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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.
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This month, Virginia released more than700 prisoners under a newly expanded state program known as good time. The state awarded sentence credits to men and women who behaved well behind bars and took classes to help them succeed on the outside. As families celebrate, Virginia’s attorney general is warning of a coming crime wave.
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Humans have many ways to cool down when the weather’s hot. We swim, sit in the shade or find an air conditioned space, but what about zoo animals? How are they coping with the current heat wave? We sent Sandy Hausman to Virginia’s largest zoo to find out.
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Earlier this month Virginia released 445 prisoners under a program that took time off sentences for men and women who had behaved well behind bars and taken classes to prepare them for freedom. It was a joyous time for many. But the process took a disappointing turn for one family.
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With 385 breweries in the state, it’s safe to say Virginia is for beer lovers. Among them is a guy from Fredericksburg who has spent nearly a decade visiting every single one. This weekend he’ll finish the tour.
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The state’s largest utility announced Wednesday that it was getting into the race to build small, modular nuclear reactors that could be manufactured and shipped to users around the world. Dominion customers will pay for research and development.
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You might assume that people in prison are provided with basic necessities – food and personal hygiene products, a fan to keep cool in buildings that aren’t air conditioned, a bible or koran. In fact, most inmates must pay for those things, and a new report – Locked In, Priced Out – shows they’re sometimes charged higher prices than people on the outside.
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Earlier this year, the University of Virginia unveiled its newly renovated library with 21st century technology that allows visitors to access much of human knowledge, but the old-world charm of Shannon Library was not demolished. A large reading area – known as the Harry Potter Room – remains with its wood-paneled walls, stuffed leather chairs and rugs. So, too, do a couple of mysterious cabinets that lead readers back in time.
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This month, police, firemen and bus drivers made history in Charlottesville – starting work under the first contracts crafted through collective bargaining. Events here had led the state to ban it after the Second World War, but the city is now a leader in working with organized labor.
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In a democracy, government is supposed to consider public opinion and respond to voter demands, but when the time comes to submit comments or testify at hearings many people hesitate. Now, a Virginia non-profit is offering to train citizens at no charge – explaining how to effectively lobby for clean water.
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Americans will observe the Fourth of July on Wednesday, but at Thomas Jefferson’s vacation home near Lynchburg staff is already celebrating. Sandy Hausman tells why.