RVA’s Got Issues

By VPMSociety & Culture News Government Politics

RVA’s Got Issues episodes

September 30 Trust in Policing: Richmond's Civilian Review Board
After years of waiting, Richmond’s Civilian Review Board finally launched. Can the Board actually live out the promise of building greater trust in Richmond’s police - and hold them accountable?

Featuring:
Angela Fontaine, Chair of Richmond’s Civilian Review Board
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32 min
September 23 Southside and Maternal Health: Filling the Gaps in Richmond
Richmond is trying to meet the needs for our biggest issues. But there’s always a spot that we’re missing: a gap. How do we fill the gaps in maternal health? Or help Richmonders on Southside? And who’s doing the work?

Featuring:
Sean Crippen, Board Chair for Virginia Community Voice
Stephanie Spencer, Founder & CEO of Urban Baby Beginnings
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32 min
September 16 Data Centers and Virginia’s Water Supply
As the data center industry keeps growing, we don’t know a lot about how they use water - or how much they are using. Will Richmond, and the rest of Virginia, go thirsty?

Featuring:
Eric Bonds, Professor of Sociology at the University of Mary Washington
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31 min
September 09 Richmond’s Future Housing: Code Refresh Part 2
Who is the latest draft of Richmond’s Code Refresh FOR? And really, what does the resulting vision of the city’s future tell us about the kinds of neighborhoods we want – and the kinds of families who will live in those neighborhoods?

Featuring:
Andrew Breton, Richmond's First District City Councilmember
Casey Overton, Zoning Advisory Council
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31 min
September 02 Affordability vs. Character: Code Refresh Part 1
The latest draft of Code Refresh doesn’t do as much for affordable housing as some people want. Did we expect too much from Code Refresh? And what happens now?
Featuring:
Keyris Manzanares, Richmond city reporter for VPM News
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26 min
June 24 Is Carmax Park a Win for Richmond?
Fans love Carmax Park, the new home of the Flying Squirrels. But with disputes behind the scenes and questions about costs, is the investment we’ve made worth it?

Featuring:
Scott Bass, News Editor of Richmond Magazine
Michael Phillips, Founding Editor of The Richmonder
27 min
June 17 Mayor Avula on Earning Richmond’s Trust
Danny Avula’s campaign for Richmond Mayor is in the rear view mirror, and he’s digging deep into governance. Can he keep the trust of Richmonders while turning campaign promises into reality?

Featuring:
Danny Avula, Mayor of Richmond
31 min
June 10 When Will Virginia Legalize Marijuana?
After YEARS of negotiations, state lawmakers passed a bill to create a retail market for marijuana. Then the Governor got out her veto pen. Can legalization advocates find another way?

Guests:
Dean Mirshahi, VPM News reporter
Chelsea Higgs Wise, Executive Director of Marijuana Justice
Barbara Biddle, co-founder of the Cannabis Small Business Association
Valerie Slater, Executive Director of RISE for Youth
43 min
June 03 The Return of Prison Education in Virginia
We used to do higher education in Virginia prisons, but not so much anymore. What happened? And what’s being done now... to bring it back?

Featuring:
Terri Erwin (Director) and Kenneth Hunter (Organizer) with the Virginia Consensus for Higher Education in Prison
Scott Richeson (Deputy Director of the Division of Programs, Education and Reentry) and Zacc Allen (Chief Information Officer) for the Virginia Department of Corrections
30 min
May 27 Returning as a Citizen
In Virginia, a felony conviction can lead to a lifetime ban on voting. This November, a constitutional amendment might change this. Rich talks to VPM News reporter Whittney Evans about how big those changes might be. Will the amendment help returning citizens... actually return as citizens.

To learn more about returning citizens read VPM's Curious Commonwealth: https://www.vpm.org/news/2026-05-28/quadaire-patterson-voting-rights-felony-convictions-rvas-got-issues

Featuring:
Whittney Evans, Features Editor for VPM News
23 min

About RVA’s Got Issues

From the publisher's feed

RVA’s Got Issues examines the big issues defining life in and around Richmond, Virginia. What’s being done to keep housing affordable? How do we combat gun violence? What's with all the vape shops?