Episode Notes

There are so many wonderful teachers out there. Teachers who don’t just view it as a job, but as a calling. Which is why it’s so disheartening to see education policy bandied about in state capitals by so many lawmakers who’ve never taught a class or asked a teacher what they need. Today, we’re looking at the state of public education teaching in Virginia… The serious shortages in teachers and substitute teachers across the state. The bogeyman of critical race theory. And the need to attract new teachers – and what’s getting in the way of that.

Episode Notes

"Legalize weed" is an easy slogan, but the devil is in the details if we want to do that fairly. Can we set up the market to benefit Virginians and small businesses, not just a few corporate owners? Can we repair and do right after decades of unfairly enforced drug laws? In 2022, those conversations are as pressing as ever... especially since a newly elected Republican majority seems set on rolling back equity measures.

Episode Notes

For decades, Virginia lawmakers have been more likely to show deference to Dominion Energy than to challenge their power. These days, Dominion isn't just the state's biggest public utility... it's also the state's biggest corporate political donor.

Not that everybody is okay with that. For years, some progressive Democrats have called out Dominion. This year, some Republicans have found common ground with those Democrats. Republicans in the House of Delegates and Democrats in the state Senate have introduced bills that would prohibit campaign donations from public utilities. Campaign donations that have a direct through-line to Dominion's outsized influence on state policy.

In this week's episode, we speak with journalist Peter Galuszka and Clean Virginia executive director Brennan Gilmore.

Episode Notes

The General Assembly is starting its 2022 session this week. Legislation is the meat and potatoes of Virginia politics, so grab a fork and knife. MIght want to put on a bib, too. It can get messy. In this episode, Delegate Sally Hudson explains what to look for amidst our new divided government. Plus: Virginia's List founder Amy Laufer wants to help you follow bills, make an impact, and be a part of restoring our democracy.

Episode Notes

This week on Bold Dominion, we're looking back at 2021. In state politics, I'm not sure how to sum things up. I don't have a pithy phrase or simple hot take. We started the year with Trumpists attempting a coup against the United States. Over the course of the year, many Virginia statues of confederate traitors to the United States came down. And near the end of the year, Republicans swept statewide elections... in no small part campaigning on racial dog whistles.

But that's not the whole story of 2021. This week's Bold Dominion revisits some of the most telling moments from the podcast this year.

Episode Notes

It’s almost Christmas. But for millions of Virginians, worries about housing costs temper the celebrations. Nearly 3 in 10 Virginia households cost burdened, paying more than 30% of their income for shelter. This week, we look at how cities across Virginia - and America - have zoned their way out of 'missing middle' housing over the last 80 years. And what some cities in Virginia are doing to address the problem today.

Episode Notes

Last month, we had what felt like a national election only in Virginia. These were state elections, but the focus was on national concerns. When Bold Dominion launched in 2019, we were struck by how many people closely follow national politics but know very little about how our own state government works. Or the power of state government to impact people's lives.

David Toscano has written a book about exactly this: Fighting Political Gridlock: How States Shape Our Nation and Our Lives. He's the former Democratic leader in the Virginia House of Delegates, representing the 57th District from Charlottesville.

This week on Bold Dominion, we talk about the power of state legislatures, how citizens can engage with them, and how states can shape national priorities.

Episode Notes

Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin campaigned on a raft of culture war issues. But it still takes the General Assembly to pass new laws, and Virginia's State Senate still has a Democratic majority. So what powers does the Virginia governor really have? What can a governor do even without new legislation?

This week, Bold Dominion sits down with a pair of UVA politics professors for a deeper look at these civics questions that are suddenly relevant to Virginia.

Episode Notes

Virginia's 2021 Election Day has come and gone. And Republican Glenn Youngkin will be the next governor of Virginia. Not only that, but it looks like Democrats have lost their majority in the Virginia House of Delegates. So what happened?

To answer that question, our crew from Bold Dominion joined up with the crew from the podcast Transition Virginia for a special crossover episode.

Episode Notes

There's an underlying principle to Virginia politics that often goes unmentioned--it's called the Dillon Rule, and it effectively says that local governments only have powers that are explicitly granted by the state. How does this affect our local legislators and our state as a whole?

This is a reprise of an episode that originally aired in February 2021.