A debut novel by a Virginia Tech alum is getting praise for its take on the complexities of love and change in the wake of war.  “The Fallen Snow” is an early 20^th century story set –both in a close knit, Appalachian Town– and war time France.  Robbie Harris spoke with John Kelly, who lives in Washington D.C.  He says he first  began thinking about the idea for the book when he was in college  thirty years ago.

Photo: Washington & Lee University
Executive Chef J. Young prepares a historically accurate Thanksgiving meal.

As you plan this year’s Thanksgiving dinner, you might want to consider what the Pilgrims really ate.  Sandy Hausman went to Washington & Lee University for a taste of the original feast and found eel and beer were likely part of the meal, but turkey – maybe not.

Photo: Virginia Tech
University Honors students, from left, Kwamina Orleans-Pobee, Nicholas Montgomery, and Wes Williams want to make their tool, AboliShop, available for public use for Black Friday shoppers.

It’s estimated some thirty million people around the world are forced into slave labor. And while there’s been an international outcry, it was hard to know what labor conditions are behind the products you buy. Now a team of students at Virginia Tech has come up with an easy way for online shoppers to see how their purchases stack up on the human rights scale, before they buy.   Robbie Harris reports.

What does global warming have to do with coffee?  One Virginia business owner says “a lot.” So much that your morning cup of “joe” is going to get costlier. And he’s not alone. As Virginia Public Radio’s Tommie McNeil reports, dozens of the Commonwealth’s businesses are pressuring the General Assembly and Congress to seriously confront the challenge of climate change before there is an economic crisis.

A community mental health organization is in the spotlight, after this week’s attack on State Senator Creigh Deeds and the apparent suicide of his son.  The Richmond Times-Dispatch said Gus Deeds had undergone a psychiatric evaluation Monday, but he was not admitted for in-patient care, because no hospitals in the area had psychiatric beds available.  Now, Sandy Hausman reports that several facilities in the region could have admitted Gus Deeds.

Some experts in the mental health field say it is not uncommon for a person suffering from mental illness to be turned away from treatment.  Tommie McNeil has that story, along with more on the Inspector General’s report on access to care.

State Senator Creigh Deeds is recovering after being stabbed at his Bath County home yesterday, evidently by his 24-year-old son.  The attack and subsequent apparent suicide by Gus Deeds have raised new concerns about whether Virginia provides adequate mental health services.  Sandy Hausman has  more on what experts hope will happen next.

State Senator Creigh Deeds is now listed in fair condition at UVA Medical Center after being stabbed multiple times in the head and torso  at his Bath County home this morning.

Police were called to the home just before 7:30.  The Senator’s 24-year-old son, Gus, is dead of a gunshot wound.

Authorities say at this stage in the investigation, they’re looking at the altercation as an attempted murder and suicide.

Deeds, who is 55, has served the 25th district since 2001.

You can hear the complete 3:30 p.m. State Police briefing in Charlottesville.

Hospitals here in Virginia are sounding the alarm – warning state lawmakers that they’ll be in big financial trouble if the legislature does not expand Medicaid. Sandy Hausman tells why that’s such an important issue for medical centers statewide.

Some Democrats are now asking the White House to delay the signup period on Healthcare dot Gov for uninsured individuals. Matt Laslo reports Virginia Democrats disagree…even as the website continues to suffer major glitches.

File Photo

While Democrats trimmed the Republican majority by at least one seat in the elections, the GOP still retains a solid majority in the House of Delegates.House Speaker William Howell says the Republican party hopes it can find common ground with Governor-Elect Terry McAuliffe.

The Senate is split with 20 Republicans and 20 Democrats.But the Lieutenant Governor’s tie-breaking authority may not help in forming a Democratic majority in the Senate–depending on which party wins Northam’s Senate seat, which he will resign as the Lieutenant-Governor elect.  If the Republicans win, they will hold an outright 21-19 majority.  If Democrats win, Northam would help form a majority.  But that is not final either, because the Senator who wins the Attorney General’s election–which is currently too close to call–will have to resign his Senate seat.  Mark Obenshain’s district is considered reliably Republican, while Mark Herring’s district is thought to be more of a toss-up.

Xavier Medina Vidal, Virginia Tech

Campaign communication about immigration reform has an effect on voters from a variety of backgrounds.  That’s part of the analysis of an exit poll conducted statewide after this week’s vote in Virginia. Robbie Harris has more.

John Flood, assistant director of the University of Virginia’s Office of Emergency Preparedness. Photo: Dan Addison

Tom Hanks’ latest film, Captain Phillips, opened last month – taking in $26 million in its first weekend at the box office.  Here in Virginia, some people take a special interest in the tale of a U.S. cargo ship from Norfolk captured by pirates off the Somali Coast in 2009 – its captain held hostage.  Sandy Hausman reports that negotiations were led by a Virginia man with advice from UVA.