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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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. -
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.
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One of the most vital elements in any rural community is its volunteer fire department. But financial challenges are making it harder for local fire services to safely and efficiently do their jobs. Cardinal News reporter Emma Malinak took a look at where the revenue for rural firefighters comes from and why it may not be enough. She spoke with Fred Echols.
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Voters in more than 40 Virginia localities will decide this November whether to raise their sales tax by 1% in order to generate money for building and repairing public schools.
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Virginia's Red Onion State Prison has become the first super-maximum security prison to host an intensive re-entry program. The program is intended to help inmates who are at risk of coming back to prison prepare for their return to society.
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In its latest required report to the State Corporation Commission, Appalachian Power told regulators that companies looking to build new data centers are still very interested in locating in Virginia. This comes at a time when some Virginia localities are losing their enthusiasm for new data centers.Cardinal News reporters Matt Busse and Julianna Stephenson have recently written about the data center issue and they spoke with Fred Echols.
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If federal regulators approve, a Florida company would build two pumped storage hydroelectric generating plants a few miles apart in Wise County near the Kentucky line.
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Fees for hunting licenses and other outdoor activities in Virginia could be raised for the first time in more than a decade under a proposal from the Department of Wildlife Resources.
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The company that owns The Kentucky Derby is looking to open two new gaming emporiums in Virginia. If approved by voters, one would be in Pulaski and the other in Amherst County.
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Recognition of drug addiction as a public health emergency rather than a matter of law enforcement has gained greater acceptance. But when Hope Initiative was formed in Roanoke a decade ago the idea didn't have a great deal of support.
