The People's Budget: What's Got Your Vote? RVA’s Got Issues podcast

33:43

While we gear up for Season 3, we invite you to revisit some of our favorite episodes from previous seasons. --- There’s a Corrections crisis in Virginia! State prisons and juvenile facilities are facing claims of unsafe conditions for both staff and the incarcerated, and lawmakers are starting to push back. Rich talks to VPM news reporter Keyris Manzanares and the Virginia Mercury’s Charlotte Rene Woods to find out what they've uncovered.…

RVA’s Got Issues

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RVA Revisited: School's Not So Out 32:07

9 days ago32:07

32:07

While we gear up for Season 3, we invite you to revisit some of our favorite episodes from previous seasons. Four elementary schools in Richmond are reopening in July for the start of their extended school year. This "grand experiment" aims to reverse COVID-related learning loss in struggling schools. But will keeping kids (and their teachers) in a classroom fuel burnout? One thing you WON'T find in RVA is a major league sports team. A listener asks, what would it take to change that? Anyone can be a ballerina according to Susan Massey. This week's community spotlight looks at her adult ballet class that's included everyone from doctors, college students, and yes, truck drivers.…

RVA’s Got Issues

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RVA Revisited: Chasing the Green Energy Dragon 31:31

16 days ago31:31

31:31

While we gear up for Season 3, we invite you to revisit some of our favorite episodes from previous seasons. A flood of renewable energy projects are hitting the RVA region. What does it mean for households in the region? And is it enough to satiate our soaring energy demands? A listener asks Rich: am I being gaslit by these door knockers? After a canvasser says a "no soliciting sign" doesn't apply to them, one listener is stumped about how to tell people to bug-off (although Rich hopes you don't do this to everyone). If TV taught us anything, it's that when something bad happens, the only thing to do is put on a show. Tariq Karriem, a local Henrico high school graduate, took this to heart after feeling students of color were being left out of local theatre productions. So he and others started their own theatre group, the Black Virginia Theatre Alliance.…

RVA’s Got Issues

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RVA Revisited: It's Getting Hot In Here 31:48

23 days ago31:48

31:48

While we gear up for Season 3, we invite you to revisit some of our favorite episodes from previous seasons. Climate change is here, in RVA, today. But some neighborhoods are much more vulnerable to excessive heat and flooding than others. Rich talks with a local climate scientist about inequities in our climate vulnerability, as well as the city's plan to address them. Everyone seems to have a DOT these days. That is, a department of transportation. But why isn't there one in Richmond, and is that necessarily a bad thing? Richmond has a lot going for it. Should it add regional tech hub to that list? Richard Wintsch of Startup Virginia says yes. In fact, he's actively courting entrepreneurs to the River City to, in his words, prevent us from falling behind.…

RVA’s Got Issues

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Is the Water Crisis Over? 31:23

5 weeks ago31:23

31:23

Earlier this year, Richmond faced empty pipes, boil advisories, and a city that suddenly couldn’t count on its most basic need. When can we trust our water supply - and our city government? Rich sits down with Richmond DPU Director Scott Morris, the guy now responsible for the city’s water supply, to find out.…

RVA’s Got Issues

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Virginia’s Energy Future 31:29

6 weeks ago31:29

31:29

Dominion Energy delivers electricity to millions of homes and businesses in Virginia. But these days there’s tremendous pressure on the company with skyrocketing energy demands. How will Dominion meet the Commonwealth’s needs and clean energy goals, while still keeping rates affordable? Rich sits down with Dominion CEO, Bob Blue, to find out.…

RVA’s Got Issues

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Rezoning Richmond 31:26

7 weeks ago31:26

31:26

For the first time in 50 years, the city’s zoning code – the rules that say what can be built where – is being revised. It’s definitely time: the need for housing is desperate! But with a stunning reversal of white flight – an influx of young professionals into the city – how do we preserve the Richmond we love for everyone? Rich talks to City Council's Ellen Robertson and Home of VA's Tom Fitzpatrick about how to counter displacement while providing for Richmond's future. Plus we hear from Cyane Crump of Historic Richmond. Amid all the code changes, how do we preserve the city's historic fabric?…

RVA’s Got Issues

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Who's Got Your Vote: Richmond Commonwealth's Attorney 39:42

8 weeks ago39:42

39:42

Richmond is voting for the office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney. Like the District Attorneys you’ve seen on TV, the CA is the city’s prosecutor, and has a huge impact on our local criminal justice system. Two candidates are competing in a June Democratic primary election; whoever wins will likely take office. So this June vote is crucial – with early voting already underway. We’ll hear from both candidates, Tom Barbour and Colette McEachin, about their vision for the office of Commonwealth’s Attorney – and the future of justice in Richmond.…

RVA’s Got Issues

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What's Ahead for the Economy? 31:28

9 weeks ago31:28

31:28

Everyone in RVA is worried about the economy. Uncertainty rules, with businesses and consumers, owners and renters, buyers and sellers all wondering what to think. Rich sits down with economist Sonya Waddell of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. What are the numbers really telling us about Virginia’s economy, and what’s next? Plus, we meet a group that brings people together through an unlikely method: square dancing.…

RVA’s Got Issues

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A Bold, New Voice on City Council 30:40

10 weeks ago30:40

30:40

New members may be bringing a fresh approach to the Richmond City Council, one that sees a role for City Council in challenging the Mayor – not for drama’s sake, but to hold him, and city administrators, accountable to residents. Sarah Abubaker is one of these newly elected Council members calling for change. Can she help make it happen?…

RVA’s Got Issues

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Mayor Avula on Steering Richmond Forward 31:30

11 weeks ago31:30

31:30

Danny Avula is the Mayor of Richmond. He just finished his first 100 days, and he's finding out what it’s like to try to follow through on campaign promises. One lesson he’s probably learning the hard way: Changing city government can’t happen overnight. It’s like turning an oil tanker – it happens slowly, and you need a lot of room.…

RVA’s Got Issues

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The Corrections Crisis 33:43

12 weeks ago33:43

33:43

There’s a Corrections crisis in Virginia! State prisons and juvenile facilities are facing claims of unsafe conditions for both staff and the incarcerated, and lawmakers are starting to push back. Rich talks to VPM news reporter Keyris Manzanares and the Virginia Mercury’s Charlotte Rene Woods to find out what they've uncovered.…

RVA’s Got Issues

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Immigrants' Fears Run Rampant in RVA 31:30

13 weeks ago31:30

31:30

It seems like every day brings new national news stories about deportations, ICE raids, or student visas being revoked. This is fueling fear not just in the immigrant community, but even among people here in the country legally. Rich talks to an advocate who serves RVA's Latino community, as well as an attorney who represents Virginia immigrants. How is this immigration crackdown affecting people in Virginia and Richmond?…

RVA’s Got Issues

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The Feds vs. Higher Ed 31:29

14 weeks ago31:29

31:29

The Trump Administration is taking on higher ed, and Virginia universities are on notice. VCU hasn’t been singled out, but IS facing program cuts, and is already making changes to try to prevent more. Who can our local institutions turn to for help? Rich talks with Virginia Congressman Rob Wittman about Trump’s challenges – and threats -- to higher education, and what the Congressman has been doing about it. Is it enough? Plus: we shine our Community Spotlight on WomenRise, a United Way program that helps cover childcare costs so single mothers can follow their educational dreams.…

RVA’s Got Issues

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What's Next for Henrico County? 32:02

15 weeks ago32:02