Erika Craven

1 week ago | wtkr.com | Erika Craven

PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Portsmouth will soon tear down and redevelop the empty and crumbling former city jail that sits on the waterfront as part of an effort to redevelop the area, Mayor Shannon Glover announced Friday during his annual State of the City address. Inmates were moved into the former regional jail last year after a fire at the old city jail.

1 week ago | wtkr.com | Erika Craven

PORTSMOUTH, Va. — The Children's Museum in Portsmouth might seem like an unusual place to take a maternal health/childbirth class, but it's where Sentara Health is offering classes once a month. It's part of a recent push to make maternal healthcare more accessible in Portsmouth and the rest of Hampton Roads. Moxie Watts is an expectant mother, eager for her first baby's arrival. "I've done everything.

2 weeks ago | wtkr.com | Erika Craven

PORTSMOUTH, Va. — There's a difference between the perception of safety and the numbers. That's what Portsmouth Police Chief Stephen Jenkins said at his quarterly forum last week. Folks in downtown Portsmouth told News 3 Wednesday that they love the city and feel safe but believe there's a negative perception. "Do you think Portsmouth gets a bad reputation in terms of public safety and crime?" News 3 reporter Erika Craven asked residents. "Yes, yes," Portsmouth resident Jamilah Washington replied.

2 weeks ago | wtkr.com | Erika Craven

PORTSMOUTH, Va. — The opioid epidemic is widely considered a crisis across the country, including in Hampton Roads. Overdoses—especially from the illicit and potent synthetic opioid fentanyl—are a leading cause of death, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. That's why on April 29, National Fentanyl Awareness Day, heartbroken families shared their stories to hopefully save a life. Portsmouth mother Elizabeth Ripley misses her son Michael dearly.

2 weeks ago | wtkr.com | Erika Craven

PORTSMOUTH, Va. — A house in Portsmouth's Prentis Park neighborhood burned down one year ago. Now, neighbors want to know when all the debris will be removed. Neighbor Brenda Porter-Rockwell looks at the pile of rubble every day. "I'm frustrated, yes, because of the progress—or lack of progress—because it doesn't take six months for a house to get torn down," Porter-Rockwell said. "And I'm embarrassed because this is a good neighborhood and kids come out and play.