Every year we collect our most-read stories and share them again to let our audience see what they were most interested in over the course of the year.
But there are always stories that didn’t get quite as many clicks, but reporters still feel were some of their finest works.
We asked WHRO’s journalists to share the best pieces they worked on in 2025. Some shared the stories they’re most proud of, want to brag about or thought readers might want to take a second look at.
As autism rhetoric heats up, Hampton Roads parents say their biggest fight is simply finding help
From Health reporter Yiqing Wang:
I’m proud of the human-centered reporting on this story, which helped me better understand the families and children navigating autism in Hampton Roads, and the obstacles they face in simply trying to get help.
It took weeks to reach my sources amid their hectic schedules, so I definitely poured a lot of time and effort into this story. Autism communities are too often overlooked, and I wanted to make sure their experiences were heard.
Things are changing’: New photo exhibit on Chincoteague aims to document — and save — island treasures
From Climate and Environment reporter Katherine Hafner:
I found this story impactful because it’s a reminder of the ways climate change is already changing communities and daily life on the ground. But it’s also a reminder of how dedicated people are to saving their communities, and the non-traditional ways of doing so – in this case, through a simple photo exhibit.
Selfishly, I enjoyed visiting the island to report. For the audio components, I went around to different spots to capture the sounds of the island, which took a good amount of time, but I think adds a lot of texture for the listener.
Newport News open mic makes space for LGBTQ+ community to flourish
From Williamsburg/James City County and Suffolk reporter Nick McNamara:
I'm usually swamped between monitoring two cities and a county (and occasionally more), so it's a treat whenever I get the green light to do some arts coverage. I'm a lapsed musician, and once planned to be a music teacher before falling down a different route.
It's less the story and more the community around the open mic that's featured in this story that made this so enjoyable. I could tell the regulars really care about each other and have fostered long-lasting and even loving bonds with one another, and that made it that much easier to pop in to capture audio and photos.
The Autumn Economy: Fall in Hampton Roads gives farms a huge boost
From Business and Growth reporter Toby Cox:
This was one of the first stories I worked on at WHRO (my first job in radio!), and I enjoyed gathering all the autumn sounds.
The haunted hayride was especially challenging — I had to make sure I didn't accidentally record my own screams of fright!
Death of Autistic Boy Renews Questions About the Use of Restraint and Seclusion in Schools
From Virginia Beach reporter John-Henry Doucette:
The stories speak for themselves. That they exist at all is the only point I'd like to make. It can't happen unless a news organization has resources to report a complex story nobody else will tell.
One sleepy Virginia town. Nearly 7 million hits on its surveillance network.
From the Virginia Center for Investigative Journalism:
Reporter Kunle Falayi investigated how Virginia’s widespread adoption of Flock Safety’s automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) has quietly built a massive surveillance network.
Data collected by local law enforcement agencies has been shared millions of times nationwide — including for immigration enforcement, which is explicitly prohibited under Virginia law.
VCIJ’s further investigation showed how even small towns like Bridgewater saw personal traffic data searched millions of times in a sprawling system that tracks vehicle movements far beyond their borders.
Chesapeake’s first proposed data center already faces opposition
From editor and former Business and Growth reporter Ryan Murphy:
As the debate around data centers heated up in Virginia this year, my hometown became ground zero in Hampton Roads. I got an early tip about plans for a data center and was able to follow the ultimately doomed project from before its public announcement through its defeat at City Council.
All the while, I tagged along with the Chesapeake residents who became part of what is now a multi-state movement against these facilities. My front-row seat to the fight eventually turned into a larger piece for NPR, with the resistance in Chesapeake right at its center.
