Mechelle Hankerson

1 month ago | whro.org | Mechelle Hankerson |Ryan Murphy

It’s always election season in Virginia and this year, the season starts May 2. That’s the day early voting for the primaries begins. Come November, Virginians will pick a new governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and representatives in the General Assembly. Plus, some cities and counties have local offices on the ballot. But before that, primary elections have to happen. What are primaries?

1 month ago | whro.org | Mechelle Hankerson

The Great Bridge Battlefield and Waterways Museum in Chesapeake is one local organization feeling the immediate impact of President Donald Trump's administration’s decision to cut staff and funding at the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services. The agency provided local museums with grants to support new programs. According to its grant database, it’s given $5 million to organizations in Hampton Roads in the last decade and closer to $15 million in the region since 1997.

2 months ago | whro.org | Doug Boynton |Mechelle Hankerson

The rate of syphilis cases in the United States hit a historic low at the turn of the millennium, thanks to an emphasis on safe sex during the 1990s. But the disease is surging again, especially among seniors and newborns. In Virginia, its worst in Hampton Roads. “The unsafe sexual practices are increasing, and so this is really why it's not a spike, but it's been a general trend moving up from the 2000s up until now, and it keeps going up,” said Norfolk Health Director Susan Girois.

2 months ago | whro.org | Mechelle Hankerson

Victoria Crenshaw has heard of cannabis products helping cancer patients eat again and a person with dementia calm their uncharacteristic anger. It even helps her personally, relieving joint pain in a knee she once thought would need to be surgically replaced. “We've had many individuals that come and they're tired of the effect of the Ativan or some other medication that they've been taking for years.

Feb 19, 2025 | whro.org | Mechelle Hankerson

Parts of southeastern Virginia are projected to get up to 10 inches of snow this week. That’s a major weather event for the region and history shows most of us will be stuck at home for a few days – and the bread and milk aisles were probably bare well before the first flurry fell.