Bob Leweke
News Director / Morning Edition HostBob 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.
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Hundreds of JMU students protest ICE… School support staff in Charlottesville could soon get a pay raise… Wintergreen Resort welcomes wounded warriors for a weekend of snow sports and camaraderie…. -
A new director takes the helm of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County’s joint emergency communications center… In the General Assembly, bills advance that would ban assault-style weapons, outlaw the herbicide paraquat, and change Virginia’s participation in the Electoral College… We tour two businesses in the Valley that take very different approaches to processing reusables….
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A court rules that a newly elected member of Shenandoah County’s school board can keep his seat… Governor Spanberger signs her first bills, sending four constitutional amendments to voters… We talk with our February Books & Brews guest about his new novel, which explores a world newly shaped by chatbots, autonomous cars, and other nonhuman forces….
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A grand jury issues new animal cruelty and other charges against the former owners and workers at Natural Bridge Zoo… Charlottesville issues a symbolic statement against ICE… State Democrats release their proposed new congressional map, which could give them a 10-1 advantage in the state’s delegation….
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UVa cancer researchers discover a potential new treatment for the deadliest form of brain cancer… Governor Spanberger ends agreements between state law enforcement agencies and ICE… A new partnership between the Wildlife Center of Virginia and Bridgewater College gives turtles a place to stay for the winter, and students an opportunity to learn rehabilitation….
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State Democrats want to expand a pilot program to bring restorative justice to more of Virginia’s schools… Other bills would raise the minimum wage, restrict so-called “assault firearms,” and cut property tax exemptions for Confederate organizations… We talk with the head of a local theater company that has taken over operation of Harrisonburg’s Court Square Theater….
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Undocumented students in Virginia may not lose access to in-state college tuition after all, now that the new Democratic attorney general has taken office… Meanwhile, Democrats in the General Assembly want to give renters more time to pay rent that’s overdue… We talk with a Harrisonburg housing official about the rescue of Court Square Theater from closure…
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International student enrollment in grad programs in Virginia is significantly down, one result of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown… The Hanover property that ICE was eyeing is now off the market… The General Assembly advances bills to remove Confederate monuments from the Capitol, to fund April’s referendum on redistricting, and to allow driverless taxies in Virginia….
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Local shelters provide a place for residents to warm up as record-low temperatures persist… Harrisonburg’s animal shelter announces a new in-house veterinary center… Governor Spanberger blocks a move by her predecessor to convert a closed prison in Augusta County into an ICE facility….
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The accumulation of ice and snow has destroyed farm structures in Rockingham County, and officials have declared a local state of emergency... A new nonprofit provides support for refugee women who have settled in Charlottesville… In the General Assembly, bills advance that would crack down on gun violence, limit national guard actions in Virginia, and address a “benefits cliff” for child care subsidies….
