Bob Leweke

We explore local responses to the virus outbreak, including school officials in Harrisonburg distributing food to students, an intention to enforce the governor’s physical distancing order in Charlottesville, and new ways to enjoy local theatre offerings online…  We also look at the record-setting spike in jobless claims in Virginia, and what might be in store for the economy in the next few months….

Governor Northam orders hospitals to put off elective surgeries during the pandemic…  Virginia expects some relief from stimulus bills working their way through Congress, but will it be enough?...  Now that many of us are more socially isolated than ever, some are taking in cats for companionship….

Virginia has received the first of two shipments of medical gear from the federal government….  Liberty University bucks the college consensus on campus coronavirus safety…  What can Virginia’s experience with the Influenza Pandemic of 1918 teach us about how to respond to COVID-19?

You may have seen this coming, and now it’s official – the Governor orders K-12 schools closed for the rest of the academic year, and non-essential businesses must close too, including restaurants…  The good news is you can still order curbside takeout or delivery…  We check in with one local bike repair business dealing with new social restrictions, and even welcoming new customers during the outbreak…  We learn about one local non-profit, “Hope Distributed,” and how they’re helping during the outbreak….

Now more than 200 cases of COVID-19 in Virginia…  As the rate of increase in cases jumps, Governor Northam says that’s partly due to increased testing in Virginia…  We check in with how two important parts of the economy are dealing with the requirements of social distancing – real estate and restaurants….

A JMU student and a UVa student are among the new cases of COVID-19 in Virginia, as the total climbs to 94 in the Commonwealth…  Governor Northam announces loosened rules for those on Medicaid and new help for small businesses…  Meanwhile, unemployment claims are skyrocketing in Virginia due to the outbreak….

JMU and Bridgewater College now say students should stay away for the rest of the semester, and Virginia colleges are cancelling Spring commencement ceremonies…  Middle River Regional Jail in Verona is releasing some non-violent offenders to mitigate the spread of the virus…  We explore the effects of extended school closures in Virginia, including on SOL testing, and for those students who rely on their schools for meals….

Out of more than 1,000 people tested in Virginia, now 67 confirmed cases of COVID-19, and Governor Northam says businesses, including restaurants, will be barred from serving more than 10 customers at a time…  More people, including students at home from school, are now online, so your Internet service may be slower – we’ll find out what you can do about that…  Why is the president such a frequent target for comedians?

State and local governments, businesses and individuals struggle to deal with the coronavirus outbreak, as Charlottesville reports its first case, and eastern Virginia reports the second death from COVID-19 in the commonwealth…  Meanwhile, Augusta County declares a state of emergency, and Sentara announces the first drive-through screenings in eastern Virginia, and that may come to Charlottesville and Harrisonburg soon….

The first death in Virginia from COVID-19, as the governor closes schools statewide and bans gatherings of 100 people or more…  Meanwhile, some activists are calling for an end to evictions during the outbreak…  Before the days of social distancing and self-quarantining, Harrisonburg’s roller derby team held an open “Derby 101” demonstration for the, well, “derby-curious”….

Charlottesville Police arrest a man who took a historic marker memorializing the site of slave auctions…  Meanwhile, Tuesday was Crossover Day in the General Assembly, the deadline for any bill to be passed through one chamber for consideration in the other, and we’ll take a look at where some of those bills stand now…  We explore the legacy of Harrisonburg’s controversial “urban renewal” projects in the ‘50s and ‘60s….

One man is reported dead after an accident at a steel plant near Staunton…  In the General Assembly, lawmakers pass a Tenants’ Bill of Rights and move to decriminalize marijuana, but it looks like repealing Right to Work will have to wait for another year….

Tips on how to get free help filing your taxes if you’re a low-middle income taxpayer… The General Assembly advances Governor Northam’s assault-style weapons ban, keeps right-to-work for now, and will soon consider decriminalizing marijuana…  We meet this month’s Books & Brews author, Russ Eanes, who tells us about his amazing journey over the mountains of Spain….

In Richmond this week, lawmakers move bills to protect LGBTQ status, overhaul Virginia’s electric grid, and allow collective bargaining for teachers…  An Urban Forest Strike Team (yup, that’s what it’s called!) will swarm into the Winchester area next week to survey damage from the invasive spotted lanternfly…  A local chapter of the Poor People’s Campaign takes root in the Shenandoah Valley….

A Louisa teenager could be tried as an adult in the murder of an elderly couple…  A former VMI cadet says he was waterboarded and assaulted there and had to leave, and now he’s suing the school…  And, in the General Assembly, measures pass protecting workers, raising the minimum wage, and helping immigrants who move to Virginia, but one part of the governor’s gun control package – a ban on assault-style guns – is stalled….

Lawmakers in Richmond continue a busy week, advancing bills to legalize casinos, repeal right-to-work, end frivolous lawsuits, protect residents in public housing, and safeguard sexual orientation and gender identity…  Monitors in Norfolk say sea levels are rising even faster than expected…  Gun advocate and Culpeper County sheriff Scott Jenkins says there are more guns than citizens – is he right?  Politifact Virginia checks into it….

As lawmakers in Richmond advance a bill that would give Virginia’s localities control over their monuments, a Confederate statue in Harrisonburg is vandalized…  State lawmakers also block one of the governor’s gun control measures, and consider requiring employers to offer paid family leave…  Staunton native and head of the N-I-H Francis Collins will be one of the guests on tonight’s Finding Your Roots show on PBS….

Scientists at UVa are working on a genetic database that could help fight future outbreaks like the coronavirus…  Your local government may soon get the power to impose taxes on plastic bags…  We examine the work of birth doulas, and why some lawmakers in Richmond are pushing for their services to be covered by Medicaid….

Virginia’s attorney general joins a lawsuit against the National Archivist to force him to certify the ERA…  It's a busy week in the General Assembly, with bipartisan efforts on prison reform, plus proposed changes to Virginia elections, gun control, student free press protections, and the so-called right to work law….

A new study finds racial disparity at almost every level of the criminal justice system in Charlottesville and Albemarle County…  In the General Assembly, lawmakers advance gun control, consider allowing assisted suicide, and try to define what milk is…  We have a Politifact Virginia report on the facts surrounding proposed new gun laws….

We review a busy day in the General Assembly, as Democrats undo GOP restrictions on abortion, push to include domestic workers in a minimum wage hike, and press for paid family medical leave…  Meanwhile, the National Archives says it will not certify the ERA, just ratified by Virginia…  Local pastors react to a proposed split in the United Methodist Church over LGBTQ issues….

Two residents of central Virginia are NOT infected by the coronavirus…  Virginia officially becomes the critical 38th state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, and now it’s up to the courts…  Teachers rally in Richmond for more school funding….

State health officials are monitoring three possible cases of the new coronavirus in Virginia…  Anti-war activists in Harrisonburg join protests around the world against U.S. conflict with Iran…  A new mural in Charlottesville envisions what monuments might replace two controversial Confederate statues….

Former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke has to help pay for one man’s injuries from the August 2017 white supremacist rally in Charlottesville…  Meanwhile, Charlottesville wants the public's help in naming five new parks…  The General Assembly advances bills to limit payday lending rates, and to require public schools to include free menstrual products in their bathrooms….

Virginia’s Senate passes a controversial “red flag” gun law, over fierce Republican opposition…  Democrats propose loosening restrictions on abortion…  Meanwhile, state legislators are getting rid of outdated laws from the Jim Crow era, as the General Assembly enters its 401st year….

Lots of action in the General Assembly, as the state Senate advances measures to establish a so-called “red flag” gun law, and to replace Lee-Jackson Day with an election day holiday…  Groups supporting workers are excited about their agenda moving through the General Assembly…  State lottery officials say so-called “games of skill” are taking money away from school funding….