Over the past forty years, society has gotten increasingly more polarized in regards to differing political and personal ideas. David R. Brubaker , professor at Eastern Mennonite University, offers advice for navigating in our polarized environment. He’s our speaker for WMRA's virtual Books & Brews on May 11, 2021. David recently spoke with WMRA’s Chris Boros who asked him to describe what causes polarization. David Brubaker: When there is a significant gap between the rich and the poor in

Senator Tim Kaine visited the Shenandoah Valley Thursday. He met with aviation business leaders at Blue Ridge Community College and with faculty and staff at James Madison University. He also met with local officials and volunteers in Broadway to learn more about an effort to repurpose an unused railroad corridor as a multi-purpose trail. WMRA’s Calvin Pynn reports.

Senator Kaine is making a swing through our part of Virginia, in part to discuss turning an unused railroad corridor in the Valley into a multi-purpose trail… The governor says he will lift some pandemic-related restrictions next week… Voting has already started for the June Democratic primary, and the candidates for governor met to debate again Thursday night….

Virginia’s attorney general and his Democratic challenger for the job debate on TV… The state’s ACLU and other open government groups warn Staunton city leaders their decision to require residents to attend council meetings in-person violates federal protections for those with disabilities… The family of a Black man shot by a Spotsylvania sheriff’s deputy says he’s in intensive care with 10 bullet wounds, and they say he was unarmed and can’t understand why the deputy shot him….

A new poll finds that Virginians tend to see themselves as just right-of-center politically, but still support liberal ideas such as the Green New Deal… If your grades are good enough, you can get free tuition next year at Piedmont Virginia Community College… As state Republicans gear up for this Saturday’s convention, we have an update on the campaigning….

Members of the commission that recommended keeping Charlottesville’s Confederate statues now say they should be covered up until they’re removed… It’s been 60 years since the Freedom Rides began, and a special event is happening on the first stop in Virginia… Now that vaccine supply has met demand, how can local health providers overcome remaining barriers for some people getting vaccinated?

Now that all Virginians age 16 and up are eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine, local health officials and community leaders are trying to overcome the barriers that may be preventing people from getting vaccinated. WMRA's Randi B. Hagi reports. [The Virginia Department of Health sponsors programs on WMRA.]

A Harrisonburg Parks and Rec worker dies from an injury on the job… If you’re making minimum wage, you got a raise effective Saturday… Scrutiny over that violent police stop in Windsor last month has again turned attention to the incentives that cops have to pull people over, incentives that could come from local budgets….

Governor Ralph Northam eases restrictions on outdoor gatherings; Beginning on Saturday, Virginia’s minimum wage increases to $9.50/hour; Mary Baldwin University announces that students and faculty will need to be vaccinated against the coronavirus in order to return to campus in the fall; And Girl Scouts in Christiansburg have a new way to deliver their iconic cookies.

Two new reports suggest schools in Virginia are increasingly segregated by race and economic status; Education officials in the commonwealth are working to reassure families that they aren’t doing away with accelerated math courses; The Charlottesville Police Civilian Review Board proposes a new police oversight model and other changes to city policies; And Virginia may be on the verge of expanding passenger rail into the New River Valley