Pod Virginia

IN THE NEWS:

Child poverty fell to a record low of 5.2% this week. Analysts say that's partly the result of pandemic programs like stimulus payments and the Child Tax Credit. But with many of these programs expired or expiring, what does that mean for American children?

A new mandate from a California board now applies in Virginia, requiring all new automobiles delivered to Virginia will be electric by 2035. While that's receiving some pushback, analysts are pointing out that the alternative is for Virginia to follow federal standards instead. In addition to the environmental benefits, there's a lot of money to be made to the push for electric vehicles, too: for charging infrastructure, for automobile dealers, and for Virginia consumers.

Fairfax County is on its way to removing "Robert E. Lee" and "Stonewall Jackson" from the names of prominent highways, and the Navy is considering renaming ships that honor the Confederacy. Some are also arguing that the Confederate memorial at Arlington National Cemetery should also be removed.

At the watercooler: the leadership of the Libertarian Party of Virginia recently voted to dissolve, causing a stir. Plus, more spirited discussion on whether it's "Tysons Corner" or simply "Tysons" up in Northern Virginia.

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As Dominion Energy's Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project continues, negotiations with the SCC will help determine how much it will cost for Virginians to receive the newly-captured wind energy. Harry Godfrey (Managing Director of Virginia Advanced Energy Economy) and Tim Cywinski (Communications Manager for the Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club) join us to talk about the latest development in Dominion's negotiations with the State Corporation Commission: an SCC performance guarantee that the project will produce energy 42% of the time.

What exactly does that mean, and how will the performance guarantee affect Virginia consumers? We go into the latest on this episode of Pod Virginia.

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Sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Addiction Recovery Alliance of Virginia

IN THE NEWS:

Attorney General Jason Miyares is creating a new election integrity unit he says will “restore confidence in our democratic process.” Democrats responded by asking--who doesn’t have confidence in a system that just elected Republicans to all three statewide offices?

Will Governor Youngkin appoint a new head POPE: Stalemate at the State Corporation Commission: Members of the General Assembly arrived at a stalemate for appointing a new member of the State Corporation Commission. which regulates public utilities, predatory lenders, insurance companies and even railroad safety. Now the question is whether the governor will try to appoint one because lawmakers have failed to take action, and that could come down to a question of how the General Assembly adjourned.

Governor Glenn Youngkin was back on the campaign trail supporting former Maine Governor Paul LePage. He called LePage a "unifying force" while denouncing his racially inflammatory comments, including statements that suggest "the enemy" to be overwhelmingly "people of color or people or people of Hispanic origin."

Former Delegate Mark Keam is no longer a member of the House of Delegates, and now voters in his district will have a special election to fill the seat. Voters the Democratic primary have to choose between School Board member Karl Fristch and BRAWS founder Holly Seibold.

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Sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Addiction Recovery Alliance of Virginia

Between a 1999 grant program and a 2010 tax credit program, Virginia taxpayers are paying roughly $10 million every year to help attract film and television productions to the state. The Virginia Film Office says the incentives have a 1.85x return on investment. We're joined by Professor Michael Thom of USC's Price School of Public Policy, who disagrees--he says incentive programs are a bad investment for taxpayers and for the state treasury.

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Sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Addiction Recovery Alliance of Virginia

"The State of Working Virginia," a new report from the Commonwealth Institute and the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, details a variety of new findings, including a shocking headline: Hispanic workers in Virginia are paid an average of 68 cents on the dollar, while Black workers are paid just 74 cents on the dollar.

The study's recommendations to help working Virginians include raising the minimum wage, providing paid sick days, and offering further protection to farm workers, who are currently exempt from overtime protections.

The Hanover County School Board has approved a new policy requiring transgender students to submit a written request formally asking to use the bathroom aligned with their gender identity. Opponents say the approach is "deeply concerning," forcing transgender students to share private medical information and out themselves to the school board unnecessarily.

Virginia's passenger rail service logged over 110,000 passengers in July--a record-breaking month that represents a 20% increase over the previous year. A spokesperson from Amtrak says that could be a sign of things to come across the country.

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Sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Addiction Recovery Alliance of Virginia

Professor Stephen Farnsworth, Director of the Center for Leadership and Media Studies at the University of Mary Washington, joins Michael and Thomas to talk about the hotly contested midterm election for Virginia's 7th District. Democratic incumbent Abigail Spanberger faces a challenge from Republican Yesli Vega in a newly-redrawn district: what do these candidates want their voters to take away and how will the election shape up?


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Sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Addiction Recovery Alliance of Virginia

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is giving the Mountain Valley Pipeline an additional four years to obtain all the necessary permits to finish construction. This isn't the first time FERC has granted an extension--but some experts say it's a bad deal for Virginians, both environmentally and economically.

According to a new Roanoke College survey, consumers are feeling better about the economy--eight points up from the spring. While consumer confidence is still at a historic low, the upturn might be one good sign for Democrats in what's otherwise looking to be a difficult midterm election.

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Sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Addiction Recovery Alliance of Virginia

Executive Director of Safer Country Paul Friedman joins Michael and Thomas to talk about the true costs of gun violence in America--not only the priceless lives lost, but the material cost to American citizens in the forms of economic destruction, healthcare costs, and community harm. They also discuss the economic forces fighting against gun reform, as well as gun policy solutions to help build a safer America.

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Sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Addiction Recovery Alliance of Virginia

IN THE NEWS:

Thousands are behind bars right now, even though they should've been released--that's the result of a recent budget amendment that changed how "earned sentence credits" worked. A lawsuit by the ACLU challenges whether the amendment can undo the credits earned since the 2020 law was passed.

Also in the news: While conversion therapy is illegal to perform on LGBTQ+ children, it's still not illegal for adults. Despite the practice being widely discredited, the Virginia Department of Health Professions is telling licensed state health professionals that it's okay to keep using this junk science on adults.

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Sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Addiction Recovery Alliance of Virginia

In this episode taken from our Patreon feed, Lauren Burke of the BURKEFILE podcast joins us to discuss the latest trends in journalism, as well as 10 tips for elected officials and communications directors trying to work with reporters.

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/PodVA

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BURKEFILE: https://burkefile.libsyn.com/

Sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Addiction Recovery Alliance of Virginia