in run defense and allowing less than 100 yards per game on the ground. The Mustangs are a quite a bit weaker in pass defense, surrendering almost 250 passing yards per game, which is 13th in the ACC. SMU makes up for it by forcing turnovers, recording 14 interceptions (2nd-most in the ACC) and six fumble recoveries.

SMU has 23 sacks as a team this season, 9.5 of which have come from dynamic defensive ends Isaiah Smith and Jahfari Harvey, who will put a ton of pressure on UVA’s offensive tackles. Keep an eye on safeties Isaiah Nwokobia and Ahmaad Moses, who have each posted three interceptions this season.

UVA’s quarterback situation
With Anthony Colandrea’s quarterback play regressing recently (seven interceptions and one touchdown pass in his last three games) and Tony Muskett playing decently in his garbage time backup opportunities, Muskett and Colandrea have been splitting first-team reps in practice this week. Tony Elliott said on Tuesday that he was still leaning towards Colandrea retaining his starting job, but even if that’s the case, it’ll be interesting to see if Elliott has Colandrea on a short leash. Muskett has yet to enter a game that wasn’t already completely out of reach. Virginia is desperate to pick up that sixth win, so it should be all hands on deck.

Turnover margin and red zone efficiency
Virginia is -4 in the turnover margin department this season and ball security has been a particular issue recently. SMU, meanwhile, has forced 20 turnovers this season. The Mustangs are also ranked third in the ACC in both red zone offense and red zone defense, while the Cavaliers have struggled with red zone efficiency all season. An upset win for UVA will likely require the Hoos to win the turnover battle and execute at a high level in the red zone on both sides of the ball.

Defend home field
Virginia is 2-3 at home this season, with those wins coming against Richmond and Boston College. The Cavaliers must have some pride about protecting their home field and sending their seniors out on top in their last games at home. Much has been made about UVA’s home attendance this season. In their final opportunity to see Virginia football play at home this season, we’re looking for the UVA faithful to show out at Scott Stadium and provide the Hoos with a real home field advantage.

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Virginia is capable of hanging around with and even beating SMU if the Cavaliers bring their A game. But UVA hasn’t been able to bring that A game consistently this season or even throughout all four quarters of a game and that’s what it’ll likely take in order to slow down SMU. I see the Pony Express continuing to roll as the Mustangs pick up their eighth straight win, remain unbeaten in conference play, and secure their spot in the ACC Championship Game.

Score prediction: SMU 31, Virginia 23

UVA Football: Players to Watch in Virginia vs. SMU

Stat Comparison: How Virginia Football Stacks Up Against SMU on Paper

Tony Elliott Updates the Virginia Football Quarterback Situation

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UVA Football Week 13 Injury Report: Kam Robinson, James Jackson, Corey Thomas

Virginia Football Depth Chart vs. SMU | Takeaways, Analysis



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Former Virginia student Christopher Darnell Jones Jr pleads guilty in deadly shooting of three football stars

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Former Virginia student Christopher Darnell Jones Jr pleads guilty in deadly shooting of three football stars


Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., a former University of Virginia student, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder this week in the shooting deaths of three UVA football players.. 

Jones’ plea comes after the 2022 on-campus slayings of Lavel Davis Jr., D’Sean Perry and Devin Chandler. All three young men played for the UVA Cavaliers football team. A fourth team member, Mike Hollins, and another student, Marlee Morgan, suffered injuries.

Jones’ stint on the football team overlapped with the players he shot, per information in the draft copy of the prosecutors’ summary, but there is no indication Jones and the players had a relationship.

Jones faced three counts of first-degree murder, two counts of aggravated malicious wounding and five counts of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. A sentencing hearing has been set for Feb. 4 and is expected to last for four days.

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Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., a former University of Virginia student, entered a guilty plea this week in relation to the shooting deaths of three university football team members. (AP Newsroom/IMAGN)

While riding back to campus from a school trip on a charter bus in the hours before the shooting, Jones texted an adult mentor, stating, “tonight I’m either going to hell or jail. I’m sorry,” according to a summary that prosecutors read in court on Wednesday. The Associated Press obtained a draft copy of the summary.

UVA TO PAY $9 MILLION TO FAMILIES OF VICTIMS IN 2022 SHOOTING THAT KILLED 3 FOOTBALL PLAYERS, WOUNDED 2 OTHERS

Jones had been scheduled to stand trial in January on charges including aggravated murder, which carries a mandatory sentence of life without parole in Virginia. The first-degree murder charges he pleaded guilty to in a plea agreement with prosecutors carry a sentence of 20 years to life.

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Authorities said Jones opened fire aboard a charter bus as he and other students arrived back on campus after seeing a play and having dinner together in Washington, D.C. 

UVA football players

University of Virginia football players Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr. and DSean Perry. (University of Virginia athletics)

The shooting erupted near a parking garage and prompted a 12-hour lockdown of the Charlottesville campus until the suspect was captured. Many at the school of some 23,000 students huddled inside closets and darkened dorm rooms, while others barricaded the doors of the university’s stately academic buildings.

During the rampage, Jones “methodically checked each seat until he reached the back of the bus” to shoot some of his victims, the summary said.

Authorities have yet to release details on the motive in the shooting by Jones.

UVA vigil

University of Virginia students participate in a vigil in response to shootings on the Charlottesville campus, Nov. 14, 2022. (Mike Kropf/The Daily Progress via AP)

The university’s president, Jim Ryan, said Jones’ guilty plea represents “another step in a lengthy and painful journey for the families of the victims and for our community.”

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“We continue to grieve the loss of three beloved members of our community and the injuries suffered by others on the bus,” Ryan’s statement added.

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Within days of the shooting, university leaders asked for an outside review to investigate the school’s safety policies and procedures, its response to the violence and its prior efforts to assess the potential threat of the student charged. School officials acknowledged Jones previously was on the radar of the university’s threat-assessment team.

In June, Kimberly Wald, a lawyer representing some of the victims and their families, announced that the university agreed to pay $9 million in a settlement. Wald said the university should have removed Jones from campus before the attack because he displayed multiple red flags through erratic and unstable behavior.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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