Denise's Blog

Some people are upset with the City Assessor Maria Kattmann.  She has a new approach for assessing waterfront properties this year.  Some of the assessments went up 200 percent.  I bet the phone was ringing off the hook at her office.   The approach seems to make sense but you would think maybe a...

Any thoughts on decorating a new home.  My builder in Chesapeake has hired a dreadful decorator and we had to redo a lot of the work because of it.  Usually the decorators do a good job but this one was horrible.  We didn't even end with with a kids bedroom.  Just what we call "grannies" room.  W...

Recently a Rosemont Middle School teacher was selected by internet users as a grand prize winner in a national essay contest.  The teacher is Lillie Lindsay.  The contest is the first Dove Self-Esteem Contest for the most inspiring story of a woman building the self-esteem of herself or others.  ...

I put my listings on Cragslist and I am sure you do to but if you use Craigslist for anything other than real estate be careful of the police in Suffolk, Va.  The police there used Cragslist as a directory and and set up a phony bachelor pad.  You know where this is going don't you.  Well the pol...

Where do sailors from Little Creek Amphibious Base in Norfolk/Virginia Beach want to live?  Why in Aragona of course?  Where is Aragona?  It is right about there on the map?  Only minutes from the front gate and close to the Bay, Pembroke Mall and the interstates.  What is Aragona?  It is the ori...

Recent rains have improved draught conditions in the area.  The topsoil moisture and stream flows have benefited as as as the longer term hydro-logic impacts.  That is not say the worst is behind us as the area is still 3.28 inches behind normal so far this year.  http://www.denisesellschesapeake...

The city of Portsmouth is trying to get the employees of Portsmouth Naval Hospital to spend their stimulus check from Uncle Sam in the city.  The city wants them to buy local.  The city has a campaign going to encourage employees of the city, all business employees and residents to spend their mo...

What does Geocaching and third graders at Princess Anne Elementary school in Virginia Beach have in common?  Well for starters, their teacher, Sarah D'Amato.  She put together an interesting project by purchasing some GPS units with her own money and the help of the PTA.  She then organized a pir...

Now we finally know how much the Giant Square Shopping Center at the corner of Independence Blvd and Witchduck Rd is worth.  The 12 acre lot in Virginia Beach was recently sold to Lowes for $13.5 million dollars.  Merchants still in the center have until Aug. 31, 2008 to find a new place.  This i...

Finally Chesapeake gets a new police chief.  His name is Kevin Webster and he is a 26 year veteran of the force right here in Chesapeake.  Yes he is home grown so to speak.  He is also the first black police chief and some say that couldn't have come to soon.  The local Fraternal Order of The Pol...