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

Is the Water Crisis Over?

June 25, 2025 • 31 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 • 31 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 • 31 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 • 39 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 • 31 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 • 30 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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Mayor Avula on Steering Richmond Forward

May 14, 2025 • 31 mins
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.
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The Corrections Crisis

May 7, 2025 • 33 mins
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.
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Immigrants' Fears Run Rampant in RVA

April 30, 2025 • 31 mins
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?
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The Feds vs. Higher Ed

April 23, 2025 • 31 mins
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 ...
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What's Next for Henrico County?

April 16, 2025 • 32 mins
Henrico County: what's it all about, where is it going, and how is it going to shape the future of RVA? Henrico County Manager John Vithoulkas joins Rich to answer questions from our listener voicemail line. They talk about everything from federal funding cuts to the Green City development to Henrico’s response to the Richmond water crisis. With all of the instability in Washington, can Henrico stay on its steady course of economic...
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The People's Budget: What's Got Your Vote?

April 9, 2025 • 25 mins
It's time to decide the People’s Budget of Richmond! Richmond's government has set aside $3M of YOUR money – and now YOU get to decide what to do with it. This participatory budget program has reached the voting stage, and now anyone who lives, works, or goes to school in the city – age 14 and up! – can vote on projects in their council district. Rich sits down with City Council staffer Leidiana Delgado to find out how the proces...
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Sports Tourism Aims High in RVA

April 2, 2025 • 27 mins
Rich talks to two local sports czars about the business of sports tourism, a billion-dollar industry that’s become vital to the economic health of the entire region. From youth to colleges to the pros, RVA is building a sports infrastructure that’s meant to help both residents and visitors score big. Plus: STAND UP FOR RICHMOND! We’ll talk to members of the River City Red Army about their support for the Richmond Kickers... and eac...
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A World First in Chesterfield County: Nuclear Fusion

March 26, 2025 • 29 mins
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...
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Jason Kamras on What's Ahead for RPS

March 19, 2025 • 32 mins
Public education is facing huge challenges across the country, as the Trump administration takes steps to possibly abolish the federal Department of Education. Add to that demands for immigration enforcement and cuts to Diversity programs, mix in some longstanding structural and staffing concerns, and our local school systems may be facing more challenges than ever. Rich sits down with Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Jason ...
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Addiction to Evictions

March 12, 2025 • 20 mins
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 challenge...
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Public Housing Makeover

March 5, 2025 • 26 mins
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...
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Who's Your... Momnibus?

February 26, 2025 • 29 mins
What's 45 days long, based in Richmond, and shapes the future of the state of Virginia? On this episode, Rich unpacks this year's General Assembly with veteran state politics reporter Michael Pope. A big question EVERYONE is wrestling with is how to prepare for the changes coming out of Washington. Separately, Democrats are headed towards yet another veto showdown with Gov. Glenn Youngkin. But there are glimmers of bipartisanship, ...
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Richmond's Transformational Mural Movement

February 19, 2025 • 28 mins
Hamilton Glass is seen by many as the founding father of Richmond's mural movement. He instigated a huge public mural project featured in the PBS Doc called Mending Walls. The project brought 30 artists from different cultural backgrounds together to collaborate on 16 murals in Richmond. The slogan for the effort was "we need to talk" about race and the artists' formative experiences. On the project's 5th anniversary, Glass talks a...
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RVA's Got Baggage

February 12, 2025 • 28 mins
It's no secret: Richmond's got some baggage. Case in point, the #GreatRichmondWaterCrisis. Less than a week into new city leadership, hospitals ran low on water and people boiled snow to flush their toilets. Was it a fluke, or is this the tip of the iceberg when it comes to unresolved issues in city government? Thad Williamson is the coauthor of a new book about the history of Richmond city government. More than anyone, he knows ...
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