Host Lisa Rowan sits down with Martinsville/Henry County reporter Dean-Paul Stephens to unpack the housing shortage hitting Martinsville and the surrounding area. While many cities across the U.S. are grappling with housing shortages, smaller communities face unique challenges. This shortage is driving up housing costs and creating roadblocks for workforce development programs trying to find homes for employees. Dean breaks down what’s behind the crisis and what it means for local families and workers.

In this episode, host Lisa Rowan sits down with reporter Tad Dickens to trace the unlikely journey of Roanoke’s biomedical transformation. What began 15 years ago with a single researcher and a question (“What if?”) has now ballooned into Fralin Biomedical Research Institute — a cornerstone of a region reborn as a hub for healthcare, life sciences and innovation.

Electricity demand in Virginia is climbing fast — fueled by data centers, AI, and a surge of everyday energy needs. But can the state’s grid keep up? Host Lisa Rowan sits down with Cardinal News business reporter Matt Busse to unpack how policymakers, utilities, and communities are grappling with rising demand for power. From new bills in Richmond to debates over data center growth, they break down the high-stakes choices shaping Virginia’s energy future, and what it all means for you.

Four years ago, a small team of journalists set out to change how news was covered in Southwest and Southside Virginia. Today, Cardinal News has grown into a trusted, independent newsroom that is paywall free, nonprofit, and committed to covering communities that are too often overlooked.

In this special anniversary episode, Lisa Rowan sits down with Executive Director and founder Luanne Rife to reflect on Cardinal’s beginnings, its growth, and the critical role it plays in Virginia’s news landscape. From launching with just three journalists to building a statewide presence, hear how Cardinal has filled a vital gap in coverage and get a glimpse of what is ahead in year five and beyond.

As we celebrate our fourth birthday, we invite you to support our growth by becoming a member. Help us reach our goal of 100 new members and ensure that independent, nonpartisan news continues to thrive in Virginia. Join here: https://cardinalnews.org/membership/

In this episode, host Lisa Rowan sits down with reporter Grace Mamon to tell a story that’s rarely told — Haitian immigrants in Danville who fled violence and instability at home, drawn by the promise of work and safety, now find themselves in limbo as federal policy changes strip away their legal protections.

Together they explore:

• What it means to earn humanitarian parole status and why it mattered — and what happens when it’s revoked.
• How one job loss in Danville affects not just an individual, but entire families back in Haiti relying on remittances.
• The emotional struggle of uncertainty — when your future depends on what Washington does.
• What legal pathways remain for those facing status cancellations, and what it’s like on the ground in small‐town America when people are reduced to waiting and wondering.

This is a story of migration, policy, hope, and fear. If you thought immigration debates were only about numbers or politics, this episode will put faces and lives in the middle of it.

In this episode of The Cardinal: News of Virginia, host Dutchie Jessee chats with founding editor Dwayne Yancey about Virginia’s latest population projections from the Weldon Cooper Center at UVA. They break down 10 key takeaways that reveal where people are moving, where communities are shrinking, and what these trends mean for the state over the next 25 years.

From Lynchburg adding more residents than the Roanoke and New River valleys combined to Loudoun County’s explosive growth, and from Roanoke slowly approaching 100,000 residents again to rural coal counties facing dramatic population declines, this episode highlights the big shifts shaping Virginia’s future. Tune in to understand how growth, decline, and aging populations will reshape communities across the state, and why it matters for cities, suburbs, and rural areas alike.

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.