Here in Virginia, many of us have been shielded from the worst effects of climate change. So far. But we know - or we should know - that the planet is burning. So what’s a state to do? Lawmakers and activists are championing the fight to keep our planet fit for human habitation. So how exactly does meaningful environmental change happen?

For Episode 43 ("Where did Virginia's state constitution come from?"), we talked at length with UVA Law professor A.E. Dick Howard, who wrote the current Virginia constitution. For the full civics experience, we're offering that full interview here as a bonus episode this week.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Virginia’s current state constitution - one of seven that has governed the Old Dominion. In this episode, we talk at length with esteemed UVA law professor AE Dick Howard, who wrote Virginia's current state constitution. Prof. Howard discusses our state's rich constitutional history and where that history brings us today.

“The Virginia Way” is an old-fashioned ideal here in the Commonwealth -- the notion that our public servants have so much integrity that we don’t need laws to regulate money that goes into the political process. As a result, we have almost no campaign finance regulation -- a fact that's been exploited by aristocrats and corporations for decades, if not centuries.

Four years later, the deadly "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville is still a moment we mark time by. It has also shaped the phsyical and political landscape of Charlottesville and Virginia.

In the 2020 elections, Virginia voters approved a new Redistricting Commission Amendment. The short version: it changes how Virginia draws its political district lines.

But does it go far enough? Will Virginia's new redistricting commission help our flawed democracy?

Virginia is a bona fide trash capital. For decades, Virginia has been the second biggest importer of trash from other states. So where does that trash land in Virginia? And who does it get dumped on?

“Critical Race Theory” has become a pejorative in today’s American conservative movement -- including here in Virginia. So what is “critical race theory”? And how has it come to be the newest right-wing bogeyman?

The 2021 Virginia Democratic primary was a fairly clean sweep for the Democratic establishment as many progressive candidates lost out to their more moderate, corporate-friendly challengers. So what happened to Virginia’s progressive moment?

To answer that question, we spoke with Richmond-based journalist Peter Galuszka, as well as Brennan Gilmore, Executive Director of Clean Virginia, an organization dedicated to fighting corruption in Virginia's government.

Virginia was one of the earliest adopters of the eugenics movement. Why haven’t we heard more about it?

In this episode, we talk with author and historian Elizabeth Catte, who examines Virginia's history of eugenics through the land we use today: considering the experiences of Virginia's disabled, Black, Native, and other marginalized communities in the 20th century--and the reasons why this period of our history has largely gone unspoken.

Nearly a quarter-million homes and businesses in Virginia are unserved by broadband internet access, either because the infrastructure doesn't exist or it's too expensive. What can Virginia do about it?

To answer that question, we turn to the experts: Dr. Christopher Ali, an Associate Professor in the Department of Media Studies at the University of Virginia, and Evan Feinman, the Chief Broadband Advisor for Governor Ralph Northam.

Lobbyists hold so much influence in Virginia that there's even a term for it in Richmond: a “shadow government” that dominates Virginia policy-making without a single elected official. How does this shadow government work--and why is Virginia so uniquely susceptible to their influence? How important is that influence overall?

This week, we talk to Jeff Schapiro, a political columnist for the Richmond Times-Dispatch, and Robert Zullo, founder and editor of the Virginia Mercury, to learn exactly how lobbyists operate in Virginia--and what their influence means for our state laws.

The Democratic primary for governor is just around the corner, and five candidates will appear on that ballot. In this episode, we get down to brass tacks with Jennifer McClellan, Justin Fairfax, and Terry McAuliffe to discuss their visions for Virginia and their plans for working Virginians.

The Democratic primary for governor is just around the corner, and five candidates will appear on that ballot. In this episode, we get down to brass tacks with Lee Carter and Jennifer Carroll Foy to discuss their visions for Virginia and their plans for working Virginians.

Another session of the Virginia General Assembly has come to a close. This marks the second year that the House of Delegates, the State Senate, and the Governorship were all in Democratic control. That’s the first time in decades--a change so remarkable that it inspired us to start this very podcast in 2020.

So what did the General Assembly manage to pass this year? And what has the blue legislature managed to achieve more broadly with two sessions in power? To answer those questions, we talk with state Delegate Sally Hudson, as well as journalist Peter Galuszka.

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?

With the 2021 legislative session in full swing, hundreds of bills have been introduced into the General Assembly. Some have passed and some haven't--and some are yet to be debated. A lot of these bills are written and promoted by big-money industries and lobbying groups who have the time and money to spare. But this week on Bold Dominion, we dig into two examples of citizen activists who are making a difference in the legislature.

More and more, it seems like all political conversation is happening at the national level--Presidential elections, Congressional ratios, party divides and infighting. So much so that we forget just how much of our lives can be affected by our local politics right at home. In this episode, we sit down with author Rich Meagher, to discuss how local government works and the ways that we citizens can have a hand in shaping our communities.

Following the dangerous events in D.C. last week and a second impeachment vote today, it’s easy to forget that state lawmakers just convened for this year’s short General Assembly session. A host of important economic issues are slated for discussion as Virginia workers continue to feel the hurt from the COVID-19 crisis.

2020 has been one of the longest, most painful years in most of our lifetimes. While it's impossible to do justice to every story that struck Virginia this year, we're covering a few of the biggest changes across the state over the last twelve months.

To help, we're joined by Michael Pope and Thomas Bowman of Transition Virginia, a state politics podcast covering many of the same topics. In this roundtable retrospective, we discuss the coronavirus pandemic, the state legislature's response to calls for racial justice, and the economic fallout yet to come.