🌱 Salvation Army Only Halfway To Goal + Norfolk Officer Sued

Hello, people of Norfolk! It's me again, Sean Peek, your host of the Norfolk Daily.

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First, today's weather:

Considerable cloudiness. High: 47 Low: 43.

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Here are the top 3 stories today in Norfolk:

1. The Salvation Army Hampton Roads Area Command set a goal of $500,000 dollars for its Red Kettle Campaign. But with mere days left to go, the organization has raised about half of that. Area Commander of the Salvation Army of Hampton Roads, Maj. Donald Dohmann, acknowledged the pandemic may have played a role in the lack of donations – but said mainly, it's a lack of volunteers to ring the bells. (13newsnow.com WVEC)
2. The family of a man who said he was tackled by a Norfolk Police officer in 2018 is now suing. Body camera footage shows Officer Aaron Nkrumah Christie running up and grabbing Derrick Rountree because he was riding a bike at night with no headlight. The lawsuit says Rountree was tackled and broke his leg in several places; separately from this, Rountree was shot and killed in the city over the summer. (wtkr.com)
3. U.S. Senator Tim Kaine re-introduced his Expanding Medical Education Act, legislation to tackle the lack of representation of rural students, underserved students, and students of color in the physician pipeline. The bill would provide grants to colleges and universities to establish or expand medical schools in underserved areas or at minority-serving institutions (MSIs), including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Virginia is home to 5 HBCUs, including Norfolk State University. (Brunswicktimes Gazette)

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Today's Norfolk Daily is brought to you in part by our friends at Ring, the home security company. Ring does a lot more than doorbells: check out their full suite of smart home products at Ring.com. And thank you Ring for helping to make local news happen in Norfolk!

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Today in Norfolk:

• Author Advice Club - The Muse Writers Center (5:00 PM)
• PFLAG General Meeting - LGBT Life Center (6:30 PM)

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My Notebook:

• Norfolk Fire-Rescue is now hiring; applications are open through Jan. 7. (Facebook)
• Norfolk Botanical Garden's Dominion Energy Million Bulb Walk took home a win in a USA Today contest for Best Botanical Garden Holiday Lights. (Facebook)
• Celebrate New Year's Eve at Waterside District with food action stations, a champagne toast, performers, and a midnight balloon drop. (Facebook)

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You're all caught up for today. I'll see you soon!

— Sean Peek

About me: Sean Peek is a writer and entrepreneur with a degree in English Literature from Weber State University. Over the years, he has worked as a copywriter, editor, SEO specialist, and marketing director for various digital media companies. He currently co-owns and operates content creation agency Lightning Media Partners.