Katherine Hafner
The Virginian-Pilot
Norfolk, VA, United States
Contact Katherine
Discover and connect with journalists and influencers around the world, save time on email research, monitor the news, and more.
| Recent: |
|
| Past: |
|
Past articles by Katherine:
A plastic bag fee in Virginia Beach? Environmentalists plan to push the city for ordinance
Virginians are estimated to go through about 3 billion single-use plastic bags each year, most used for minutes at a time. A new effort in Virginia Beach aims to make the bags less appealing by levying a 5-cent fee. → Read More
Norfolk shipped 21,000 enslaved people to New Orleans before the Civil War. Now an effort is underway to document the forgotten history.
Congress banned the trans-Atlantic slave trade in 1808. But the domestic slave trade — trading humans within the nation’s borders, dubbed “the Second Middle Passage” — continued through the Civil War and is much less discussed in American history. The Norfolk region sent more than 21,000 enslaved people to New Orleans — more than any other port, according to the new research of a Slover… → Read More
Black history bus tour in Hampton highlights 1619 memorial and more
The “400 Years Forward Bus Tour” starts Friday, Feb. 11. Stops will include the Fort Monroe Visitor & Education Center, a guided tour of the Hampton History Museum and a libation ceremony at the 1619 memorial site on the fort. Another tour is scheduled for the end of the month. → Read More
Norfolk pledges to reduce energy usage in city buildings by 20%. And measuring how much they consume wasn’t easy.
“Climate change is real and the city of Norfolk is acknowledging that and doing our best to figure out how to both mitigate the causes of climate change and also mitigate its impacts on us,” said environmental sustainability manager Esi Langston. “Energy reduction is a huge way to do that.” → Read More
Oyster projects expanding in Lynnhaven River, including first concrete reef and cages for homeowners
Oysters look for a chemical signature in calcium carbonate to find their home. That comes from shells but also concrete, a relatively cheap and plentiful substitute. The new reef will be made of 5,000 tons of crushed concrete. → Read More
Dozens of bills would change environmental rules in Virginia. Here’s what lawmakers have proposed so far.
Proposed environmental bills for the 2022 General Assembly session include repealing carbon dioxide regulations, creating a state flood policy board, discouraging invasive plant species, restricting solar farms and more. → Read More
Waze users in Norfolk can receive real-time alerts about flooded roads
On Monday the city launched the integration of flood forecasting technology — funded by Norfolk nonprofit RISE — with the navigation app Waze. It will offer real-time alerts to drivers about flooded roads on their path of travel. → Read More
New Year babies of Hampton Roads: Meet the first new residents born in 2022
“I wasn’t expecting that to happen but it feels special for your first child to be the first born in the new year,” said 23-year-old Hannah Downey, who gave birth at 12:25 a.m. at Sentara Obici Hospital in Suffolk. “It’s pretty exciting.” → Read More
‘Dead fish library’ at VIMS stores half a million specimens — including rare great white shark
“These fish, if taken care of, will be here for hundreds of years,” said Eric Hilton, curator of fishes at the Nunnally Ichthyology Collection. “We do euthanize the fish. But we give them immortality.” → Read More
Century-old Norfolk beer bottle discovered by construction crew on luxury apartments site
The fully intact bottle, found at the site of The Lofts in Fort Norfolk, came from a Norfolk branch of the Washington-based Christian Heurich Brewing company that once stood nearby. → Read More
Chesapeake is ending curbside recycling this summer. What’s next is unclear.
Tuesday’s resolution terminates the recycling contract but also includes half a dozen other actions including redirecting one penny of the real estate tax, eliminating long-term vacancies and possibly raising existing permit fees or taxes. → Read More
Recycling in Hampton Roads: Chesapeake considers ditching curbside, while changes happening with glass
The city of Chesapeake is considering ditching curbside recycling service, while a new program on the Peninsula collects glass separately from the traditional blue bin. → Read More
Ahoy! Abandoned ‘pirate boat’ off First Landing State Park finally removed after influx of donations
Mike Provost, a retired Navy officer, had gained attention in a recent Virginian-Pilot article about his effort to remove the boat, which spurred an influx of donations that funded the $11,000 removal. → Read More
Litter skyrocketed during the pandemic, so Norfolk’s turning to data science to tackle the problem
Data science company Litterati plans to hire four teams of researchers to systematically survey litter at 300 locations across Norfolk's seven wards. → Read More
New project along Hague in Norfolk with wetlands and walking path is a decade in the making
The Hague is a U-shaped section of Smith’s Creek that feeds into the Elizabeth River, which in turn feeds the Chesapeake Bay. Norfolk's new project is meant to intercept stormwater that runs off into the waterway. → Read More
A guide to the language we use about the environment in Hampton Roads
Learn what local environmental leaders mean when they use terms such as carbon sequestration, best management practices and impervious land cover. → Read More
Crab from a lab? Right along Hampton’s waterfront, researchers are working on the future of lab-grown meat
The Virginia Tech team, working out of an agricultural extension center in Hampton is figuring out the best way to program cells to mimic the look, feel and flavor of the meat we eat. → Read More
Republican Glenn Davis keeps 84th district seat in Virginia Beach
Davis, 47, a former City Council member, has had the seat in the House of Delegates since 2014. It’s been held by Republicans since the early 1990s, including by former Gov. Bob McDonnell. → Read More
Chesapeake Bay water quality declined in recent years, group says, while pollution reduction deadline nears
The recent decline is linked to unusually wet weather in 2018 and 2019, the Chesapeake Bay Program said. More rain can wash pollution into the bay, spurring algae growth and low-oxygen “dead zones” that can suffocate life. → Read More
Norfolk to require trees on all developments, part of effort to expand canopy — and absorb water
Norfolk planning director George Homewood said the goals are to keep as many trees as possible, replace ones that can’t be saved and look for areas of the city where planting them can have the most impact, including formerly redlined areas. → Read More