Latvia Weekly

With the end of the year in sight, it's time for YOU to choose the most important person of the year here in Latvia who made a difference for better or worse. Join Otto and Joe as they reveal the top 10 nominations from listeners like you, and cover the week's most important news stories such as strict new anti-drunk driving measures, new regulations designed to protect journalists, a "zero waste"...

"Atkārtot" (to repeat) is the word of the week, with Rīga once again on the brink of re-do elections thanks to Environmental Protection and Regional Development Minister Juris Pūce's decision to use the "nuclear option" and initiate the dismissal of city council. Meanwhile in Ventspils, oligarch and mayor since 1988 Aivars Lembergs is on the brink thanks to being included on a US sanctions list. O...

"Apsaimniekošana" (management) is the word of the week as Minister of Environmental Protection and Regional Development Juris Pūce reveals plans for potential early Rīga City Council elections in February due to the city's lack of a satisfactory waste management plan. Otto joins Joe from Rīga for a jam-packed episode where they discuss this among many other important domestic, international, and h...

"Atlaist" is our first ever "Latvian word of the week," with growing movements to dismiss both Saeima (parliament) and Rīga City Council. Join Otto and Joe as they discuss these ongoing situations along with a new plan for medical workers' salary raises proposed by Health Minister Ilze Viņķele, major legal troubles for Rīga Central Market, yet another diplomatic row with Moscow, a bold proposal to...

With Latvia's health care workers calling for the dismissal of parliament, the sacking of the health minister, and the rejection of the 2020 budget, Joe and Otto sit down for a special report on how we got to this point and what the most likely next steps and repercussions will be. Intro and outro music: "Looking Back" by Lee Rosevere, used with a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License...

Quarantined away due to illness, it's up to Joe alone to untangle the mess of intricacies that has led Rīga City Council to the brink of extraordinary elections that would take place barely a year away from the regularly scheduled 2021 ones. Otto chimes in with international stories and a look at the life of the recently departed legendary Guntars Gedulis. Theme song "Mēs esam ārzemnieki" by Aarze...

In honor of the 18th of November, Otto and Joe come together to discuss Latvian Proclamation Day (often called "independence day") including how it came to happen, how it has been celebrated in the past and present, what it means to Latvians today, why people wear ribbons and carry torches, and the peculiar reason why the more than 30,000 people named Aleksandrs are especially important on this da...

Kris Akenfelds joins Joe to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Latvia's defeat of German and Russian forces in Rīga, remember the life of legendary artist Džemma Skulme, and discuss major stories such as protests by medical workers and regional reform opponents, the death of LNT, the Latvian Green Party's expulsion from the European Green Party, and more. Otto and Olevs also join from New York t...

While Otto and Olevs cover major international stories from far away in New York City, Joe and Matīss discuss questionable journalism about potential CO2 regulations, the blacklisting of a popular Russian singer, the challenges of Latvian language and driving exams, and much more! Theme song "Mēs esam ārzemnieki" by Aarzemnieki, used with permission Weather theme: Smooth Jazz (am) by Backing Track...

Listen to Olevs and Otto interview Peter A. Ragauss, who serves as the Honorary Consul of Latvia to Texas, U.S., and a board member at the Baltic-American Freedom Foundation. He is an American Latvian with a strong connection from Latgale — the easternmost and arguably the most distinct part of Latvia. Find out how American, Latvian and Latgalian identities have formed Peter's personality, his way...

Otto, Olevs, and Kris join Joe and Līga in Jelgava to celebrate the Latvia Weekly Podcast's first birthday and discuss a range of issues including a new bottle deposit system, a change at the top of Saskaņa's leadership, President Levits' visit to Japan, and much more! Theme song "Mēs esam ārzemnieki" by Aarzemnieki, used with permission Weather theme: Smooth Jazz (am) by Backing Track Ninja Sourc...

Otto and Olevs join Joe all the way from Berlin to discuss their most recent Baltic security initiatives as well as frost-resistant strawberries, Latvia's aging and CO2-happy car fleet, Jelgava's unhappy mayor, great achievements by Latvia's star female athletes, and much more! Theme song "Mēs esam ārzemnieki" by Aarzemnieki, used with permission Weather theme: Smooth Jazz (am) by Backing Track Ni...

As they celebrate their 50th episode with a new theme song by sports correspondent Jorens Šteinhauers, Otto and Joe discuss the topsy-turvy week that Latvia's ministers had, with Finance Minister Jānis Reirs handing in the 2020 budget, Education Minister Ilga Šuplinska surviving a vote of no confidence and continuing her fight against Univeristy of Latvia rector Indriķis Muižnieks, Environment and...

With Otto busy preparing for the important yearly Riga Conference, Joe covers domestic drama such as the arrest of former Mayor of Daugavpils Rihards Eigims, renewed charges against current Mayor of Jurmala Gatis Truksnis, a football match fixing scandal, a possible solution to Rīga's trash problem, and much more! Otto and Joe did get a chance to discuss some major international stories together s...

This jam packed episode starts with a slate of bad news for Minister of Education Ilga Šuplinska and her Jaunā konservatīva partija but hardly ends there, with major stories including changes to citizenship law, a worrisome climate study, dramas both backstage at the legendary Dailes Theater and on Ķekava City Council, minimum income and pension increases, and the introduction of Burger King to th...

Otto and Joe make a call to new Liepāja resident Kris Akenfelds to discuss newly announced plans for increased rail service to "the city where wind was born," while sports correspondents Jöran and Oliver call in to discuss the latest happenings in Latvian football. Major stories discussed this week include updates to the kindergarten food poisoning scandal, a potential major development in languag...

Otto and Joe are back together in Jelgava to discuss a fickle forecast for both the weather here in Latvia and the Krišjānis Kariņš-led government as autumn has arrived in dramatic fashion. Meanwhile, sports correspondents Jöran and Oliver retell an exciting KHL hockey match between Dinamo Rīga and Amur Khabarovsk. Other topics this week include the Baltic states' first solar farm, good and bad ne...

Listen to Otto covering the battles over the budget, new parties getting a stronger hold, trashy tango in the capital, presidential and vice-presidential talks, topical history and future events and more. Surprise sports correspondents join in to cover the downs and ups of the national athletes. Opening and closing music by Anna Veisa

Happy first day of school to Latvia's students and teachers! In honor of the new year, Joe is joined by one of his new colleagues and two of his media club students at Jelgava Spidola State Gymnaisum to discuss some of the changes taking place in education this year, as well as the top stories of the week including a new step towards municipal reform, fire safety violations, and a list by CNN of t...

Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia celebrate 30 years since the important "Baltic Way" protest against Soviet occupation while Rīga inaugurates its third(!) mayor of 2019, PNB Bank's owner sues to stay open, and the Kariņš government tepidly supports Minister of Education Ilga Šuplinska (JKP) in her ongoing conflict with the University of Latvia. Otto and Joe not only discuss these stories and more, bu...

Joe and Otto are back in Rīga to celebrate the annual city festival and discuss the ECB's sudden closure of PNB Bank (formerly Norvik) as well as major updates to long-running stories such as the road to a new Mayor of Rīga, a compromise in regional reform, increased heat in the showdown between the University of Latvia and Minister of Education Ilga Šuplinska, and much more! Opening and closing m...

The Holocaust will always be one of the darkest chapters of Latvian history, and it is up to historians like Richards Plavnieks, Assistant Professor of History at Florida Southern College, to chronicle this painful period. Joe sits down with Dr. Plavnieks to discuss his work studying the infamous "Arājs Kommando" as well as his experiences growing up as a Latvian-American on both sides of the Atla...

With time ticking before an August 20th deadline set by opposition parties, in which Rīga City Council must agree upon a new mayor or face extraordinary elections, former Mayor Nils Ušakovs phones in from Brussels with an offer that key independent councillors seem eager to refuse. Joe and Otto discuss potential stalemate-breaking scenarios as well as a scandal-plagued bridge, a showdown over the...

Otto has returned to Latvia to celebrate a major anniversary with Joe! No, not the show's 40th episode, but the 100th birthday of Latvijas Dzelceļš, the country's rail authority! Other topics of discussion include major updates to the Kariņš government's plans, a drought in the south of Kurzeme, a new US ambassador to Latvia, and a bridge that belongs to no one in desperate need of repairs. Openin...

After 58 days and over 1500 km of cycling, Latvian-Australian Kris Akenfelds has brought his journey across Latvia to a close and joins Joe once again in Jelgava to tell stories from the eastern half of his journey as well as some of his major takeaways from spending summer all throughout the Latvian countryside. Photo Credit: Ivo Kruusamägi https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lake_Al%C5%ABksn...