Sandy Hausman
Charlottesville Bureau ChiefSandy Hausman joined the Radio IQ team in 2008 after living and working in Chicago for 30 years. Since then, she's won numerous national and regional awards for her prolific coverage of the environment, criminal justice, research and happenings at the University of Virginia. Sandy is a graduate of Cornell University and holds a master's degree in journalism from the University of Michigan. Contact Sandy at shausman@vt.edu.
-
Earlier this year, a federal court dismissed charges against a Black man who was stopped by police in Richmond, after his lawyer showed proof of racial bias. Now, a Virginia non-profit has used the same approach to analyze traffic stops by more than a hundred other police departments. -
Five years ago, some residents of Spotsylvania County were up in arms over plans for the largest solar array east of the Rocky Mountains. Today that facility is generating a different sound and making money for a surprising group of people. Sandy Hausman paid a visit to the Spotsylvania Solar Energy Center.
-
People who have stopped using opioid drugs lose some of their tolerance, putting them at very high risk for overdose if they start again. That’s why the Virginia Department of Corrections is making a concerted effort to warn inmates before they’re released. -
Millions of Americans suffer from heart failure – a condition where the heart is damaged and cannot supply the body with enough Oxygen. At the University of Virginia, scientists are hoping to find a drug that could help hearts to regenerate. -
Virginia abolished parole for most prisoners in 1995, but those convicted before that date are still eligible. So, too, are inmates who committed crimes when they were under 18 and those who are too old or sick to pose any threat. Still fewer than two percent are getting their freedom – one of the lowest rates in the nation. -
Last week, Virginia announced $10 million in federal funding would go to four projects in communities where coal was once king. Wise, Buchanan and Dickenson Counties were “left behind” by economic growth in other parts of the state between 2000 and 2016. Now, however, experts report signs of improvement. -
Doctors spend, on average, two hours a day documenting their exams and consultations with patients. Many use a laptop to make notes, looking at a screen and not at the people in their care. Now, however, artificial intelligence may be changing that situation. -
At any given time, certain places dominate the cultural landscape. Think Silicon Valley, Los Angeles, Austin, Texas, Manhattan and Brooklyn. In 1500, Florence was one such place, and scholars from Washington and Lee University have created a 3-D model of the Italian city as it would have appeared more than 500 years ago. -
Charlottesville could become the second city in the state to offer ranked choice voting in local elections. Sandy Hausman reports on why some are backing this fundamental change in the way we choose our representatives. -
From the time we enter school, we’re told to focus or concentrate, but a professor at the University of Virginia says there’s a lot to be said for letting your mind wander. He recommends day dreaming in the shower, and an international soap company put him on the payroll to develop a line of products that might stimulate creativity.
