WMRA News

One day after Donald Trump’s inauguration, the largest protest against a new president took place in Washington, D.C., and in cities around the world. WMRA’s Jessie Knadler caught up with a few locals who helped spearhead efforts to get people from our area to the Women's March on Washington, and she also was in Washington, for this report on the massive protest in the nation’s capitol.

William Faulkner famously wrote that ‘The past is never dead. It's not even past.’  And nowhere is that more evident than in Lexington, Virginia.  A tale of two cities played out there this past weekend, as rival groups took to the streets to celebrate two very different holidays: Lee-Jackson Day, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. WMRA’s Jordy Yager has the story.

At this time of great political change and uncertainty, some Charlottesville residents are looking to history for direction. Their guide is the writer James Baldwin, as WMRA’s Miranda Bennett reports.

If you’ve ever grown frustrated trying to explain some super simple technology — like texting —  to an older person, OR if you’re a senior citizen frustrated by the condescending way your grand-kid told you that texting is “super simple,” this story by WMRA’s Emily Richardson-Lorente is for you.

The cost of living has steadily risen in Charlottesville, as has the average income.  But what happens when the city’s lowest wage earners can no longer afford to live there?  WMRA’s Jordy Yager has this report on the state of affordable housing in Charlottesville.

On this week's Second Look, WMRA's Christopher Clymer Kurtz takes us along for a quiet drive in an electric car.... and as Republicans move to repeal the Affordable Care Act, he talks with demonstrators in Harrisonburg defending it.... and, he educates us on the role of service dogs in Virginia.... Kara Lofton explores the promise of, and barriers to, the use of telemedicine to bring health care to remote places.... and, Jordy Yager reports on Buckingham County's decision to approve construction of a key component of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline there.

The Buckingham County Board of Supervisors voted late Thursday night to approve a compressor station as part of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline.  WMRA’s Jordy Yager reports.

High-end electric vehicles such as Tesla’s Models S and X are fast, powerful, glamorous -- and also expensive. WMRA’s Christopher Clymer Kurtz wanted to know more about the view from inside a more subtle -- and affordable -- electric car.

Yesterday Republicans began the legislative process to repeal the Affordable Care Act. In Harrisonburg, citizens gathered to call for Congress to fix, not nix Obamacare, as it’s widely known. WMRA’s Christopher Clymer Kurtz reports.

Rural Virginia still struggles with not having enough doctors – particularly specialists. But one University of Virginia program is working on trying to bridge that gap by providing a variety of telemedicine services. WMRA's Kara Lofton reports.

Service dogs, you may be surprised to learn, are not necessarily professionally trained -- and they can assist people with a wide variety of disabilities, including post traumatic stress disorder. WMRA’s Christopher Clymer Kurtz reports.

The South River and South Fork of the Shenandoah River have struggled with a legacy of industrial mercury pollution since the late 1920s. This year, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality has approved a plan to begin remediating and restoring contaminated riverbanks.  WMRA's Kara Lofton reports.  This story has been updated.*

On Monday night, more than 150 people packed into the Buckingham County Board of Supervisors’ monthly meeting. Most were there to voice their objection to the compressor station being sought as part of the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline.

The Atlantic Coast Pipeline LLC hosted a construction expo in Fishersville on Thursday, December 8 to garner support and highlight employment opportunities for area workers in communities along the controversial project’s route.   WMRA's Jessie Knadler reports.

The recent and ongoing Dakota Access Pipeline protests at the Standing Rock reservation have drawn activists from around the country, including from Harrisonburg. WMRA’s Christopher Clymer Kurtz filed this report about one local protester’s experience there.

Charlottesville City Council saw one of its largest turnouts in recent history as dozens of people showed up in support of… and against… Vice-Mayor Wes Bellamy. A meeting last night was the first since controversial tweets from Bellamy were outed by local blogger, Jason Kessler. Kessler is calling for Bellamy’s removal from city council but as WMRA’s Sefe Emokpae reports, there are many who would like to see him stay.

A top priority for many refugees coming to America is to learn English. But the ability to convey their own stories takes more time. WMRA's Miranda Bennett went to an exhibit of their art to see how some refugees in Charlottesville are communicating through drawing.