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85 - How can we fix Virginia's criminal justice system?

Episode Notes

This week, we tackle criminal justice and incarceration in Virginia from two angles: for one, what injustices are criminal justice reform advocates trying to fix? For two, how can we help incarcerated people stay out of prisons and live better lives? 

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84 - What's the future of energy in Virginia?

Episode Notes

Here on the podcast, we like to keep tabs on Dominion Energy. As the largest of only 2 publicly regulated utilities in the state, Dominion is a monopoly. The caveat is that it’s a state regulated monopoly, meaning its rates and profits are monitored by a regulatory

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83 - Is Virginia ready for ranked choice voting?

Episode Notes

Maine does it. Alaska does it. And since 2021, Virginia can do it too, in certain city and county elections. It’s ranked choice voting, which works exactly how it sounds: voters rank their favorite candidates in order. 

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82 - What did the General Assembly accomplish this year?

Episode Notes

The 2023 General Assembly session drew to a close last Saturday. And with divided majorities in the General Assembly, it was a little underwhelming. Despite a year of big, hot topic issues, little was accomplished on abortion rights, gun control, or even setting up a

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81 - Why does Virginia make incarceration so expensive?

Episode Notes

In Virginia, incarceration is expensive. In prison and jails across the state, inmates have to pay to communicate with family members. They also have to pay for extra food, clothing, and sanitary products in the prison commissary. 

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80 - Why is Virginia's government getting so little done?

Episode Notes

After two years of Democratic control, Virginia's elected government is now divided once again. The result? A lot fewer laws likely to pass this year.

This podcast started partly as a response to the media cycle that covered the General

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79 - What's behind right-wing attacks on education?

Episode Notes

In 2021, Glenn Youngkin rode the idea of “parents' rights” to victory in his gubernatorial race. And now, Virginia conservatives have latched on to the idea as a tactic for banning books, attacking public education and starving publicly funded institutions. 

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78 - What can we expect from the 2023 General Assembly?

Episode Notes

The General Assembly starts its 2023 session next Wednesday--with Republicans in control of the House of Delegates for the first time since this show started in 2020. In this episode, journalist Michael Pope explains what we should be looking out for as lawmakers meet

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77 - Bold Dominion's Best of 2022!

Episode Notes

As we approached the new year, we found ourselves feeling a little reflective. So we made a special episode for you. In “Best of 2022”, Nathan and Alana sit down to discuss some of our favorite episodes from this year on the podcast. 

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76 - How does collective bargaining empower workers in Virginia?

Episode Notes

For decades, Virginia was one of only three states in the country that banned public sector collective bargaining. That meant teachers, healthcare workers, and first-responders couldn’t have a say in how their contracts were written, leading to lower pay and poorer

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