RVA’s Got Issues
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RVA’s Got Issues delves into politics and big issues in the news that are defining life in and around Richmond, Virginia. Should taxes be raised to build a new baseball stadium? Should old schools get a makeover or be replaced? Are more bike lanes a good idea? Host Rich Meagher will speak with guests who shed light on the present, past and future implications of these questions.
And in a time when faith in government is at an all-time low, many people say they can’t make a difference in politics. RVA’s Got Issues will counter this feeling of civic alienation by featuring guests who share stories of how they are making a difference. Listeners will gain new insights and ideas for how to become more engaged in their communities. The upshot is a podcast that helps listeners understand not only what’s happening around them but what they can do about it.
74 Episodes
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The national battle for district lines has come to Virginia, and Democrats want to redraw our Congressional map. Critics want them to play fair. But what does "fair" mean these days?
This episode is part of GENERAL ASSEMBLY REQUIRED, a new series from RVA's Got Issues focusing on state government's impact on RVA.
Featuring:
Brian Cannon, No Gerrymandering Virginia
This year may bring a big shift in Virginia labor laws, changing the game for workers here in RVA – and throughout the Commonwealth. Will these changes help or hurt us - and do we really have to choose between business and labor?
This episode is part of General Assembly Required, a new series from RVA's Got Issues focusing on state government's impact on RVA.
Featuring:
Michael O'Connor, journalist at VA Dogwood
Chris Saxman, President of Virginia FREE
Do you want to be more civic-minded, but don’t know how? We’ve got three stories about civic engagement, from the general assembly to the People’s Assembly to drawing a line on a map and making it real.
Features:
Nick, Isabelle, and Ashley from Randolph Macon College
The Richmond's People's Assembly
Brantley Tyndall, Director of Bike Walk RVA.
The federal government may be cutting food benefits, drastically - is Richmond ready? What does the safety net for hunger look like in RVA? What COULD it look like, and how do we get there?
Guests:
Eddie Oliver, Federation of Virginia Food Banks
Ayanna Ogaldez and Irina Rogova, MADRVA
Kimberly Battle, VCU School of Nursing
Richmond has a plan called Vision Zero – the goal is zero pedestrian deaths. But so far this year, that goal seems farther away than ever. Rich talks to experts to ask: what are we doing to make our city safer, and is it enough?
To learn more about pedestrian safety in Richmond, check out VPM's Curious Commonwealth: Curious Commonwealth asks: How does Richmond prioritize road safety work?
Guests:
Tara Fitzpatrick, GreaterRichmondFit4Kids
Richard Hankins, Partnership for Smarter Growth
Whittney Evans, VPM News
Last year, the Richmond City Council’s Sarah Abubaker had a lot to say about the budget process. Now we're heading into the budget season again. Rich sits down with Sarah to talk about what's changed, how we could think bigger, and the balance of power in Richmond.
Guest: Sarah Abubaker, 4th District Representative for the Richmond City Council
Richmond’s had a good run lately, but it always seems like it prospers in spite of city government, not because of it. Can Mayor Avula and his new Chief Administrative Officer, Odie Donald, finally be the ones who turn that around? Rich sits down with Odie to find out.
RVA's Got Issues will be taking a break for the holidays, but will be back with new episodes early in the new year.
Guest:
Odie Donald, Chief Administrative Officer for the City of Richmond
When is that pothole or broken sidewalk going to get fixed?
To get answers, Rich sits down with Bobby Vincent of Richmond's Department of Public Works, or DPW. But just a warning: those answers may be more complicated than you think.
Guest:
Bobby Vincent, Richmond Department of Public Works
There seems to be new vibes on the Richmond City School Board. Certainly things have quieted down. But the public schools are still vitally important to our city, still under scrutiny, and still making news.
Rich sits down with School Board Chair Shavonda Fernandez to ask: What's with the new vibes, and what do they mean for the future of Richmond Public Schools – and our city?
Guest: Shavonda Fernandez, Richmond City School Board
What is it about Richmond that makes it a Tattoo City, maybe THE Tattoo City? Rich talks to working artists about the RVA tattoo scene. He also does something he hasn’t done in years: get his own tattoo.
Guests:
Amy Black, Amy Black Tattoos
amyblacktattoos.com
Roman Walston, Black Rabbit Tattoos
www.blackrabbitrva.com
Jen Bean, Loose Screw Tattoo
www.loosescrewtattoo.com
It’s almost Thanksgiving, so Rich shares three stories about all the things we’re thankful for: about birthday parties; about getting up off the couch; and about kids reading poetry – specifically, Rich's kid.
We’re highlighting the members of our community making RVA just a little bit brighter, a little bit happier, a little bit stronger.
Guests:
- Julia Warren Mattingly, founder of Celebrate RVA
https://www.celebraterva.org/
- Anthony Clary of We Off the Couch
https://weoffthecouch.org/
- Luisa A. Igloria, former Poet Laureate of Virginia
https://www.luisaigloria.com/
- Local poet Tris Meagher
Ever since she started in Richmond politics, Rich had been hearing about Kenya Gibson. First on the Richmond School Board, now on the City Council, she always seems like she has something important to say. And she is going to say it, even if it ruffles some feathers. Rich finally sits down with her to find out: what makes her tick?
Guest: Kenya Gibson, Councilwoman in Richmond's 3rd district.
Richmond has come a long way since our "murder capital" days, but the problem of gun violence persists, challenging our assumptions about how it happens. Can new data, new approaches – and a new city office – end gun violence in Richmond?
Plus: we hear from an after-school program for kids that might be part of the solution.
Guests:
Greg Hopkins, Office of Gun Violence Prevention
https://rva.gov/human-services/gun-violence-prevention
Amir Elsayed, NextUp RVA
https://nextuprva.org/team/
In Richmond, the poverty rate has gone down pretty dramatically in the past few years. That’s hard to do, and it’s not getting any easier in this environment of federal cuts and chaos. So a lot of folks are looking at our city and asking, how are we doing it? Rich sits down with the head of the city’s Office of Community Wealth Building to find out.
Then, we visit with graduates from that office's guaranteed income pilot program. What does lasting change look like?
Guest: Caprichia Smith Spellman, director of the Office of Community Wealth Building.
Immigration enforcement seems to be changing in RVA, so Rich sits down with VPM News reporter Keyris Manzanares about the human costs of those changes. Plus: some activists want Richmond to implement a "trust policy" - how do we trust that's the right move?
Guests:
VPM News reporter Keyris Manzanares https://www.vpm.org/people/keyris-manzanares
Josue Castillo, New Virginia Majority https://www.newvirginiamajority.org/
Miriam Airington-Fisher, Las Abogadas law firm https://airingtonlaw.com/
Marvin Grimm spent nearly 50 years behind bars for a crime he didn’t commit. The city of Richmond recently paid him millions for this error. But what about the reason he was incarcerated in the first place?
Rich sits down with Tessa Kramer, host of the VPM podcast, Admissible: Shreds of Evidence, to talk about faulty evidence from Virginia’s crime lab. Is that what's driving wrongful convictions in the Commonwealth?
This episode contains some brief but graphic descriptions of violence that some listeners may find disturbing.
You can find all episodes of Admissible at admissible.vpm.org.
Guest: Tessa Kramer https://www.tessakramer.com/
What is the state of the arts in RVA? We asked a panel of experts, and a live audience, about everything from youth programs to city government support to equity and accessibility.This episode was recorded LIVE at the Firehouse Theatre in Richmond as part of FWD: RVA, a curated week of free arts and culture programming presented by Style Weekly in conjunction with artoberVA.
This episode’s guests:
Maura Sinnenberg, Director of Advancement, Cadence Theatre
Scott Garka, President, CultureWorks
Desirée Roots, Local arts icon
Local health clinics care for our most vulnerable residents. But federal and state funding cuts have them facing huge budget shortfalls, just as thousands of Virginians are projected to lose healthcare coverage. How sick is this going to make us here in Richmond?
Plus: despite all the bad news, we’ll talk with a cancer survivor who has made at least one small part of our healthcare system shine a little brighter.
This episode’s guests are Karen Legato, Executive Director of Health Brigade (https://www.healthbrigade.org/), Gabby Maldonado, founder of VCU’s Students Caring About Cancer, and her mentor Dr. Caroline Cobb. Read about this year’s group here: https://www.vcuhealth.org/news/students-caring-about-cancer-at-vcu-builds-community-and-pursues-advocacy-efforts/
Danny Avula has been Mayor of Richmond for almost 9 full months. He inherited a city with some significant challenges – water crisis, anyone? But at some point, you can’t look backwards anymore. You have to go forward, lay out your priorities, and fight to make them happen.
So what is Mayor Avula trying to change? Who will he have to battle to get it done? And if he does do it, will anybody notice?
This episode's guest is Danny Avula, Mayor of Richmond.
Why are there so many vape shops in Richmond? Authorities are starting to crack down. But the shops seem to keep coming, and in the absence of clear explanations, it’s hard to know why. Are they legal? Are they safe? And if they aren’t, what is the city doing about it? On this episode, what IS with all the vape shops?
This episode’s guest is Anthony Harris, co-publisher of RVA Mag.
Read Anthony's article: https://rvamag.com/news-headlines/the-new-corner-store-how-vape-shops-took-over-richmond.html
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I liked the story about the community garden