Alex Milan Tracy for Underscore
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The dozens of independent, nonprofit and nonpartisan news organizations that make up the Rural News Network are developing the broadest news alliance reporting on rural America. These newsrooms are pursuing coverage that provides a more complete picture of what it means to live and work in these communities.
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LATEST NEWS FROM THE NETWORK
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Fluvanna County Planning Commission denies Tenaska’s special use permit for proposed gas plant
February 25, 2026
Tenaska, a Nebraska-based energy company, is requesting a special use permit for its proposed second gas plant near Scottsville.
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Proposed Fluvanna gas plant could lead to new premature deaths and rising asthma rates, study finds
January 09, 2026
A Harvard study projects increased pollution and long-term health impacts across central Virginia.
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Fifeville moves one big step closer to having a community-owned grocery store, and it wants the city’s help
December 09, 2025
The Charlottesville Food Co-Op wants to bring a community-owned grocery to the old Estes site at 501 Cherry Ave. — and they’re doing it because the neighborhood wants it.
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From bake sales to big checks, this is how the tiny town of Gordonsville raised millions for a new swimming pool and park
December 05, 2025
Until recently, the future of the pool — and the park — was uncertain. The pool was crumbling and outdated, but fixing it would be a dauntingly expensive task for the town of 1,400 people.
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The Town of Louisa faced five resignations in less than a year. Now it’s trying to rebuild
November 17, 2025
Residents and council members alike say the past year has exposed deep cracks in how the town communicates with the public, leading to a growing demand for transparency in how decisions are made.
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Centra Southside Community Hospital closing labor and delivery unit in December
November 12, 2025
The closure in Farmville fits a growing national pattern: rural maternity units are disappearing faster than communities can adapt.
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One in three Virginia mothers struggle to find mental health care for their children
October 30, 2025
According to a 2025 national survey, mothers said that time was the biggest hurdle to accessing care for their children’s mental health needs.
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Lisa Draine hopes that in 20 years, co-ops will flourish in central Virginia
October 28, 2025
After her daughter was injured during the Unite the Right protests in Charlottesville in 2017, Lisa Draine committed herself to racial justice work.
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Federal government shutdown strains local food network and is likely to get worse — here’s what to know and how you can help
October 28, 2025
The Emergency Food Network has been serving Charlottesville and Albemarle County for decades. Run mostly by volunteers, it opens its doors several days a week.
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Two candidates are running for six open seats on Dillwyn’s Town Council
September 22, 2025
Charlottesville Tomorrow designed a questionnaire for the candidates based on more than 160 responses we received to a voter survey. Neither responded.
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Two nonprofits align to combat food insecurity in Orange County amid federal funding cuts
September 16, 2025
The local partnership comes in response to the Trump administration’s sweeping changes to medical and food assistance programs while cutting grants to many safety-net organizations across the country.
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Local food banks brace for SNAP eligibility changes that are predicted to impact thousands in Virginia
September 04, 2025
Almost 447,000 Virginians are estimated to lose some or all of their SNAP benefits, according to Virginia’s Voice for Children, an independent, multi-issue child policy and advocacy organization.
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Virginia is silent on how it will implement federal SNAP changes that reduce eligibility
August 01, 2025
Some Virginians who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for food assistance are entering August unsure what will happen to their assistance.
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Virginia Humanities will move forward despite federal funding cuts, but ‘there’s going to be a lot of pain’
April 30, 2025
Virginia Humanities’ funding cuts were among more than 1,000 National Endowment for the Humanities grants eliminated at humanities councils throughout the country.
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A new social space for the LGBTQ+ community will open this spring in Charlottesville
February 14, 2025
Pres. Donald Trump’s return to power prompted one local transgender woman and other members of Charlottesville’s LGBTQ+ community to mobilize.
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