Officials with the City of Newport News, Amtrak and the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority recognized the arrival of Train 67 shortly after 11 a.m.

The center will provide two daily roundtrips between Newport News and Richmond, Alexandria, Washington, D.C., and other cities in the Northeast. The center also serves as a transfer point for Amtrak Thruway Bus Service, which will allow passengers to travel to Norfolk and Virginia Beach.

The 10,050-square-foot transportation hub is located on Bland Boulevard between Warwick Boulevard and Interstate 64. It offers an 8,066-square-foot station and a 1,984-square-foot canopy designed to protect travelers from the elements.

Sitting about a mile from the Newport News/Williamsburg Airport, it replaces a small, outdated Amtrak station located 9 miles to the south on Warwick Boulevard.

Originally slated to open in May or June, the $53 million project was hit by contractor delays. Amtrak officials also had to test the construction — ensuring that all 2 miles of new trackwork functioned as intended.

The majority of the cost was covered by federal and state grants, with the city contributing $1.48 million.

Kendall Warner, (703) 927-7497, kendall.warner@virginiamedia.com

Known as the “Tricolour Arrows” in English, the Frecce Tricolori are touring North America for the first time in more than 30 years. In addition to the Frecce Tricolori, the show will feature the U.S. Air Force’s F-22 Raptor Demo Team, the U.S. Navy’s F-18 Super Hornet, and the U.S. Navy’s Landing Craft Air Cushion.

The air show is scheduled for Wednesday, August 21 at 10 a.m. and can best be viewed between 18th and 33rd streets.

The event is intended to help children feel more comfortable around medical devices and doctors when they go to appointments.

The band, called Old Dominion in honor of the members’ ties to Virginia, formed in 2007 and has reached great heights since. Its members have written songs for some of country music’s biggest stars including Keith Urban, Blake Shelton and Kenny Chesney, and just this month they were named Group of the Year by the Academy of Country Music for the sixth time.

The families and friends of sailors were invited onto the ship to enjoy the show. The concert and music video are part of their promotion of their new single, “Coming Home.”

Sailors danced with their friends and loved ones while the band played a handful of their most popular songs before shifting to filming the music video.

“It’s one of the few opportunities we have to bring the families of the crew members aboard and show their pride in your own ship,” said USS Gerald R. Ford commanding officer Rick Burgess. “And getting to see what your spouse or partner does on a day to day and have it in this venue is really meaningful to sailors.”

Leading up to the performance on the flight deck, Old Dominion met members of the crew for a tour of the aircraft carrier and shared a meal with sailors on board.

“On a ship that has the same crew size as some small cities of course there are going to be a small portion of folks who are really into the band and know the band,” Burgess said. “And then there’s a lot of sailors who are interested in the event part of it and learn about the band so in that sense it’s really neat because everyone kind of gets inspired.”

The Ford is the Navy’s newest and most advanced warship, and recently returned from a deployment to the Mediterranean Sea.

Gavin Stone, 757-712-4806, gavin.stone@virginiamedia.com

Navy MWR Entertainment hosted the band which played a handful of their most well-known songs before using the aircraft carrier as the backdrop to film a music video for their new song “Coming Home”.