Latvia Weekly

Joe is joined by Ņikita Andrejevs of Latvijas Radio to discuss major events over the last few weeks such as the glacial coalition formation process, staff changes for Andris Kulbergs, a catastrophic granting (and ungranting) of citizenship, more painful news for Air Baltic, dreams of a new fotball stadium, and much more! Theme song "Mēs esam ārzemnieki" by Aarzemnieki, used with permission Closing...

With the 15th Saeima Election done and dusted, Joe breaks down the final results, including Andris Kulbergs' historic victory at the top of the United List ticket, a big not not quite big enough night for Ainars Šlesers's LPV party, dissapointment for the Progressives and New Unity, disaster for the Union of Greens and Farmers, and the likely last gasps of Harmony and JKP. Other stories include pl...

With one week to go until the thrilling conclusion of the 2026 Saeima Election, Joe breaks down major developments such as new revelations about candidates, security concerns about election officials, and the final polling data before looking at other major stories of the week. Theme song "Mēs esam ārzemnieki" by Aarzemnieki, used with permission Closing theme song: Think Tank by Audionautix audio...

Joe discusses the fallout from Air Baltic's bankruptcy proceedings, as well as other major stories such as the DUI arrest of a minister, the surprise cancelling of a wind farm, NATO air support for Latvia, and much more! Image: Aleksandrs Samuilovs, via Wikimedia Commons using a Creative Commons 3.0 license https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:AirBaltic_Boeing_757-200_at_RIX.jpg Theme song "Mēs...

Link to the LW Election Guide spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Pw5VtlFGjHrsTLWoQFE07xniWFMxqZ5OiXzJDFMK-I0/edit?usp=sharing Joe breaks down the 15th Saeima (parliament) election party-by-party after giving a basic overview of how the election on October 3rd works, including party platforms and current polling data.

Joe is back from a summer break to break down the continuing fallout from Cyclone Priska's tour of destruction throughout Latvia, calling into Gary Dickenson near Valmiera and Kris Akenfelds in Liepāja to hear how they fared the storm before covering other major stories of the week. Theme song "Mēs esam ārzemnieki" by Aarzemnieki, used with permission Closing theme song: Think Tank by Audionautix...

As Latvia gets ready for another weekend of summery weather, Joe talks through major stories such as the completion of a not-fully-usable new Central Station rail terminal, more financial fears for Air Baltic, the potential closure of one of Rīga's busiest bridges to personal traffic during renovations, and much more! Theme song "Mēs esam ārzemnieki" by Aarzemnieki, used with permission Closing th...

Joe is back with a full-length episode to discuss the opening of the election season with party lists submited, new polling data out, and a full month of the new coalition having gone by. Also, Gary Dickenson of Baltic Homesteaders once again calls in to update us on how his homestead has fared the massive rain that's hit Latvia over the past week. Theme song "Mēs esam ārzemnieki" by Aarzemnieki,...

Līgo Līgo! As Joe was looking for oak branches this morning, he recorded a midsummer-themed mini episode, with Gary from Baltic Homesteaders also calling in with greetings!

For this mini-episode, Joe is joined by two of his students, Divs and Marja, to give their perspectives on some of the biggest stories such as the drone incursions into Latvia and the upcoming election in October, while Gary gives an update on his Baltic Homestead. Image credit: Pixabay Theme song "Mēs esam ārzemnieki" by Aarzemnieki, used with permission Closing theme song: Think Tank by Audionau...

Joe recaps the collapse of the Siliņa government and the lightning-fast coalition formation process that has left Andris Kulbergs on the cusp of becoming the next prime minister, as well as other stories such as the arrest of high-level officials over alleged corruption in the forestry industry, continued drone incursions into Latvia, success (so far) at the international ice hockey championship,...

As the investigation over a series of drones that crossed into Latvian territory, some of which crashed into an oil storage facility, the political fallout has already begin to fall. Joe is also joined by Søren von Holmberg to discuss local controversy over traffic changes in the Grīziņkalns neighborhood of Rīga, as well as by Gary Dickensonnof Baltic Homesteaders to hear how things are going near...

Joe discusses the results of a wind storm over the weekend as well as follow-ups to stories from the previous week, while Gary checks in from Vidzeme on the latest developments at his homestead. Theme song "Mēs esam ārzemnieki" by Aarzemnieki, used with permission Closing theme song: Think Tank by Audionautix audionautix.com​ Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download /...

After an unintentional break due to being "aizņemts," Joe is back to discuss major happenings especially in the world of transportation and politics, with Gary calling in with a "Voicemail from Vidzeme" to let people know how things are going at his homestead near Valmiera. Theme song "Mēs esam ārzemnieki" by Aarzemnieki, used with permission Closing theme song: Think Tank by Audionautix audionaut...

Following his appearance on the LTV1 show "Zemes stāsti" ("Stories of the Land"), Joe checks back in with Gary Dickenson of the popular "Baltic Homesteaders" social media pages as he gets ready for spring near Valmiera and reflects on how his content has evolved over the past few years. You can check out Baltic Homesteaders on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/baltichomesteaders/ You can l...

Gary Dickenson of the Baltic Homesteaders social media pages joins Joe to discuss the long-awaited but potentially treacherous arrival of spring along with other stories, such as a real-life "Nāves ēnā" situation avoided thanks to 21st century telecommunications, Latvia's commemoration of the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale attack on Ukraine, the ironic collapse of the "For Stability" fa...

Alan Anstead from the Englishman in Latvia podcast joins Joe for a look back over the previous weeks' major stories, such as the continued extreme winter weather, Latvia's Olympic ups and downs, more Rail Baltic controversy, and an official response from the Latvian Language Agency about the term "Coolcation!" Please listen to Alan's podcast here: https://englishman-in-latvia.com/ Photo credit: pr...

This week, Joe is joined by the one and only Anete Germane from the Irregular Latvian YouTube channel to discuss the ongoing cold snap in Latvia which has led to phones buzzing with emergency alerts for three nights in a row along with other topics such as the increasing public admissions by officials that Rali Baltic will be nowhere near on time, more trouble for Ogre mayor Egils Helmanis, Wikipe...

Joe breaks down major stories of the week including Speaker of Saeima Dace Mieriņa's surprise support for Donald Trump's Nobel Peace Prize campaign, a reality check for Rail Baltic, expensive renovations for Vanšu tilts, winters continued bite, and much more! Photo: Ieva Ābele, Saeima Izmantošanas noteikumi: saeima.lv/lv/autortiesibas Source https://www.flickr.com/photos/42130586@N02/53376328817/...

Kris Akenfelds comes to Rīga to join Joe for a discussion on Kurzeme's attempt at becoming a (not so) hot tourist destination, the continued wintry weather, the prosecution of individuals allegedly (illegally) assisting Moscow's nefarious ambitions, a new munitions factory, and an attempt to reduce bureaucracy. Cian again covers major international stories.

It's already been a hectic new year in Latvia, with a massive wind storm ushering in the true beginning of winter and other major stories such as a fatal gas explosion in Torņakalns, the reestablishment of a single train between Rīga and Tallinn, and a number of high profile passings. Cian joins the team as international correspondant, and Kris calls in from Liepāja to tell about his experience du...

Happy New Year! Joe is back with a roundup of the top stories of 2025 in Latvia, as well as the Latvia Weekly people of the year! "Auld Lang Syne" performed by the Concert Band of the United States Air Force Heritage of America Band. Track 21 from disc 2 of Ceremonial Music (2005). Fragment of "I've Been Working on the Railroad" by Mitch Miller

Joe breaks down the biggest takeaways from the muniicpal elections that happened Saturday as well as the aftermath before interviewing composer and professor of music and education Scott Brickman about his experiences reconnecting with his Latvian roots in a big way over the past few years. Theme song "Mēs esam ārzemnieki" by Aarzemnieki, used with permission Middle song courtesy of Ausma Apsīte C...

Latvia Weekly is back in a new format, with Joe covering some main happenings of the week and then interviewing Jelgava artist Katrīna Tračuma about the opening of her solo exhibition in Jelgava "Zemnieki. Zeme. Nieki. Zemieši. Zemgale." or "Farmers. Earth. Nothings. Zemgale. Earthlings." Theme song "Mēs esam ārzemnieki" by Aarzemnieki, used with permission Middle song courtesy of Ausma Apsīte Clo...

As Latvia's coalition forces compromise on a budget, law enforcement crack down on one of the largest drug producing operations in Latvian history. Otto and Joe discuss these and other stories such as a smartphone ban, the announcement of candidates for the upcoming Riga city council election, and important trip to Moldova, and more!