Scientists at the University of Virginia report an important medical breakthrough for people suffering from anemia; The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gets help from UVA to search for genetic changes to the coronavirus; The Virginia Department of Education responds to reports saying the department would eliminate advanced math courses; And more colleges and universities in the commonwealth are returning to in-person graduation ceremonies.

For the first time in its history, Virginia will have a Secretary of Labor; Attorney General Mark Herring says colleges and universities in the commonwealth CAN require students to get vaccinated; Republicans in Virginia reverse an earlier decision to prevent people from voting absentee in their upcoming nominating convention; And local US Forest Service rangers conduct a prescribed burn on national forest land in Augusta, Rockingham and Pendleton counties

Each spring and fall, local U.S. Forest Service rangers conduct prescribed burns on national forest land. Most recently, they ignited a 5,000 acre burn in Rockingham, Augusta, and Pendleton counties, straddling the Virginia - West Virginia border. WMRA's Randi B. Hagi reports. Last Friday morning, a sleek yellow helicopter landed next to the Hone Quarry reservoir. In the distance, a hazy cloud of smoke began rising from the ridgeline. The helicopter crew – forest service folks from Arkansas –

Body camera footage released, early voting has begun, and the Apple Blossom Festival returns after a hiatus last year. This is the WMRA Daily for Monday, April 26th

Restaurants in Virginia can now open their bars, sell alcohol until midnight and stay open until 5am Governor Ralph Northam signs a bill to legalize marijuana in the commonwealth A Guatemalan woman, given sanctuary for over two years at a church in Charlottesville, receives a stay of removal from ICE And commemorating the student walkout at Moton High School 70 years ago to protest racial segregation

Leaders in Virginia continue to react to the guilty verdict in the trial of former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin; Blind voters in the commonwealth will now have a permanent option to cast an absentee ballot; Officials in Nelson County support the removal of easements following the cancellation of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline; And, for the first time, siblings have won top prizes at this year’s Piedmont Regional Science Fair

This Friday marks 70 years since students at Moton High School in Farmville, Virginia walked out of class to protest racial segregation in Prince Edward County public schools in a moment.

Leaders in Virginia react to the guilty verdict in the murder trial of Derek Chauvin; Virginians collecting unemployment benefits will be required to report looking for work starting in early June; Attorney General Mark Herring is asking the Virginia Supreme Court to dissolve a restraining order preventing Virginia from removing the statue of Robert E. Lee in Richmond; And the University of Virginia Health System has announced new billing policies that focus on a patient’s ability to pay.

Now that all Virginians age 16 and older are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, Senator Mark Warner encourages residents to get vaccinated A US legislator representing a portion of the WMRA listening area has crafted a bill to make it easier to obtain silencers And a new report from an educational reform group found that Black and Hispanic students are quote "woefully underrepresented" in Virginia’s public colleges and universities

Several JMU physicists lent a hand to a groundbreaking particle physics discovery that jolted the global science community. Liberty University has filed a civil lawsuit against its former leader Jerry Falwell Jr. Democrat Terry McAuliffe hold a lead in fundraising in this year’s governor race. And as the Spring convention and primary season heats up,. Candidates are feeling the heat.