The Roanoke Rambler

The Roanoke Rambler is an independent, hyper-local and investigative news site. The weekly online publication’s mission is to inform the public of important issues affecting their lives, uncover societal ills, expose wrongdoing and hold the powerful accountable. Founded in 2021 and journalist-owned, The Rambler is the go-to source for local news in the Roanoke Valley about city government and politics, business, racial and social justice issues and the environment.

Cardinal News

Cardinal News is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan news site that serves Southwest and Southside Virginia. Our mission is to report the untold stories of Southwest and Southside Virginia, and strengthen the voices of the people in our communities who have been sidelined in the commonwealth’s political, economic and cultural conversations simply because of where they live.

Henrico Citizen

Through fair, tenacious, thorough and clear nonpartisan journalism across five digital daily weekday platforms, the independent, 23-year-old Henrico Citizen helps connect the Metro Richmond locality of Henrico County, Virginia and the 340,000 citizens who call it home. The Citizen has earned more than 260 awards for its coverage, and in 2020 successfully transitioned from a print publication to a fully digital one, nearly quadrupling its readership in the process.

Olivia Diaz

Olivia Diaz covers The Virginia Legislature, with a focus on political polarization, at The Associated Press. Before joining Report for America, Diaz covered local criminal justice issues in Fairfax County, Virginia, as part of an American University graduate fellowship at The Washington Post. Diaz has also covered crime and breaking news at The Post and Courier in Charleston, South Carolina. She holds a Master of Arts from American University in journalism and public affairs and a Bachelor of Arts in journalism and global studies from the University of Richmond.

The Associated Press – Virginia

The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate and unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day.

Henry Brannan

Henry Brannan covers rural healthcare in the Shenandoah Valley and outside of Charlottesville for VPM News and WMRA. Before joining Report for America, he was the 2022-23 Jim Lehrer fellow at the PBS NewsHour, where he produced stories on topics ranging from the disparities driving a projected surge in U.S. heart disease rates to the future of military recruiting as officials struggle to attract Gen Z recruits. Brannon got his start reporting at Street Roots, a weekly investigative street paper in Portland, Oregon. While there, he reported on the housing crisis, racial disparities in COVID-19 outcomes and Oregon’s struggling behavioral health system. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and History from Grinnell College. While in school, he researched corporate landlords' use of LLCs to obscure political contributions as an intern for the Anti-Eviction Mapping Project. He’s also a proud Pell Grant recipient and alumnus of Portland Community College.

Liana Hardy

Liana Hardy covers educational equity in Henrico County, Virginia for the Henrico Citizen. Prior to joining the Citizen, Hardy interned for the Alexandria Times in Alexandria, Virginia, where she wrote stories on local sports, arts and music, education and politics. Hardy earned her bachelor's degree in history from Georgetown University, where she worked as a news and features editor for The Hoya, the university's main student newspaper. She also completed coursework for minors in journalism and Spanish. Hardy is a native of the D.C. region, growing up in Arlington, Virginia, where she loves to explore nature trails and local food sites.

Henrico Citizen

The Henrico Citizen is the independent 19-year-old daily digital hometown news source of Henrico County, Va. – a 330,000-population suburb that surrounds Richmond to the west, north and east and arguably is the true birthplace of the nation. The Citizen’s founder/publisher and managing editor have led the organization since its inception in 2001. Combined, they have nearly 50 years of experience reporting about Henrico – decades more than any other local outlet. They share reporting duties and work with freelance reporters and interns to provide the most thorough coverage of Henrico available.

VPM News/WMRA

VPM is a public media organization serving central Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley. Based in the state capitol of Richmond, the VPM News team covers statewide politics, local government, education, legal issues and more for our NPR and PBS stations and digital channels to reach 2 million people in our coverage area. As an independent, non-profit service, we strive to create and serve a more informed public.

Anya Szerzenie

Anya Sczerzenie is currently the education reporter for the HenricoCitizen, where she covers the school system with a focus on educationalequity. She previously did freelance work in Northern Virginia, covering awide range of topics from historical houses to the DC metro’s Silver Lineopening to the local schools. She is a graduate of Virginia CommonwealthUniversity where she was a contributing writer for the student newspaper,the Commonwealth Times, and held an internship with RVA Mag-- where shecovered local culture and LGBTQ topics.