WMRA News

The church where Confederate General Robert E. Lee attended during his time in Lexington will no longer bear his name, as of a vote last night by the vestry of R. E. Lee Memorial Episcopal Church -- or, Grace Episcopal Church, as it is now called. WMRA's Faith Pinho has the story.

It’s been one month since a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville left three people dead and dozens more injured. The city has since attempted to piece itself back together, realizing that deeper issues are also at play. For a look towards the future, WMRA’s Jordy Yager spoke with educators and teens about their reality.

Last Saturday, Dynamic Aviation hosted a 50th anniversary party open to the public at their company headquarters near Bridgewater.  WMRA’s Dillon Broadwell was there to get a glimpse of the little airfield, and what Dynamic Aviation does.

Forty years ago, bald eagles were in danger of extinction, but they’ve made a rebound, and theirs is considered an “Endangered Species Act success story.” But as they spread across Virginia in search of new habitat, they are finding some free lunches that are actually quite costly. WMRA’s Christopher Clymer Kurtz reports.

Across Virginia this week people gathered at offices of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, or DEQ, to voice their concerns and demands about the proposed Mountain Valley and Atlantic Coast natural gas pipelines. WMRA’s Christopher Clymer Kurtz attended Thursday’s [Sept. 14] gathering just outside of Harrisonburg at the Valley Regional DEQ Office.

Joyce Herndon is a one-of-a-kind bookkeeper for the Staunton Union Stockyards.  As WMRA’s Jessie Knadler discovered in the latest profile for our Women of Interest series, Herndon is all about vitality, longevity and the value of hard work.

What is the state, and future, of investigative journalism under the new Trump administration? To try to answer to this question and many more, the Miller Center in Charlottesville invited a panel of prominent investigative journalists from The New York Times, ProPublica and BuzzFeed News. WMRA's Marguerite Gallorini was there.

Cities across the country are grappling with removing Confederate symbols. And perhaps nowhere is Confederate past and present more intertwined than in Lexington. Jessie Knadler looks at how the issues that spilled over into violence in Charlottesville last month have been playing out in Lexington for years. 

Margot Lee Shetterly is the author of the New York Times bestseller Hidden Figures, about the true story of a group of black female mathematicians working at NASA and helping America dominate aeronautics, space research, and computer technology – although no textbook acknowledges their work. She discussed her novel yesterday at the Paramount Theater, in a lecture part of UVa’s Engagement Lecture Series. WMRA’s Marguerite Gallorini reports.