Sandy Hausman

War often leaves soldiers suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, and the Veterans’ Administration provides care for that condition. The same symptoms are seen in many people confined to American prisons, and some mental health professionals are now calling for a new diagnosis – Post-Incarceration Syndrome. Sandy Hausman has that story.

Public health experts say Virginia could use 4,000 more doctors to serve a growing population of patients and the expected retirement of and nearly 25% of physicians. To meet that need, the University of Mary Washington is hoping to start a new medical school.

Democrats are taking part in what they’re calling the Sick of It Tour – a series of public events where they attack federal cuts to Medicaid and tax credits that helped people pay for insurance. Sandy Hausman caught up with them in Charlottesville and filed this report.

In 1990, a Virginia writer set out to hike the Appalachian Trail, inspired by a story in National Geographic. He was 31, and it was the hardest thing he had ever done. He suffered injuries, hypothermia, exhaustion and the shocking loss of two fellow hikers who were murdered in a trailside shelter. Still, 36 years later, he decided to do it again.

With medical diagnosis and treatment relying, increasingly, on technology and artificial intelligence, it could be hard to tell how well a particular treatment might work. Some companies claim, for example, that they can predict a person’s risk for injury, selling their services to college and professional teams and the U.S. military, but a professor at the University of Virginia says it isn’t so.

Chris Farina has made more than a dozen documentary films here in Virginia, from the sobering stories of kids in juvenile detention to the inspiring tale of men overcoming addiction. He made people laugh with the saga of a rowdy band of musicians who entertained and sometimes offended UVA football fans, and told the world about a game that inspired children and military leaders to think about world peace. Now, Farina is working on his last film.

The Wildlife Center of Virginia treats more than 4,500 animals each year – among them, dozens of possums. Usually they’ve been hit by cars or attacked by dogs, but one came in for care after a misadventure in Waynesboro.

Charlottesville is less than two weeks away from its own deadline – to open an emergency shelter and force people living in a tent city along the Rivanna River to leave. Planners hope to have a permanent place for those in need by November, but people who are homeless now are pushing back against short-term plans.

This month, scientists from NASA, the University of Virginia and the University of Buffalo gathered in Charlottesville to test technology that could revolutionize farming around the world.

With temperatures rising into the 90’s this week, it’s a safe bet that few people are thinking about holiday shopping, but The Wildlife Center of Virginia is inviting the public to their annual fundraising auction online. Some unusual items and experiences are on sale through August 15th.