RVA’s Got Issues

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/h...

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...

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.new...

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 i...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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

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.

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.

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...

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 ad...

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 rent...

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 ⁠Richmon...

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 Ren...

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...

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 appl...

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 DO...

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.

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.

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 Fitzpat...

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...

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...