Now, the remains of a humongous ice age animal have been found near a spot that thousands of motorists drive past every day. Workers recently unearthed around a dozen pieces of a mastodon skeleton while digging at the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel expansion project.

“This is the stuff they don’t teach in engineering school,” said Ryan Banas, project director.

Soon, residents and travelers will be able to view the bones and other artifacts at a new project visitor’s center in Norfolk.

Workers at the project got very lucky discovering the bones in the fall of 2023, Banas said. A worker noticed something odd while looking at a conveyor belt at the slurry treatment plant, which is located on the project’s South Island.

Banas said the plant moves fast, processing 16,000 gallons of slurry a minute.

“So, the fact that we had one of our staff members that was able to catch a glimpse is pretty, pretty darn impressive,” Banas said.

The bones, which are anywhere from 12,000 to 50,000 years old, include ribs, vertebrae, a tooth the size of a small hand and part of a limb, Banas said.

Back then, lower sea levels meant the land near the HRBT would have likely been a forest, said Zaborniak, making it a perfect foraging ground for the mastodons.

Very similar in appearance to wooly mammoths or modern-day elephants, the creatures spent much of their day looking for food, he said. They were anywhere from 7 to 10 feet tall with large tusks and weighed around 6 tons.

Elephants and mammoths had flat teeth built for chomping down on grass, Zaborniak said.

“Mastodons, on the other hand, have very large ridges on their teeth, which are great for browsing,” he said. “So these animals are going to be eating plants such as leaves, pine needles and fruits.”

There is some evidence of social behavior, he said, but it’s likely male mastodons were solitary creatures. The animals had a wide range across North America, he added. Early humans also would have potentially crossed paths with them, he said, but it would have taken several people to hunt one.

Other mastodon bones have been found in Hampton Roads: the Virginia Living Museum possesses much of a skeleton that was discovered in Yorktown over a period of several years, according to a previous report by The Virginian-Pilot.

The $3.9 billion HRBT expansion project will double the road’s capacity, from two to four lanes in each direction, and add two two-lane tunnels. It is scheduled for completion in 2027.

Similar construction work elsewhere in the region has also turned up interesting historical finds. In 2023, workers on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel expansion project dug up an old ship anchor buried beneath the shipping channel. Work was delayed for several months, and resumed in April, so the 10-foot anchor could be excavated.

HRBT project spokesperson Paula Miller said the mastodon discovery was not expected to delay that project’s construction timeline.

Other artifacts unearthed by the HRBT project and now housed at the visitor’s center include two Civil War-era cannonballs, a World War II-era helmet liner and pieces of an old shipwreck, Banas said. Project leaders hope to open the visitor’s center, located at 9401 4th St. in Norfolk, in September.

“These are all things that are super, super interesting, that help you appreciate what came before us,” Banas said.

Trevor Metcalfe, 757-222-5345, trevor.metcalfe@pilotonline.com

The city plans to improve a section of Route 460 as part of a $86.8 million road project. City leaders say it will increase capacity on a major roadway near the planned 10 building, 5-million-square-foot Port 460 warehouse complex. The road project will get $30.1 million from the state’s Transportation Partnership Opportunity Fund.

“This significant allocation of Transportation Partnership Opportunity Funds by the Virginia Commonwealth Transportation Board provides a rare opportunity to address a projected traffic mitigation concern before it becomes a major issue,” said Suffolk Mayor Mike Duman in a July 16 announcement.

The project would widen a 2.3-mile section of Route 460, from the Route 58 bypass to Lake Prince Drive, as well as redesign the Route 460 and 58 interchange.

The roadway project follows public criticism of the huge warehouse development, which is planned near the interchange. After a 2022 City Council vote to rezone the property to allow the development, Duman told The Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press about 41% of the complaints revolved around its impact on traffic.

Some community residents mobilized a local opposition group to the warehouse, called Citizens Voice, and filed an unsuccessful lawsuit seeking to stop the development.

Group spokesperson and Suffolk resident Denise Murden said they were happy the roadway project was being funded.

“If the project is going to go there, it’s absolutely essential,” Murden said.

Beyond the state funding, the project has also received $6.6 million from Matan, the developer who will build the warehouse project, $1 million from the Port of Virginia, and $1 million from the city of Suffolk, Deputy City Manager Kevin Hughes said in an email.

With the project about halfway funded, Hughes said the city plans to fund the remainder locally while applying for additional state and federal grant money.

Hughes said city officials hope to begin construction in late 2026. The first Port 460 building is scheduled to be completed by the third quarter of 2025, according to the project website.

Trevor Metcalfe, 757-222-5345, trevor.metcalfe@pilotonline.com

Now, a new study has revealed some of the reasons why. Young people who responded say the cost of living, lack of career opportunities and housing availability are the key factors influencing a decision to leave the area.

“This is regional,” said Nancy Grden, president and CEO of the Hampton Roads Executive Roundtable, who helped commission the study. “People are taking it seriously and there are efforts underway to address it.”

The findings are based on a December online survey of 511 Hampton Roads residents that was commissioned by the Hampton Roads Executive Roundtable and the Hampton Roads Workforce Council. Of those surveyed, three out of four are planning on staying in Hampton Roads during the next five years. The rest are either unsure or plan to move away.

The study also revealed the characteristics of Hampton Roads residents who are considering leaving the area. They are usually age 35 and younger, working remotely, have moved to the area as adults, are childless and not connected to the military.

Young people have been leaving the region for years, according to previous studies. A 2023 Old Dominion University report found the number of residents ages 20-34 declined around a half of a percent from 394,728 in 2020 to 391,168 in 2022. Overall, the region’s share of the Virginia population declined from 23.6% in 1990 to 20.2% in 2022.

Grden said the new study was commissioned to learn why these young people were leaving the region.

Economic conditions are driving much of the concerns prompting residents to consider moving, according to the study. Across the United States, the price of all goods in June increased 3% compared to 12 months ago, not seasonally adjusted, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Population growth in Hampton Roads has in recent years lagged behind growth in other populous Virginia regions like Richmond and Northern Virginia. And some Hampton Roads cities have seen a decline in population since the pandemic.

Among those considering leaving the area, 39% are thinking of moving somewhere else in the United States and 20% are thinking of moving somewhere in the Mid-Atlantic, according to the study. Only 13% said they are thinking of staying in Virginia, and another 15% said they are considering another city in Hampton Roads.

Housing availability and affordability also remains a significant issue, according to the study. The median selling price of a home in Hampton Roads increased 4.35% over the past 12 months, from $345,000 in June 2023 to $360,000, according to the Real Estate Information Network multiple listing service. Average monthly asking rent costs in Hampton Roads increased nearly 27%, to $1,474 in 2023 from $1,162 five years ago, according to a March ODU report.

Security and safety also registered as a top issue for study respondents. Respondents who were likely to leave the area or unsure about staying were more likely to say they felt unsafe living in the region, according to the study.

The groups presented the study to the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission on Thursday. After the presentation, attendees discussed other reasons young people might be leaving the region. Those included a 2022 Norfolk crackdown on nightclubs after downtown shootings, lack of public transportation and the absence of a major sports team.

Grden said an Executive Roundtable group is also looking into how to address some of the key study findings.

Trevor Metcalfe, 757-222-5345, trevor.metcalfe@pilotonline.com

The legislation, which Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed Thursday afternoon, fully repeals all changes made to the military tuition program this year through the budget, and adds $90 million from the revenue surplus to the program for the two-year budget period.

“We stand resolute with our veterans, first responders, and their families,” Youngkin said in a release. “We will always honor the sacrifice of all our military heroes, Gold Star families, first responders, and all those who have served their nation and their Commonwealth. We know that freedom is not free.”

The program will get $65 million each year during the next two years. Previously, universities had to cover the cost of the waiver program, which had grown exponentially in recent years.

In the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee, Chair Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, said the bill balances out support for military families while avoiding financially burdening other students.

“As I have said before, making higher education affordable for all students is a priority that should be shared by everyone,” Lucas said.

Lucas and Del. Luke Torian, D-Dumfries, announced a plan July 2 to introduce and vote on identical repeal bills. Both legislative chambers passed the identical bills, avoiding a conference committee.

Additionally, several groups are studying the program. The Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission is assessing the program’s viability and will share the report with the General Assembly by Sept. 1. Youngkin has also convened a task force on the issue, and state senators formed a select work group.

On the Senate floor, Tara Durant, R-Fredricksburg, criticized Democrats for spending taxpayer money to have lawmakers return to Richmond multiple times over the past few weeks. Sen. Barbara Favola, D-Arlington, countered, saying the extra time allowed them to use the latest revenue surplus figures available.

“We did have some end-of-year growth, and we are now funding this program fully, to the degree we understand the costs, for each year of the next biennium,” Favola said, adding that wasn’t the case for previously considered repeal bills.

Previously, the Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program provided tuition waivers and an annual stipend to spouses and children of veterans who are killed, missing in action, taken prisoner or at least 90% permanently disabled as a result of service.

The estimated cost of the program’s tuition waivers has nearly quadrupled, from $12 million in 2019 to $46.3 million in 2022, according to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. Projections from earlier this year showed the lost tuition revenue will likely grow to over $190 million by 2026.

The Virginia budget, which went into effect July 1, imposed several new restrictions on the tuition waiver program in an attempt to curb rising costs. It required applicants to be Virginia residents and limited the program waivers to undergraduate degrees. The budget also required applicants to apply for and use other sources of state and federal financial aid first.

The changes were met with outrage from military families, including many who live in Hampton Roads.

The Senate and House had previously sparred over the best fix for the legislation. The Senate Appropriations committee advanced a bill from Lucas mostly repealing the changes on July 1, but the full Senate did not vote on the bill due to a 48-hour waiting period.

On June 18, Lucas declined to hear several pieces of legislation fully repealing the changes.

After the current bill’s passage, Sen. Mamie Locke, D-Hampton, criticized Republicans for painting those who wanted to rein in the program’s costs as anti-military. She said several family members — including her father and several brothers — were veterans. She contrasted the bill with Project 2025 — a presidential transition plan from the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank that aims to limit which disabilities will qualify veterans for benefits.

“So, who’s really anti-veteran?” Locke asked.

Lawmakers did not take up any efforts to repeal a statewide ban on skill games — slot machine-like video gaming devices once active in gas stations and other locations. During the Appropriations committee, Lucas said House leaders are not ready to deal with the issue yet, but hoped to advance legislation in an October special session.

Reporters Eliza Noe and Gavin Stone contributed to this report. 

Trevor Metcalfe, 757-222-5345, trevor.metcalfe@pilotonline.com

The contract, with Chesapeake-based Heartland Construction, Work Program Architects and VMDO Architects, directs the firms to complete 35% of the design work, then present plans to the Norfolk School Board.

The contract includes $400,000 to design a replacement for the school’s indoor swimming pool complex.

Numerous speakers at the meeting came out in support of the new school and the pool complex.

“A pool at Maury High School will benefit the entire school system and is essential for building a high-quality swimming program,” said parent Jeff Belcher.

Council member John “JP” Paige voted against the measure, saying he wanted to see other city high schools, such as Booker T. Washington, receive the same treatment.

The design contract includes a site plan, design of utilities, storm water systems and environmental aspects, according to Norfolk City Manager Patrick Roberts. Additionally, the work will include a preliminary design of other athletic facilities such as a multipurpose field, baseball field, softball field and tennis courts.

According to the contract, design work is scheduled to be complete by March. The new school could open by 2028, according a presentation by Roberts.

The contract does not decide the fate of the old Maury building — Roberts said City Council members will need to make that decision at a later date. The city originally floated the idea of turning the old building into apartments, but no decision has been made.

Alice Allen-Grimes, Norfolk Preservation Alliance president, admonished the city for backing away from concrete plans to save the historic structure.

“This process has been the opposite of transparent,” Allen-Grimes said.

However, Mayor Kenny Alexander and Council member Andria McClellan said during the meeting that they still support adaptive reuse of the current building.

The city anticipates scheduling additional community meetings on different design aspects of the project in the summer through next spring.

Maury High School is more than a century old, making it the oldest high school in the city and one of the oldest in Virginia. Even though the high school is a Ghent fixture, architects say there is water erosion and rust on the exterior. The building has extensive water leaks, according to Pilot reporting, and in 2014, a portion of the auditorium roof collapsed during a band concert.

Trevor Metcalfe, 757-222-5345, trevor.metcalfe@pilotonline.com

MacArthur Pharmacy, which has served downtown Norfolk residents for more than 23 years, will closethis month, said landlord and Norfolk developer Bobby Wright.

“They’re family and good friends,” Wright said. “And so downtown will definitely miss that service of getting their prescriptions more easily.”

In its place, Wright plans to open a general store and mini-grocery store, offering meat, eggs and other food to downtown residents.

The closure will leave the area — now an area of around 6,500 residents, according to the Downtown Norfolk Council — without a nearby pharmacy.

Pharmacy co-owners Chris Lawrence and David Bass Jr. opened the business Nov. 1, 2000. According to previous Virginian-Pilot reporting, Lawrence grew up in his father’s pharmacy, Lawrence Pharmacy in Chesapeake. Bass and Lawrence have been best friends since kindergarten and delivered papers together when they were 16.

Neither co-owner responded to repeated attempts for comment. Wright also declined to say why the pharmacy was closing.

The pharmacy’s last day of business would be around next Friday, Wright said. He added that all prescriptions would be transferred to the Rite Aid at 525 W. 21st St. in Ghent.

Shortly after the pharmacy closes, Wright said he plans to convert the space into what he calls MacArthur General Store: Farm to Table. He plans to keep much of the front-of-store retail items such as drinks and snacks, and add items from local farmers such as meat, eggs, mushrooms and other goods.

Wright also said he wants to survey downtown residents on what items they need the most. For years, downtown residents have clamored for a grocery store after a grocer on the first floor of 123 College Place closed in 2011.

The idea is to create a destination grocer akin to a Trader Joe’s, Wright said, where customers sometimes travel an hour to access its food.

“So, I can see people traveling into our downtown from the Oceanfront and maybe even Williamsburg because of some of the offerings,” he said.

Wright also hopes to start a grocery delivery service to those living downtown.

Independent and chain pharmacies have struggled in recent years. Colley Discount Pharmacy in Ghent closed in March 2023 after nearly 40 years of business as the store encountered difficulty with sales during the pandemic, trouble hiring employees and issues with insurance company reimbursements.

Rite Aid has closed at least 23 Hampton Roads stores this year as it undergoes the bankruptcy process. And national pharmacy chain Walgreens announced it could close hundreds of underperforming stores over the next three years, its CEO told analysts in late June, according to Associated Press reporting.

Trevor Metcalfe, 757-222-5345, trevor.metcalfe@pilotonline.com

The city of Norfolk plans to install a 160-foot-long, $1.3 million fishing pier at the northern end of the Granby Street Bridge near the intersection of Granby Street and Willow Wood Drive.

“We’re trying to look at the site from a standpoint of ‘How do we improve this and make it safer, make it aesthetically pleasing, make it more functional?'” said landscape architect Mike Fox with Stromberg/Garrigan & Associates, Inc.

While local fishers said they are happy about another legal, public fishing spot in the city, some nearby homeowners are concerned about trash and parking, according to comments at a public input meeting Tuesday. A group of project architects, engineers and city staff members presented the plans to a group of around 40 attendees.

The city has allocated funding for a 160-foot fishing pier that would jut out from the western side of Granby Street Park. Another unfunded conceptual second phase would add a 250-foot boardwalk connecting the pier back to land in a second location, creating a small waterfront trail loop.

Though the project is still in the design phase and not finalized, architects and engineers said potential amenities include 10 parking spaces, benches and covered shelters. At this time, public restrooms are not planned.

The project is being funded by the federal American Rescue Plan Act, the March 2021 $1.9 trillion pandemic stimulus law. At a City Council retreat in March 2022, then-City Manager Chip Filer presented the fishing pier project as part of $24 million in community capital improvement projects. The blueprint was approved by council that year.

At a public input session Tuesday evening, fishers from across the city applauded the project, saying it would add a much-needed legal public space in Norfolk for the activity.

However, several homeowners near the bridge living along Willow Grove Court criticized the project, saying more fishers would park along their narrow street and leave more trash along their properties. Currently, they said fishers park on their street and fish under the bridge itself.

“If you don’t do any of this, what’s the alternative?” he said. “This just stays the status quo, and I don’t think anyone wants that either.”

Other attendees, such as local row teams, approved of the project, saying it would make it less likely for people fishing to hit them with hooks as they passed under the bridge.

Still, others suggested relocating the project to Lakewood Park or Lambert’s Point Public Open Space, part of the former golf course location now open to the public.

The presenters said there is no construction timeline yet, but said the design portion of the project should take about six months. A project tracker is available on the city website.

Trevor Metcalfe, 757-222-5345, trevor.metcalfe@pilotonline.com

LS Greenlink USA, a subsidiary of South Korean-based LS Cable & System, plans to construct a 750,000-square-foot manufacturing plant on 100 acres of Chesapeake brownfield, a move that is expected to create more than 330 full-time jobs.

“Fifteen states were in the mix, and Virginia won,” said Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade Caren Merrick at a Tuesday event in Chesapeake.

The massive facility will be located at the Chesapeake Deep Water Terminal, located at 1213 Victory Blvd. The site, which straddles Portsmouth and Chesapeake, has railway access and sits adjacent to the Southern Branch Elizabeth River.

When constructed, the facility will be the tallest building in Virginia, said LS Greenlink USA Managing Director Patrick Shim. The Westin Virginia Beach Town Center, at 508 feet, is currently the tallest building in the commonwealth. He said the company plans to begin construction in the first quarter of 2025 and begin operating the facility in the first quarter of 2028.

Shim said the large towers are needed due to how the submarine cables are made, with gravity helping to center the core of the cable. He said the structure would be visible from all over the region.

“It’s not just a working building, but it’s going to be a landmark,” Shim said. “So we do want to make it very beautiful.”

LS has a yearslong backlog of orders due to demand, Shim said, and the cables would be used in projects all over the world.

The company chose Chesapeake due to the region’s workforce, including its veteran population.

“At the end of the day, a factory without workers is just a room with a bunch of machines,” Shim said.

The announcement is a win for proponents of the region’s offshore wind industry, who have long hoped a Dominion Energy wind farm would lure other companies in the offshore wind supply chain to Hampton Roads.

Doug Smith, Hampton Roads Alliance president and CEO, said the announcement was a huge validation for the region’s economic development work. He said the move could lead to other offshore wind supply chain companies moving to the area.

“The offshore wind industry is new,” Smith said. “So everybody is watching what everyone else is doing.”

In addition to ongoing contruction of the 176-turbine Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project, Dominion announced Monday had acquired the lease for the Kitty Hawk North offshore wind project from Avangrid for $160 million. Federal regulators have scheduled the next round of offshore wind lease sales in the mid-Atlantic for August, including the lease for another area off Virginia, about 35 nautical miles from the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay.

During the event, government officials were presented with a cross section of the cables, which measured several inches in diameter and included a copper conductor core and several other layers. Even at just a couple inches in thickness, the cross section had considerable weight.

As far as jobs, Shim said the company would be hiring for advanced manufacturing positions like engineers and machine operators. He said the company plans to pay workers well above the industry average for the region.

To offset costs of the project, the U.S. Department of Energy approved $100 million in federal tax credits from a program created by President Joe Biden’s 2022 infrastructure law that incentivizes clean energy projects.

To attract the project, Youngkin approved a $13.2 million grant from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund to assist the Chesapeake with this project.

Trevor Metcalfe, 757-222-5345, trevor.metcalfe@pilotonline.com

The city budgets, that fund local governments for the fiscal year, set rates for real estate and personal property taxes. Here are tax rates adopted by seven Hampton Roads cities, and the revenue those taxes are expected to generate in the new fiscal year. Personal property tax varies by property type and the rate charged for personal vehicles is included.

Cities may offer different relief programs that can reduce tax liability.

Chesapeake

Real estate tax rate: $1.01 per $100 of assessed value, same rate unchanged for a few years. The city is expected to collect $390.5 million in revenue in fiscal 2025.

Personal property tax rate for vehicles: $4.08 per $100 of assessed value. Same as previous years. The city is expected to collect $76.2 million from all personal property taxes in fiscal 2025.

Chesapeake adopts $1.6 billion operating budget that will expand some tax relief, increase city worker pay

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Hampton

Real estate tax rate: $1.15 per $100 of assessed value, a 1-cent decrease from last year. Real estate tax revenue is anticipated to total $176.5 million in fiscal 2025.

Personal property tax rate for vehicles: $4.50 per $100 of assessed value, no change. Hampton is expected to collect $50.8 million in all personal property taxes in fiscal 2025.

Hampton adopts $643 million budget boosting employee pay, adding speed cameras and increasing waste fees

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Newport News

Real estate tax rate: $1.18 per $100 of assessed value, no change from last year. The city is expected to collect $266.4 million in real estate taxes in fiscal 2025.

Personal property tax rate for vehicles: $4.50 per $100 of assessed value. Personal property taxes for all items is expected to total $69.2 million in fiscal 2025.

Newport News adopts $1.14 billion budget, raises salaries for city workers and public safety

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Norfolk

Real estate tax rate: $1.23 per $100 of assessed value, a 2-cent decrease from last year. Real estate tax revenue is anticipated to total $328.1 million in fiscal 2025.

Personal property tax rate for vehicles: $4.33 per $100 of assessed value. Norfolk is expected to collect $61.8 million in all personal property taxes in fiscal 2025.

Norfolk passes $1.9 billion budget with city worker raises, real estate tax cut

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Portsmouth

Real estate tax rate: $1.30 per $100 of assessed value, with a 5-cent credit bringing the effective tax rate to $1.25 per $100 of assessed value. Same as last year. The city is expected to collect $130.5 million in fiscal 2025.

Personal property tax rate for vehicles: $5 per $100 of assessed value. The city is expected to collect $36.9 million from all personal property taxes in fiscal 2025.

Portsmouth adopts $934 million budget reducing real estate tax, fully funding schools

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Suffolk

Real estate tax rate: $1.07 per $100 of assessed value, a nominal 2-cent reduction. Last year the rate was $1.09 but the city offered a 2-cent tax credit, putting the effective rate at $1.07. The city is expected to collect $165 million in real estate taxes in fiscal 2025.

Personal property tax rate for vehicles: $4.25 per $100 of assessed value. The city is expected to collect $36 million in fiscal 2025 in personal property taxes.

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Virginia Beach

Real estate tax rate: 97 cents per $100 of assessed value, 2-cent decrease from last year. The city is expected to collect $700 million in real estate taxes in fiscal 2025.

Personal property tax rate for vehicles: $4 per $100 of assessed value. The city is expected to collect $206.7 million from all personal property taxes in fiscal 2025.

Virginia Beach adopts $2.6 billion budget, cutting taxes and increasing city worker pay

In a June 28 ceremony attended by dozens at Norfolk’s MacArthur Memorial, 40-year department veteran Sidney Carroll was sworn in by Norfolk Mayor Kenny Alexander — the city’s first Black mayor — and City Manager Patrick Roberts.

“In my opinion, it was monumental,” Carroll said in an interview.

The ceremony came after an April announcement from the city that Carroll, then-interim fire chief, would accept the full-time position.

It’s been a decades-long journey for Carroll, who became interested in Norfolk Fire-Rescue while taking courses at Old Dominion University. He recalls being approached by a Norfolk official looking to recruit more African Americans into the profession.

At the time, the only thing Carroll knew about the job was from driving down Church Street and looking at the fire station there.

“I see these guys sitting out in front of the station in wooden chairs, and I’m saying, ‘Looks like an easy job,'” Carroll said with a chuckle.

The reality, Carroll said, certainly was different. After four months of training, he joined the department in 1982, and his first station was on City Hall Avenue, now the site of the MacArthur Center. Eventually, he transferred to Church Street.

“It wasn’t anything like I thought it would be,” Carroll said. “They were busy. They worked.”

Carroll recalled his jobs, ranks and stations with ease: ladder truck operator in Berkeley, lieutenant at Fire Station 10 on Virginia Beach Boulevard, captain at Fire Station 4 near the former Military Circle mall.

From there, he said he ventured into administrative work, with jobs including aide to the deputy chief, battalion chief and health and safety officer. With it came 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. hours — Carroll said firefighters typically work 24-hour shifts for 10 days a month — and a greater knowledge of the inner workings of the department.

He also learned a valuable leadership skill from his mentor and former Chief Jeff Wise.

“He always told me, ‘Listen to your people. Listen to what their problems are — even the citizens,'” Carroll said.

Carroll acknowledged racial prejudice existed even before he accepted a job. After joining, he began talking with other Black firefighters about the issues.

“They opened my eyes to a lot of things that I needed to look out for,” Carroll said.

Those firefighters included members of United Black Firefighters of Norfolk, who in the late 1970s filed a lawsuit against the city alleging employment discrimination in lack of promotions and hiring practices, according to Virginian-Pilot archives. In response to a later Justice Department civil rights suit, the city signed a consent decree to make good-faith efforts in hiring a certain percentage of Black employees, which Carroll said remains in effect.

In the original agreement, Norfolk officials agreed to strive to hire Black employees for 30% of all entry-level firefighting positions.

Today, 68 out of 477 fire-rescue employees are Black, or about 14%, according to city data.

Stacy Himes, battalion chief, communications, said after working with Carroll for several years, she sees him as down-to-earth and passionate about the field.

“He understands what it means to be in all the different positions in the city, so he can relate to anybody,” Himes said.

The fire and rescue field has changed significantly over Carroll’s career, he said. Now, firefighters must be proficient in technical rescues and water rescues, such as when vehicles crash off a bridge into local waterways. The fire department has several water rescue craft and trains for aquatic rescues.

Carroll said he is also proud of efforts to hire and promote more women. In 2020, Norfolk Fire-Rescue was facing gender discrimination suits from a retired firefighter and a fire investigator. According to city data from June 28, the department employs 49 women out of 477. That’s a slight increase from 42 women out of 504 employees in 2020.

Carroll makes $188,600 annually, according to thecity’s website. Predecessor John DiBacco made $156,962 annually, according to 2022 salary data compiled by the Pilot.

In the end, firefighters are around to serve Norfolk citizens, Carroll said.

“They will response with integrity and respect, and make everyone’s difficult time a better time,” Carroll said.

Trevor Metcalfe, 757-222-5345, trevor.metcalfe@pilotonline.com