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Bob Leweke

News Director / Morning Edition Host

Bob Leweke is WMRA's News Director and Morning Edition host.

Before coming to public radio in 2003, Bob had worked for The Roanoke Times as a circulation manager and writer.  He later became a member of the communication faculty at Pikeville College in Kentucky, and at Bridgewater College in Virginia, where he taught public speaking, mass media law, communication theory and other courses.  Bob holds degrees in communication and political science from Virginia Tech, and a doctorate in mass communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  In 2015 and 2016, the readers of the Daily News-Record voted him “Best Radio Personality.”

In his hours away from WMRA, Bob enjoys music, cycling, reading and movie-watching, and spending time with his family doing all of the above.

  • U.S. Senator Warner visits the Shenandoah Valley to talk about infrastructure funding… The governor vetoes another 30 bills, including a ban on assault-style weapons promoted by Senator Creigh Deeds… We attend a demonstration of farm practices that build soil health and improve water quality for the Valley and the Chesapeake Bay watershed….
  • Local wildfires are now mostly contained, and residents in Louisa County and elsewhere assess the damage… Commentators Jonah Goldberg and Mara Liasson talk about this year’s presidential race at Bridgewater College… A collaboration between a Rockingham County court and JMU is awarded for its innovative use of technology….
  • Saturday’s rain helped, but firefighters continue working to contain several blazes in the Valley, as Governor Youngkin orders an emergency response in Page County… Almost a month after Harrisonburg’s city council became the first in Virginia to call for a ceasefire in Gaza, Charlottesville’s council rejects a similar resolution... Agencies in the Shenandoah Valley employ new approaches to address a regional housing crisis....
  • Some schools remain closed, as firefighters battle blazes sparked by high winds and downed power lines Wednesday… The governor is exercising his veto pen, including the rejection of a bill that police chiefs say would have increased both the ranks and quality of officers in Virginia… Jeff Schapiro shares his perspective on the governor’s vetoes and negotiations over the budget….
  • Some public schools and roads are closed, and some customers are still without power after Wednesday’s high winds damaged power lines and spread wildfires… The second annual CulpeperCon, a celebration of graphic novels, fandom, and pop culture, is this weekend… A Grammy-winning composer, a Pulitzer prize-winning poet and one of the nation’s top singers of opera condense the last 50 years of American history in a performance at UVa….
  • High winds, dry conditions, and warm temperatures make the situation ripe for wildfires, so our region is under a Red Flag Warning… For the first time, the judge for the Western District of Virginia will be an Asian-American woman… We have the latest on bills that have, and haven’t, survived the General Assembly session, including a failed bill that would have lent support to private cops killed on the job…
  • JMU’s President Alger is leaving to take the top post at American University in D.C…. Members of the EMU community call on the school to publicly support a ceasefire in Gaza… The governor vetoes a bill that would have increased composting….
  • After many years of wrangling over a new courthouse in Augusta County, officials hold a groundbreaking ceremony for the new site… We explore the role of the 65-year-old annual Maple Festival in Highland, Virginia’s least populous county… Governor Youngkin vetoes some bills, signs others, and we have an update….
  • Researchers at UVa Health say they’ve discovered a blood test to predict who may be at risk of longer-term lung effects from severe COVID infections... Governor Youngkin signs a number of new bills into law, but rejects others, including a mandate to rejoin the ERIC election data partnership... Jeff Schapiro reviews the week in Virginia politics....
  • The troubled Nexus company faces yet another federal court hearing... We profile the Blue Ridge Free Clinic, nearly four years after its doors first opened... Governor Youngkin signs a bill protecting same-sex marriage, and religious rights activists are not happy....