Stay ConnectedRVA’s Got Issues examines the big issues defining life in and around Richmond, Virginia. What’s being done to keep housing affordable? How do we combat gun violence? What’s with all the vape shops?
Every Wednesday, host Rich Meagher takes a deep dive into complex issues that impact Richmond, providing clear analysis through conversations with public officials, reporters, activists and community members.
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RVA's Got Issues returns for its third season, bringing you stories about the important issues shaping Richmond, Virginia. Hear directly from key leaders; discover how the federal government impacts your community; and listen to inspiring stories about the people in your own backyard who are making change. Download and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes every Wednesday.
While we gear up for Season 3, we invite you to revisit some of our favorite episodes from previous seasons.
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What is nuclear fusion, and why is it coming to Chesterfield County? Virginia's energy needs are growing exponentially, and we are going to need every kilowatt we can get if we don’t want our energy bills to grow with them.
Adam Sledd of the Dominion Energy Innovation Center returns to the pod to talk with Rich about nuclear fusion, data centers, and the future of RVA’s energy – and energy bills.
Plus: we go to the James River Park System to talk with an expert about the problem of invasive species, and hear from an all-natural, four-legged solution.
While we gear up for Season 3, we invite you to revisit some of our favorite episodes from previous seasons.
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Redlining has been illegal for more than half a century. But Black homeowners today are still feeling its impact through appraisals that undervalue their homes. Rich unpacks recent findings on appraisal bias in Richmond with two housing experts, as well as their undercover method for addressing housing discrimination today.
If you live in Henrico, chances are you pay bills! But have you ever wondered why those payments have to be mailed out of state? Shouldn’t we keep the money and jobs in our own community?
Finally, we look at a farmers market in Chesterfield that serves everything from arepas, to nopal, to fresh coquito. America DeLoach founded the Latino Farmers Market to help vendors who felt left out of other markets.
While we gear up for Season 3, we invite you to revisit some of our favorite episodes from previous seasons.
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Evictions seem like a simple issue. Renters should pay their rent. When they don't, they need to leave. But the realities of renting and leaving are much more complicated than that. Today, Rich talks with a housing expert to learn why eviction court is rarely a winning prospect for renters. The city's plan? Pair tenants facing eviction with a lawyer for free. Later we talk with a lawyer who already does this work and what challenges they face when representing renters.
While we gear up for Season 3, we invite you to revisit some of our favorite episodes from previous seasons.
For almost a century, local government has provided “public housing” for our most vulnerable residents. But here in RVA, there’s a plan to replace our public housing communities with something completely different.
On this episode, Rich sits down with Steven Nesmith, the CEO of the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority. He is spearheading this bold new plan, and a "tough love" approach, that he says may END public housing as we know it in Richmond.
While we gear up for Season 3, we invite you to revisit some of our favorite episodes from previous seasons.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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