WMRA and WEMC | Public Radio of the Shenandoah Valley and Charlottesville: More News, Less Noise.

COVID-19 Outbreak at Middle River Regional Jail Slowed, But Not Stopped

An outbreak of COVID-19 at the Middle River Regional Jail in Staunton appears to be slowing, but not yet stopped. WMRA's Randi B. Hagi reports.

Strict Security Measures In Place Across The Nation Ahead Of Inauguration Day

$1,400 Checks And Help For The Jobless: What's In Biden's Plan To Rescue The Economy

Coronavirus Live Updates

Data Scientist Rebekah Jones, Facing Arrest, Turns Herself In To Florida Authorities

By Bill Chappell • 1 hour ago

Rebekah Jones, the data scientist who helped create Florida's COVID-19 dashboard, has turned herself in to police, in response to an arrest warrant issued by the state.

Jones is charged with one count of "offenses against users of computers, computer systems, computer networks and electronic devices," the Florida Department of Law Enforcement said in a statement Monday.

Didn't Get Enough Financial Aid For College? You Can Ask For More Money

By Elissa Nadworny • Jan 17, 2021

Last spring, the pandemic stole Maddie Harvey's job on campus in the Dean of Students office. She was finishing up her senior year at St. Thomas University in St. Paul, Minn., and without the income from her job, she wasn't going to have enough money to pay her upcoming tuition bill.

"It was definitely a very vulnerable situation that I was in," says Harvey, "it's not easy to talk about when you're struggling, especially knowing that so many people were struggling at one time."

India Kicks Off A Massive COVID-19 Vaccination Drive

By Lauren Frayer • Jan 16, 2021

Cheers erupted in hospital wards across India on Saturday as a first group of nurses and sanitation workers rolled up their sleeves and got vaccinated against COVID-19, at the start of what's likely to become the biggest national vaccination campaign in history.

India aims to vaccinate 300 million people by July, though it could take an additional two or more years to inoculate all nearly 1.4 billion Indians. The shots are voluntary. Hospitals and clinics have been setting up and rehearsing for weeks.

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High School Basketball Is Back, With Limited Pandemic Schedule

By Randi B. Hagi • Jan 11, 2021

High school basketball teams in the area started playing games last week in a season shortened and restricted by the pandemic. WMRA's Randi B. Hagi reports.

Car Concerts Offer Choirs A Way To Rehearse And Perform

By Nina Kravinsky • Jan 11, 2021

For members of Luminous Voices, a professional choir ensemble in Alberta, Canada, rehearsing and performing safely during the pandemic has meant getting into their cars, driving to an empty parking lot and singing with each other's voices broadcast through their car radios.

This "car choir" solution is one that college music professor David Newman — an accomplished baritone himself in Virginia — came up with so that ensembles could sing and "be" together.

Loud and Clear at 103.5fm

By Matt Bingay • Jan 8, 2021

At a time when most organizations were preparing to manage the holidays, WMRA scrambled to address an almost catastrophic failure on the main signal serving Charlottesville and surrounding areas.

On December 16, 2020, a winter storm blanketed the area with snow and ice. Not an unusual event in and of itself, but that's where this tale begins. Sometime in the following 36 hours, as melting began, a large chunk of ice fell from an upper structure on our Castle Rock tower and struck the WMRY 103.5fm antenna with enough force to bend it out of shape.

Police Reform And Charlottesville's Civilian Review Board

By Randi B. Hagi • Jan 4, 2021

Even before last year’s omnibus police reform bill passed the General Assembly, Charlottesville had already begun to form a police civilian review board, or PCRB. It began meeting last summer. The new statewide rules bolster the authority of such boards. As part of an occasional series on local police reform, WMRA’s Randi B. Hagi has this report on how the Charlottesville board is working.

Virginia Removes Its Robert E. Lee Statue From U.S. Capitol

By Merrit Kennedy • Dec 21, 2020

For more than 100 years, two statues representing Virginia have stood at the U.S. Capitol: one of George Washington and another of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.

But early Monday, the Lee statue was removed from the National Statuary Hall's collection. It's expected to be replaced by a statue honoring civil rights activist Barbara Johns.

Doctor Gets First Vaccine Dose at Sentara RMH

By Calvin Pynn • Dec 18, 2020

The first round of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine was shipped out to hospitals across Virginia this week, and frontline healthcare workers at Sentara RMH got their doses on Thursday. WMRA’s Calvin Pynn spoke with the first person there to receive the vaccine.

Helping Your Dog Adjust... Post-Pandemic

By Jason Barr • Dec 17, 2020

The pandemic sent lots of us home for work in late March, and many workers have settled into that routine as the pandemic worsens. The upheaval in our schedules and our everyday lives has also affected our canine friends. So how can we help our dogs adjust when we head back to the office? WMRA’s Jason Barr reports.

A Classic Holiday Production... With A Radio Twist

By Mike Tripp • Dec 16, 2020

Like most local theater companies, ShenanArts in Staunton has had to think outside the box to reach audiences this holiday season. WMRA’s Mike Tripp takes us behind the scenes for a glimpse at their latest production, in a form that your grandparents might well recognize.

One Of 13: Meet A Virginia Elector

By Bob Leweke • Dec 15, 2020

On Monday, Virginia’s 13 presidential electors met in Richmond to certify Democrat Joe Biden as president-elect. The Democrat who represented the 6th district, covering much of the Shenandoah Valley, was Leah Pence, who also serves on Luray’s town council. WMRA’s Bob Leweke spoke with her and asked her to describe the process, and who the electors are.

Older People Navigate The Holidays During A Pandemic

By Randi B. Hagi • Dec 11, 2020

We're all navigating the holiday season amidst a pandemic. Senior citizens may have to be especially creative during this time, as the virus makes it particularly dangerous for them to attend worship services, shop, and see their families. WMRA's Randi B. Hagi reports.

The Latest from NPR

Biden Taps Veteran Financial Regulators To Lead SEC, CFPB

By Barbara Sprunt • 42 minutes ago

President-elect Joe Biden will nominate Gary Gensler to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission and Rohit Chopra to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, according to a statement from Biden's transition team Monday morning.

The pair's selection marks a triumph for progressives who have pushed for more aggressive oversight of the financial industry.

Gensler is a top financial regulator known for taking on big banks and trading houses after the Dodd-Frank financial reforms enacted after the 2008 financial crisis.

Data Scientist Rebekah Jones, Facing Arrest, Turns Herself In To Florida Authorities

By Bill Chappell • 1 hour ago

Rebekah Jones, the data scientist who helped create Florida's COVID-19 dashboard, has turned herself in to police, in response to an arrest warrant issued by the state.

Documentary Exposes How The FBI Tried To Destroy MLK With Wiretaps, Blackmail

By Sam Briger • 2 hours ago

From the March on Washington in 1963 up until his assassination in 1968, the FBI engaged in an intense campaign to discredit Martin Luther King Jr. and his work. Film director Sam Pollard chronicles those efforts in the new documentary, MLK/FBI.

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