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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According to a report by the General Assembly's Joint Commission on Healthcare, Virginia ranks near the bottom nationally in nursing home staffing.The report included numbers on overall nursing home staffing and the categories of registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and certified nursing assistants. Cardinal News health reporter Emily Schabacker covered the story and she spoke with Fred Echols. -
The company that plans to build a giant data center campus in Pittsylvania County has filed its permit application and revealed some details about what will be involved in the project.
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Almost every locality in Virginia is hoping for economic growth. But growing communities also need places for new workers and their families to live.
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If approved, the plant would have the capacity to generate up to 650 megawatts of electricity. That's about two-thirds the output of a traditional nuclear power plant.
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In recent years, volunteer fire departments have had trouble attracting enough volunteers to handle increasing numbers of emergency calls.But one Virginia department seems to have found a new source of volunteers to fill out its roster.Cardinal News reporter Erick Solorzano covered this story and he spoke with Fred Echols.
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Virginia is in the process of issuing upgraded EBT cards to people who receive benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly referred to as SNAP.
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The Freedom of Information Act was conceived to help the public get a clear view of what government officials are doing and saying. Over the years, people have found it can have other benefits as well. Reporter Andrew Kerley wrote about one of those for Cardinal News and he spoke with Fred Echols.
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Voters in 47 Virginia localities will decide in November whether to add 1% to their local sales tax rate in order to raise money for school construction.
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Demographic shifts and lower birth rates have left school divisions in all parts of Virginia with lower enrollment numbers. The trend is especially strong in Southwest Virginia, where many counties have lost population with the decline of coal mining.When one of Buchanan County’s four small high schools was destroyed by a flood, county leaders decided it was time to go in a new direction. Cardinal News reporter Meghan Mangrum is covering the story, and she spoke with Fred Echols.
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Trade negotiations between the US and Canada have brought a host of uncertainties into the near-term economic outlook for both countries.In Virginia, thousands of jobs are connected in some way to trade with Canada.Dwayne Yancey with Cardinal News has looked at the data and he talked about it with Fred Echols.
