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Bob Leweke

News Director / Morning Edition Host

Bob Leweke is WMRA's News Director and Morning Edition host.

Before coming to public radio in 2003, Bob had worked for The Roanoke Times as a circulation manager and writer.  He later became a member of the communication faculty at Pikeville College in Kentucky, and at Bridgewater College in Virginia, where he taught public speaking, mass media law, communication theory and other courses.  Bob holds degrees in communication and political science from Virginia Tech, and a doctorate in mass communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  In 2015 and 2016, the readers of the Daily News-Record voted him “Best Radio Personality.”

In his hours away from WMRA, Bob enjoys music, cycling, reading and movie-watching, and spending time with his family doing all of the above.

  • The troubled Nexus company faces yet another federal court hearing... We profile the Blue Ridge Free Clinic, nearly four years after its doors first opened... Governor Youngkin signs a bill protecting same-sex marriage, and religious rights activists are not happy....
  • FBI data show that anti-LGBTQ+ incidents have risen fastest in states, including Virginia, that have passed laws or policies restricting LGBTQ student rights and education... Virginia teens take their case for the right to a livable environment to the state’s court of appeals... Governor Youngkin signs a bill ending college legacy admissions, but vetoes a railroad safety bill....
  • Advocates in Waynesboro call on Governor Youngkin to sign bills to improve affordable housing in Virginia... But the governor vetoes bills to improve gun safety and protect the state’s voting system... A program at Wintergreen promotes the natural and cultural heritage of the Blue Ridge Mountains, including the native plants that populate the forest....
  • Many voters at Senator Tim Kaine’s campaign stop in Harrisonburg implore him to support a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip… Virginia has lost thousands of small farms in recent years… Virginia’s General Assembly session adjourns after lawmakers approve a budget, which now goes to the governor for approval or amendment….
  • The town of Craigsville is still without running water, and that’s also affected inmates at the Augusta Correctional Center… Communities up and down the Shenandoah Valley gear up for International Women’s Day celebrations this weekend… The General Assembly releases its budget, notably without the governor’s cherished arena project in Alexandria, and we have the details along with analysis from Jeff Schapiro….
  • As part of its mission, the historic Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind in Staunton works to alleviate poverty and unemployment among its students… A rare spat arises between Virginia’s independent watchdog agency and the governor over data about school funding… Residents in Basye raise funds to build a playground outside their public library….
  • No surprise, Biden and Trump romp to primary victory in Virginia on Super Tuesday… Liberty University receives a record $14 million fine for violations of federal law on campus safety… The northern Shenandoah Valley sees a spike in overdose deaths… An update on the General Assembly just days before the session ends….
  • A jury grants Rockbridge County the right to keep in custody most of the animals seized from the Natural Bridge Zoo… A bill to allow assisted suicide in Virginia is tabled until next year, and we have more in General Assembly news… A new museum documents the history of the Harrisonburg Fire Department through a virtual video tour….
  • Rockbridge County prosecutors wrap up their arguments in the trial over the fate of animals seized from the Natural Bridge Zoo… As Donald Trump visits Virginia ahead of Super Tuesday, a new poll shows President Biden with a narrow lead over him in Virginia, but Nikki Haley with a lead over Biden… As bills from the General Assembly go to the governor for his consideration, the secretive budget process between the House and Senate is now underway….
  • The legacy of Farmville civil rights icon Barbara Rose Johns is one step closer to becoming a national monument… An effort in the General Assembly to limit local opposition to solar projects has failed, and Jeff Schapiro joins us for a review of this week in the session… We profile an artist whose work will soon be on display in the Valley, where he was born and raised….