This week on The Cardinal: News of Virginia, host Dutchie Jessee sits down with education reporter Lisa Rowan to explore a groundbreaking new high school opening in Northwest Roanoke, one that’s not for teens, but for adults looking for a fresh start. They discuss how the Excel Center, operated by Goodwill Industries of the Valleys, is giving adults who never finished high school a second chance to earn a diploma, boost their careers, and change the trajectory of their lives. From free child care to career coaching and internships, discover how this program is breaking down barriers, building confidence, and proving that it’s never too late to learn — or to dream bigger.

Catastrophic flooding has hit communities across the U.S. in recent years — including Buchanan County, Virginia, which has suffered three major floods in just four years. Now, Buchanan and nearby Botetourt County are piloting new flood warning systems that combine sensors, rain gauges, predictive modeling, and real-time alerts to give local officials crucial minutes of preparation.

In this episode of The Cardinal: News of Virginia, host Dutchie Jessee talks with Cardinal News reporter Susan Cameron, who explains how these cutting-edge systems work, why they’re especially vital for mountainous regions prone to flash flooding, and what this technology could mean for the future of flood preparedness across the state.

Read Susan's full story here: https://cardinalnews.org/2025/07/18/2-western-virginia-counties-now-have-flood-warning-systems-to-gather-data-and-guide-local-officials-during-emergencies/

When a February flood tore through Richlands, Virginia, it left more than 150 homes damaged and dozens of families displaced. But unlike their neighbors just across the border in West Virginia and Kentucky—who got federal money to rebuild—many Virginians were told they didn’t qualify for FEMA’s individual assistance. The reason? A formula that counts the wealth of Northern Virginia’s million-dollar homes against the needs of Southwest Virginia’s poorest residents.

In this episode, host Dutchie Jessee sits down with Cardinal News politics and policy reporter Elizabeth Beyer to unpack how FEMA calculates disaster aid, why Virginia’s relative wealth raises the bar for help, and whether a regional approach, or state-funded safety net, could close the gap. Through the voices of residents like Mike and Sherry Smith, who lost the home they’d lived in for decades, we examine the human cost of a system where the same storm brings two very different recoveries.

Virginia is confronting two entirely different—and urgent—health stories. Syphilis infections are climbing, and congenital cases surged 66% in 2024, exposing more newborns to devastating, preventable outcomes. Meanwhile, new residential recovery centers in Southwest Virginia are opening doors for pregnant and parenting moms to stay with their children while getting treatment, thanks to opioid settlement funds. What do these two trends tell us about gaps—and hope—in Virginia’s public health response? Find out as host Dutchie Jessee discusses the healthcare battles facing Virginia's children with reporter Emily Schabacker.

“A Creek Reborn: What Lynchburg Lost and Gained by Removing College Lake Dam”

This week, host Dutchie Jessee welcomes Lynchburg reporter Emma Malinak to the show to talk about her in-depth reporting on the decades-long effort to restore Blackwater Creek. For nearly a century, the College Lake Dam held back this tributary to the James River — until public safety concerns, climate pressure, and a vision for ecological restoration changed everything.

Dutchie and Emma dig into what’s at stake when a city removes a beloved landmark like a lake, the environmental and political debates that have unfolded, and what the future holds for this stretch of rewilded waterway. It’s a conversation about legacy, landscape, and the tension between human engineering and the natural world, and it’s one you won’t want to miss.

Wait, wait — don’t skip the legal notices! In this episode, Dutchie and Luanne make the case for why these often-overlooked announcements are actually essential reading. From government bids to name changes and property transfers, public notices ensure that government remains transparent. Learn how Cardinal News is bringing this centuries-old practice into the digital future — and why you should care.

Google just bought land in Botetourt County, Virginia — and the tech world is buzzing. Is a data center really coming to this rural corner of the state? Or is it just a maybe?

In this episode of The Cardinal: News of Virginia, host Dutchie Jessee is joined by business reporter Matt Busse and founding editor Dwayne Yancey to dig into the details of Google’s recent land acquisition. Together, they explore what this potential development could mean for Botetourt County and the surrounding region.

Could this be a new era of economic growth for rural Virginia? What are the trade-offs that come with data centers — from tax benefits to environmental concerns to infrastructure strain? And why are big tech companies starting to look beyond Northern Virginia and into the hills of the commonwealth’s southern and western regions?

🎧 Tune in for an inside look at a quiet land deal that could make a big noise.

In June 1963, civil rights protestors flooded the streets of Danville, Virginia — demanding justice, equality, and a voice. But in the city’s daily newspaper? The story was barely there.

In this episode of "The Cardinal: News of Virginia", host Dutchie Jessee sits down with reporter Grace Mamon to explore her Redbird series investigating how Danville’s civil rights movement was covered — or deliberately distorted — by the press.

Grace uncovers a stark divide: One paper toed the line of power, criminalizing protestors. Another, a lone Black-owned weekly, fought to publish “the truth.” Through archival reporting, media analysis, and personal accounts, this conversation dives deep into how journalism shaped — and warped — public understanding of a pivotal moment in Virginia’s history.

This is more than a historical case study. It’s a hard look at journalism’s responsibility — then and now — to tell the full story.

In this episode, host Dutchie Jessee sits down with Dwayne Yancey, founding editor of Cardinal News, to explore 25 eye‑opening destinations across Southwest and Southside Virginia—places where gubernatorial candidates Abigail Spanberger and Winsome Earle‑Sears could learn critical policy lessons firsthand.

They journey from the congested lanes of Interstate 81 (a traffic and infrastructure flashpoint) to booming solar farms in Southside that highlight the state’s renewable-energy divide. They unpack nuclear innovation in Lynchburg, the controversies around the Mountain Valley Pipeline, and the upcoming Rocky Forge wind farm in Botetourt County—all showcasing how energy, infrastructure, and rural development intersect.

📌 Highlights you'll hear about:

• I‑81 “trucktrap” traffic between Christiansburg and Salem—a transportation dilemma begging for policy attention.
• Solar farm surge in Pittsylvania County, and why it's both a lifeline and a lightning rod.
• The push—and opposition—to small modular reactors near Lynchburg, and what that signals for Virginia’s energy future.
• The Mountain Valley Pipeline’s decade‑long saga—where federal, environmental, and economic interests collide.
• A sneak peek at wind power in Botetourt, rural schools, hospitals, broadband, and more—illustrating the diversity of challenges western Virginians face.

🎧 Why it matters now: With both Spanberger and Earle‑Sears gearing up for statewide office, understanding these “real Virginia” issues is crucial. Shouldn’t our statewide leaders walk the roads, talk to the farmers, visit the schools?

Tune in for a candid, sharply informed conversation on regional resilience, energy transitions, infrastructure equity—and why visiting these places could shape policy in unexpected ways.

🔔 Subscribe and leave a review if you believe that no part of Virginia should be left off the map when it comes to governance. 📢 And don’t forget: share this with anyone who cares about rural communities and the real-world impact of policy decisions.

Host Dutchie Jessee is joined by Cardinal News reporter Tad Dickens to explore a surprising story growing in Southwest Virginia — vertical farming. In this episode, they dig into how controlled environment agriculture is taking root in rural towns, repurposing old tobacco warehouses and bringing tech-powered farming to unexpected places. Can this high-tech approach help revive Virginia’s agricultural economy — without ever touching soil or sunlight?

🎧 Tune in to find out how LEDs, sensors, and a lot of water are growing more than just crops — they might be growing a new future for rural America.