The national news this year was full of stories about the presidential election, gun violence and health care disputes.
But in the WHRO newsroom, stories focused on issues like climate change and the military were the most popular among our readers.
Here's a look at our top 10 most-read stories of 2024:
10. The Port of Virginia faced shutdown as workers considered a strike
Dockworkers on the East Coast prepared to walk off the job for the first time since 1977 after months of unfruitful negotiations with the United States Maritime Association. Workers represented by the International Longshoremen’s Association wanted raises and a band on automation at the docks to protect jobs.
Ultimately, ports did close for two days under a deal that extended the dockworkers’ contract until January as the two parties worked out a new contract that included a 62% raise over six years for workers.
The Pamunkey Tribe brought in Boyd Gaming to get its long-delayed casino project in Norfolk moving following years of delays.
Boyd operates 28 casinos in 10 states and manages a tribal casino in Northern California. The company generated $3.7 billion dollars in business in 2023, posting a profit of $620 million.
The Pamunkey announced its intent to open a casino in 2018, before the state allowed non-tribal entities to do so. Since the Tribe’s announcement, the state law changed and several casinos have opened, including Rivers Casino in Portsmouth.
8. Virginia Beach Mayor says Something in the Water changes “can’t be tolerated”
When Virginia Beach leaders found out a month beforehand Something in the Water 2024 wasn’t going to happen, they were publicly calm. But when festival planners missed a deadline to a contract, Virginia Beach Mayor Bobby Dyer didn’t hold back.
“I’m pretty angry about this. I’m very angry about this,” Dyer said. “If they do not have this signed, sealed and delivered by close of business on Friday, [next] Tuesday I will be making a recommendation that we pull the plug and go in a different direction.”
The contract made it in time and has met all of its deadlines since then.
7. Virginia’s continued work on hound hunting regulations
The state’s been studying and addressing the issues that come with using dogs for hunting since at least 2008.
Key issues surround conflict between hound owners and property owners who don’t want dogs on their property. The state tracks complaints and finds many are concentrated in the Middle Peninsula and areas west of Richmond.
To try to address those concerns, the state proposed two new rules related to collars for dogs and making “reasonable efforts” to keep animals off private property.
6. Chesapeake turns a historic school house into a museum for Black history
The Cornland School operated from Reconstruction until the 1950s. It was started by a group of formerly enslaved people and is one of the region’s earliest Reconstruction-era efforts at formalized education for African American students.
It took more than a decade to raise money and support to restore the building and turn it into a museum. This year, alumni and descendents of students got to see the hard work pay off.
5. Something in the Water locks in fall dates (and cancels them later)
2024 was supposed to be the year of a fall Something in the Water to avoid weather disruptions, like the rain and tornadoes that affected the 2023 festival.
The original 2024 festival dates would have coincided with the U.S. release of the Pharrell Williams LEGO biopic “Piece by Piece.”
Ultimately, the festival was cancelled via Williams’ Instagram on the same day tickets went on sale, with him saying the festival just “isn’t ready yet.”
4. Huntington Ingalls stock takes a hit
When Huntington Ingalls Industries leaders said it probably wouldn’t make as much money this year as it hoped, its stock dropped by more than 25%.
HII, the owner of Newport News Shipbuilding, said workforce challenges left over from the pandemic are one of the biggest reasons the company is still struggling.
“The combination of material delivery, delays and inexperience leads to labor inefficiency and in some cases, to rework, which affect program schedules,” CEO Chris Kastner said.
3. A Suffolk farm lands in developer’s hands via a rare land auction
Suffolk has experienced significant growth in recent years,. This story is a peek into why and how big pieces of former farmland start a journey to becoming (presumably) something else.
While the expanding city creates opportunities, such as converting an old hotel into Suffolk's first city-operated shelter, it also sparks debate. Residents have voiced concerns over the pace of development, particularly regarding warehouse projects, and raised questions about accommodating future voting locations.
2. The Great Dismal Swamp has release millions of tons of carbon since the colonial era
New research found the Great Dismal Swamp released as much carbon dioxide since the Jamestown era as 15% of the country’s cars for a year now.
The research is a window into how changing conditions even in protected natural areas can speed up climate change, researchers said.
1. How a Newport News auto shop owner helped craft state rainwater rules
Tyrone Jarvis first installed a rainwater harvesting system at his Go Green Auto Care on Warwick Boulevard about a decade ago. He got in trouble with the city for violating code.
But that brought him to the political world, where he worked with state legislators to change the law and got to work on new state rules for harvesting rainwater for use.
The new rules outline standards for making rainwater drinkable, including requiring permits for potable systems, but not when the water will be used for other uses like toilet flushing.
