Photo: Virginia Tech

A tiny, invasive bug is bringing down hemlock trees from Appalachia to southern Canada. And scientists fear another treasured native tree may be going the way of the American chestnut, forever changing forest ecosystems. Researchers at Virginia Tech are hoping to beat the invaders at their own game. They’re using a new invasive species to keep an old one in check, and save the American Hemlock tree. Robbie Harris has more.

Jim Moran/(D) 8th Congressional District

Northern Virginia Democratic Congressman Jim Moran says he’s retiring because he thinks he can direct more change working from outside of this Congress. Capitol Hill reporter Matt Laslo has the story…

More than 6,300 people with mental illness are locked up in Virginia jails, and a new report from the inspector general says they’re not getting the care required by law.  Sandy Hausman reports that sheriffs are now demanding more money to provide mental health services.

A recent Gallup poll shows 58% of Americans favor legalizing marijuana.  Colorado and Washington have done so, and Californians are expected to vote on the question this year.  So might the Commonwealth follow their lead?  Sandy Hausman put that question to several lawmakers and filed this report.

While it is legal for Virginia pharmacies to fill prescriptions for marijuana to treat glaucoma and the side effects of cancer, Virginia pharmacists say they have no way to get the drug.  Ophthalmologists say there are better ways to treat glaucoma, and their academy finds no compelling evidence that marijuana is effective in controlling the disease.

It’s five times more expensive to care for people with mental illness in a hospital than in the community, so it makes financial sense that the governor’s proposed budget contains more money for a model mental health program designed to keep people out of hospitals.  Sandy Hausman tells how that program works for residents of five Central Virginia counties.

In an address on school choice Virginia Republican Congressman Eric Cantor says there is an attack on vouchers.  Matt Laslo reports from Capitol Hill.

You’ve probably heard that the nation trains too few scientists, mathematicians, engineers or computer techs to compete with China or India.  Our schools are buzzing about that, and government is pouring money into teacher training, but experts are beginning to question the claim and to worry about a surplus as Sandy Hausman reports.

Patrick Carney
Photo: SPACE.com

Parents and grandparents may anguish over the amount of time kids spend playing video games or watching videos on YouTube, but a University of Virginia student offers reassurance.  His passion for those things has led to an amazing prize, as Sandy Hausman reports.

In 2013 national Democrats took note of Terry McAulife’s win in Virginia’s gubernatorial race. Matt Laslo reports they’re hoping to use that ‘Virginia model’ to win nationally in the 20-14 midterms, and they’re trying to make their case with one Virginia Republican in particular.

Virginia Tech is one of six sites that will test drones as part of push to integrate them into the nation’s airspace in the next few years.   Robbie Harris has the story.

New numbers from the U.S. Justice Department may come as a surprise to those who think prisons are the best response to crime.  Inmate populations are down, and so are criminal convictions as Sandy Hausman reports. 

This wasn’t a pretty year in Washington and Virginia lawmakers are as upset about it as voters. Matt Laslo has this look back at the highs and lows from our congressional delegation.

It is that time of year—when you just might have a Holiday Jingle Ear Worm….maybe you picked it up in a department store, or from a humming co-worker.  Maybe even from this radio station. ‘Tis the season for Christmas tunes.
Connie Stevens talks with a writer from Appomatox, who is actually an expert on American Christmas music.

A new report from the University of Virginia and the Legal Aid Justice Center shows Virginia schools suspend black boys at twice the rate of whites – often for minor offenses like being loud or disruptive in class, but another approach could solve the problem while keeping students in school.  Sandy Hausman has that story.

At Christmas time in 1969, John Lennon and Yoko Ono embarked on their famous Peace Campaign.   Soon after their ‘year of peace’ they collaborated on another song on the same theme. Robbie Harris has the story of the never before released demo recording they made.

Scientists are asking the public’s help in stemming the spread of a blight on the Boxwood bush.  The plant is often used in holiday wreaths and garlands this time of year. Robbie Harris has more.

Last year, the White House issued an executive order barring the deportation of high school students whose parents came to this country illegally.  They were encouraged to apply for a special immigration status that could, ultimately, lead to citizenship.  Now, seven of those students are suing to qualify for in-state tuition at Virginia’s public colleges and universities as Sandy Hausman reports. 

Birds do it.  Bees do it.  No…we’re not talking about ‘falling in love,’ we’re talking about sex.  Biologists have long known it plays a vital role in passing new gene combinations on to the next generation, but what’s been less clear, is exactly how that works.   Now, a Virginia Tech Biologist has a new theory that challenges long held notions about natural selection and survival of the fittest.  Robbie Harris has more.

Red bricks covered with ivy have long been seen as a part of Virginia’s charm, but scientists in Richmond warn the vines are taking over – posing a threat to other plants in the state, and they want citizens to do their part in getting ivy under control. Sandy Hausman reports.

Feast in the Ober/Alexander Reading Room

Digitally restored daguerreotype of Emily Dickinson, 1847
Image: Wikimedia Commons

This week, we celebrate Emily Dickinson’s 183rd birthday.  What better way to celebrate the poet than by baking her famous Black Cake?   A group of Charlottesville poets-turned-bakers let us join them for their “Fourth Annual Emily Dickinson Birthday Party.”

Lilia Fuquen takes us to the party.

Image: womensmonumentcom.virginia.gov/

After scouring four centuries of Virginia history—a dozen women have been selected to be memorialized with a bronze monument on Richmond’s Capitol Square. Connie Stevens has the list in this report on the Women of Virginia Commemorative Commission.

Both state lawmakers and Governor-elect Terry McAuliffe say ethics reform will be a priority in January when McAuliffe takes office and the General Assembly convenes. But as Virginia Public Radio’s Tommie McNeil reports, at least one lawmaker is warning that his colleagues should tread lightly and put a great deal of thought into their proposals … because the issue is more of a minefield than people realize.

Timothy Sands

After a unanimous vote, the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors has named the university’s next president.   55-year-old Timothy Sands, the provost of Purdue University will be the 16th president of Virginia Tech.

Sands holds an endowed chair in engineering at Purdue—and specializes in the growing field of nanotechnology, with applications for many high-tech uses.  He’s published more than 250 refereed papers, and has been granted 16 patents in electronic materials. Last year he  served as Purdue’s acting president.

Sands begins work on June 1st, when President Charles Steger steps down.  Steger announced his retirement last spring—he’s been president of Virginia Tech since 2000.

Some 238 candidates were considered in the 6-month search to head the one-point-two billion dollar academic enterprise.  Virginia Tech now offers 215 degree programs to more than 31,000 students and manages a research portfolio of $450 million.

Virginia Organizing is out with its annual Job Gap report.  The report compares the number of job seekers to the number of jobs that pay a living wage.  Beverly Amsler has the details.

Virginia needs 30 new judges to keep up with the current caseload.  Beverly Amsler reports on a new study, ordered by the General Assembly.

Alan Wang, Pamplin College of Business

These days, there’s no shortage of information available on the Internet. Everybody and anybody can offer an opinion. But how do you determine what’s valuable and what isn’t?  Robbie Harris tells us about a research team at Virginia Tech, that’s come up with a way to cut through the clutter out there.

Stock Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images via NPR

Some members of the State Board of Elections have again raised the issue of potential vote-counting irregularities in Fairfax County, but this time a major focus was on which provisional ballots should have been counted.  While the entire Fairfax Electoral Board was unable to attend today’s state meeting to explain, one member traveled to Richmond to begin a discussion about what happened.  And as Virginia Public Radio’s Anne Marie Morgan reports, their differences could all boil down to how the state law is interpreted.

Proponents of coal are warning the shifting energy economy in the southwestern part of Virginia could ripple across the rest of the commonwealth. Matt Laslo reports opponents say they’re ringing false alarm bells.

The Supreme Court is now weighing a case that could put an end to limits on individual campaign contributions.  Backers of the idea argue that as long as the donation is disclosed, the risk of corruption is minimal, but another view has emerged from the University of Virginia Law School, as Sandy Hausman reports. 

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.

The Virginia Supreme Court has reversed a wrongful death verdict stemming from the 2007 shootings at Virginia Tech, which killed 32 people.  Robbie Harris reports.

In an off-year election, when there are no presidential candidates, voter turnout is usually low.
Polls may give the race to one candidate, but victory could go to another if he or she can get supporters to actually show up and cast a ballot.
That’s why both Ken Cuccinelli and Terry McAuliffe are campaigning this week with their party’s biggest stars.  Sandy Hausman has that story.

Swing counties in Virginia that were key to President Obama’s victory aren’t showing many signs of life in this year’s governor’s race.  Matt Laslo stopped in Loudon County in Northern Virginia and has this glimpse of a lackluster ground game.

Photo Cole Geddy/UVA

In western culture, the afterlife is often depicted as a place where angels rest on clouds and harps play soothing music.  Here in Virginia, some people hear that music even before death.  Sandy Hausman reports on a program called Music by the Bedside.

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill just ended one battle that cost Virginia countless millions of dollars, but the deal merely kicks the can down the road. Matt Laslo reports that the state isn’t out of troubled waters yet…  

UVA/Sanjay Suchak

There was a surprising event at the University of Virginia this week. About 500 people gathered to hear from one of the world’s great spiritual leaders and one of the nation’s new media moguls.  Sandy Hausman reports on why they led a mass meditation on The Lawn.

Photo: Green Forests Work

For more than a century, coal companies here in Virginia have been transforming wooded hillsides — strip mining more than a million acres of land in Central Appalachia. They’re required to restore those sites, but environmentalists aren’t always happy with the results, and area residents find no economic use for the land. Now, however, there’s something new happening on old mining sites.  Jonna McKone reports.

Democrats in Virginia are laying blame for the government shutdown at the feet of Virginia Republican Eric Cantor, the House Majority Leader. Capitol Hill reporter Matt Laslo has the story.