WMRA Daily

New historical markers at Staunton's Montgomery Hall Park memorialize the property's significance to the local Black community… Shenandoah Valley Airport will get nearly $750,000 in federal funding, approved under former President Biden, for upgrades… Unemployment claims in Virginia continue to rise….

Albemarle County residents and employees are just now finding out that their personal data may have been compromised in last month's ransomware attack... UVa's Jim Ryan serves his last day as president… We have a story that combines a love for ramps (a type of wild leek), breaking the law, and a cultural connection between Appalachia and Korea….

ICE arrests in Virginia have spiked compared to other states, with most seizures in northern Virginia… The state's massive wind farm is still being built, despite federal cuts to green energy funding… Virginia reexamines the possibly tainted work of a crime lab analyst from decades ago….

Governor Youngkin sends two Virginia water rescue teams to help flood recovery in Texas… Conservationists launch a new river otter monitoring project on the Rivanna River in Albemarle County… In this election year, we compare the major parties' different approaches to crime….

Federal cuts in food assistance are having a big impact in Virginia… President Trump's focus on rounding up undocumented immigrants could reopen closed prisons… Some Virginia counties share data from roadside cameras with federal authorities….

Five people, including three children, are wounded in a late Independence Day shootout in Charlottesville… Staunton asks for public input on a flood resiliency plan… Even as federal funding gets cut, Virginia increases money to help farmers protect the Chesapeake Bay….

New ICE data reveal more details about the undocumented immigrants being held in Farmville's detention facility... One Charlottesville administrator is out, and the department he oversaw is absorbed by a different one... Jeff Schapiro discusses the history of statewide officials holding off on a run for governor, and instead running for reelection, as is Attorney General Jason Miyares....

The federal lawsuit brought by Shenandoah County students and the NAACP against the county school board gets its first evidence review hearing… Virginia's attorney general opens a criminal investigation into the whereabouts of two baby giraffes missing from the Natural Bridge Zoo… Governor Youngkin insists those being removed from Virginia in cooperation with ICE are violent criminals, but the data tell a different story….

Nearly 100 tires are illegally dumped along the Middle River in Augusta County… We profile one Staunton family who fled violence in their home country, and whose dad is now in ICE detention… Republican candidates for statewide office hold their first unity event….

UVa's faculty demands a meeting with the board of visitors to condemn the government pressure that led to President Ryan's resignation… We have a profile of John Reid, the first openly gay candidate to run for statewide office in Virginia… On this first day of a new fiscal year, many new laws in Virginia have to do with moms….

UVa students and Virginia politicians react to Friday's sudden resignation of UVa President Ryan under pressure from the Trump administration… Residents gather in Charlottesville to protest Trump's immigration policies… As Trump goes after birthright citizenship, Virginia's attorney general pushes back on questions about his mother's citizenship status….

DoJ officials call for UVa's president to resign… The chair of Augusta County's board of supervisors explains why they canceled a Pride event… As the governor heads to Iowa to test the presidential waters, politics analyst Jeff Schapiro considers the recent history of Virginia governors running for president….

Cut fiber lines in North Carolina caused this week's outage in the Charlottesville area… Virginia's unemployment rate rises… A hospital advocate says the Republican spending bill could hit Virginia's hospitals hard….

A woman bicycling on the Blue Ridge Parkway is hit and killed by a car near Afton… Government telephone lines for Charlottesville and some surrounding counties are down… Democratic leaders in the state Senate sue three universities, including UVa and VMI, over Governor Youngkin's board appointees….

Localities set up cooling centers to help residents stay safe from the heat wave… A freight train carrying hydrochloric acid derails in Augusta County, but none of the cargo spills out… A new Charlottesville business aims to help military service members obtain benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs….

Dangerous heat and humidity settle into our area… Protesters gather in downtown Harrisonburg to oppose the ongoing violence between Israel, Gaza and Iran, just hours before President Trump orders airstrikes on Iran… Unless amendments to Trump's massive spending and tax bill are made, federal cuts to Medicaid would have a significant impact on Virginia's health care system….

As summer begins, worker advocates are pushing the state to require breaks from the heat for outside workers… Local cultural sites are preparing to celebrate the nation's 250th birthday, but Trump's tariffs and funding cuts are complicating things… With the primary election in the rearview mirror, Jeff Schapiro looks ahead to the November election….

Governor Youngkin offers an optimistic view of Virginia's finances, but some lawmakers are skeptical… A group of professors call on state lawmakers to defend college DEI initiatives against the Trump administration… We have an exit interview with Michael McKee, stepping down as head of the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank after more than a decade….

State Senator Ghazala Hashmi declares victory in the race for Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor… Former Norfolk delegate Jay Jones wins the party's nomination for Attorney General… As DHS terminates protected status for Afghan refugees, we talk with a refugee resettlement agency about how that affects Virginia residents….

It's Primary Day in Virginia, and voters in Charlottesville will use ranked choice voting for City Council races for the first time… Residents in Staunton and Woodstock joined “No Kings” nationwide protests last Saturday… Valley parents and educators react to a major change to Virginia's SOLs….

Thousands of residents across Virginia join nationwide “No Kings” rallies… The Trump administration's attacks on LGBTQ and immigrant communities leads to cancelled events… Democrats hope to capitalize on sentiment against Trump in the statewide election this year….

As dozens of VMI cadets join in President Trump's military parade in D.C. Saturday, citizens will gather around the country, and in Virginia, for “No Kings” protests… Virginia's Republican attorney general and the state Senate's top Democrat send dueling letters to universities over the governor's board appointees… PETA alleges a Harrisonburg processor engages in inhumane treatment of chickens, and mislabels products….

Wildlife officials shorten firearm bear hunting season in western Virginia to protect populations threatened by mange... Trump restores the Confederate names of military bases, including three in Virginia... The two major-party candidates for governor share their ideas about improving childcare....

Shenandoah County's sheriff's office is among more than a dozen in Virginia that have signed cooperation agreements with ICE… Virginia may have lost its battle against the spotted lanternfly… How is Trump's trade war affecting businesses in the commonwealth?

Democrats on a state Senate panel reject Ken Cuccinelli for UVa's board, and several of the governor's nominees for VMI's board… “No tax on tips” becomes a topic of conversation on the campaign trail for governor this year… A rare tick-borne disease spreads into the Mid-Atlantic from its traditional hold in the Northeast….

Virginia's third official measles case this year is confirmed, and it's the second one in Charlottesville… One analysis shows that Virginia is one of five states where efforts to arrest and remove unauthorized immigrants appear most aggressive… Democratic candidate for governor Abigail Spanberger proposes housing solutions….

Former Congressman Denver Riggleman returns from humanitarian work in Ukraine… A quarter-million Virginians could lose Medicaid coverage if President Trump's massive budget bill passes… Jeff Schapiro surveys the week in Virginia politics….

Residents say they witnessed an ICE detention near Harrisonburg, with the help of State Police and the FBI… The parent company of the Daily Progress reports the results of a February hack that affected the company for weeks… An unusual program in Nelson County deploys belly dancing to help seniors with neuro-degenerative conditions….

We go into the field (and stream) to learn how government and nonprofit agencies assess the health of our local waterways… Senator Creigh Deeds hopes that Virginia law will help provide hope for families threatened with separation by the Trump administration… Governor Youngkin selects September 9th for a special election to fill the seat of the late Representative Gerry Connolly….

Some residents in Louisa County are again under a boil-water notice after an electric outage… DMV says watch out for a new text messaging scam… Republican Terry Kilgore is the new minority leader in the House of Delegates….

Rockingham County's school board expresses its intention to follow Governor Youngkin's directive to do more against antisemitism... As we enter hurricane season, the governor says Virginia is prepared, despite Trump administration cuts to FEMA... After DHS named Trump-friendly Augusta County as one of many on its list of “sanctuary jurisdictions,” a national sheriff's association complains and the list is taken down….

Former Nexus executive Richard Moore fails to show up for sentencing… DHS claims that dozens of Virginia communities, including Charlottesville and Augusta County, are obstructing immigration enforcement… We examine the effect on the arts in Staunton of potential Trump administration cuts….

Some UVa students, workers and faculty are opposing Governor Youngkin's appointment of former Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli to the school's governing board… Once at odds over a reservoir in Rockbridge County, Scouting America and local conservationists are now working together on a new management plan… Our series on cannabis in Virginia continues, with a look at how some medical cannabis patients are being protected in the workplace….

President Trump's pardon of former Culpeper County Sheriff Jenkins is not the first time a conviction for corruption has been set aside… Turnout is unusually high for early primary voting, especially on the Democratic side… Two Virginia men honor a forgotten part of Virginia's history with a special kind of river cruise….

Former Culpeper County Sheriff Scott Jenkins, convicted on bribery charges, may get a pardon from President Trump… Charlottesville City Schools transfers decades worth of historic records to the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center… Virginia's Supreme Court strikes down a law meant to speed broadband deployment across railroad lines….

A second case of measles in Virginia is identified in someone who spent time in Charlottesville... A hiker from Virginia Beach dies after falling off the walking trail at Crabtree Falls in Nelson County... A former Augusta County deputy sues Sheriff Donald Smith for allegedly creating a hostile work environment....

Harrisonburg ends its mandatory water restrictions… Activists in Harrisonburg and Charlottesville protest the war in Gaza, and threats to the rule of law in the U.S…. Meanwhile, the Democratic-led General Assembly and the Republican governor are still at odds over how federal cuts will impact Virginia, and Jeff Schapiro has analysis….

Police in Shenandoah County say a swatting incident led to a school lockdown… In a stop in Harrisonburg, Governor Youngkin announces millions for investments in workforce housing… A new poll shows a majority of Virginians opposed to Trump's tariffs and DOGE cuts….

A harmful algal bloom means no swimming at a park in Albemarle County… Governor Youngkin recognizes Maternal Mental Health Awareness Month… Will new Trump administration rules on species protection affect the eastern hellbender?

Harrisonburg Public Works says the city's water conservation restrictions will likely continue through the week… On the 71st anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, students, educators, and civil rights leaders unveil a new historical marker in Harrisonburg… Food insecurity is on the rise in the Shenandoah Valley....

Officials report progress making repairs to Harrisonburg's water treatment plant, but water restrictions remain... Governor Youngkin ignores the House clerk's rejection of some of his vetoes... Will changes in Washington cause more people to leave Virginia than arrive?....

Charlottesville has a new city attorney… Virginia's House clerk rejects three of the governor's vetoes… Why is it so hard to find affordable housing in Virginia, and what might the candidates for governor do about it?....

The body of the boy swept away by floodwaters in Albemarle County is recovered… Harrisonburg and parts of Louisa County are under water restrictions… The Wildlife Center says if you stumble upon a fawn that you think has been abandoned, it's probably fine….

Floodwaters sweep away a 12-year-old boy in Albemarle County… Defense Department money will help fund the use of ultrasound technology at UVa to better target cancer treatments… The Weldon Cooper Center at UVa predicts job losses in Virginia this year, in part due to federal job cuts in Washington….

A Harrisonburg man is on a hunger strike to protest Israel's blocking of aid to Gaza… Leaders in Virginia's cattle and forestry sectors react to President Trump's trade war, and the pause in tariffs on Chinese goods… Virginia will revamp the state's standardized K through 12 testing system….

Federal Justice officials accuse UVa of stalling on its promise to eliminate DEI efforts… New unemployment claims in Virginia are up… Voting rights advocates try again to remove the governor's power to restore rights to convicted felons….

Legal concerns are raised over the detention of two men at the Albemarle County Courthouse last month by ICE officials... Virginia's senators renew efforts to protect wilderness areas along the Alleghenies... Political analyst Jeff Schapiro discusses Governor Youngkin's potential legacy and the week in Virginia politics....

The governing body for Virginia's student athletes approves new rules in line with the president's order against trans athletes... New state legislation affects the use of license plate readers... Faster-than-normal sea-level rise in the Chesapeake Bay threatens the Pamunkey Tribe....

A small earthquake jostles central Virginia... The Blue Ridge Area Food Bank is on track to provide a record amount of food aid, in the face of cuts to federal assistance... There are new restrictions on debt collectors who go after money owed to hospitals and doctors....

VMI's board of visitors selects new leadership... A graduate of UVa's class of 2019 is found dead on Grounds from a self-inflicted wound... Governor Youngkin again vetoes abortion-related legislation....

Waynesboro officials warn residents of phone scammers pretending to be from the police department... Governor Youngkin signs Virginia's budget, but vetoes dozens of proposed changes... Meanwhile, spending on public education in Virginia falls behind the rest of the country....