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Virginia
Why Pharrell's Something in the Water festival likely won't come back to Virginia Beach this year
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. —The Something in the Water (SITW) music festival, created by Virginia Beach native and music superstar Pharrell Williams, will not take place in April in Virginia Beach.
The city is moving on from hosting the festival after organizers failed to announce a lineup and commence ticket sales by the Monday deadline set by city leaders.
A city spokesperson confirmed with WTKR minutes before 5 p.m. Monday that they hadn’t received any updates from organizers regarding the lineup and tickets.
The city also released the following statement:
“While the City values the positive impact and visibility the Something in the Water festival has had on Virginia Beach in years past, regretfully, organizers did not meet the cure notice requirements in terms of next steps. The SITW team will receive an official termination notice from the city. As a result, city staff will begin alternative plans for the weekend of April 26-27. We remain optimistic about future opportunities to work with the SITW team.”
Last Tuesday, frustrated leaders gave SITW organizers a final ultimatum, insisting that the lineup and tickets be made available by the close of business Monday.
City leaders had previously backed off missed deadlines but decided to send organizers a notice of breach following a lack of substantial updates from organizers.
The initial deadline to drop the festival’s lineup and start ticket sales was Dec. 31, as outlined in a sponsorship agreement between organizers and the city.
SITW organizers have not yet issued a statement about the city’s most recent actions.
Something in the Water History
Something in the Water was started in 2019 to take place at the end of April, which was known as College Beach Weekend in Virginia Beach.
The first year of the festival was considered a great success.
The pandemic led to the cancellation of the festival in 2020 and 2021.
Pharrell then decided to move the festival to Washington, D.C., in 2022, following concerns over city leadership at the time.
In 2023, it returned to Virginia Beach but got off to a delayed start on the first day and was canceled on the third day due to weather.
In late 2023, festival organizers said they planned to move SITW from April 2024 to October 2024 in an effort to avoid bad weather.
In September 2024, Pharrell announced the festival was postponed and moved to April 2025.
Why Pharrell says ‘Something in the Water’ festival has been postponed until April 2025
In a November 2024 meeting, Virginia Beach Mayor Robert Dyer expressed his frustration with SITW organizers.
“I am not a happy camper,” Mayor Dyer said. “Don’t mistake kindness for weakness. This is what I consider a culture of arrogance and disrespect for this council and the people of Virginia.”
Dyer said he was “very angry” and gave the organizers until the end of business on Friday, Nov. 1, to sign a contract with the city.
Robby Wells, the executive producer for the event, assured Mayor Dyer that organizers of the event, including Virginia Beach’s own Pharrell Williams, are not trying to mislead the city, but there are a lot of moving parts.
Virginia Beach threatens to pull the plug on Something in the Water
“Heartbreaking is the word that’s coming to mind. I’m sure there’s a more eloquent way to say it—when the vibe is arrogance because that’s definitely not the intent,” said Wells.
This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In this world of college football, with the transfer portal and recruiting battles, bad blood is present more than ever before between head coaches.
That’s not the case between the Virginia Tech head coach and Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney, however. In fact, Franklin revealed at ACC Kickoff on Thursday that the two are actually close friends, dating back to their time at the Nike trip that various coaches take over the summer.
“Dabo’s my guy,” Franklin said on Thursday. “We go way back. We’ve been on the Nike trip for a long time. His wife and my wife are friends.”
The long-time Penn State head coach is making the move to the ACC after being fired from the Nittany Lions in October. 12 seasons of being with the program had Franklin hold a 44-21 record against top 10 opponents, an impressive record for a new conference foe of Swinney’s.
But when that trip comes around, there’s a camaraderie between Swinney and Franklin and both of their wives. In fact, the two hang out with each other instead of the other coaches at times. It simply comes to an “edgy” time in college athletics that raises tempers.
“I’m going to be honest, I wouldn’t say we’re necessarily like the type of people that love a lot of other coaches and a lot of other programs,” Franklin said. “It’s hard when you just compete year-round.”
On Swinney’s end, there are a few who could immediately come to mind among Clemson fans. Perhaps the most recent would be Ole Miss coach Pete Golding, who played the most significant role in the tampering of former linebacker Luke Ferrelli.
It’s a select list of coaches who make the good side of the Tigers’ head coach, and Franklin is certainly on that list. On the other hand, Hokies’ head coach has Swinney on his own shortlist.
“Obviously, tremendous respect for what he has built at Clemson and what he’s done at Clemson, and what he’s done for the ACC,” he said.
The two will see that close relationship face off at Memorial Stadium this upcoming season. Clemson will host the Hokies on Oct. 24 in what could be a potential title-eliminator for the ACC Championship.
Of course, the last game that we’ve seen the Tigers play in was against Franklin’s former team in Penn State at the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl. That game ended in a 22-10 contest that saw a foundation of Franklin players end Clemson’s season in disappointment.
Swinney will see many of those players once again in October, including starting quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, in that contest. The anticipated Hokie starter recorded 260 yards and two passing touchdowns on the Tigers in the Bronx that day.
Although friends become foes, another ACC coach has given Swinney his flowers for what he’s been able to do for the conference. In the upcoming moments, Franklin will look to prepare his team to prove itself on one of the biggest stages in the ACC, while Swinney looks to put his team back at the top of a conference he’s dominated for over 15 years.
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MARTINSVILLE, Va. (WSET) — Extreme drought conditions in parts of Virginia have prompted an emergency drought warning for a wide swath of the region, including Bedford, Campbell, Charlotte, Franklin, Halifax, Henry, Mecklenburg, Patrick, Pittsylvania and Roanoke counties, along with the cities of Danville, Roanoke, Salem and Martinsville.
The governor has warned that if conditions worsen, she will activate mandatory nonessential water-use restrictions.
In Martinsville, city leaders have issued a voluntary water conservation notice and are urging residents and businesses to cut back where they can. The request comes as local businesses that rely heavily on water say the drought is already affecting day-to-day operations.
SEE ALSO: Botetourt County residents adjust daily routines as voluntary water restriction continues
John Hughes, owner of John’s Car Wash, said the dry conditions have hit his business hard in recent weeks. “For the last 3 weeks, it’s been hitting pretty hard. We done three yesterday and haven’t done anything today with the drought and hot weather. Yeah, I’m really concerned about it,” Hughes said.
Restaurants are also feeling the strain. David Kitzmiller, an owner of Be Wiched, said water is essential for routine tasks such as washing dishes and preparing some menu items.
“We use a lot of water for washing dishes and some of our recipes if they limit us in anyway defiently can’t produce and its a scary aspect,” Kitzmiller said.
Kitzmiller added that cutting back is not always realistic for businesses that must meet sanitation needs. “Not really feasible for a business that depends solely relies on water to wash their dishes, so that can’t definitely be an impact there,” he said.
City leaders emphasized that the conservation request is voluntary for now, but they are encouraging everyone to do their part by taking shorter showers, turning off the faucet when it is not in use, washing only full loads of laundry, and limiting outdoor watering whenever possible.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Five people were charged after Virginia Beach Police conducted a two-day human trafficking and vice operation on July 3, according to the Virginia Beach Police Department.
The department’s Special Investigations Bureau conducted the operation, which was aimed at identifiying human trafficking victims, reducing the demand for commercial sex and targeting individuals seeking to exploit or recruit children for prostitution.
Detectives used many investigative techniques to proactively identify individuals involved in criminal activity related to prostitution, human trafficking and offenses against children. The operation was conducted in Virginia Beach, involving personnel from all of the bureau’s squads.
As a result of the operation, five people were identified and charged with offenses ranging from solicitation of prostitution to sex trafficking and crimes involving minors. Two vehicles and U.S. currency were seized during the operation. Other people were connected to victim services through Samaritan House.
The operation led to the following people being charged:
- Shane Carter, 28, of Norfolk, was charged with solicitation of prostitution.
- Robert Harris, 64, of Virginia Beach, was charged with solicitation of prostitution and assault and battery.
- Larry Pittman, 53, of Portsmouth, was charged with sex trafficking and use of electronic devices to facilitaate certain offenses involving minors.
- Kenric Frazier, 46, of Portsmouth, was charged with sex trafficking, use of electronic devices to facilitate certain offenses involving minors and solicitation of child pornography.
- Cameron Lewis, 24, of Norfolk, was charged with solicitation of prostitution.
Investigators also developed leads about people who are suspected of trafficking and exploiting others for commercial sex. Those are now active and ongoing investigations. There may be more charges and arrests pending further investigation and consultation with the Virginia Beach Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office.
If you’re a human trafficking victim or know someone who is, you can report it to the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
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