Home Care In Norfolk, VA

NORFOLK, Va. — Four new names were added to the list of workers who cleared land for Norfolk Botanical Garden during the site's 18th Heritage Day celebration Sunday — the most new names identified in a single year since 2018, according to the garden's historian.

The annual event honors the 200 Black women and 20 Black men hired by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) to clear brush and trees for what was then called Norfolk Azalea Garden in 1938. Today, fewer than 80 of the 220 workers have been identified.

The garden has spent more than 20 years working to find out who they were.

Helen Ferguson, with Norfolk Botanical Garden's President's Council on Inclusion and Diversity, read the names of all known workers aloud during the ceremony. Her mother, Mary Elizabeth Ferguson, was the last known living worker before her death in 2017. A 2009 interview with the city of Norfolk captured the elder Ferguson describing the conditions.

"It was a lot of trees…it was marshy," Mary Elizabeth Ferguson said. "It was scary."

Helen Ferguson said the workers themselves felt differently about the job than those honoring them today.

"They were ashamed," Ferguson said. "It was embarrassing."

The work was dirty, grueling and included encounters with snakes as workers moved through the swamp. The workers would be picked up in a truck from their Norfolk residences and had to use the bathroom outside. Because the conditions were so harsh, the work fell to mostly Black women looking for money to feed their families at the end of the Great Depression.

When the work was done, segregation-era rules barred them from entering the garden they had built for decades. Many did not live to see that change.

"When I call their name out, I'm always honored," Ferguson said. "I don't want one person to be forgotten."

A story News 3 reported in February about the effort to identify more workers led Barbara Rice of Virginia Beach to come forward with information about her grandmother.

"(You) saying that anybody that had family members or knew somebody and [had information] to call and to contact you guys and that's what I did," Rice said.

After News 3 connected Rice with the garden's historian, Martha McClenny Williams, her grandmother Marie Freeman Davis Boyd — whom the family called "Big Mama" — was confirmed by the as one of "The Original Gardeners" in July. On Sunday, her name was read aloud at the ceremony — an acknowledgment nearly 90 years in the making.

"It's just a great thing for all of us. You see how many of us showed up so you see it's a great honor for us to let the world know about our grandma, our Big Mama," Rice said.

Rice's willingness to share her story prompted others to come forward. Among the four new names added this year were sisters Ruth and Margaret Jones, whose family contacted the garden after seeing Rice's interview with News 3.

"I saw the news story…I said, grandma used to work there in that garden. And I told my sister about it and my sister said, yes, she did. She used to work in the garden," said Ruth Jones' granddaughter Yolanda Coston-Perkins, adding that her sister told her Margaret worked there also.

"I'm glad they're being recognized. They built this on their blood, sweat, and tears. These women had to fight snakes," Ruth's great-grandson Jason Coston.

Shante'l Barringer's path to hearing her great-great-grandmother Susie Diggs Curney's read aloud began with stories she heard from her grandmother during an ancestry project at Hampton University.

"I came across the web page and saw that they were soliciting names and I was like, oh OK, well let me submit my great-great-grandmother's name," Barringer said. "It means a great deal and it gives another perspective to looking at the botanical garden. I've visited here on field trips, but now I'm looking at it completely different because there's a family tie there."

Work once considered shameful by those who performed it is now a source of deep pride for their descendants. But organizers say the effort will not be complete until every worker receives the recognition they deserve.

NORFOLK, Va. — Michael Vick has his first Division I victory as a college football head coach.

Norfolk State pulled away from Hampton for a 42-21 win Saturday at William “Dick” Price Stadium, giving Vick another marker of progress in his second season leading the Spartans.

The victory was Vick’s third as Norfolk State’s head coach, but the first against a Division I opponent. His first career win came against Division II Virginia State in 2025, a 34-31 overtime victory. Norfolk State opened the 2026 season by beating Division II Winston-Salem State 56-0.

This time, the Spartans broke through against Hampton, an FCS program and one of Norfolk State’s oldest rivals.

Norfolk State takes over after halftime

It wasn’t easy early.

Hampton scored first and Norfolk State held only a 14-13 halftime advantage. But the Spartans took control after the break and scored the final 28 points of the game.

Norfolk State finished with 424 yards of total offense, including 240 on the ground. Quarterback Deljay Bailey completed 17 of 25 passes for 184 yards while adding 50 rushing yards and a touchdown.

Jalyn Daniels led the rushing attack with 102 yards on 22 carries, while Ravon Moore Jr. added 84 yards and a touchdown.

Special teams provided an even bigger spark. Jason Wonodi returned three punts for 170 yards and two touchdowns, while kicker Marco Peery connected on four field goals.

The Spartans’ defense also generated six sacks. The performance came after consecutive road losses against FBS opponents Old Dominion and No. 25 Virginia. Norfolk State entered the Hampton matchup 1-2 after falling 59-3 at Virginia one week earlier.

Vick said the experience against Virginia helped his team understand the level it is trying to reach.

“We was able to look at it from the other side and say, ‘We want to be that,’” Vick said.

Michael Vick sees growth beyond wins

For Vick, Saturday’s result was another sign of a larger transformation.

“After what we went through last year, knowing that we had to work extremely hard to get better in all three phases and a lot of different categories, we’re doing it,” Vick said. “It’s happening in real time.”

Vick went 2-10 in his first season at Norfolk State, with the Virginia State victory serving as his first win as a head coach. Saturday gave him his first opportunity to walk off the field after beating a team from Norfolk State’s own Division I subdivision.

He said the progress goes beyond football.

Vick revealed that Norfolk State’s team GPA has climbed to 3.0, something he said means as much — if not more — than the victories.

“I’m really proud of that, probably more proud of that than the two wins that we have,” Vick said, “because we winning in that department, and that structure creates a winning environment.”

The scoreboard offered another piece of evidence Saturday.

After two Division II victories, Michael Vick now has his first Division I win.

Base had put heightened security measures in place earlier Monday evening. Sen. Warner says his office 'is engaged' with Navy on matter

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Hours after putting precautionary, heightened security measures in place, Naval Station Norfolk said it returned to normal operations early Tuesday morning.

Monday evening, the base implemented heightened security measures as a precaution to “ensure the safety and security of our personnel, families and the installation.” Around 3 a.m. Tuesday, Naval Station Norfolk said normal base access and gate operations had resumed, and personnel and visitors “should follow regularly established gate hours and access procedures.”

“Naval Station Norfolk appreciates the patience and cooperation of our Sailors, civilian employees, families, tenants and visitors while the additional security measures were in place,” Naval Station Norfolk said in a press release.

It said the safety and security of its personnel, families and the installation continue to be its highest priority, and added it would continue to work closely with law enforcement and security partners “and take appropriate measures as necessary.”

Naval Station Norfolk did not say what led it to the heightened security measures for several hours late Monday and early Tuesday morning.

WAVY specifically asked if this was a drill. A spokesperson confirmed it was not. She also said this heightened security was isolated to Naval Station Norfolk; no other area installations were impacted.

While not clarifying the reason for the security change, WAVY received this statement from the base:

“Due to operational security reasons we will not discuss specific threats. I can tell you that a decision was made to implement heightened security measures as a precaution to ensure the safety and security of our personnel, families, and the installation.”

It made the initial announcement about taking increased security measures Monday evening, saying that, as part of the measures, it had adjusted access to the installation, with some gates closed or operating with reduced lanes.

Sen. Mark Warner, asked about the heightened security measures at Naval Station Norfolk, said the following: “The safety and security of everyone at Naval Station Norfolk is a top priority, and I commend the sailors who work towards that goal every day. My office remains engaged with the Navy on this matter.”

Check with WAVY.com for updates.

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — A person is hurt following a house fire in Norfolk Tuesday evening.

Firefighters were dispatched to the fire in the 1500 block of West 43rd Street at 7:20 p.m. When crews arrived, they found flames coming from the two-story residential structure.

The home is located across the street from the Old Dominion University baseball and soccer complexes.

“We got a phone call from one of the field hockey girls that lives next to us saying like, are you guys out of your house? There’s a huge fire,” said ODU soccer player, Mia Serna, “we ran over here from the building and just saw huge crowds of people and the fire, of course. It was really a really scary sight.”

Crews entered the home and conducted a primary search for occupants. While trying to initiate suppression tactics, conditions worsened causing firefighter to initiate an exterior operation.

Additional fire companies were called to assist in extinguishing the fire.

One person was hurt while escaping the burning building. That person was treated on-scene then later transported to a local hospital for treatment. No firefighters were injured during this incident.

Neighbors told 10 On Your Side it took well over an hour for the fire to be put out. One resident, who lives just next door to where the fire happened, says thankfully the most damage he’s dealing with is a melted trash can.

“All I can say is I pray hard enough, I guess, every night. We were spared, “said neighbor Lishi Luo, “the other thing is, how do we check the air quality? How do we do the cleaning up? It could affect people’s health.”

ODU students told 10 On Your Side that smoke from the fire was visible across the university’s campus Tuesday evening.

“We could smell the smoke from the web center,” said student Noah Eddy.

“I was all the way across and I saw it,” said another student, Casey Granneman, “I came over here and looked.

“I saw it from my dorm. I’m on I’m on the fifth floor. I looked out the window and I’m like, wow,” said student Amir Kohen, “it was absolutely insane.”

Those who live near the scene of the destructive fire say seeing the charred remains of the house has given them plenty to reflect on.

“I’m really blessed that, as a believer in God, that God is protecting me and my house,” said Serna, “it’s a little scary. It can happen at any moment and can happen to anyone. I think this is maybe a moment for a community to come together and be with each other. Make sure to watch over your house and make sure everything’s good.”

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

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