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Potential  U-S military engagement in Syria is sparking a debate among the region’s lawmakers over whether sequestration is impacting the U-S military’s ability to respond to conflicts abroad.  Matt Laslo has the details.

On September first, Dominion Power is required to submit a report to the state, explaining how it will provide electricity over the next fifteen years, but even before that happens, a coalition of environmental groups is demanding the utility use more sustainable energy sources to generate power.  Sandy Hausman has that story.

National Gallery of Art

The National Gallery of Art is running an exhibit connected with the anniversary of the March on Washington.  As Matt Laslo reports, the exhibit delves into Virginia’s sordid history with slavery.

Virginia’s School Board Association and the Norfolk Board of Education are suing the state to stop implementation of a new law that would allow Richmond to take over local schools when they consistently fail Standards of Learning tests.  Sandy Hausman has that story.

Photo: University of Virginia School of Nursing

When a woman reports a rape, she is given a forensic evidence exam–known informally, as a rape kit.  But the rape kits used by hospitals all over the country are using a technique that puts women with dark skin at a disadvantage.  Allison Quantz reports.

A special panel of the Freedom of Information Advisory Council has declined to endorse legislation to require the State Corporation Commission to comply with many provisions of Virginia’s open-government laws.  The Rights and Remedies subcommittee took up the issue at the request of a Fairfax Delegate who believes that many of the SCC’s activities are too shielded from the public.  As Virginia Public Radio’s Anne Marie Morgan reports, supporters of the requirement say they’re seeking a middle ground that would still safeguard the SCC’s regulatory activities.

The governor’s speech was not well received in certain circles.  Democrats and economists said McDonnell  should not claim credit for low unemployment or another budget surplus as  Sandy Hausman reports.

Recently a jury in Spotsylvania County awarded a family more than $1.4 million dollars in a negligence suit against a local nursing home. The facility has a history of safety violations, and as Rebecca Blatt reports, federal regulators say the problems continue to persist…

A Virginia-based singer-songwriter has found musical inspiration in a rather unlikely place: The Metro system.

Jason Mendelson just released the fourth volume of his “MetroSongs” series — all featuring songs inspired by different Metro stations. Rebecca Sheir met with him and his band, The Open Doors, and asked how the whole “MetroSongs” venture began.

“MetroSongs Volume 4: Multi-tracking” is out now.

Photo: Chicago Tribune

With Congress in recess for the month President Obama is preparing to continue pressuring Republicans to work with him on job creation. Members of Virginia’s congressional delegation say that while his speeches rev up his base he still isn’t trying to work with the G-O-P.  Matt Laslo reports from Washington, D.C.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation has released the results of a poll showing strong support for clean-up efforts and little desire for delay.  Two pollsters who work for Republicans and Democrats questioned more than 600 people.  Sandy Hausman reports on what they found.

Photo: Service Employees International Union

Congress is gone for the month of August so local immigration advocates are planning to take their fight for reform to Republican’s district offices in Virginia. Matt Laslo has the details.

While Americans are growing more health-conscious and monitoring what they eat, the latest trend is becoming more aware of foods containing Genetically Modified Organisms. But as Tommie McNeil reports, a Virginia nutritional counselor says GMO labeling is not so obvious in the packaging, and more foods contain GMOs than one might suspect.

Clay Street Market, Richmond VA.
Photo: Tricycle Gardens

A food desert is a neighborhood with no supermarkets – a place where you can’t buy fresh fruits or vegetables.  The small corner stores carry canned and dried food that keeps well on the shelf but is less nutritious than fresh produce, often high in fat and sugar.  For a city of its size, Richmond, Virginia is the worst food desert in the nation, but an effort is underway to fix that problem. Sandy Hausman has the story.

The recent discovery of a prehistoric whale skeleton along the shore of the Potomac River may help scientists understand life and climate change millions of years ago during the Miocene Epoch. The dig lies 150 feet below ancient cliffs at Virginia’s Stratford Hall in Westmoreland County, the birthplace of General Robert E. Lee.

Wading along this pristine shoreline, over fallen trees and under ancient cliffs Jon Bachman, who works at Stratford Hall was with a group of scientists in June when he found the 15 million-year-old whale skull.

“We’re walking along the beach when I notice something that looks like a gray hubcap sticking out about 3 ½ feet from where the cliffs meet the beach,” said Bachman.

The Calvert Marine Museum across the river in Maryland was called and a team of scientists and students led by paleontologist Stephen Godfrey removed the 6 ½ foot-long baleen whale skull last month. Now they’re back for the 25 foot skeleton.

“These cliffs give us a portal into that 10 million year block of time that’s represented by the depth of the sediments here from about 18 million years ago to about 8 million years ago. So as close as to Washington we know what creatures were living here at that time,” said Godfrey.

The discovery was kept quiet until the prized whale skull was removed. Stratford Hall didn’t want patrons near the unstable cliffs. There was also talk of fossil raiders. John Nance, another paleontologist with the Calvert Museum said it was about preserving the site.

“Because we don’t want to have a lot of people coming around and possibly disturbing it. It holds a lot of scientific value but on the market these bones wouldn’t sell for very much at all. Big sharks teeth. That’s what sells,” said Nance.

The skull and some of the bones are now  on display at the Calvert Maritime Museum.

–by Pamela D’Angelo

You can watch a video of the excavation, posted by John Nance at the Calvert Marine Museum.

A bill that would have helped crackdown on Internet predators that was shot down during the last General Assembly session is now being restructured so that it has a chance of survival next session. As Virginia Public Radio’s Tommie McNeil reports, the bill’s co-sponsor believes the measure would give law enforcement a much-needed tool to pursue and prosecute those who might otherwise get away with the unthinkable.

Since the mid 18th century, Americans throughout New England and the South have been gathering for shape note singing, a form of a capella sung mostly from a popular tune book called The Sacred Harp. Now there’s a new tune book that captures some of Virginia’s musical past.

Photos: Aniridia Foundation
Above, a normal eye. Below, the eye of a child born with aniridia, a congenital eye disorder. People born with the disease have no iris and are generally legally blind.

An international conference gets underway at UVA tomorrow (Wednesday).  It will draw fewer than 200 people to talk about a very rare disease, but what happens there could prove important to millions of patients as Sandy Hausman reports.

Republican Ken Cuccinelli and Democrat Terry McAuliffe are close in the latest polls. But the two major party candidates for Virginia Governor are far apart on almost all the issues.  In their first debate, sponsored by the Virginia Bar Association, the two men set the tone for what is likely to be a tough, hard campaign.  Joe Staniunas reports.

President Obama is vowing to attempt to combat climate change from the Oval Office, which Virginia Republicans say will cost jobs in the state while also hiking energy prices. Matt Laslo has the story from the U-S Capitol.

It’s estimated that more than 100-thousand people a year die as a result of hospital errors.  In emergency situations, when every second counts, even small mistakes can make the difference between a good outcome and a bad one. Robbie Harris has this report on a new tool for reducing errors when children are brought in to the emergency room for urgent care.

When the weather is warm, some people start thinking of higher elevations – like the ski resort Wintergreen which is now hosting a festival of music, art, wine and food.  Sandy Hausman reports on this year’s festivities.

Virginia’s Alcoholic Beverage Control director says he’s asked state police to review an incident last spring that landed a UVA sorority girl in jail and created a public firestorm.   A Virginia civil liberties group says the legislature should also be involved.  Sandy Hausman has details.

Photo: Derrick Hamrick/Nature Conservancy

Pine forests were once common in this part of the world — from New Jersey to Florida and west to Texas.  It was a rich environment for a small and smart little woodpecker that is now endangered.  Sandy Hausman reports on what happened to the bird, and why it’s now coming back.

Photo: Specialty Food Association

If you’re a foodie, chances are you’ve heard about Feast – a small, Central Virginia shop with a big reputation and a new reason to brag.  It was named Outstanding Retailer of the Year by the Specialty Food Association, as Sandy Hausman reports.

Photo Credit: Monticello

Seventy nine people from 38 countries became U.S. citizens today, during the annual swearing in at the home of Thomas Jefferson.  The event drew more than 3,000 people – in part because the featured speaker was a Grammy-winning rock star.  Sandy Hausman has that story.

Virginia’s attorney general is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to let the Commonwealth keep its law against sodomy on the books, because he claims it protects children from predators, but critics say we have other laws to do that, and Ken Cuccinelli is simply playing politics.  Sandy Hausman has the story.

Lawmakers in the region are having mixed reactions to the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act. Capitol Hill reporter Matt Laslo has the story.

Virginia lawmakers are trying to figure out how Congress should respond to the Supreme Court’s decision to strike a section of the Voting Rights Act. Capitol Hill reporter Matt Laslo has the story.

Photo Credit: Rachel Grossman

In Loudon County, part of Northern Virginia,  scientists are doing big research on a very small insect. And the results could have major implications for how the brain functions.  Rebecca Sheir has the story.

Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled companies cannot patent human genes, it may be cheaper to have a genetic test that identifies women at high risk for breast and ovarian cancer, but Sandy Hausman reports that the test is not appropriate for most women and might provide a false sense of security. 

Millions of birds passed through Virginia this spring, and the National Wildlife Federation says many are in trouble, in part because of climate change.  A warming planet is drying up wetlands, causing more storms and producing less food.  Sandy Hausman traveled to the Eastern Shore to report on one species — the rust- colored sandpipers known as red knots.  Each year, they fly about 10,000 miles – from the tip of South America to their nesting grounds in the Arctic – stopping in Virginia to refuel.  

More than 25 million Americans have diabetes, putting them at risk for eye damage that can lead to blindness.

Often, problems occur before the disease is diagnosed, but doctors at the University of Virginia have made an exciting discovery that could protect or even restore vision. Sandy Hausman reports.

On average, people lie several times a day. Some of those lies are big ones but most are lies or deceptions we’ve come to live with if not accept or anticipate. A professor at Longwood University says deception is rampant in our culture and he’s looking for a way to help employers weed out dishonest applicants.  Sandy Hausman has that story.

One of the nation’s most controversial artists has announced a surprising new work.  Sandy Hausman reports on a living tribute to W.E.B. Dubois.

One of the most contentious issues the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries has faced in recent years, is regulation of an activity known as ‘Fox Hound Training.”  Opponents call it “Fox Penning” and consider it a cruel practice for the animals involved.  Supporters say their dogs are being trained to hunt under controlled conditions aimed at protecting all the animals involved. The DGIF board will vote Thursday on new safety requirements proposed at its meeting in March.  Robbie Harris reports.

Virginia lawmakers are having mixed reactions to reports that the Obama Administration potentially tracked phone records of tens of millions of Americans. Matt Laslo has the story from Washington.

Sixty Five years ago, ‘The Marshall Plan’ for reviving Europe’s economy after World War II, changed the course of history. As Secretary of State after the war, General George Marshall conceived the plan in the wake of the devastation of World War Two. The plan resides here in Virginia and is still studied by leaders and scholars from all over the world.
Now, thanks to help from archivists at Virginia Tech, they won’t have to travel here to see it. Robbie Harris has more.

Learn more at the George C. Marshall Foundation website.

Dr. John Hawley/UVA

A University of Virginia professor has won the Asian equivalent to the Nobel Prize for his research on energy, magnetism and black holes.  The news came by e-mail, and John Hawley is still buzzing as Sandy Hausman reports.

The last time the state of Virginia had its own, definitive plant guide was 1762, with the book “Flora Virginica.” Now, after more than a decade in the making, the volume has finally been updated.  Connie Stevens reports.

LM Otero/AP via NPR

Smithfield Foods is being sold to China’s largest pork producer. Beverly Amsler reports on the $4.7 billion deal.

A 1960s era poverty measurement is being replaced by one that more accurately reflects Virginians’ living standards and spending patterns.  Beverly Amsler explains.

Photo: Wildlife Center of Virginia

It’s spring, and that means business for the Wildlife Center of Virginia, where hundreds of animals – many of them babies — are brought for treatment of injuries or illness. This year veterinarians are caring for a record number of bear cubs, and as Sandy Hausman reports, the public is invited to watch.

A bipartisan group of Virginia lawmakers is fighting to win federal recognition of six tribes in the commonwealth. Capitol Hill reporter Matt Laslo has the story.

Chocolate Covered Cicadas

As the 17-year cicadas emerge from the ground, millions of birds will be feasting – and a few people plan to join the party, harvesting, cooking and eating these insects which experts say are high in protein, low in fat and cholesterol.  Sandy Hausman was at one of the first dinner parties to celebrate the coming of cicadas.

Experts say that due to the prolific use of pesticides it is not recommended to eat any bug without knowing its origins are safe.

Those debit cards that the Virginia Department of Taxation issued to taxpayers instead of checks are NOT going anywhere. In fact, as the tax season wraps up, most residents have already seen them.  But as Virginia Public Radio’s Tommie McNeil reports, Tax Commissioner Craig Burns has told the Senate Finance Committee that he believes the worst is over.

Revenue that Virginia officials were anticipating from online sales tax legislation in Congress is now in doubt. Matt Laslo reports on the battle going on behind the scenes on Capitol Hill over a proposal to collect online sales taxes.

Roanoke College is out with a new poll detailing how Virginians view their financial situation and general business conditions now and in the future.  Beverly Amsler has the details.

John C. Herr, Professor of Cell Biology and Biomedical Engineering
Photo: University of Virginia

Scientists at the University of Virginia have made a surprising discovery that could mean more effective treatments for a range of deadly cancers.  Sandy Hausman reports on how this finding could shape future therapies, and how long it might take to bring those to market.

A University of Virginia Professor of Education has won two new grants to help American children read.  The program she’s developed is already in use statewide and has spread to every state and five other countries.  It’s called PALS, and Sandy Hausman tells why it’s a breakthrough for kids.