Fred Echols
Producer and ReporterFred Echols is a long-time member of the WVTF Music/RADIO IQ news department and produces news content as well as public affairs programs. Fred's career in broadcasting began in North Carolina's Triad before switching from commercial radio, where he'd held numerous positions including program director. He was a long-time host of All Things Considered on WVTF and Radio IQ, and listeners still hear him on Radio IQ news programs, including during Cardinal Conversations features. He's also heard during our on-air fund drives.
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The Ryan White Part B program helps clients pay for medication and needed services. Federal support was reduced last year and now state funding has been trimmed as well. -
A regional non-profit called The Blood Connection recently began operations in Virginia, serving Carilion and Sovah hospitals.
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Many people in Danville have never heard of Freedmens' Cemetery, where more than 1,500 Black residents are buried. But after decades of neglect, Freedmens' will be restored and maintained in the same way as two adjacent cemeteries that were historically unavailable to Black families.Cardinal News reporter Grace Mamon is covering this story and she spoke with Fred Echols.
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The new Virginia House of Delegates includes 43 women, the most ever in that chamber. Dwayne Yancey with Cardinal News spoke with Fred Echols about the gains women have made in legislature.
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The Rural Health Transformation Fund is administered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid and will distribute $50 billion nationwide over the next five years. Half of that money is being granted on a competitive basis, and CMS officials were favorably impressed by several elements in Virginia's application for funding.
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Every year, the courts move thousands of children in Virginia out of their homes and into foster care due to parental neglect, abuse or some other reason. Court Appointed Special Advocates— or CASA— provides volunteers to help those children better understand the legal process and to advocate for their interests.
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Next year, the University of Lynchburg will begin offering three-year Bachelor's degree programs in public health and applied educational studies. The university estimates a typical three-year student will save 40-thousand dollars compared with a four-year student.The idea is part of the school's response to an accreditation warning from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. The Association has told Lynchburg it must improve its financial condition.Lisa Rowan reports on education for Cardinal News. She talked about this story with Fred Echols.
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In fiscal year 2025 the Virginia State Police awarded well over a million dollars in equipment grants to 112 law enforcement agencies. Over 70% of those grants went toward purchases of license plate reader hardware and services.
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Five years after Virginia legalized marijuana for personal use the state will finally have an authorized retail market. The General Assembly will write the rules for how that market will work and stores are expected to be in business before the end of 2026.Dwayne Yancey with Cardinal News spoke with Fred Echols about how that market will work.
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There's a new source of information about prenatal and postpartum care at the Virginia Department of Health website. The maternal health dashboard provides data about issues related to pregnancy and resources for dealing with those issues.
