Essays & Commentaries
Essays & Commentaries is a production of the WVTF News Department.
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WVTF Commentary: The Other Side of the Parkway - 7.6.10
You've likely heard some essays recently on WVTF that celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Blue Ridge Parkway. But in this commentary, Dan Smith, editor of Valley Business Front magazine in Roanoke, says there's another side to the Parkway's history and its future.
ListenCharlottesville mother finds hope in autism - 6.30.10
Cheairs Frank Graves is a Charlottesville mother of two who is learning a powerful lesson from her six-year-old son. When he was 19 months old, doctors told Graves that Dawson had autism. Since then, she says, her life has been like a roller coaster ride with only hope to hold onto. In this essay, she shares one of those hopeful moments.
Parkway Summer - 6.28.10
It was an idea born of the Great Depression: to make work for Americans while connecting the Shenandoah National Park and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The project put thousands of mountain people to work and gave many an outlet for recreation for the next 75 years. Park Ranger and WVTF Radio essayist Peter Givens hopes people will take a page from the past and plan for a Blue Ridge Parkway outing this summer.
ListenCommentator: Elk Hunting A Positive Prospect - 6.14.10
The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries will hold public meetings beginning next week on the elk restoration management plan in southwest Virginia. Last Monday, we aired a commentary from a Christiansburg woman who was against what she calls "monetizing" the elk. Today we hear from WVTF commentator Jack Landers. He wants to give the elk another chance at life in Virginia.
ListenNew state revenue from elk? - 6.7.10
There's a plan under consideration by Virginia's Department of Game and Inland Fisheries that offers wildlife regulators ways to manage a small population of elk that has wandered into the Commonwealth from Kentucky. One Virginia resident, Andrea Brunais of Christiansburg, who is new to the state, isn't quite sold on the idea of turning roaming elk into a quick buck.
ListenMentors Learn - 6.1.10
Teachers and school officials often mentor the students with whom they interact. Sometimes, though, they end up learning as much from the students as the students have learned from them. During this college commencement season, Hollins University Director of Student Activities Manat Wooten reflects on how one graduating senior has left an indelible impact on her life.
Country Roads - 5.24.10
When you live in the mountains, you never know what surprises a country drive might bring. That's why WVTF essayist Diane Flynt of Floyd can often be found behind the wheel.
Life Lessons from Charlie and Other Resident Geese - 5.17.10
Many WVTF listeners are familiar with Charlie the broken-winged goose from Geraldine Kruger's essays. Now she is back to tell the tale of how Charlie came into her life. Kruger is a retired teacher who lives in Albemarle County.
ListenEnding Silence - 5.12.10
Last week, University of Virginia lacrosse player Yeardley Love was buried in her native Maryland. Just weeks shy of graduating, the 22-year-old was found beaten to death in her apartment. Her former boyfriend, a fellow student, has been charged with first-degree murder. For one New River Valley woman, who asked to remain anonymous, the tragedy hit close to home.
ListenShades of Gray: The Back Story - 5.10.10
When it comes to politics or life events in general, the decibel levels from all sides of every issue can be deafening. WVTF essayist Judy Sidden has learned that there is a back story to most issues that must be sought out before reaching a conclusion.
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