RVA’s Got Issues

RVA’s Got Issues

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.

Episodes

Without a Net: RVA Healthcare

October 8, 2025 • 30 mins
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 g...
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Mayor Avula on What’s Next

October 1, 2025 • 30 mins
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 A...
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Vaper Trails

September 24, 2025 • 30 mins
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-...
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Code Refresh Report

September 17, 2025 • 31 mins
The City of Richmond is updating its housing code for the first time in decades. What are people getting right and wrong about the Code Refresh? And what will it do in RVA to shape the future of housing – and, well, everything? Listeners can add comments to proposed zoning maps and rules until September 28 here: https://www.rva.gov/planning-development-review/code-refresh
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The Future of Gilpin Court

September 10, 2025 • 29 mins
The Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority is pushing ahead with bold plans to redevelop the city’s public housing communities, but city leaders and community residents have questions. In light of federal funding cuts and local concerns, are we still on the right path? Housing Authority CEO Steven Nesmith returns to the show to provide answers.
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RVA's Got Issues: Season 3

September 3, 2025 • 3 mins
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.
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RVA Revisited: A World First in Chesterfield County: Nuclear Fusion

August 27, 2025 • 28 mins
While we gear up for Season 3, we invite you to revisit some of our favorite episodes from previous seasons. --- 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 ...
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RVA Revisited: Why Are Black Homeowners Being Lowballed?

August 20, 2025 • 29 mins
While we gear up for Season 3, we invite you to revisit some of our favorite episodes from previous seasons. --- 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 t...
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RVA Revisited: Addiction to Evictions

August 13, 2025 • 18 mins
While we gear up for Season 3, we invite you to revisit some of our favorite episodes from previous seasons. --- 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 tenant...
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RVA Revisited: Public Housing Makeover

August 6, 2025 • 25 mins
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 Autho...
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RVA Revisited: The Corrections Crisis

July 30, 2025 • 32 mins
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...
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RVA Revisited: School's Not So Out

July 23, 2025 • 31 mins
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 t...
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RVA Revisited: Chasing the Green Energy Dragon

July 16, 2025 • 30 mins
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 stumpe...
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RVA Revisited: It's Getting Hot In Here

July 9, 2025 • 30 mins
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 departme...
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Is the Water Crisis Over?

June 25, 2025 • 30 mins
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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Virginia’s Energy Future

June 18, 2025 • 30 mins
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.
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Rezoning Richmond

June 11, 2025 • 30 mins
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 displacem...
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Who's Got Your Vote: Richmond Commonwealth's Attorney

June 4, 2025 • 38 mins
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 Colett...
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What's Ahead for the Economy?

May 28, 2025 • 30 mins
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.
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A Bold, New Voice on City Council

May 21, 2025 • 29 mins
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?
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