🌱 Patch AM: How fast is Norfolk’s new temporary casino raking in cash?

Hey there, Norfolk! Let's get started with what's happening in and around town. Read on and stay in the loop. ☕️️

In today's newsletter:

• How fast is Norfolk’s new temporary casino raking in cash?
• How a Norfolk man finally cleared his name after 20 years
• Did Virginia’s own leaders secretly order Norfolk burned in 1776?

Also on today's calendar: Dueling Pianos with SHAKE RATTLE & ROLL PIANOS and 9 more events.

📸 Have a great pic of holiday decorations from around Norfolk? Post it to Norfolk photos of the day! ☃️ 🟢-🟠-🟣-🔴-🟡-🔵 ☃️

Today's riddle: The doctor told me to drink carrot juice after a hot bath. - Did it help? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

• Wednesday: Increasing clouds, with a high of 56 and low of 34 degrees.
• Thursday: Some sun, then turning cloudy, temps: high: 63, low: 57.
• Friday: Breezy; a shower in the a.m., with a high of 66 and low of 29 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. Norfolk's temporary casino rakes in $1.4M in first 23 days (wavy.com) — Norfolk’s new temporary casino near Harbor Park has already generated about $1.4 million in profit in just 23 days, signaling strong local demand for gaming. Residents can visit the Interim Gaming Hall daily while the $750 million Boyd Gaming resort casino, partnered with the Pamunkey Tribe, moves toward an expected 2027 opening that could further reshape Norfolk’s economy.
   

2. Norfolk man who spent 20 years in prison has record expunged after decades-long fight to prove innocence (wtkr.com) — A Norfolk judge has expunged the criminal record of longtime resident Messiah Johnson, who spent 20 years in prison for a 1997 robbery he always said he didn’t commit. After a conditional pardon and a key Court of Appeals ruling, Johnson now has a clean record, potential access to state compensation, and is focused on growing his Norfolk-based trucking business.
   

3. Norfolk was burned, the only American city destroyed during the revolution; 250 years later, controversy remains over who ordered its destruction (cardinalnews.org) — Norfolk’s destruction in early 1776 is revisited through new research into who actually ordered Patriot troops to burn the city, long blamed on the British governor Lord Dunmore. Historians debate whether Edmund Pendleton quietly authorized the devastation or soldiers acted on their own, and whether wiping out Virginia’s main port was truly a military necessity. The story also traces Norfolk’s rebuilding into today’s major harbor and Navy hub.
   

4. Gun violence declines in Virginia, yet impacts on schools and communities remain (13newsnow.com) — Norfolk is highlighted among Virginia cities with some of the state’s highest gun-related homicide rates, even as overall gun crimes decline. A new JLARC report details how community gun violence harms local schools, property values, and businesses, while noting Norfolk receives “Safer Communities” funding aimed at prevention.
   

5. Five men sentenced to 210 years total for Virginia Beach gang-related killing (wtkr.com) — Several men formerly from Norfolk have received lengthy prison sentences for a 2021 gang-related shooting in Virginia Beach that killed an 18-year-old bystander. Prosecutors say the group, tied to the “Spazz” gang, fired nearly 50 rounds into a car while breaking into vehicles, and investigators linked them to the killing through phone records, DNA, and doorbell video.
   

📸 Around Norfolk

Show off your photography skills and the sights around town! Click here to submit your Photo of the Day to Patch AM!

🗓 Upcoming Events in Norfolk

Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!

★ Featured events ★

Thursday December 18

• Disney On Ice - Mickeys Search Party
  Norfolk Scope Arena, 201 E Brambleton Ave, Norfolk
  7:00 pm

Want to see your event featured? Click here!

Other local events

Thursday December 18

• Board of Zoning Appeals
  Norfolk, VA Calendar , 810 Union Street City Hall - 11th Floor Conference Room , Norfolk
  10:00 am
• City Planning Commission - Informal Meeting
  Norfolk, VA Calendar , 810 Union Street 10th Floor Conference Room , Norfolk
  12:00 pm
• QPR- QUESTION, PERSUADE, REFER Training
  Norfolk, VA Calendar , 1425 Norchester Ave. , Norfolk
  12:00 pm
• City Planning Commission - Public Hearing
  Norfolk, VA Calendar , 810 Union Street City Hall - 11th Floor Conference Room , Norfolk
  2:30 pm
• Not Ready For Workshop Writers Club
  The Muse Writers Center , 2200 Colonial Avenue, #3 , Norfolk
  5:00 pm
• Special Topics: Screening Tenants 101
  Norfolk, VA Calendar
  6:00 pm
• Dueling Pianos with SHAKE RATTLE & ROLL PIANOS
  Dave & Buster's Virginia Beach , 701 Lynnhaven Pkwy , Virginia Beach
  6:00 pm

Friday December 19

• Elves Around the City: Pop-Up Litter Cleanup with Keep Norfolk Beautiful
  Norfolk, VA Calendar , 810 Union Street , Norfolk
  9:00 am
• Themed Trivia Edition-Jersey Shore
  Dave & Buster's Virginia Beach , 701 Lynnhaven Pkwy , Virginia Beach
  7:00 pm

Saturday December 20

• The Official Christmas Bar Crawl - Virginia Beach
  The Bunker Brewpub , 211 21st St , Virginia Beach
  4:00 pm

Sunday December 21

• Make & Take Ornament Day
  Dave & Buster's Virginia Beach , 701 Lynnhaven Pkwy , Virginia Beach
  1:00 pm

📣 Norfolk Shout Outs!

Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!

Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.

Thank you 👏👏👏 to the local businesses for making Norfolk PatchAM possible:

• ABC Supportive — (757) 664-9058
  Meet the Director: Charlene Wimbish, CEO of ABC Supportive –

Click here to show your appreciation! 💚

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

• Please share & repost to help reunite this stray dog!
  FOUND on December 15, 2025 in Norfolk, VA 23518 near Saban Ave Sharing for a neighbor. For the latest information or to contact the finder, view… (Nextdoor Roosevelt Gardens Area)
• I want to wish Happy Holidays to all.
  May you have a safe, healthy and sane New Year. Seasonal jokes from Southern Living: What did Adam say on the day before Christmas? It's Christmas,… (Nextdoor West Ghent Norfolk)

• Today we welcomed Recruit Class 121 - 27 new recruits ready to begin their journey. Chief Talbot challenged them to "stick together as a group and... (X: NorfolkPD)
• All Norfolk government offices, including libraries, The Slover, recreation centers, Norfolk Animal Care Center, Commissioner of the Revenue and City... (X: NorfolkVA)

• PSG Global Solutions posted a job opening for Logistics Invoice Processor in Norfolk. Apply here.
• Eastern Virginia Medical School posted a job opening for Medical Office Specialist in Norfolk. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Norfolk here.

Ok Norfolk! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: I don’t know. I can never finish drinking the hot bath!
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

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