WMRA Daily 6/24/26

For WMRA News, I'm Bob Levicki. Shenandoah County leaders move forward on new rules for data centers. In the second part of our series on the rebuilding of Nelson County's Department of Social Services, we investigate the staffing challenges faced by small rural agencies, and we meet the all-volunteer crew in Mount Solon that rehabilitates injured bats and teaches the public how to protect them. This is the WMRA Daily for Wednesday, June 24. The Shenandoah County Board of Supervisors

voted unanimously Tuesday night to adopt an ordinance that would allow data center development. WHSV reports the 6-0 vote, rejected calls from some residents for a temporary moratorium on future projects. Community members at the meeting voiced their concerns about the possibility of data centers being built in the area. The proposed zoning would require data centers to obtain a special use permit before moving forward. It also includes rules regarding water use, noise, setbacks, environmental impacts, and public input.

To learn more about the debate over data centers in the Shenandoah Valley, check out our coverage at WMRA.org. For the first time in its 70-year history, the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business will have a woman as its permanent dean, UVA, named Yail Grushka Kakain, to the position on Monday. The longtime professor, who is currently serving as the business school's vice dean, replaces Scott Beardsley, who is now the university's president. She will start the new role, August 1st. After a year of investigations and interventions, the Nelson County Department of Social Social services is rebuilding. In this second of a three-part report, WMRA's Meredith McCool investigates a statewide tool to guide local departments and the staffing challenges faced by

small rural agencies. Please be aware that this story contains details of child abuse and neglect. In part one of this story, we heard from the Nelson County Commonwealth's attorney, Daniel Rutherford, about lapses in communication and reporting by Nelson County DSS that left children in dangerous situations. He said that notifying his office is a fundamental step in the DSS process. It could be verbal. It could be a sticky note. It could be driving by, hollering out the window. I mean, it just says it has to be notified. And I will take any action. Once they notify the Commonwealth's attorney and law enforcement, local social services departments are supposed to determine their next steps using a tool called the structured decision-making system, or S-D-M.

used by every agency across the Commonwealth, and if used properly, it will come out with good outcomes as far as what the next step will be. Eric Reynolds is the director of the State Office of the Children's Ombudsman. So they have to decide whether or not it is a valid CPS referral. Once it's validated, they can determine what the response time is. And then the third decision is, is this going to be a CPS investigation or the second route they can take is a family assessment. And what we're finding with Nelson County is that some of those,

assessments weren't done properly. According to Rutherford, whatever decision they reached using the SDM, his office should have been notified. Because all of 2024, they did zero investigations the entire year, which is a travesty in and of itself. I did eight prosecutions of child abuse that year. So there should have been a minimum of eight. And that's when I knew things were off. In 2025, the Office of the Children's Ombudsman initiated 32 formal investigations involving local departments of social services, including five in Nelson County. We had opened up investigations on some other local

agencies around the same time that the Nelson County cases came to our attention, that it just seemed like there was very similar issues amongst them, mainly with the CPS side of it, where decisions with the regard to validating and just safety decisions regarding very vulnerable children. I wanted to understand other counties' experiences with regard to reporting and decision-making. The SDN tool is pretty clear. Rebecca Morgan is the director of social services in Middlesex County and the president of the Virginia League of Social Service executives. I can't speak to every agency in their practice, but I would say for the most part, we're not struggling to use the tool. It sometimes goes back to who is on the phone taking that call and the pressure they're under.

Andy Crawford is the director of social services in Bedford County. Because if you have a lot of calls coming in, I think human nature would be sometimes you may move quicker. you could miss something. I think we try really, really hard to make sure we ask all the right questions, but we are all human. It almost seems like the kind of situation where if they're doing their job right, you're not going to know. I would agree with that. Ernie Reed serves on the Nelson County Board of Supervisors. You find out when things go terribly wrong.

Because things have a way of not being complete or up to date just because we don't have enough staff to be able to get all those things in order. I ask Director Crawford. What do you see as the biggest statewide challenges facing local departments of social services right now, and particularly in smaller or rural localities? I think staffing is the biggest, the base salary for a family services specialist in child welfare is incredibly low. The current base salary for a family services specialist one in Virginia is about $37,000, many localities, including Bedford, where Crawford is dorm. have starting salaries that are higher.

The other day, I saw one of my friends who runs a manufacturing company in Bottatat. And he told me, he said, I don't see how you hire anybody because I can't hire people in manufacturing for less than 70,000. I would say that staffing is the biggest issue because the job is hard. And it's time consuming. In May, there were two Family Services Specialist One jobs open in Nelson County, while the posted starting salary was the same as similar positions in Bristol, Lexington, and Rocky Mount. Every other locality had a maximum salary greater than Nelson's maximum of $50,000. A position in Harrisonburg,

for example, offered up to $79,000. Supervisor Reed is aware of the problem. Nelson County is a rural area located between Lynchburg and Charlottesville and offering salaries that are a little bit less than the surrounding areas. Not only is it difficult to find someone to hire, it's difficult. It's to find someone to keep. I asked the new Nelson County DSS director, Grace DeShong, if she's concerned about lower pay in Nelson County, making it difficult to fill family services specialist or FSS positions. She told WMRA via email that she is, quote,

concerned about the lower pay, and it does put our agency at a competitive disadvantage. She went on to say that, quote, we are currently in a holding pattern with the potential for a starting pay increase for FSS workers from the governor's office. In the third and final installment of this series, We'll explore the state's role in funding and oversight for local departments of social services and how recent changes could affect Nelson County.

For WMRA News, I'm Meredith McCool. We'll have part three on tomorrow's podcast. You can find photos and links to more information at WMRA.org and on our app. State legislators will likely return to Richmond early next week after Governor Abigail Spanberger said she will have amendments to the budget. I will be putting forth some amendments, and importantly, some of those are technical amendments actually requested by patrons related to some of the implementation language. So there will be a variety of amendments I will be putting forward, yes. Abigail Spanberger said some of the amendments are at the request of legislators themselves. Senate leaders have said they expect to vote on Monday ahead of the July 1st deadline for the state's budget.

When retail marijuana stores open next year, more Virginians are likely to start consuming, but there will be new criminal penalties for public consumption. Radio IQ's Michael Pope as the details. Marijuana is currently decriminalized in Virginia. If you're caught in public consuming it, you can be hit with a $25 civil penalty. But a new budget compromise struck this week increases that fine to $250 and adds new criminal penalties for a second offense and a third offense. Chelsea Higgs-Wise at the group Marijuana Justice says that will recriminalize marijuana. With this 900% increase to $250, we're not just going to see targeted policing. We're going to see the increase to increase police budgets, but now it's going to be an

increase to ruining poor people's lives. Re-criminalizing marijuana in Virginia will disqualizing marijuana in Virginia will disqualify. disproportionately harm marginalized communities, says J.M. Padini at the Marijuana Advocacy Group, Virginia Normal. We know that marijuana penalties were disproportionately impacting black, brown, young, and poor Virginians prior to decriminalization, prior to legalization. And what we don't want to see is a return to discriminatory policing. The new penalties won't start until next summer. So there's still an opportunity for the next session of the General Assembly to ditch them when they gavel into session in January.

I'm Michael Pope. The U.S. Supreme Court last week upheld Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones' effort to enforce a new firearm law. Also with Radio IQ, Brad Cutner reports. Again, this is about public safety. This is about accountability. That's Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones speaking at his office Monday morning, defending a new law that creates standards of responsible conduct.

for gun sellers and makers and allows his office to file suit if violations occur. New York passed a similar law in 2021. It led to multi-million dollar judgments against ghost gun manufacturers, but it was better known companies like Glock and Smith & Wesson via the Trade Group, the National Shooting Sports Foundation, who challenged the law. The U.S. Supreme Court denied their appeal last week. The lower court ruling fell in favor of the Empire State on technical grounds, but it also found the state didn't violate federal industry protections by using public nuisance statutes,

which imposed, quote, liability for gun industry members who knowingly or recklessly endanger the safety or health of the public through their sale or marketing of firearms. Public nuisance laws have been used successfully against the opioid industry and the inaction by the nation's highest court gave Jay Jones grounds to celebrate. Well, certainly New York was a great moment when the Supreme Court denied cert. We feel very confident in this law and how it has been structured and how it will be construed by the courts. As for the gun companies, the NSF said in a statement they would respect the high court's. decision, but they compared the idea of gun company liability to, quote, holding Anheiser-Busch and Ford Motor Company responsible for damages from drunk driving. And SSF didn't respond to requests for comment on Virginia's gun law, but they're already funding lawsuits in the Commonwealth

against two other new gun laws backed by Jay Jones. Those cases are currently working through state courts. In Richmond, I'm Brad Cutner. A newly created panel announced Tuesday by Governor Abigail Spanberger will work toward change at the state's prisons. Also with Radio IQ, Dave Cantor reports. At the Virginia Department of Corrections headquarters in Richmond, Governor Abigail Spanberger touted her administration's work during the past six months to improve the safety of incarcerated people and staff at state prison facilities. She cited a range of data, including numbers showing a decrease in serious inmate on staff assaults,

lockdowns, and overdoses. Use of force also reportedly decreased since January compared to the previous year, though limited access to the data through the free. Freedom of Information Act makes that assertion difficult to confirm. Abigail Spanberger said a diverse group of stakeholders will be invited to participate on the new Governor's Community Partnership Council on Corrections. This council, led by Director Walters and Secretary Metter, will create a permanent, structured forum for dialogue and action on the issues that matter most, conditions of confinement,

reentry and reintegration, family engagement, staffing, and public accountability. One activist whose husband is currently incarcerated at Buckingham Correctional Center said she's optimistic after watching a stream of the announcement but wondered about the panels and goal. I'm Dave Cantor. Finally today, an all-volunteer crew in Mount Solon runs an organization that rehabilitates injured bats, nurses, orphaned pups, and teaches the public how to protect these furry flying mammals. WMRA's Randy B. Hagee reports. In a small building behind Leslie Sturgis' house, the Bat Conservation and Rescue of Virginia team are busy feeding orphans' milk replacer and conducting health checks. With bats, according to the literature, they have to hit 85% forearm length compared to adults

before they can really start flying. Sturgis, a former zookeeper and park naturalist, is the organization's founder and president. She notes the progress of one big brown bat pup. It's pointed fuzzy snout and a delicate little wing peek out of the gloved hand of a volunteer. So it's still not at flying size yet. But getting there, and that's why we really want to encourage them to flap their wings because that exercises the very important pectoral muscles and shoulder girdle if you're a bat. Incubators line one wall for the youngest babies.

Another room houses older pups and nursing mothers in soft crates, including one eastern red bat, maybe four inches long, that just gave birth three days before. So you can see she's much lighter colored. Yeah, like a strawberry blonde. Yeah, and she's much fluffier because this is a tree bat. They live out in the foliage. She was found pregnant and grounded with a minor wound on her wrist that prevented her from flying, earning her a stay at the rescue.

Sturges picks her up gently in a towel to see how many babies she has nestled on her abdomen. Let me see your belly. I know, bitey bite. There are indeed three. See them, one, two, three. They're just packed in there. little baby bat sardines. Sorry, Mom.

A third room contains a tall mesh enclosure where bigger juveniles practice climbing and flapping their wings. Kavia Parsa, a long-term volunteer, has one of the adolescents hanging on their hand with a mealworm in its mouth. That's tucking, so in flight, they'll catch a bug in the air,

and then they'll tuck it into the tail and catch it, so that's a good practice technique, please. Good job. What big bat? Brooklyn Richardson is a North Carolina A&T student, interning here and at the Wildlife Center of Virginia in Waynesboro. I come in and I do the dailies and a lot of that is just cleaning up after the bats and also checking in on all the bats that are here. So checking in that they're good, no injuries, you know, nothing out of the normal. The rescue takes calls from all over the state from people who have found injured or ailing bats.

Can you return it to the colony if there is one? but we can also go by body condition. Like, if it's really thin, then nobody's been feeding it for a while, so mom's probably been predated. Often by an outdoor cat. They also regularly care for bats that were caught on glue traps. They just received five juveniles, who survived after being freed from the glue, but their mother died.

The biggest threat to Virginia bats over the last 18 years has been white-nose syndrome, which is caused by a fungus that infects cave hibernating bats. The fungus was first seen in New York in 2006. and is still moving westward across the U.S. In some sites, it's killed 90 to 100% of the bats there. Rick Reynolds is a wildlife biologist with the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources who regularly collaborates with the rescue. It's a fungus that grows into the dermis of the exposed skin on bats.

So it becomes an irritant, and bats with the white-nosed fungus are waking up twice as often as ones without it. And so in that process, they're using up more buoys. body fat. Some species have weathered it better than others. Like gray bats and big brown bats that don't seem to be that impacted by it. But then some of our other bats like a tricolored bad and little browns, Indiana bats, they've been impacted by white nose. But they seem as though they're starting to make a turn, or at least they're leveling out. It's possible the ones that have survived have some genetic immunity to the fungus. Reynolds said researchers have also seen resilient bats putting on more weight going into hibernation. They just build up their body fat going in,

knowing that they are potentially going to be, you know, waking up more often than they used to be doing. Outside of the rescue is a gazebo-shaped flight cage with wooden shelters hanging along the walls and pool noodle obstacles dangling from the ceiling. Parsa and summer assistant Nathaniel Gavin Newsom hold up fabric barriers to encourage the bats to fly and be observed in the daytime. One fully grown bat clings to the fabric, shivering as she wakes up. You can see she's actually much more engaged in what's going on around her now. She's echolocating. Ooh, that was good.

Oh, my God. She flew off and immediately crawled into a roost where Parsa retrieved her. I know, I know. I am so mean and evil. So now she's fully awake, and she's giving that as an alarm. Right from me. Localization. Once they can fly with stamina and agility and take off from the ground,

they're ready to be released and return to their rightful place eating insects on the landscape. Sturgis and Reynolds said we can all help bats by educating ourselves, planting native flora, not using pesticides, and turning off our lights at night. For WMRA News, I'm Randy B. Hagey. Visit WMRA.org to see photos of the bats and find more information about the rescues upcoming. public events at the JMU Arboretum. More WMRA News. I'm Bob Levicki.

Thanks for listening, and I hope you enjoy your Wednesday.