Hurricane Sandy could make the history books – bringing heavy snows to some areas in October, but our own Sandy – Hausman – reports the storm is surprising for other reasons.

For the last several weeks, Virginia has been experiencing an economic boon.  It’s not because of exports or agriculture, but is the result of some very strategic planning many years ago. Skyline Drive takes tourists on one of the state’s most scenic byways from Northern Virginia to Central Virginia, especially right now during peak fall foliage season.  But if you haven’t experienced one of Virginia’s semi-natural wonders, you’d be remiss not to venture out at least o nce—to a place that some have dubbed “God’s Country.”  Virginia Public Radio’s Tommie McNeil has more.

The history of medicine is, to a great extent, a history of doctors, but nurses have stood alongside physicians for centuries – providing some of the most difficult care with little fanfare.  The University of Virginia is hoping to correct that injustice – putting a large and intriguing archive of photographs, documents and tools of the nursing trade online as Sandy Hausman reports.

Richmond is gearing up for glass – lots and lots of glass, created by the world famous artist Dale Chihuly   Thousands of pieces are  on display at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, and visitors can toast the show with special Chihuly cocktails as Sandy Hausman reports.

In the last presidential debate, President Obama declared that deep military spending cuts won’t take effect in places like Virginia, but those looming defense cuts are still on the books and they’ve become a centerpiece of the race to fill Virginia’s open U-S Senate seat. Matt Laslo has spent time with both candidates and has this snapshot.

If you’re seeing more campaign ads and enjoying them less these days you’re not alone. Money flowing into Virginia from all over the country has been keeping the partisan volume pumped up for months now.  More from Fred Echols.

A 15-state commission will decide in December whether to sharply reduce fishing harvests of Atlantic menhaden.

The fish, considered vital to the health of the Chesapeake Bay, is the focus of public hearings this month from North Carolina to Maine. Last night, members of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission heard from Virginians in danger of losing their jobs at the only menhaden processing plant left on the East Coast.    Pamela D’Angelo reports.

The transition from summer to fall is not all gem-toned leaves and blue Virginia mountains. It can, unfortunately, be a bit stinky.  Tab O’Neal has the story of a “true” bug.

Former Virginia Congressman Virgil Goode  is on the presidential ballot in more than half of the U-S as the Constitution Party candidate. Matt Laslo is up in New Hampshire and checked on how his campaign is doing up north.

This time of year, the beauty of the fall foliage makes Virginia’s trees a main attraction.  Now, a new smart-phone  ‘App’ can tell you which species you’re looking at and give you information about it.  This first ever “TREE I.D. App,” developed by a Virginia Tech Professor, is a free download for anyone who wants it.  Robbie Harris has more.

Rep. Eric Cantor

E. Wayne Powell

Republican Eric Cantor is one of America’s best-known Congressmen – the House Majority Leader who clashed with President Obama, blocking a compromise on the debt ceiling.  As a member of the Ways and Means Committee, which oversees healthcare and tax law, he’s collected more than $6 million in campaign contributions over the last two years, and his district is solidly Republican. Even so, the 12-year incumbent faces a serious challenge from political newcomer Wayne Powell.  Sandy Hausman reports on what divides the candidates in Virginia’s 7th Congressional District, and why Powell thinks he can win.

The Dalai Lama was in Charlottesville, collecting a key to the city and offering his key ideas for making the 21st century a happier time for human kind. Sandy Hausman reports from the pavilion where  he spoke to the public.

Something’s gone afoul on Virginia’s Eastern Shore, and the Department of Environmental Quality is scrambling to figure out what it is.  As Virginia Public Radio’s Tommie McNeil reports, since early this week they’ve been investigating news of chicken parts falling out of the sky and hitting a riding student in the head.

After the first presidential debate wrapped up in Denver both candidates are turning their attention to Virginia. Mitt Romney campaigned in Fishersville, Virginia Thursday and both candidates will be in the state Friday.

While both presidential candidates took advantage of their trip to Colorado to court voters in western states, they also never took their eyes off independent voters in Virginia. That might be most evident in former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney’s comments on U-S energy policy.

“And by the way. I like coal. I’m going to make sure we continue to burn clean coal. People in the coal industry feel like it’s getting crushed by your policies.”

Mr. Romney will be bringing that message to Virginia’s western coal fields at the end of this week. While he makes his pitch there, President Obama will continue his effort to energize college students that proved a crucial voting block in his 2008 victory. To wrap up the week Mr. Obama will bespeaking at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia where he’ll likely tout the reforms to student loans he brought up in the debate.

“What we’ve been able to do is provide millions more students assistance. Lower, or keep low, interest rates on student loans. And this is an example of where our priorities make a difference.”

As the race heats up one thing is clear: neither campaign is taking Virginia voters for granted.

— Matt Laslo

Making things easier for people with special needs ends up benefitting everyone.  That’s the philosophy behind the push toward what’s known as ‘universal design.”  It’s no longer about making special accommodations for people with disabilities, but creating spaces that are more functional for everyone. Robbie Harris has details.

Later this month, on October 17, a judge will hear opening arguments in a lawsuit against the Fluvanna Correctional Center for Women.  Inmates claim their medical care is inadequate – that they pay $5 per visit but sometimes wait several months to see a doctor. Sandy Hausman has more on that story.

The State Board of Education has not yet approved the revised mathematics annual measurable objectives under a “No Child left Behind” waiver, but is scheduled to do so next month.  However, as Virginia Public Radio’s Tommie McNeil reports, the state’s Legislative Black Caucus and some other groups say the Board’s proposal will set minorities back to the days of Jim Crow—and they’re asking the Board to revise its plan.

Galapagos Sunset Photo by Rob Donoho
Galapagos Conservancy

Six hundred miles from the coast of Ecuador, you’ll find them — 13 islands known as the Galapagos.  It was there, in 1835, that the British scientist Charles Darwin began thinking about how animals change over time.  Since then, scientists have called the Galapagos a living laboratory – a place to study evolution and natural selection, but with 180,000 tourists visiting each year, scientists from Virginia say the Galapagos are in danger.   Sandy Hausman tells why.

Barring an emergency, the U-S House is now in recess until after Election Day. Matt Laslo reports from the Capitol that a bipartisan group of lawmakers from the region aren’t happy with the decision.

As the weather cools and the leaves start to turn, fall festival season is gearing up.   Charlottesville recently hosted a truly Virginia-style festival, bringing together gunsmiths, oyster-farmers, Chickahominy dancers, and more.  Allison Quantz has the story.

In the 1930’s, when Midwestern states turned into what history would call the dust bowl, Virginia was battling another environmental disaster, but a comeback is underway on the Eastern Shore, as Sandy Hausman reports.

Virginia’s Board of Health is gearing up for another public hearing on regulation of abortion clinics after Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli said he didn’t agree with the group’s decision in June.  At that time, the panel voted seven to four to exempt existing clinics from rules applied to new hospitals.  Sandy Hausman has more on the controversy in Richmond.

About 7,000  children in Virginia don’t attend public schools because their parents asked for a religious exemption.  Many may be home schooled, but a new report suggests some might not be getting any education as Sandy Hausman reports.

At this stage in the election cycle, you hear a lot of complaints about negative political ads on television.  Perhaps more than any other form of advertising, these short spots that pop up during election season, go for the jugular. A lot of people think that kind of ad is a huge ‘turn off.’ but, Robbie Harris spoke with a political scientist from Virginia Tech who defends negative campaign advertising.

Dominant presence of glial cells (in red) in a healthy mouse brain. (Photo: Kipnis Lab)

Alzheimer’s disease, spinal cord injuries, multiple sclerosis, autism – these are medical problems that defy easy solution and take a terrible toll on families.  Now, scientists at the University of Virginia are taking a new approach to these conditions – hoping for breakthroughs, as Sandy Hausman reports.

At Washington and Lee University, English professor Chris Gavaler not only conducts research on superhero narratives but also teaches a course on the subject and writes a blog, “The Patron Saint of Superheroes.”  This year, Spider-Man turns 50 and Tab O’Neal talks with Gavaler about the fictional young man who almost never was…

Virginia delegates at the Democratic National Convention say former President Clinton’s speech last evening draws a stark contrast between the two parties. Matt Laslo reports from Charlotte. 

Photo Credit: IRC

The United States takes in 60,000-80,000 refugees a year – people who face danger in their own countries because of their ethnic background, religion or political views.  About two thousand of them end up here in Virginia with the help of not-for-profit groups that partner with the State Department to resettle them.  Sandy Hausman reports on how these immigrants, who often come with little or no money, begin a new life.

Former Governor Tim Kaine is locked in a tough Senate race in Virginia, but he took time off from the campaign to travel to Charlotte to address his party last evening. Matt Laslo reports from Charlotte.

Virginia has pledged to get 15% of its energy from renewable sources by the year 2025. But this is an elusive goal for mot U.S. cities and states, which have made similar pledges.  Robbie Harris tells us about doctoral candidate Reza Arghandeh at Virginia Tech, who is getting noticed for his strategy to overcome to challenges to wider use of solar electricity.

After decades of violence, Colombia is a relatively stable country.  Its economy is growing, and its standard of living is on the rise, but in some rural areas, roving gangs of gunmen continue to terrorize families. Sandy  Hausman reports on their plight – and what one Virginia man is doing to help.

Special thanks to Richard Hewitt of Charlottesville for translating parts of that story.  

Campaign spending for television time in Virginia this year has already broken previous records. The commonwealth is ranked number three in the top ten Presidential battle ground states and has a hotly contested US Senate race. That means, people in our area are seeing a lot of the candidates, in person and on television.  Robbie Harris has this report.

President Obama campaigned in Charlottesville Wednesday, addressing a crowd of about 7,500 people on the downtown mall.  Sandy Hausman was there and filed this report.

Virginia Delegates from the region at the Republican National Convention in Florida say Vice Presidential nominee Paul Ryan’s plan to overhaul Medicare isn’t a liability. Matt Laslo reports from Tampa.

The Obama campaign sparked excitement on the University of Virginia campus four years ago, but UVA has been in a more pragmatic mood this year.  Sandy Hausman reports the school refused permission for a rally, and some students weren’t able to miss class to hear the President speak.

A new study from the University of Virginia School of Medicine suggests that BPA, a chemical found in plastic bottles and the lining of cans, effects the behavior of laboratory mice exposed during gestation – and the effects persist three generations later.  The study also suggests a possible link between BPA and autism as Sandy Hausman reports.

Polls show the U-S Senate race in Virginia has been locked in a neck and neck tie for months…as two well known former governors duke it out. Matt Laslo checked in with the two candidates and found both sides are working hard yet seemingly gaining no ground.

As the Republican convention kicks off this week in Tampa the party is convening without two Virginia Republicans. Matt Laslo has the details from Tampa.

Photo: VCU School of Nursing

Leaders of the nursing community in Virginia are angry over a deal between Virginia Community Colleges and an online university based in Utah.  Sandy Hausman reports that nursing programs in the Commonwealth were caught by surprise.

Governor McDonnell has pledged not to raise taxes for any reason, but analysts say the state will run out of money for new road construction in five years.  Public opposition to proposed toll roads is growing, but the governor may soon announce a new source of revenue for transportation projects – one that could solve short-term problems but cost the state millions in future revenues.

It was one year ago today, August 23, that a 5.8 magnitude earthquake shook Virginia.  It was the largest earthquake in 400 years to occur on the Eastern Seaboard—and was felt by tens of millions of people.  The epicenter was in Louisa County—and around Virginia, thousands of buildings in the state were damaged, even destroyed. Connie Stevens has this update, as research into the event continues. ua

During the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, many American soldiers have encountered improvised explosive devices that knocked them unconscious.  As a result, experts say they could be left with lifelong problems – uncontrolled anger, frustration and in some cases criminal behavior.  Here in Virginia, experts on brain injury are working to diagnose and treat victims – some already serving time in state prisons. Sandy Hausman has details.

Five Virginia schools were singled out this year for recognition in the Chronicle of Higher Education’s annual report on great colleges to work for in 2012.  Sandy Hausman reports three are community colleges, and all but one made the honor roll, scoring well in many categories.

Amherst, Virginia is about 400 miles from New York – a place many consider the nation’s cultural capital, but each year, hundreds of artists pack their paint brushes, laptops, musical instruments and other tools of their trade and head for Amherst.  Sandy Hausman reports on why that tiny town has become a magnet for creative minds.

Federal officials are taking a close look at nursing homes in this and other states – checking to see how they’re using anti-psychotic drugs.  Critics say those medications are used to sedate residents who suffer from Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, but the drugs are not approved for that purpose.  Still, some nursing home employees defend their use, as Sandy Hausman reports.