Virginia's 44th state park opened last month in the mountains of Highland County. Its backstory includes agriculture, hunting tours, and a battle over the defunct Atlantic Coast Pipeline. WMRA's Randi B. Hagi reports.

Open enrollment is underway for Virginia’s health insurance marketplace. However, with federal tax subsidies set to expire at the end of the year, per the federal spending bill that was signed this week, Virginians could see much higher monthly premiums. WMRA’s Calvin Pynn spoke with Keven Patchett, the director of Virginia’s Health Benefit Exchange, about what to expect.

As more extreme weather events, such as heatwaves are occurring more frequently during the summer, physicians are paying close attention to their impact on the human body. Dr. Abigail Hankin-Wei is an emergency medicine doctor in the Shenandoah Valley and a board member on the committee Virginia Clinicians for Climate Action. WMRA's Calvin Pynn asked her about the health impacts of climate change that she’s seen in her patients.

While more than 800,000 Virginians await the resumption of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits, farmers and farmers markets are helping to keep food on their tables. WMRA's Randi B. Hagi reports.

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.

According to veteran journalist, Miranda Spivack, Americans are likely to encounter the effects of government malfeasance with their local officials.

Stray, feral, and outdoor cats are abundant across the Shenandoah Valley, with colonies bearing litters of kittens year-round. Through spay and neuter programs, fostering, and adoption, shelters and volunteers are trying to stem the feline tide. Listeners should be advised this story mentions some graphic veterinary problems. WMRA's Randi B. Hagi reports.

On Saturday, Indivisible Charlottesville organized a New Orleans-style funeral march on the downtown mall to mourn what they see as a loss of civil liberties in America – and celebrate hope for the future. WMRA’s Meredith McCool followed the procession.

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 man is in custody after an hours-long standoff with Harrisonburg police near EMU Sunday.