VA News Reader

September 23, 2022


Photo: Bernd Thaller

The World’s Oldest Winged Insect Is in Trouble. How Frightened Should We Be?

By Robert O’Harrow Jr. for The Washington Post

One morning in April, I waded into a cold mountain stream in Virginia called the Hazel River. I was there to fish for brook trout but found myself looking more than casting. The sun coming through the trees had gathered into a soft haze above the pool I was in. Hovering in the illumination was a cinnamon-colored insect.

It moved slowly up and down with what seemed to be the rhythm of a gentle song, its long body and tails hanging below the wings. I was reminded of something I couldn’t quite recall. UFOs came to mind. Then ballet dancers. And finally sprites. I had seen mayflies plenty of times over the years — trout love to eat mayflies, and I love to catch trout — but this one was enchanting.

Read the full article at The Washington Post.


Virginia is sending out millions of $250 tax rebates. Here’s how to find out if you’ll get one.

By Graham Moomaw for The Virginia Mercury

Over the last few days, the Virginia Department of Taxation began the process of sending out roughly 3.2 million tax rebate payments of up to $250 per person.

But not everybody is getting one. Eligibility for the one-time rebates, a result of huge revenue surpluses filling up state coffers, depends on how much a filer owed in state taxes for 2021.

Read the full article at The Virginia Mercury.


Matt Gentry for The Roanoke Times

Virginia Tech gets largest ever grant to fund smart farming efforts

By Luke Weir for The Roanoke Times

Living off the land requires sustaining that precious soil, and the largest grant in Virginia Tech’s history is set to help make climate-smart farming practices more affordable.

An eighth-generation farmer in Blacksburg and researchers at Virginia Tech began cultivating the possibilities after the school announced the $80 million grant earlier this week.

Read the full article at The Roanoke Times.


FROM VIRGINIA NEWS READER:

Report for America Adds Newsroom Depth

For the past four years, a national program has enriched hundreds of communities by connecting local newsrooms with journalists to report on important issues.

Two Virginia news outlets – the Rappahannock News and the Henrico Citizen – are among those that have benefitted from Report for America (RFA), an initiative of the GroundTruth Project that aims to place 1,000 reporters into local newsrooms across the country and provide readers with coverage of critical issues in their community.Read more on Virginia News Reader.


‘Unfailingly polite’: Williamsburg Inn employees reminisce on Queen Elizabeth II’s whirlwind 2007 visit

By Sian Wilkerson for The Virginia Gazette

As people across the world revisit memories of Queen Elizabeth II, who died last week after 70 years on the throne, a few employees at the Williamsburg Inn can look back and say that they played a part in history.

In 2007, when the queen visited Virginia to mark the 400th anniversary of Jamestown, she made a stop in Colonial Williamsburg where she stayed at the iconic Williamsburg hotel for the second time.

Read the full article at The Virginia Gazette.


Photo: Jillian Lynch for Daily News-Record

It Comes Naturally: McGaheysville Woman Builds Career Around Art, Draws Inspiration From The Outdoors

By Jillian Lynch for Daily News-Record

With no formal art education, a local woman explained how she got into drawing, painting and photography.

“It just came naturally, I guess,” she said.

Read the full article at Daily News-Record.


Photo: Peter Cihelka for The Free Lance-Star

Female barber wants to help clients with alopecia regain their confidence

By Adele Uphaus-Conner for The Free Lance-Star

Twana James had a successful home-based hair-braiding business for a decade, but she found herself wanting to do more for her clients.

“A lot of braid clients have alopecia, and they were getting braids to cover the hair loss,” James said.

Read the full article at The Free Lance-Star.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *