Community Corner

🌱 Patch AM: How will Portsmouth’s new bargaining framework change city services?

Coming up: Higher Purpose Consulting LLC presents Health & Well-Being Conference & Expo on the Portsmouth Patch calendar

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Wednesday September 23rd Patch AM
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Hi Portsmouth! We have the latest buzz right here. Let's keep you in the loop and get this morning started right! ☕️️

In today's newsletter:

  • How will Portsmouth's new bargaining framework change city services?
  • How a new jail-to-housing program could steer help toward Portsmouth
  • Two Portsmouth men get long federal sentences in firearms trafficking case

Also on today's calendar: Higher Purpose Consulting LLC presents Health & Well-Being Conference & Expo and 9 more events.

Today's riddle: Is there anybody completely useless? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

  • Wednesday: Showers; windy, not as warm, with a high of 72 and low of 66 degrees.
  • Thursday: Windy with periods of rain, temps: high: 71, low: 61.
  • Friday: A couple of showers, with a high of 71 and low of 58 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

• Portsmouth City Council approves collective bargaining framework (13newsnow.com) — Portsmouth City Council has unanimously approved a framework that moves city employees, including firefighters and EMTs, closer to collective bargaining. Union leaders say the new structure will let frontline workers help shape decisions on staffing, pay, and safety, while council keeps final budget authority. Supporters argue this could fundamentally change how Portsmouth's services are delivered and planned.
   

• New Virginia Beach program tackles housing gap for people leaving jail with substance-use disorders (13newsnow.com) — A new Virginia Beach scholarship program is helping people leaving the city jail move directly into sober Oxford House recovery homes, and planners say they'll also look to programs in Portsmouth when beds aren't available. For Portsmouth residents with substance-use disorders cycling through local jails, this growing regional network of housing, IDs, benefits help, and job connections could offer more stable recovery paths close to home.
   

• Two Virginia Men Sentenced for Firearms Trafficking, Possession of Machine Guns and Related Offenses (justice.gov) — Two men from Portsmouth have been sentenced in New Jersey federal court for trafficking firearms and machine-gun conversion devices, receiving prison terms of more than 10 years each. Investigators say they sold weapons and conversion devices despite prior felony convictions, as part of a broader Justice Department initiative targeting violent crime and illegal gun activity that can affect communities like Portsmouth.
   

📸 Around Portsmouth

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • Happy First Day of Fall Portsmouth!!
    The fall equinox and the first day of autumn arrive on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, at 8:04 P.M. EDT in the Northern Hemisphere. The equinox occurs… (Nextdoor )
  • You are Not Alone -
    Greeting card Of course it has birds on it!!! @ (Nextdoor Cavalier Forest)
  • Cintas posted a job opening for Production Associate - Garment/Linen/Bulk Product Folder in Portsmouth. Apply here.
  • Burger King (Carrols) posted a job opening for Team Member in Portsmouth. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Portsmouth here.

🗞 Nearby News

Norfolk

  • Norfolk's Bon Appetit program offers free 8-week course to help local food businesses grow (wtkr.com)
  • Norfolk Public Schools requires clear bags for spectators at athletic events (13newsnow.com)
  • Norfolk Botanical Garden honors Black workers who built it 88 years ago, adds 4 new names (wtkr.com)

Ok Portsmouth! 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: No because they can always be used as a bad example! (Thank you Gary M. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!

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