Recorded on June 5th, 2021 as part of the WMRA StoryCorps  in the Valley and Central Virginia partnership, we’re sharing a conversation between Christine Jones in McGaheysville, who is the Virginia chapter leader of the non-profit organization, Free Mom Hugs and Ashley Saunders in Broadway, who founded a Facebook group for Parents & Allies of LGBTQ Students in Rockingham County.

WMRA is currently partnering with StoryCorps in the Valley and Central Virginia to gather stories from our communities, and on the first day of recording, June 2, 2021, Sabrina Burress spoke with her two sons, Tay Burress and Manny Chapman.

The Central Shenandoah Health District is getting COVID-19 vaccines into rural areas with mobile vaccination clinics, starting with Monterey and McDowell in Highland County. WMRA's Randi B. Hagi reports.

COVID-19 vaccines are now widely available around Virginia.  But some vulnerable communities face more hurdles in getting the shots.  Local agencies and non-profits are trying to help. WMRA’s Bridget Manley reports.

Francis Fukuyama and UVa’s Larry Sabato are among roughly 100 scholars who signed a 'Statement of Concern' published online this week.  It’s a response to Republican-led efforts around the country to restrict voting rights.  And they support a bill in Congress called the ‘For the People Act’ that would protect voting rights nationwide.  The statement also calls for the end of the filibuster in the Senate.  Dr. Tim LaPira, a political science professor at JMU, also signed that statement.  WMRA's Bob Leweke asked him to describe the threat as they see it.

Earlier this month a rock slide closed one of the main roads connecting communities east and west of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Crews are now working sun up to sun down, but officials say Route 250 over Afton Mountain won’t re-open until mid-June.

Virginia Public Radio’s Sandy Hausman reports on why repairs are taking so long, and why we could be seeing many more slides in the future.

With spring bird migration in full force in the Shenandoah Valley, WMRA’s Chris Boros spoke with Dana Moseley, a JMU professor who studies birds that make the valley their home and the human noise pollution that affects their feathered lives.

In yet another sign that the pandemic's grip on our lives is loosening, Regal Cinemas in Harrisonburg reopened on Friday. WMRA's Randi B. Hagi reports.

A local “Free Mom Hugs” group was one of more than 30 chapters across the country that held a "Pride Ride" on Saturday.  The national organization celebrates LGBTQ communities.  WMRA's Randi B. Hagi reports.