Police responded to the 900 block of General Booth Boulevard near the intersection with South Birdneck Road following a report of a car accident involving a bicycle at about 11:12 p.m. First responders found Christopher Malik and began tending to his injuries but he died at the scene, according to police.

The driver of the vehicle stayed at the scene and is cooperating with the investigation. There are no pending charges against the driver as of Monday afternoon.

Gavin Stone, 757-712-4806, gavin.stone@virginiamedia.com

Virginia Beach National Golf Club off Princess Anne Road will soon undergo a first wave of repairs at a cost of $1.4 million. The Virginia Beach Development Authority, which leases the property from the city, greenlighted the work at its July 9 meeting.

According to a city audit, several lakes on the property are in “degraded” condition and need to be dredged and cleaned. And the clubhouse has rotting eaves and fascia board along the roofline; there’s mold and rotting baseboards in the clubhouse restaurant; and the ceiling is deteriorating due to leaks.

“It’s a beautiful golf course, but the building is a 23-year-old building,” City Auditor Lyndon Remias said in October when he presented the audit to the Virginia Beach Development Authority, a city agency tasked with expanding the tax base by attracting business investment. “It’s just like your house. You can have a beautiful lawn, but your roof is falling apart, your trim is rotting, and the AC’s out. Basically, that’s what is happening at the building.”

The golf course fell to the wayside when a longtime economic development employee responsible for managing the development authority’s assets left the city in 2019, Remias said.

“There was no one who picked up the ball and ran with it,” development authority chair Lisa Murphy said at the meeting last fall.

The city has since hired Pam Witham, a planner in the department, to oversee the authority’s assets, which include more than two dozen properties across the city.

“We’re going to move forward and correct the issues that need to be taken care of,” Witham said by phone this week.

The audit, available at virginiabeach.gov, also revealed discrepancies in the authority’s procurement procedures for previous improvement projects at the course.

Virginia Beach Golf Club LLC., a private company, manages the course and makes monthly payments to the authority based on a percentage of revenues generated to help fund capital improvements. In addition, the company annually remits 25% of the net income generated by the golf course in excess of $100,000.

In 2023, Virginia Beach National had a net income, or profit, of $740,000. Heron Ridge Golf Club, which is leased from the Development Authority by the same private entity, had $669,000 in profit, according to the city.

The scope of the October audit was from fiscal year 2021 through fiscal year 2023 and included policies, processes, and procedures in place at the time of the audit. It was the first time Remias’ office has audited the golf course.

The auditor’s report noted that semi-annual inspections by the city or the authority as outlined in the management agreement were not being conducted. Also, approvals for previous improvement projects were made after completion rather than before and that city procurement procedures weren’t properly followed.

Over the past several months, the authority has paid more than $100,000 in facility assessments and inspections in preparation of fixing the issues.

Witham told authority members at their July 9 meeting that $1.9 million is needed for all the structural repairs to buildings on the golf course property, and it will cost an additional $5.7 million to bring all 11 lakes up to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality’s standards.

The facility spans over 300 acres of land and consists of an 18-hole golf course designed by Pete Dye and Curtis Strange, practice areas and a clubhouse which includes a full-service restaurant.

Remias also said annual inspections of the lakes at Virginia Beach National performed by Public Works had not been provided to the authority as they should’ve been. Public Works has deemed some of the lakes are in “serious” and “degraded” condition.

Murphy formed an asset management committee in October to help prioritize the golf course repairs.

“They were tasked with viewing the whole report with staff and talking to the operator as far as what the report showed and helping to prioritize the repairs based on recommendations,” Witham said.

The authority agreed to start with the clubhouse, providing roughly $400,000 to replace the roof and gutters and another $200,000 for new air-conditioning systems. Additional money has been set aside for contingencies because of moisture damage, according to Witham. Also, a lake near the back of the property will be improved at a cost of roughly $520,000, she said.

“The other items that were identified, they’re going to be repaired as funding becomes available,” Witham said Wednesday.

The authority’s current balance for capital repairs at the golf course is $2.1 million, Witham said, but money from the authority’s previous sale of land in Corporate Landing Business Park and the Innovation Park will fund the first wave of the work.

Virginia Beach National Golf Club, formerly Tournament Players Club of Virginia Beach, opened on a former bean field in 1999 with the hope of making the city a renowned golf destination. The city paid $3.5 million to help build the $15 million course, according to The Virginian-Pilot archives.

But the course underperformed, and Virginia Beach bought it for roughly $4.5 million in 2006 to maintain control of the land.

Stacy Parker, 757-222-5125, stacy.parker@pilotonline.com

For nearly 300 years, the brick edifice at Scully’s Neck on the Lynnhaven River has been battered by the elements. It has endured countless thunderstorms and survived brutal hurricanes.

It has survived the centuries because it was built of durable brick. It has endured because it has been occupied as a residence until fairly recently. It has continued to exist because a few influential people cared enough to preserve the ancient dwelling.

Today, the Lynnhaven House, a prime example of early Virginia vernacular architecture, is owned and operated by the city of Virginia Beach as part of its Virginia Beach History Museums undertaking.

The brick home built by Francis Thelaball circa 1725 has been closed to visitors for some time. Currently, the former residence is undergoing an extensive preservation-restoration process to ensure that it continues to exist well into the future.

Even long-lived brick is not indestructible over years, decades and centuries. Bricks absorb moisture. Rain and humidity are the relentless enemies of brick. Stabilizing the brickwork by allowing the moisture in the structure to dry out is an integral element in the conservation process.

Excessive moisture in the brick causes the brick to crumble from the inside out, gradually degrading the masonry. Digital meters positioned in the interior of the house monitor the humidity levels to measure the progress in reducing moisture levels.

Preservation tours have been scheduled on days when contractors are not actively engaged in the implementation of the ongoing conservancy process. Visitors are offered an opportunity for a cursory inspection of the interior and a general explanation of the developing plan to conserve the aging structure.

“I like that the preservation process is happening. I like that the city is willing to put the money into preserving a historic structure like this. It is an expensive process,” said John Lodge, an educator with the Virginia Beach History Museums. “People are not always willing to spend money on old things. I like that this is happening.”

According to Lodge, brick buildings in Virginia during the late 17th and early 18th centuries, such as the Lynnhaven House, were upscale structures. They were relatively rare. Building with brick was expensive. The material was costly. Few Virginians had the means to build with brick. When most Virginians lived in wood framed, clapboard homes with dirt floors, foundations and chimneys built of brick and wooden floors were subtle indicators of economic affluence.

“In addition to being a nice sturdy structure, a brick dwelling was also kind of a conspicuous display of wealth,” Lodge said. “It showed off the kind of wealth you had.”

Lodge enjoys conducting preservation tours at the Lynnhaven House. They last about 30 minutes with visitors encouraged to ask questions. Museum educators are also available after the tours to respond to visitors’ queries about the historic site.

“I definitely like having visitors. It is going to be a long time until the Lynnhaven House is fully restored,” Lodge said. “It’s nice that we’re able to give at least little glimpses of what it’s like and to reassure people that we are taking care of it and will be restoring it.”

Joanne Singh was among the local visitors who took advantage of a scheduled opportunity to participate in the preservation-restoration history tour. Singh has fond memories of the Lynnhaven House and the programs it hosted that brought history to life.

“We’re enjoying the mystery of history. I’m impressed that it still stands after all the trials it has had to withstand over the years,” Singh said. “It’s here for future generations to see that history is real. We’ve been waiting so long for it to get rolling again so the kids can relive history like our kids used to.”

Innovate Hampton Roads and the city are teaming up to bring the Startup World Cup Virginia Regional to the Zeiders American Dream Theater in Town Center on Aug. 28. This is the first time the Startup Cup, a global platform that fosters entrepreneurship around the world, has come to Virginia.

“This a competition to get in front of global investors,” said Tim Ryan, executive director of Innovate Hampton Roads. “Never before has there been an opportunity like this (in the area).”

The competition is open to Virginia startups of all types. The winner will represent Virginia in the Startup World Cup in San Francisco for the $1 million prize, Ryan said.

In addition, the event provides networking and an opportunity to get feedback from investors, he said.

Startup World Cup Chairman Anis Uzzaman is the founder and CEO of Pegasus Tech Ventures in California’s Silicon Valley. He is responsible for the firm’s overall global investments and operations with $2 billion under Pegasus Tech Ventures’ management. He has invested in over 260 startups globally such as SpaceX, Airbnb, Doordash and 23andMe, according to his website. The competition, he said, helps connect entrepreneurs of various cities and innovation ecosystems to Silicon Valley and the rest of the world.

“We are thrilled to partner with Innovate Hampton Roads for the Startup World Cup Virginia Regional,” Uzzaman said in a statement. “This is our first time bringing the event to Virginia Beach and we are delighted by the quality of enthusiasm of competing startups.”

Startup World Cup selecting Hampton Roads for the regional competition is significant and speaks to innovation happening in the area, Ryan said. It’s also a pivotal moment for the region to grow its ecosystem on a global scale.

“This is a result of what we are doing in Hampton Roads with startup successes,” he said.

Ryan pointed to accomplished companies that began and are headquartered in the area such as DroneUp in Virginia Beach and SVT Robotics in Norfolk. He said having federal facilities such as NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton and Jefferson Lab in Newport News is a plus because they encourage entrepreneurship.

The interest in Virginia is a testament to the state being ranked No. 1 this year in America’s Top States for Business by CNBC. This is the sixth time the commonwealth ranked No. 1 and the third time within the past five years.

The Virginia event is limited to 100 applications. Judges throughout the state will narrow the applications down to about 10 to 12 companies, Ryan said. Startups in any stage can apply as long as they are a legal entity, not just an idea.

Interested contestants can apply online by Aug. 14 on the Innovate Hampton Roads website at innovate757.org. Ryan said the event is seeking volunteers to help. Interested volunteers should email james@innovate757.org or tim@innovate757.org.

Nieces Nataleigh Goodwin, 6, and Emileigh Griffith, 2, loved him back, especially when he took them outside to draw with sidewalk chalk or to search for worms.

“That’s me and Emileigh and Aunt Ashleigh and Uncle Zack,” Nataleigh said, showing off a picture she drew while Ashleigh Blankenship spoke about the historic donation of her brother’s heart. “I miss him very much.”

Pate, who died July 9, made just the third HIV-positive-to-HIV-positive heart donation in the U.S. this month at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, Sentara spokesperson Dale Gauding said.

Blankenship knew her 29-year-old brother, who lived with her in Portsmouth for most of the past two years, was an organ donor, but she and Pate’s two other sisters, Taylor Goodwin and Madison Tye, were stunned to learn the donation was possible a decade after he was diagnosed with HIV.

“I know my brother would have wanted that,” she said. “I feel like the HOPE Act needs more recognition.”

The HIV Organ Policy Equity Act, passed in 2013, established a research program that made liver and kidney transplants legal for people with HIV. In May 2020, the act was expanded to include all organs, and the first HIV-positive heart transplant took place in 2022.

This was the first HIV-positive organ donation for Sentara Health, Gauding confirmed, and for Virginia Beach-based LifeNet Health, the federally designated organ management organization for most of Virginia, said Douglas Wilson, its executive vice president. Pate’s organs were transported to recipients out of state.

As of Dec. 31, 2023, 377 HIV-positive kidney donations and 93 HIV-positive liver donations had taken place, according to UNOS, the United Network for Organ Sharing, which manages the United States’ organ transplant system.

The HOPE Act allows for living organ donations, but so far, only three have taken place. The second was a kidney donation in 2019 by Karl Neumann, a transplant registered nurse at Sentara Norfolk.

“Working in the profession for 20-some years at that point, I always wanted to be a donor, but once I was HIV-positive it was illegal for me to do that until the HOPE Act passed,” Neumann said Friday.

There are a few reasons donations remain rare, Neumann said, including the limited number of centers that can transplant HIV-positive organs and the comparatively small group of eligible donors.

Recipients of HIV-positive organs can only get their transplants at the roughly 35 centers that participate in the HOPE Act research study, Neumann said, and other transplant centers may refuse to accommodate HIV-positive patients even if they are receiving HIV-negative organs. Generally, donations can happen from anywhere.

Neumann’s donation took place at Duke University Hospital in North Carolina because Norfolk General is not part of the study, but his team in Norfolk works with HIV-positive patients, including a few who have received HIV-negative kidney transplants.

More complicated infection protocols are part of why so few transplant centers work with HIV-positive patients, but Neumann said he feels the persistent stigma surrounding HIV also contributes to the limited numbers.

“People live very normal lives with HIV at this point, but there’s still a social stigma,” Neumann said. “My doctors hated it when I said that I would rather have HIV than diabetes — but I think it’s easier to manage.”

Improvements in medication have helped make living donation possible without risk to the donor, Neumann said. The health, future health and rights of the donor are the most important factors in the process.

In the past, HIV medication sometimes caused kidney or liver failure, he said, but now, organ damage in most patients is caused by other health problems.

“If HIV directly related to needing a kidney or liver or something in the future, they would never even have proposed living donation,” Neumann said. “I always tell potential living donors that you’re getting the best health screening that you’re ever going to get.”

One of the biggest reasons donations remain rare, though, is the lack of awareness that they’re possible.

“I give a lot of gratitude to any of these people who have donated their organs and signed up ahead and registered, but also to those donor families — his family who is sharing his story,” Neumann said, referring to Pate.

Blankenship said her brother, who died as the result of a suicide attempt after battling mental illness for most of his life, was obsessed with his health, following strict routines and rules for everything from his diet to skincare. Even through the tumultuous times since their mother’s death in 2021, he kept up with managing HIV.

“He always thought he was unhealthy,” she said. “And look what happened. He was able to save lives.”

Have a health care or science story, question or concern? Contact Katrina Dix, 757-222-5155, katrina.dix@virginiamedia.com

Posh Wholesale Surf Shop recently opened on 17 1/2 Street behind Get Lost Shave Ice.

Customers can enter the quaint, 600-square-foot surf boutique through the oversized garage door. The bright pink and blue walls are decorated with oversized pool floats, surfboards and three large TV screens playing surfing videos.

Owner Tim Paasch said his store carries different products than the other area surf shops.

“We try and source local inventory and try to stick with USA made products,” he said. “We have sourced products on a wholesale basis, so we can save locals money on their purchases.”

The shop carries surfboards, skimboards, body boards and paddle boards. Other surf shop products include beach cruisers, skateboards, coolers, trendy clothing, floppy sun hats, beach apparel, snorkel gear and children’s beach items.

Local artist Ally Washington said she was happy to have her handmade beaded jewelry included in the new surf shop.

Her brand, Hangin’ Around, features a collection of bracelets, necklaces and earrings.

“I love that Posh Surf Shop is supporting local artists like me,” Washington said. “It’s a win-win relationship because the shop gives me exposure, and I’m bringing my large customer base to the store.”

Paasch, born and raised in Virginia Beach, grew up riding his bike to the beach. He said he shopped at all the local surf shops and always wanted to open one himself. His passion wasn’t just for the sport of surfing, but for the lifestyle it represented.

The local entrepreneur also opened Moke America Virginia Beach, which rents and sells street-legal golf carts, on 17th Street. Additionally, he operates the rental company RentBeachBuggies.com.

Paasch said Posh Surf isn’t just about selling products. It’s about sharing a lifestyle. “The surf shop is for locals to buy at local prices.”

Virginia Beach police said they were called July 20 to a home in the 4100 block of White Beam Court for a report of a stabbing. When officers arrived, they were confronted by Marques Hasbrouck, who was armed with a 20-inch crowbar and a 27-inch metal rod, according to a release.

After Hasbrouck refused to drop the weapons, police said, they deployed a stun gun, but it wasn’t effective. Hasbrouck was charging at officers when more than one fired at him, police said. Inside the home, officers found his mother, Victoria Hasbrouck, dead, and two relatives seriously injured.

Police had been to the family’s home for an attack in November 2017, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in Virginia Beach Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court. The document said that Hasbrouck, then 16, and his mother had a dispute over him playing video games and not taking his medications.

Hasbrouck pushed his mother and cursed at her, the affidavit said. When he tried to get some fast food that was on the table, she told him he couldn’t have any because of how he had talked to her, the document said.

“Marques grabbed a pair of scissors and attacked his mother,” the affidavit said. “He stabbed her multiple times in the face, head and body. He stated that he had ‘murderous intent’ and deliberately aimed for her eyes because ‘they are soft.'”

The document went on to say that while Hasbrouck was attacking his mother, he heard voices in his head urging him to continue the assault. It also said that he was being treated for mental illness.

Jane Harper, jane.harper@pilotonline.com

Rigney put in his notice of resignation on Wednesday, city spokesperson Tiffany Russell confirmed in an email. Rigney was hired by the city in March 2023 and had been director of economic development since February.

Deputy City Manager Amanda Jarratt is serving in the interim role now, and a national search will occur for a replacement, Russell said.

It’s unclear why Rigney resigned.

“Details are not available to the public as it is a personnel matter under the City’s HR policy,” Russell wrote in the email.

Virginia Beach’s new economic development director on regional cooperation, booming investment interest

Vice Mayor Rosemary Wilson on Friday said she was aware of Rigney’s resignation but wouldn’t comment on why.

Rigney, 68, replaced Taylor Adams, who left for another job in 2023. Before coming to Virginia Beach, Rigney worked in economic development for several Hampton Roads cities, including Hampton, Norfolk and Portsmouth.

Rigney could not be reached Friday.

Stacy Parker, 757-222-5125, stacy.parker@pilotonline.com

The home goods, appliances and consumer electronics retailer is closing 70 of its 170 stores nationwide, according to its website. The closing Hampton Roads locations are:

• 1082 W. Mercury Blvd., Hampton
• 2550 Airline Blvd., Portsmouth
• 3421 Virginia Beach Blvd., Virginia Beach

The retailer is advertising a going-out-of-business sale online with 30%-50% off its e-commerce site and in-store.

Conn’s filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on July 23 after three years of declining sales, the Houston Chronicle reported. As of June, the company reported operating more than 550 stores, including 380 Badcock Home Furniture & more stores, across 15 states.

This includes water near the Neptune Statue and boardwalk in the popular tourist area.

During the advisory, swimming and wading are prohibited.

The Virginia Department of Health measures public waters regularly for enterococci bacteria during the warmer months. Enterococci bacteria are a group of organisms used to measure fecal contamination in recreational waters.

While they do not cause illness, the health department reports that their presence is “closely correlated to the presence of other disease-causing organisms.” People swimming or playing in waters with higher bacteria levels have an increased risk of developing gastrointestinal illness.

Beachgoing fun was spoiled for those seeking relief from the late July heat and humidity.

Jeff Lucas, 40, of Ohio, and his family had been swimming in the ocean when lifeguards ordered everyone out of the water. His son then dug a hole in the sand and his nephew fed potato chips to a flock of seagulls.

“We paid a lot for a vacation,” he said. “We’re just trying to make the best of the day.”

Some people walked along the water’s edge while others packed up their umbrellas and lumbered back to their hotel rooms.

Peter Dubois of Quebec walked several blocks south with his grandchildren to swim where it was allowed. But he was parked on 28th Street where they returned to spend the rest of the afternoon playing in the sand.

“The water looks the same down here as it did there,” Dubois said. “If the lifeguard wasn’t here to whistle, we’d be swimming.”

Lifeguard Benjamin Bermudez, 19, fielded questions from people asking why the water was off limits.

“Our job is just to keep people out of the water to keep people healthy and safe from any potential sicknesses the bacteria may cause,” he said.

The swim advisory will be lifted once levels drop below the standard level. Signage was posted in the affected areas.

Eliza Noe, eliza.noe@virginiamedia.com