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Casino set to open Jan. 15

Rivers Casino Portsmouth will be the first permanent casino to open in Virginia when it opens its doors to the public on Jan. 15, 2023, but local media outlets got a sneak peek on Tuesday.

With 28 days until opening — the casino will open for two “charity days” on Jan. 10 and 12 — construction workers are hurrying to put the finishing touches on the $340 million, 250,000-square-foot casino, which will be operated by Chicago-based Rush Street Gaming. Construction began in December 2021. General Manager Roy Corby hosted Tuesday’s media tour.

The entertainment venue, located along Victory Drive in Portsmouth, will feature 1,448 slot machines, 57 table games and 24 poker tables. It’s expected to bring $16.3 million in annual tax revenues to the city. When it opens, it will be the commonwealth’s first permanent casino, though a temporary casino has been open in Bristol since July. Two other proposed casinos are in the pipeline in Danville and Norfolk.

The Sound Bar will feature live entertainment Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, with room for 120 people. It has a rounded bar with 88 seats and tables with seating near the stage.

The poker room will have 24 tables — not yet delivered — as well as an area where players can cash in their winnings and a host check-in area. The poker room is apart from the main floor.

The main casino floor will have 1,448 slot machines, 1,100 of which have already been delivered. About 300 are in the right places already, but the rest are yet to be installed. Another 348 will be delivered before opening day, Corby says.

The 90,000-square-foot main casino floor will have 57 tables, 24 of them for poker games, and others for blackjack, craps (live and electronic), roulette and baccarat.

Corby said the casino has held five job fairs and will hold one more before opening day. More than 1,100 full-time employees have been hired so far, but the casino is still hiring. More than 5,000 people have filled out applications, he said. Though all hires so far have been full time, there has been demand for part-time work. Rivers Casino Portsmouth’s estimated annual payroll will be $62 million.

The sportsbook area will have a screen that is 12 feet high and 62 feet wide, for a 753-square-foot viewing wall that can show dozens of televised sports. Overlooking the sportsbook will be a Topgolf suite with three bays, each holding up to eight guests.

The high-limit game room will have 85 slot machines and 11 tables, along with two private salons and a private table area, for gamblers who are interested in a high roller experience.

Inside the casino, there are three restaurants — Starbucks, Slice Pizzeria, Mian (pictured above), a fast-casual Asian restaurant, which is in all of Bet Rivers’ casinos.

Two restaurants will be accessible from outside the main floor and anyone, even those younger than 21, will be able to eat there. Crossings Cafe (below) is a 24/7 restaurant and seats more than 140 guests.

Admiral’s Steak & Seafood will seat 250 people, with private dining options for small and large parties and seating indoors and outdoors.

Admiral’s will also feature two large bars, including the one below, just inside the doors to the steakhouse.

The 25,000-square-foot event center can be used as convention space for conferences and performances. Corby said that when set up with tables, it can hold 1,100 to 1,400 people, and when set up theater-style, it can hold 1,500 to 1,700 people. If arranged for standing-room only, the center can hold up to 2,000 people. The space has already been booked for Portsmouth’s State of the City address and Tidewater Community College’s upcoming inauguration ceremony for President Marcia Conston. (The photo above shows the pre-reception area at the entrance to the event space.)

Virginia Beach-based S.B. Ballard Construction Co. and Philadelphia-based Yates Construction are the general contractors. Raleigh, North Carolina-based Kimley-Horn is the engineering consultant; Las Vegas-based Klai Juba Wald Architecture + Interiors is the architect of record; New York-based Jeffrey Beers International is the primary interior designer and Illinois-based DMAC Architecture & Interiors is the designer of the interior venues.

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$300M casino expected to open early 2023

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — There was Something in the Water in Virginia Beach, but will there be “Something in the Air” in Portsmouth?

A large music festival could be coming to the Portsmouth Sportsplex, but organizers have some hoops to jump through before the city gives them the green light.

Portsmouth residents Lakeesha Atkinson and Germain Green are working to bring a big music festival to the city to fight its violent stereotype.

“It will bring business next year around this time if this festival does great like I know it will. I really think we can elevate the economy around here,” said Green.

They’re calling it the 420ish Unity Festival.

The organizers want to bring the same vibe Something in the Water brought to Virginia Beach. Green says they’re using some of the same staff members Pharrell did, including the same event coordinator.

The organizers are in the first stages of working to make it happen at the Portsmouth Sportsplex. The city manager has sent the festival organizers a conditional permit letter.

Organizers must address several factors, like parking, security, and preventing marijuana at the festival, before they get final approval. From there, the actual permit process would begin.

“Thank you for your willingness to promote the City of Portsmouth! We look forward to a successful event,” said City Manager Angel Jones in the letter.

Read the full letter below.

Green says the 420ish Unity Festival will be the largest hip hop and reggae festival Virginia has seen in the last three years.

It’s scheduled for April 23 and 24 and Green expects about 20,000 people to attend.

The main stage will be on the property’s football fields and a sound barrier will go around the venue.

Is it too early to plan an event this size considering the fight against COVID-19? Green doesn’t think so.

“Masks aren’t mandated, but we will be checking temperatures with radar guns,” explained Green.

The website selling the tickets went live on Saturday and highlights headliners like City Girls, Rick Ross, and Shaggy.

10 On Your Side asked Green if they would refund tickets already purchased if the event isn’t approved by the city. He said he’s confident the event will be a success and it won’t come to that.

Green says the event will cost $1.5 million.

Backyard Entertainment LLC is the umbrella company behind the event.

He says there are eight investors who are local entrepreneurs and business people with that company.

Through a business search and confirmation with Green, 10 On Your Side found out one of the investors is Theresa Lynn Lucas-Lamb, who is the daughter of state Sen. L. Louise Lucas.

Green says the other investors want to stay anonymous out of fear of the event not being a success.

“We have such a bad name; everyone wants to attach themselves to a winner,” Green stated.

The conditional permit letter requires a presentation to the Parks and Recreation Commission describing their event.

That presentation is scheduled at City Hall Wednesday evening.

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PORTSMOUTH, Va. - A one-year-old baby and his 16-year-old brother are recovering in the hospital with serious burn injuries after their home on Wall Street in Portsmouth broke out in flames Friday morning.

There were other children inside the home at the time. Firefighters say they were treated at local hospitals and released that afternoon.

Fire officials initially said four people were inside the home, but later said a total of five minors were in the home when the fire started and filled the house with smoke.

Neighbors told News 3 that four of the children were inside the house and the fifth sibling was playing outside around the block at the time.

Erica Barner ran out to the chaotic scene.

She said she saw heavy smoke and flames coming from the home as she was next door visiting her best friend.

A loud noise alerted them to the fire.

“It almost sounded like someone taking a brick or something and hitting it against something,” Barner said. “It was like a POP or a BANG.”

Barner and her friend called 911 and immediately ran out to help.

She says four kids were inside sleeping, including a one-year-old baby. They managed to escape from the back of the home where the flames were quickly spreading.

“We saw them coming out of the back end of the house, just burned,” Barner said. “The oldest was completely…you see skin coming off the oldest, screaming. You see the baby burned, not really making any noise. “It stopped breathing, so his eyes rolled back. That was a lot. I’m sorry.”

Without hesitation, Barner gave the baby boy mouth to mouth to get him breathing on his own again.

“I dug my fingers in his nose, took all the smut out, went in his mouth and cleaned the smut out with rags and breathed into his mouth,” Barner said. “I shook him, pinched him. I just wanted to hear something, so I kept pinching him. I kept hitting his back, wiggling his arms, and I saw his eyes open. He was whining; it was a small sound, but it was good enough for me.”

Portsmouth Fire Rescue and Emergency Services arrived on the scene a short time later around 11:30 a.m.

Firefighters said they saw black smoke at the scene coming from the back of the house. At that point firefighters "simultaneously began searching for victims while making a quick, aggressive interior attack on the fire," according to a spokesperson.

Barner told News 3 that the baby and his 16-year-old brother were both badly burned, but the other two children, two girls aged 10 and seven, were not hurt.

The 16-year-old was babysitting his siblings. The mom wasn’t home at the time.

“I’m just a stranger and I’m going through an emotional roller coaster right now,” said Barner. “I can only imagine how she feels.”

Inside the home, the walls were filled with soot.

The house was later condemned. A notice posted to the window said it was unsafe to live in.

Barner, a mother of three sons herself, said she’s not a hero.

“I consider myself a mom and I’m doing what I’m supposed to do,” she said. “I would only hope any human being would do the same thing without question.”

Several other neighbors came together to help this family. One neighbor who saw the flames called another neighbor who cut the power off to the house.

By Friday evening, fire officials had determined the cause of the fire. Fire marshals said the fire was accidental and due to an electrical short.

There was a smoke detector inside the home, but the smoke detector did not alert the occupants. Red Cross is providing support to the family.

Copyright 2022 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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The crew returned following a two-month deployment in the Caribbean Sea.

PORTSMOUTH, Va. — U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Forward has returned to Portsmouth Thursday morning following a two-month deployment in the Caribbean Sea.

For many servicemembers on USCG Cutter Forward, it’s not the first time they’ve deployed.

“This is my third patrol on board Forward,” said Fireman Harrison Fream.

But the feeling of coming home never gets old.

“Feels really good,” Fream said.

Smiles, signs, and food greeted them at the pier.

Victoria Anthony waited for her sister, Ensign Olivia Anthony, alongside her family. They were all ready to welcome her with open arms. Victoria said although her sister was deployed for two months, she hasn't seen her in a year due to school.

“She’s my best friend," Anthony said. "So, it’s really nice to have her back and be able to tell her all the stories I’ve been saving for her.”

WELCOME HOME: After a two-month deployment in the Caribbean Sea, @USCG Cutter Forward has returned to its homeport in Portsmouth!The crew made it back just in time to spend the holidays with their families.@13NewsNow pic.twitter.com/64izqVk8SL

— Kaicey Baylor (@kaiceybaylor) December 22, 2022

The crew's arrival couldn’t come at a better time with Christmas just days away.

“I was nervous that I wouldn’t be able to see them over Christmas but I’m so excited to spend the whole holidays and New Year’s just to be able to catch up with them and play games," Ensign Anthony said.

While deployed, Commander Staci Rutsch said crews focused on countering illicit trafficking and supported southwest border operations. The crew offloaded approximately 13,375 pounds of cocaine worth an estimated $176 million in Port Everglades, Florida, last week.

“We were patrolling all the way off of the coast of the Dominican Republic in Puerto Rico and then we went as far south as Curacao and just north of Colombia,” Commander Rutsch said.

Rutsch said their work isn’t possible without the family support waiting for them at home.

“For them to be on the pier and welcome them home, it’s just a great welcome relief and I know it means a lot to the crew,” she said.

The Forward isn't the only Coast Guard cutter returning home for the holidays. Officials said USCG Cutter Escanaba returned to port on Thursday afternoon following a 42-day patrol on the Caribbean Sea.

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — A local businesswoman is looking for help in her next chapter. Her used bookstore is being forced to move out of its space.

Jeannie’s Used Books has been in a small strip mall on High Street near Frederick Boulevard in Portsmouth for 22 years.

“To me, books are my friends,” said Jeannie. “I’ve always escaped into books because that’s where I feel most comfortable.”

Over the years, her collection has grown to over 250,000 books.

In April, she received a notice to move by the end of May. She requested for a little more time and now she must move by September.

“I’ve raised 8 grandchildren in here, and I think they are more upset than I am because they grew up here.”

Kline Realty tells 10 On Your Side the owners believe there is an issue when it comes to splitting the water costs with the neighboring unit. The owners are sympathetic, yet feel both tenants should move.

Hunt said in two decades, that was never an issue.

“I’ve been here 22 years and I’ve never had an issue with sharing the water meter before. We’ve always spilt it 3 ways,” she said. “I feel like somebody has control of my life and they are making me do something that’s not fair. I don’t think it’s fair but it is their building, it’s private and they have the right to do what they want.”

Scott Orlins, a loyal customer, says he wants Jeannie to stay.

“People don’t realize what a historic place this is. It’s just incredible what she’s offering and the services that she provides,” said Orlins. “It would be a loss to Portsmouth and a loss to the whole area. It’s a shame when you take a small business owner and then you force them to close down and there’s very little that she can do about it.”

Hunt said she is having a hard time finding another store.

“Now I’m looking for a new place to go and with the rent being so high and I need quite a big space. There are not many places out there!”

She predicts it may need about two months to pack and move.

“It’s going to take a village to move this. I think I have a village behind me. I do I have some great people that come in here.”

She may have to close temporarily until she finds a new space.

“I’m not ready to retire, I need somewhere to go every day!” She adds, “I’m not going to let that happen, there’s too many people who want to keep me open.”

Some of her customers are dropping off boxes and volunteering to help her move.

If you would like to donate, CLICK HERE.

If you would like to help locate a space or volunteer to assist with the move, call 757-398-3331.

Check WAVY.com for the latest updates.