SSV: Broadband Internet Access in Virginia

Top row Jeff Gould (left) and Norman Dill. Bottom row Evan Feinman.

Evan Feinman, Governor Northam’s Chief Broadband Internet Advisor, joins the Senior Statesmen of Virginia to talk about broadband and internet access in Virginia. In 2018 Governor Northam set a 10-year goal to reach universal broadband coverage to all Virginians for social and economic reasons.

The Broadband Committee recommends policy changes to promote broadband development and created the Commonwealth Connect Coalition, a group of 125 organizations which is fully committed to the concept and funding for universal broadband coverage.

Mr. Feinman spoke at the Wednesday June 9, 2021 meeting of the Senior Statesmen of Virginia. The meeting was held on Zoom. Following the presentation, questions were taken from the audience. The program was introduced by SSV President Jeff Gould and moderated by SSV board member Norman Dill.

Wake-Up Call: The Benefits and Challenges of Solar Energy

Chris Meyer

Sunday Morning Wake-up Call host Rick Moore talks with Local Energy Alliance Program Executive Director Chris Meyer about some of the benefits and challenges of residential solar energy. Topics include: Shared solar and getting started with home solar energy.

The Sunday Morning Wake-up Call is heard on Real Oldies 97.9 The WREN, Sundays from 11 a.m. to noon.

Wake-Up Call: JMRL’s Summer Reading Recommendations for 2021

Sunday Morning Wake-up Call host Rick Moore talks with Jefferson Madison Regional Library Collections Manager Meredith Dickens and JMRL Young Adult Librarian Jess Moore about their recommendations for summer reading. Topics include: The increase of graphic novels as a way to encourage reading in young people plus tips on selecting a book for summer reading.

The library has returned to its normal pre-COVID hours. Members of the public are invited to visit their local branch of the JMRL.

The Sunday Morning Wake-up Call is heard on Real Oldies 97.9 The WREN, Sundays from 11 a.m. to noon.

Wake-Up Call: Political Polarization and Constructive Dialogue

Rachel Wahl

Sunday Morning Wake-up Call host Rick Moore talks with University of Virginia School of Education Associate Professor Dr. Rachel Wahl about polarization in politics and ways to make dialog across the political spectrum more constructive.. Topics include: Has contentious politics in America made productive dialogue impossible? Also, the art of constructive conversation.

The Sunday Morning Wake-up Call is heard on Real Oldies 97.9 The WREN, Sundays from 11 a.m. to noon.

SSV: Virginia General Assembly Legislative Report (2021)

Senator Creigh Deeds (top left), Delegate Chris Runion, Sue Friedman (moderator), Delegate Rob Bell (bottom left), Delegate Sally Hudson. Not pictured: Matt Fariss

The Senior Statesmen of Virginia presented their annual recap of the recently concluded session of the Virginia State General Assembly with reports from local legislators Senator Creigh Deeds and Delegates Rob Bell, Matt Fariss, Sally Hudson and Chris Runion. Topics included: Criminal justice reform, broadband access, the pros and cons of Zoom including changing role of lobbyists, the death penalty, redistricting, and passenger rail.

The legislators spoke at the Wednesday May 12, 2021 meeting of the Senior Statesmen of Virginia. The meeting was held on Zoom. Following the presentation, questions were taken from the audience. The program was moderated by SSV Vice President Sue Friedman.

Wake-Up Call: Prosecuting Child Sexual Abuse and Assault Cases

Alexandra Meador

Sunday Morning Wake-up Call host Rick Moore talks with Augusta County Commonwealth Attorney Alexandra Meador about her work in prosecuting child sexual abuse cases. Topics include: Reducing the trauma experienced by child victims during the legal process and catching online sexual predators.

The Sunday Morning Wake-up Call is heard on Real Oldies 97.9 The WREN, Sundays from 11 a.m. to noon.

Wake-Up Call: Charlottesville’s Local Food Hub: History, Programs and Participants

Portia Boggs (left) and Kristen Suokko

Sunday Morning Wake-up Call host Rick Moore talks with Charlottesville’s Local Food Hub Executive Director, Kristen Suokko and Director of Advancement and Communications, Portia Boggs, about their efforts to get locally grown food to consumers during the COVID pandemic. Topics include: The Fresh Farmacy Program and tips for using the drive-through market.

The Sunday Morning Wake-up Call is heard on Real Oldies 97.9 The WREN, Sundays from 11 a.m. to noon.

Wake-Up Call: A Most Peculiar Book: The Inherent Strangeness of the Bible

Kristin Swenson

Sunday Morning Wake-up Call host Rick Moore talks with author and Virginia Commonwealth University Affiliate Associate Professor of Religious Studies, Dr. Kristin Swenson, about some of the harder to understand stories in the Christian bible. Topics include: How “strangeness” captures the reader and examples of a few of the strangest stories in the Bible.

Dr. Swenson is the author of A Most Peculiar Book: The Inherent Strangeness of the Bible.

The Sunday Morning Wake-up Call is heard on Real Oldies 97.9 The WREN, Sundays from 11 a.m. to noon.

SSV: Behavioral Health Services During COVID-19

Rebecca Kendall (left), Lisa Beitz and Jeff Gould speaking via Zoom.

Lisa Beitz and Rebecca Kendall spoke at the April 14th meeting of the Senior Statesmen of Virginia about behavioral health treatment services in the time of COVID.

Rebecca Kendall is the director of the Community Mental Health and Wellness Coalition which collaborates with providers through planning, advocacy and delivery of effective services to promote behavioral health and wellness. She shared that all their services have been affected by COVID. Problems include effects of social isolation, food insecurity, unemployment and school closings. Some of the consequences have been increased alcohol consumption, increases in requests for services and overdoses seen in ERs. On the positive side the increase in Zoom telehealth services, where available, has been very fruitful. Two new services have been developed: Warmline, to help people who are stressed and to connect them to local care and a free service for essential workers.

Lisa Beitz is the executive director of the Region Ten Community Services Board which is required by law to be available 24/7 to assess people for involuntary hospitalization and case management assessment for individuals with developmental disabilities and mental health disorders as funds allow. Region Ten serves the City of Charlottesville and the Counties of Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene and Nelson, and is involved in over 40 programs and has more than 550 staff. Local trends exacerbated by COVID include lack of psychiatric hospital beds and closing of resources that keep individuals safe in the community leading to more hospitalizations.

The two spoke at the Wednesday April 14, 2021 meeting of the Senior Statesmen of Virginia. The meeting was held on Zoom. Following the presentation, questions were taken from the audience. The program was moderated by SSV President Jeff Gould.

Wake-Up Call: News Media: Past, Present and Future

Wyatt Andrews

Sunday Morning Wake-up Call host Rick Moore talks with Wyatt Andrews from the Department of Media Studies at the University of Virginia about news media, it’s past, present and future. Topics include: Partisan news media and the evolution of “fake news.”

The Sunday Morning Wake-up Call is heard on Real Oldies 97.9 The WREN, Sundays from 11 a.m. to noon.

Wake-Up Call: Conspiracy Theories

Andrew Ferguson (left) and David Walsh

Sunday Morning Wake-up Call host Rick Moore talks with Andrew Ferguson and David Walsh from the University of Virginia about conspiracy theories and their role in American culture. The Kennedy assassination and moon landing conspiracy theories are discussed.

The Sunday Morning Wake-up Call is heard on Real Oldies 97.9 The WREN, Sundays from 11 a.m. to noon.

Wake-Up Call: The Story and Tales of the UVA Pep Band

The Pep Band

Sunday Morning Wake-up Call host Rick Moore talks with UVA Magazine Journalist Ed Miller and Speaker and Author Ron Culberson about the history of the University of Virginia Pep Band. Topics include: The vetting of scripts and a joke that got the band in trouble with the Governor of Maryland. Also, the upcoming documentary film about the band.

The Sunday Morning Wake-up Call is heard on Real Oldies 97.9 The WREN, Sundays from 11 a.m. to noon.