WMRA Daily

Legal immigrants in Virginia are among those to be kicked off Medicaid, under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act… Albemarle County officials want to auction off the site of a deadly chemical plant explosion in 1985… Black bears face new threats as they hunt for food before the winter….

The third annual Descendants' Day symposium takes place in Albemarle County… Immigrant advocates protest Richmond International Airport, which has become a stop for federally chartered ICE flights… Virginia's new passenger rail plan will likely not include high-speed rail….

Augusta County removes its two Flock System cameras… Former 5th District Republican Representative Denver Riggleman endorses Democrat Tom Perriello for the seat… Can a new system for forcing payment of traffic citations in Virginia work without generating mounds of paperwork?

Hundreds of thousands of felons may now vote in Virginia, so what might that mean for the midterms?... Florida animal officials raise questions about the transfer of Asha the elephant from the Natural Bridge Zoo… Could a new state tax on data centers help fund health care access?

Virginia's roads are getting more dangerous, and state officials want to make them safer… An organization in Charlottesville helps turn student innovations into products that can improve health… Jeff Schapiro surveys the week in Virginia politics….

RAM's free clinic returns to Luray… Dominion and Appalachian Power receive failing grades from an environmental group on renewable energy… Virginia voters are being asked whether to change the state's constitution to restore voting rights to felons….

During the hottest days of summer, Farmville's immigration detention center lost A/C… Gun violence is markedly down in Charlottesville, but the problem persists… A festival that showcases films made by and featuring people who have survived incarceration comes to the Valley….

Visitors to Shenandoah National Park can now use automated entry stations… As part of our Virginia Elections Collaborative, WMRA investigates fundraising for candidates in the 5th and 6th Districts, and at the ballot question on reproductive rights… We also look at Republican claims of noncitizen voting in Virginia….

Farmers in Virginia face the highest diesel prices ever… Governor Spanberger signs a new executive order targeting data centers in Virginia… The state's attorney general says that the Department of Homeland Security may have violated several state laws….

Early voting in Virginia begins today, and in partnership with the public radio news network around the Commonwealth, WMRA introduces our fall election coverage… Jeff Schapiro surveys the fall election landscape, and this week in Virginia politics … The lieutenant governor brings her listening tour about energy costs to Charlottesville….

Broadway is the latest locality to get rid of Flock cameras… Virginia's environmental officials hold a final public meeting over pollution permitting for the Northrop Grumman plant in Waynesboro… Governor Spanberger declares a state of emergency over the hay shortage caused by Virginia's drought conditions….

The Harrisonburg Rotary Club cancels a forum for the 6th District congressional candidates… Waynesboro residents speak out at the final hearing before environmental officials decide on a pollution permit for Northrop Grumman… The University of Virginia is in the top ten nationwide when it comes to free speech on campus….

Dozens of residents protest against Northrop Grumman at Waynesboro's city council meeting… Support for bringing passenger trains to the Shenandoah Valley grows in Harrisonburg… One Charlottesville breast cancer survivor is building a better surgical recovery bra….

Shenandoah County's school board takes the next step to budget for court costs as it appeals a ruling against Confederate school names… Activities at Westwood Elementary in Waynesboro resume this week, and classes will restart on Thursday, two weeks after a gunman shot his way into the school… We pay a visit to a mobile food pantry in Scottsville….

Augusta County wants the FCC to block Verizon from discontinuing landline service… Waynesboro residents speak out against allowing Northrop Grumman's new plant to pollute… Early voting in Virginia starts next Friday, and Jeff Schapiro surveys the political landscape, and takes a look back at political reaction to 9/11….

Bridgewater is the latest locality to decide to get rid of its Flock cameras… Conservation groups want to stop the widening of a West Virginia highway near the Virginia border… Preservation Virginia lists historic places in our area that are endangered… We talk with the creators behind a new play at Court Square Theater that chronicles an improv comedy duo….

We check in on Charlottesville's newly opened homeless shelter… Buena Vista holds its 55th annual Labor Day political festival… A McGaheysville mom builds an online village to support other new moms….

UVa employees march for a living wage on Labor Day… A Waynesboro man is found dead in his car, submerged in a Nelson County lake… Democrats blast President Trump and celebrate Beth Macy's candidacy at a fundraiser in Harrisonburg….

A suspected arsonist sets fire to tents at a former homeless encampment in Charlottesville… Virginians are sour on the economy, and consumer sentiment is down… As demand has surged, there is now a shortage of estrogen patches for patients who need them….

UVA is holding an essay contest for local students to imagine the U-S in 250 years... The group building out the Winchester Co-Op Market hosts a community picnic... We'll hear from organizers of the Virginia Film Festival about a new award honoring producers... A proposed constitutional amendment could allow people in Virginia convicted of a felony to keep their right to vote... and Radio IQ's Michael Pope and Politics Analyst Jeff Schapiro walk us through the week's news in Virginia politics and state government...

A suspected gunman is dead and a staff member was injured following a shooting at a Waynesboro elementary school... meanwhile police investigated a different shooting nearby in Augusta County... researchers at UVA have identified a potential new treatment for substance use disorder... Attorney General Jay Jones will appeal a federal ruling regarding local law enforcement cooperation with ICE... and Virginia's economy is expected to grow through the end of the year, but there is a downside...

Charlottesville begins moving people in a riverside encampment to a new homeless shelter… Page County law enforcement touts the arrest of an alleged Venezuelan gang member, but the man was acquitted on the charges they cite… A federal judge blocks a new state law restricting cooperation between some local jurisdictions and ICE….

Shenandoah County's NAACP holds a voter registration drive… Meanwhile, three Confederate monuments removed from Capitol Square will relocate to the Shenandoah Valley… We take a look at the market for using local wool to insulate houses….

Charlottesville's new homeless shelter gets ready to open… Goochland County is the latest local jurisdiction to end its use of Flock license plate readers… Work crews at Virginia's capitol remove the final three confederate monuments there….

DEQ will host a second public hearing on Northrop Grumman's Waynesboro plant, but only those who have already made comments about the operating permit may speak… Virginia's attorney general launches a new task force to challenge actions by President Trump that harm Virginians… Jeff Schapiro surveys the possible statewide effects of Trump's trade war with Canada….

Facing millions in legal fees, Shenandoah County's school board votes to hire a new law firm to press its appeal of the court order to remove confederate school names… Governor Spanberger says Virginia could lose up to $6 billion in benefits due to last year's cuts by Republicans in Washington… A Virginia writer talks about his experience hiking the Appalachian Trail, 36 years after he did it the first time….

Harrisonburg City Council narrowly approves rezoning to pave the way for a controversial new downtown housing project… Three central Virginia counties are joined by a growing multi-state coalition opposing a large-scale energy grid overhaul… Governor Spanberger puts forward plans to help Virginians who will lose health insurance next year….

Charlottesville's partnership with housing service providers ends just as the city aims to move a homeless encampment to new housing… Augusta County's sheriff's office warns of a new phone scam targeting the families of incarcerated inmates… We explore how a nationwide blood supply shortage is affecting our area….

Conservationists urge Virginians to weigh in on a new proposed federal rule that could threaten hundreds of thousands of acres of forestland… Drought warnings remain for our area, despite recent rainfall… Hundreds of thousands of Virginians are at risk of losing their health care next year….

A former Elkton Middle School teacher who pleaded guilty to child sexual abuse charges in Bedford County has yet to enter a plea on similar crimes in Rockingham County... A U-V-A football player faces multiple animal abuse charges... Harrisonburg prepares for a traffic-heavy weekend as J-M-U students move in... teachers in Virginia are getting a raise, although pay still lags behind the national average... Virginia will hold an early spot in the 2028 presidential primary... A-I is reshaping how state governments find and hire applicants... and Radio IQ's Michael Pope and Jeff Schapiro break down the week's news in politics and state government...

A medical cannabis dispensary opens in Winchester... more Valley residents raise concerns over Flock cameras... families of three JMU students killed in a 2023 car crash receive settlements in wrongful death lawsuits... Governor Abigail Spanberger addresses the state legislatures money committees...including a report on how much taxpayer money was spent to overhaul the state's child support system...

We examine the fight over the future of flock cameras in Rockingham County... a woman's death at a Fishersville assisted living facility is being investigated as a homicide... The Virginia Department of Health is sticking with the state's vaccine schedule following an executive order from President Trump... Northern Virginia will add more jobs later this year... and we follow researchers with the Smithsonian studying birds providing pest control for farms....

Shenandoah County students and the N-A-A-C-P won their lawsuit against the county school system last week, and lawyers for the both sides are considering their next steps... we'll hear part two of WMRA's series about several immigrant dairy farm workers who were detained in Page County and deported... vaccination rates are below what's needed to establish herd immunity in many Virginia counties... people are calling for a pause on data center development in Virginia... and the Perseid Meteor shower could be visible in areas with clear skies...

A dairy farm in Page county lost half of their employees when they were detained and transferred to immigration enforcement... At least one Virginia lawmaker opposes the sale of Dominion energy to NextEra... ...campaigning has begun on a proposed state constitutional amendment on abortion... and cases of eight men executed in Virginia will be reviewed as part of a reassessment of a former state forensic scientist...

An elephant from the Natural Bridge Zoo has been moved to an accredited animal sanctuary... Bridgewater residents voice concerns about flock cameras... Unemployment is rising across Virginia... AI could make the Commonwealth more vulnerable to cyber threats... and we go to a Central Virginia powerlifting competition...

A judge rules in favor of the Shenandoah County students who sued the county school board over its renaming of schools after Confederates… Governor Spanberger will intervene in the SCC's review of the proposed massive Dominion merger with NextEra… A new outdoor gear consignment store opens in Harrisonburg….

Governor Spanberger visits Harrisonburg and Verona as part of her first ‘National Night Out', hosted by local public safety agencies… Charlottesville's plan for a new homeless shelter faces opposition from some of those who would be moved there… A new study estimates Virginia would need to double the number of state-subsidized childcare slots to serve most eligible kids….

Primary voters pick Democrat Tom Perriello and Republican incumbent John McGuire to face off in November in the 5th District… Republican Bert Mizusawa will challenge U.S. Senator John Warner… In Harrisonburg, Monica Robinson and Dany Fleming win against two challengers….

Charlottesville prepares to open a new homeless shelter, as tensions increase over the Free Bridge homeless encampment along the Rivanna… Today is primary election day in Virginia, so we survey the races, the rules and the money… A traditionalist Catholic organization with a major presence in Buckingham County faces renewed penalties from the Vatican… We meet the critters – and the people – at the Louisa County Fair….

Charlottesville will replace the trees lining the Downtown Mall… Dominion's president says he is opposed to efforts by some lawmakers to delay the deadline to approve the massive merger with a Florida company… Meanwhile, Dominion says President Trump's tariffs have added hundreds of millions to its Virginia offshore wind project….

We meet two of the Republicans who want to challenge incumbent Senator Mark Warner in November… Jeff Schapiro previews next week's primary, and surveys the week in Virginia politics… Virginia will have a new task force to crack down on vape shops selling nicotine-based substances to underage customers….

Democrat Beth Macy, running in the 6th Congressional District, attends a veterans event in Winchester… Next Tuesday is primary election day in Virginia, and we have a primer… Virginia's assault weapons ban will stay blocked until the U-S Supreme Court rules on similar bans in other states….

Harrisonburg becomes the latest Virginia locality to shut down its Flock license plate reader system… Augusta County's library board ends planning for a Pride event, after a similar decision by county supervisors last year… A new workforce program aims to address the growing mental health needs of Virginia's college students….

A turkey escapes the poultry industry and finds a home in Nelson County... Harrisonburg City Council plans to vote on automatic license plate readers... a program to use drones as first responders is unveiled in Central Virginia... Virginia Democrats are looking ahead to the 2028 election... And we take a late summer road trip through the Shenandoah Valley...

Waynesboro residents are pushing back against Northrop Grumman as the aerospace and defense company seeks to increase its chemical emissions at its plant in the city... Senator Mark Warner announced that his current campaign for re-election could be his last... Early voting in Virginia's primary elections is down from 2024... and local governments are trying to figure out ways to reign in data center development...

Weather officials confirm that at least four tornados swept through our area during Tuesday's severe storms… Summertime should be a time for fun and sun for our kids, but many of them face hunger as well… Energy – how it's produced and consumed – is very much in Virginia headlines, and Jeff Schapiro takes a look at the politics of that….

Virginians have been hit with some of the highest fuel cost increases in the nation because of the war on Iran… The General Assembly may return to Richmond soon for a special session to consider the massive Dominion merger… We check on one very rare plant in the New River Valley – so rare, only five were counted last year….

A Charlottesville non-profit is taking a leading role in opposing the proposed massive Dominion merger… It's not just weed that can get you high -- hemp products are increasingly more potent than allowed under Virginia law… We go bat-watching at Harrisonburg's EJC Arboretum….

Running for reelection, Senator Mark Warner takes a campaign spin through the Valley and central Virginia… Voters will decide on a referendum allowing local sales taxes to pay for school construction… We talk with the director of Virginia Clean Cities about this week's EV showcase at JMU….

We've had rain, so why is there still extreme drought in our area?... A former Waynesboro cop is sentenced to jail for assaulting a fellow officer with a Taser… Crime, including violent offenses, is down across Virginia, according to State Police….

A hospital in Bath County is at risk of closure… Dominion Energy and NextEra filed applications to merge…Drought conditions persist across Virginia… and Radio IQ's Michael Pope and Politics analyst Jeff Schapiro recap the week in politics and state government…