WMRA Daily

With rain in the forecast, much of the WMRA region is still experiencing drought… Former Nexus executives get more grand jury indictments… As the campaigns for and against Virginia's redistricting amendment move into high gear, Jeff Schapiro has a review of that and more in the week in politics….

Gas prices continue to climb in Virginia as Trump's war in Iran stretches on… Governor Spanberger orders Virginia's return to a multi-state voter partnership called ERIC… In the face of increasing federal restrictions on care for people in LGBTQ communities, we meet one Charlottesville-area physician who continues to specialize in their care….

A conservation group warns about the effects of data centers on natural resources… Hundreds of residents get free medical care at the latest RAM pop-up clinic in Fishersville… At Shenandoah University, the Virginia Forum celebrates 20 years of gathering historians….

The ROTC instructor killed by a gunman on ODU's campus is laid to rest… State officials roll out the new Vape Enforcement Act… Augusta County officials hold a cornerstone ceremony at the new courthouse….

The so-called Shopping Cart Killer will undergo more psychological testing before he is sentenced… Governor Spanberger blames President Trump for higher gas prices and says voting for redistricting will help rein him in… A book written by a Harrisonburg educator more than a century ago is brought to life on stage at the Virginia Festival of the Book….

Developers of a proposed new transmission line project east of Charlottesville hold a virtual information meeting… Virginia updates its Wildlife Action Plan… Governor Spanberger now has more than 1200 bills to consider from the General Assembly, and Jeff Schapiro has a review….

A new roundabout in Crozet aims for safer traffic, but not all residents are convinced… Power companies want to build a new transmission line in central Virginia, and neighbors are voicing concerns at public information meetings… One controversial bill before the governor would limit local restrictions on large solar farms….

The governor considers bills that would legalize pot sales, and slot-machine style games… Students at UVa gather for an interfaith breaking of fast… A shared-use commercial kitchen in Charlottesville provides space for culinary entrepreneurs….

VDOT sets dates for public meetings on a proposed walking and biking trail in the Shenandoah Valley… The General Assembly appoints former Valley Republican Delegate Todd Gilbert as district judge… Governor Spanberger considers legislation passed this session, including one bill that would expand collective bargaining for some government employees, but not all….

One day after a deadly shooting at ODU, several local colleges deal with campus threats… The General Assembly gavels out of session, and lawmakers plan to meet in April to finalize the budget… Virginia politicians react to the potential that President Trump is sending more U.S. troops into the Middle East….

The FBI is investigating a shooting at Old Dominion University that killed one victim as an act of terrorism… The public is invited to view presentations by the top contenders competing to recast the bronze from Charlottesville's removed Robert E. Lee statue… Harrisonburg's planning commission approves a controversial multi-story apartment complex planned for downtown….

Some residents and educators in Waynesboro voice opposition to a proposal that could change how the city funds its public schools… A new state report raises concerns about how localities are using license plate readers, and we explore the conflicts in our communities over the controversial camera systems… The General Assembly considers bills that could bring down the cost of some prescription drugs, and would prevent people from blocking access to abortion clinics….

A man is in custody after a wild high speed chase on the Blue Ridge Parkway… In the General Assembly, one bill would push schools to take a restorative justice approach to discipline… Another bill would undo a Jim Crow era law that limits the pay of farm workers….

Charlottesville's school board approves a new collective bargaining agreement… A PAC that opposes Virginia's redistricting referendum is criticized for using imagery and language from the civil rights movement… A state senate committee votes down a proposal to create an independent gaming commission….

A woman whose arrest near Harrisonburg by immigration agents went viral on social media will have her charge dropped… VDH investigates a measles case reported in Lynchburg… We talk with one of our March Books & Brews guests about why skills working in a restaurant apply to other careers….

Early voting begins today on a referendum to redraw Virginia's congressional districts… Federal grant money is helping to fix an ongoing sewage problem in Albemarle County… Jeff Schapiro surveys the week in Virginia politics….

Valley delegates host a town hall to raise concerns about the upcoming special election over redistricting, which Virginia's Supreme Court has ruled can go ahead… A Staunton man who fled political persecution in Cuba has been detained by ICE for more than seven months… We explore the challenges that honey bees, and native bees, face….

The Spanberger administration restores the original plans to study a rail-to-trail project in the Shenandoah Valley… UVa researchers say Virginia's economy could take a turn for the worse this year… Justice Cleo Powell becomes the first Black woman to hold the role of chief justice of Virginia's Supreme Court….

Military families in Virginia are preparing for long deployments due to President Trump's war on Iran… Early voting on the referendum to allow redistricting in Virginia begins Friday… Harrisonburg's music scene is shaken by liquor license and fire code violations….

The JMU community mourns a student lost in a fire… Governor Spanberger's rhetoric against ICE activity in Virginia is providing hope to legislators working to limit the federal agency… The General Assembly debates rules for so-called “forever chemicals” used in widely available consumer products….

A criminal investigation into the conduct of a Shenandoah County school board member continues… Supervisors in Augusta and Rockingham Counties voice opposition to Democrats' redistricting plan… Jeff Schapiro reviews Governor Spanberger's time in the national spotlight, and more in the week in politics….

After four years of wrangling in court, a trial in the Nexus financial exploitation case is delayed yet again… With help from Harrisonburg's mayor, researchers are discovering a rich trove of historical documents detailing Black entrepreneurial life in the city… In the General Assembly, bills advance to prevent gun violence, offset health care cost spikes, and give legislators a pay raise….

Governor Spanberger delivers the Democrats' response to President Trump's State of the Union speech… Ahead of the address, Senator Tim Kaine, joined by a Harrisonburg dentist, warned of harm done by changes to Medicaid… Virginia's attorney general joins 23 other states in a lawsuit against the EPA over grant funding for solar power….

Workers at UVa gather to press for collective bargaining legislation… Meanwhile, UVa names a new rector and vice rector… A new poll casts doubt on whether the plan by Virginia Democrats for mid-decade redistricting has enough public support to pass….

Augusta County's sheriff's office investigates the shooting death of a high school student… Despite the federal government's increasingly anti-vaccine stance, the Virginia Department of Health encourages families to get their children vaccinated… The Democrats' effort to establish Virginia's first legal cannabis market also has some Republican support….

For the first time in its 80-year history, the N-A-A-C-P's Staunton Branch is offering a scholarship for local high school seniors and undergraduates ... Virginia's legislature is on its way to legalizing a retail weed market across the state.

Virginia continues to make headlines as Democrats in leadership look to gain an edge in Washington ... Members of the Virginia General Assembly are halfway through their legislative session ... The successful return of oysters to the Chesapeake Bay is something to celebrate.

Yesterday was crossover day for the General Assembly, we'll look at what bills survived, Governor Spanberger considers legislation that would create a system of paid family and medical leave, Dominion Energy announces plans to build a new transmission line that would transmit from the Ohio River valley to Culpeper, and lawmakers consider bills that could help address the high demand for homes in Virginia

Legislation is moving through the General Assembly to limit ICE operations in Virginia... Meanwhile state senators debate online gambling... The minimum wage in Virginia is set to increase… and a federal judge has ruled in favor of Flock Safety cameras…

Students from Harrisonburg City Public Schools staged a walkout in protest of immigration enforcement... A proposed ICE detention facility will not be advancing in Augusta County... The Supreme Court of Virginia has given the green light on voting for redistricting in the Commonwealth... calls for HIV prevention funding are growing in Richmond… and legislation to protect Virginians against debt collectors and wildlife against oncoming traffic are among the bills working their way through the General Assembly this past week…

Harrisonburg's permanent, low-barrier adult shelter has announced a new partnership to provide mental health services on-site ... Virginia's winters are usually mild, so local bears don't fully hibernate. But females do settle into dens before and after the birth of cubs ... and more.

A special WMRA investigation looks into recent turmoil at Mary Baldwin University, amid shifting leadership and academic and faculty cuts… A bill in the General Assembly to overhaul control of the Virginia Military Institute undergoes significant changes… Democrats advance legislation that would eliminate tax exempt status for Confederate groups….

Hundreds of JMU students protest ICE… School support staff in Charlottesville could soon get a pay raise… Wintergreen Resort welcomes wounded warriors for a weekend of snow sports and camaraderie….

A new director takes the helm of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County's joint emergency communications center… In the General Assembly, bills advance that would ban assault-style weapons, outlaw the herbicide paraquat, and change Virginia's participation in the Electoral College… We tour two businesses in the Valley that take very different approaches to processing reusables….

A court rules that a newly elected member of Shenandoah County's school board can keep his seat… Governor Spanberger signs her first bills, sending four constitutional amendments to voters… We talk with our February Books & Brews guest about his new novel, which explores a world newly shaped by chatbots, autonomous cars, and other nonhuman forces….

A grand jury issues new animal cruelty and other charges against the former owners and workers at Natural Bridge Zoo… Charlottesville issues a symbolic statement against ICE… State Democrats release their proposed new congressional map, which could give them a 10-1 advantage in the state's delegation….

UVa cancer researchers discover a potential new treatment for the deadliest form of brain cancer… Governor Spanberger ends agreements between state law enforcement agencies and ICE… A new partnership between the Wildlife Center of Virginia and Bridgewater College gives turtles a place to stay for the winter, and students an opportunity to learn rehabilitation….

State Democrats want to expand a pilot program to bring restorative justice to more of Virginia's schools… Other bills would raise the minimum wage, restrict so-called “assault firearms,” and cut property tax exemptions for Confederate organizations… We talk with the head of a local theater company that has taken over operation of Harrisonburg's Court Square Theater….

Undocumented students in Virginia may not lose access to in-state college tuition after all, now that the new Democratic attorney general has taken office… Meanwhile, Democrats in the General Assembly want to give renters more time to pay rent that's overdue… We talk with a Harrisonburg housing official about the rescue of Court Square Theater from closure…

International student enrollment in grad programs in Virginia is significantly down, one result of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown… The Hanover property that ICE was eyeing is now off the market… The General Assembly advances bills to remove Confederate monuments from the Capitol, to fund April's referendum on redistricting, and to allow driverless taxies in Virginia….

Local shelters provide a place for residents to warm up as record-low temperatures persist… Harrisonburg's animal shelter announces a new in-house veterinary center… Governor Spanberger blocks a move by her predecessor to convert a closed prison in Augusta County into an ICE facility….

The accumulation of ice and snow has destroyed farm structures in Rockingham County, and officials have declared a local state of emergency... A new nonprofit provides support for refugee women who have settled in Charlottesville… In the General Assembly, bills advance that would crack down on gun violence, limit national guard actions in Virginia, and address a “benefits cliff” for child care subsidies….

Charges are dismissed against three protesters arrested last year in Shenandoah County… Legislation aimed at reshaping VMI's governance advances in the House of Delegates… A Tazewell County judge strikes down Democratic efforts to draw new congressional districts this year….

Virginia health officials urge awareness of the health effects of this week's bitterly cold weather… Fewer Virginians are signing up for health insurance under the state's marketplace… We update General Assembly activity, including bills on immigration, assault weapons, and collective bargaining….

Charlottesville protesters rally in solidarity with residents of Minneapolis against ICE… Forecasters warn of extreme cold Monday night, one day after snow and ice blankets the region… As child poverty rates increase in Virginia, proposals to provide free breakfast in public schools make their way through the General Assembly….

The governor declares a state of emergency in advance of a big winter storm… A nonprofit veterinary hospital in Harrisonburg stops providing spay and neuter services for the local animal shelter… At the end of the first full week of this year's General Assembly, Jeff Schapiro lends his perspective on Virginia politics….

Charlottesville remembers a prominent disability rights advocate who died this month… Two bills in the General Assembly take aim at VMI, and if passed could change the structure of governance at the state school… Environmentally friendly policies, including rejoining RGGI, are back in vogue in Richmond….

Forecasters say we will get our first big winter storm of the year this weekend… Some Democrats in the General Assembly want to crack down on ICE arrests in local courthouses… We explore why more women in Virginia are hunting, even as the number of men who hunt continues to decline….

Affordability is the theme in Governor Spanberger's first address to the General Assembly… State Senate Democrats want to prevent abortion rights opponents from blocking access to clinics… A new, younger generation of state lawmakers wants to loosen up the so-called “food to booze” ratio in restaurants….

Abigail Spanberger becomes Virginia's 75th, and first female, governor, and immediately exerts her influence over the boards of UVa and VMI… The new governor also repeals her predecessor's agreement to cooperate with ICE… We explore the personal journey of two Virginia lawmakers to repeal the state's ban on same-sex marriage….

Our area is still under moderate to severe drought… Advocates for a planned rail-to-trail project in the Shenandoah Valley express alarm at a sudden change in that plan to preserve the railroad… Virginia is experiencing a high number of hospitalizations for respiratory illnesses….