Ayse Pirge
Freelance ReporterAyse Pirge graduated in Fall 2021 from the College of William and Mary with a BA in English. She is also interested in writing stories and poetry, and hopes to publish a poetry chapbook.
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The Confident Caregiver Conference took place recently at Blue Ridge Community College in Weyers Cave, with speakers, breakout sessions, and a resource fair for caregivers. The conference was organized by the Valley Program for Aging Services, or V-PAS. WMRA’s Ayse Pirge reports. -
Governor Glenn Youngkin declared a state of emergency on Oct. 23 in response to the federal government shutdown, which threatens the USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. The Virginia Emergency Nutrition Assistance Program will at least temporarily fill part of the gap, assuming the shutdown continues into November. WMRA’s Ayse Pirge reports. -
Required scores for Standards of Learning tests, or SOLs, will be raised for Virginia’s K-12 students. These so-called “cut” scores measure the minimum outcome students need to achieve proficiency in the tests. WMRA’s Ayse Pirge reports. -
A grant from the Community Foundation of Harrisonburg and Rockingham last year helped expand offerings at the Corner Cupboard Food Pantry. WMRA’s Ayse Pirge reports. -
Public schools in Virginia are now required to ban student cell phone usage during school hours, a result of legislation signed by Governor Glenn Youngkin in late May. But what does that mean now that school is back in session? WMRA’s Ayse Pirge reports. -
SNAP-Ed is a federally funded program that helps people learn how to be physically active and cook healthy meals. The program also helps people use their food assistance benefits, known as SNAP, more efficiently. But the SNAP-Ed program has been cut in this year’s massive budget bill, along with record cuts to SNAP itself. WMRA’s Ayse Pirge reports. -
Patients are now able to get primary care services through Augusta Health’s new traveling clinic. It was made possible with lots of support from community donors. WMRA’s Ayse Pirge reports. -
The latest update to Virginia’s Wildlife Action Plan aims to maintain and improve our natural habitats. A public comment period for protected species runs through Friday, July 18th, so the public can weigh in too. WMRA's Ayse Pirge reports. -
After more than a decade at the helm of Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, C-E-O Michael McKee will retire at the end of June. In this exit interview with WMRA’s Ayse Pirge, he looks back at his time at the food bank, and talks about current problems for the hunger relief network. -
Agriculture and forest industries provide more than $100 billion to Virginia’s economy. They also create nearly half a million jobs in the state. And Virginia exports products, such as cattle and wood commodities, around the world. So how is President Trump’s trade war affecting that? WMRA’s Ayse Pirge reports.
