Most people know Terry McAuliffe and Ken Cuccinelli are running for Governor… but who’s sharing the ticket?   They’re not household names yet, but Mark Herring, E.W. Jackson, Ralph Northam, and Mark Obenshain will be for an hour at least on this edition of Virginia Conversations. Our pundits join host May-Lily Lee.

On “Virginia Conversations,”  a focus on First Ladies…

Host May-Lily Lee talks to Feather Schwartz Foster, author of “First Ladies: From Martha Washington to Mamie Eisenhower, An Intimate Portrait of the Women Who Shaped America”.

Also on the program is Roxane Gilmore, the Virginia First Lady who decided to temporarily move her family out of the Executive Mansion to allow for some much needed renovation.

On this edition Virginia Conversations… Roads, Rails, and Trails… a Bristol author and two Richmond writers share their unique travel destinations and points of interest in Virginia.  Plus, learn about photographer O. Winston Link who recorded thousands of images and sounds from the heyday of steam locomotives and whose work lives on at a Roanoke rail-side museum.  Join host May-Lily Lee.

Part One:

Part Two:

On “Virginia Conversations,”  the art of beer-making in the Old Dominion.

It may have started with the colonists, but it’s today’s craft brewers that are perfecting the art.  We’ll hear from the experts in the field on the challenges of not only brewing the best mug, but getting it to market and standing out in a very crowded field of craft beers.

Join host May-Lily Lee.

On this edition of “Virginia Conversations” we discuss ways to  protect the elderly from being taken advantage of financially. By mail, by phone, on the internet and in person… predators are always on the prowl to steal money from unsuspecting seniors.  Join host May-Lily Lee with three experts on how it’s happening, and most importantly how you can help protect your older loved ones.

On this edition of Virginia Conversations,  making sure there are enough doctors to take care of an aging population. Medical experts say there’s a shortage now of family doctors.  And with President Obama’s health care reform adding more potential patients to the mix, that shortage is predicted to get worse.  We talk to two doctors who not only treat patients, but also help educate up and coming physicians.  Here’s host May-Lily Lee:

Haley Almarode (l), Jonathan Thomas, and Zoe Helmandollar (r) received scholarships from Project Discovery

On this edition of the program– keeping students on track to a more successful education. Our guests are from Project Discovery – a program designed to help students graduate from high school and continue with a college education.  May-Lily Lee hosts, as we learn how it works and how to take part in the program, as well as hear from some students who are benefiting from it.

Additional Resources: Project Discovery

Virginia Department of Education: Virginia is for Lovers….of Summer Learning!

Terry McAuliffe (left) and Ken Cuccinelli (right)

On this edition of “Virginia Conversations,”  a discussion on the race for Governor between Republican Ken Cuccinelli and Democrat Terry McAuliffe. Our political pundits weigh in on the issues facing… and dogging, the two candidates. Plus we’ll have reaction to last weekend’s GOP convention in Richmond. Join host May-Lily Lee.

On this edition of  Virginia Conversations, an hour with Virginia Senator, and former Governor, Mark Warner.

He organized the so-called “Gang of Six” to end the partisan gridlock in the Senate.  We’ll ask him how those efforts are going today… and get his take on other domestic and foreign issues as well.

Join host May-Lily Lee.

In this program, we look at how the state’s vineyards are doing, talk to the man dubbed “The Father of the Modern Virginia Wine Industry”, and hear from two distinguished wine critics on how Virginia’s wines measure up with host May-Lily Lee.

Here’s a link to some upcoming Virginia wine events.

We’re talking about early childhood education on this edition of  “Virginia Conversations”– early childhood education.  Many believe it’s the key to succeeding in school, a career… even life itself. But not every child has the best opportunity to receive that all-important early start.  So, what’s being done at the local and state levels to help kids get off on the right foot?   May-Lily Lee and her guests look for some answers.

On this edition of “Virginia Conversations”… looking to America’s founding fathers to help solve the partisan gridlock in Washington.
That’s the theme of a new book entitled: “The Idea of America:  How Values Shaped Our Republic and Hold the Key to Our Future.”
Join host May-Lily Lee for a discussion on how opposing views and heated debates are beneficial to democracy.

Dr. Read Montague

Thomas Becher

What makes us choose one product over the another?  Doctor Read Montague of the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute knows.  He’s a pioneer in neuro-marketing.  He’ll explain how the human brain responds to advertising,  and how ad execs such as  Thomas Becher of Neathawk, Dubuque & Packett (ND&P) put it to work. May-Lily Lee hosts.

On this edition of “Virginia Conversations” here on WVTF and RADIO IQ, if you or someone you know is looking for a job, we’ll tell you where the “Help Wanted” signs are posted.

We breakdown the job outlook by region and by employment sector, as well as offer up plenty of interview and resume’ advice from our guest expert.

Join host May-Lily Lee and her guests, Malissa Short, with the Virginia Employment Commission.  Also John Provo with Virginia Tech’s Office of Economic Development joins us by phone.Here are some of the websites mentioned during the program:

Virginia Employment Commission
www.vec.virginia.gov

Business One Stop
www.bos.virginia.gov

Workforce Investment Act/Workforce Services
www.vccs.edu/WorkforceServices

Virginia Wizard
www.vawizard.org

Virginia Workforce Connection
www.vawc.virginia.gov

Hampton Roads Workforce Development Board
www.opp-inc.org

City of Charlottesville Jobs Board
www.charlottesville.org/jobs

Hospice of the Piedmont
www.hopva.org/job-openings

SlideShare
www.slideshare.net

On this edition of “Virginia Conversations,” with the 2013 session of the General Assembly officially over… it’s time to unleash the pundits.  Our panel of legislative reporters recap what was accomplished this year by Virginia’s lawmakers, as well as what fell by the wayside…..and what listeners think of this year’s batch of new laws and budget plans.  Here’s host May-Lily Lee.

On this edition of Virginia Conversations, are you hoping for bigger begonias and tastier tomatoes in your garden this year?

We’ve got just the remedy for you – with two gardening experts taking listener questions.

Host May-Lily Lee talks with Peter Hatch, who spear-headed the restoration of Thomas Jefferson’s garden at Monticello, and Les Parks from the Norfolk Botanical Garden, which is celebrating its 75th year.

On this edition of Virginia Conversations, how those automatic federal budget cuts are hitting the Old Dominion.

Host May-Lily Lee talks with Mayor Paul Fraim of Norfolk – home of the world’s largest navy base… and ground zero for the impact of the Washington impasse.  Also, we have  an update from the White House correspondent for the McClatchy Newspapers and from a Virginia school superintendent.

On this edition of Virginia Conversations, it’s income tax time… and there are changes you need to know about. For example, if you’re expecting a refund from the state you won’t be getting a paper check anymore.  Our panel of tax experts explains what’s new on the federal and state forms. Join host May-Lily Lee for Virginia Conversations.

Starchild Abraham Cherrix with his mother, Rose Cherrix

On this edition of  “Virginia Conversations”  we track down two young people who found themselves in the national spotlight several years ago: Starchild Abraham Cherrix – the Virginia teen who went to court over his fight for alternative cancer treatment…And Callie Conley – one of the two babies accidentally switched at birth back in the 1990’s.  Where are they now, and how are they doing.

On this edition of “Virginia Conversations,” the topic is school security. It’s being discussed from PTA meetings, to the General Assembly, and around kitchen tables everywhere.
Host May-Lily Lee talks with guests from two organizations representing school principals and superintendents, a Police Chief, and a member of the Governor’s Task Force on School Safety.

On this episode of Virginia Conversations, host May-Lily Lee talks with Doug Wilder, one of Virginia’s most-influential and groundbreaking African-Americans.   The first black Governor of  Virginia– and first black governor of any state since Reconstruction– Wilder discusses the political road that led him to the state’s top job.

On this edition of Virginia Conversations, we’re keeping an eye on your tax dollars in Richmond.  In the Virginia General Assembly, members of the House and Senate each draw-up spending plans for the next two years. So, what’s up and what’s cut?  How will it affect the state programs you depend on?  Join host May-Lily Lee and her guests, Jeff Shapiro with the Richmond Times-Dispatch, and political analyst Dr. Bob Holsworth, with DecideSmart.

This week marked the crossover at the General Assembly has come and gone– that’s when the House and Senate wrap up work on legislation and let the other chamber consider it.  So how’s the first half of the session going?  Our panel of experts share their analysis with host Bob Gibson on Virginia Conversations.

On this edition of Virginia Conversations,  we’d like a word with you… or maybe two!
World renowned lexicographer Anne Soukhanov joins host May-Lily Lee for a look at the newest, most-used, and even most-dreaded words of the past year.  Listeners share their word lists and top grammatical pet peeves.

Kristen-Paige Madonia

On this edition of “Virginia Conversations” we gather three Virginia authors to share their writing experiences.
Join host May-Lily Lee with guests Sheri Reynolds, Cathryn Hankla, and Kristen-Paige Madonia.

Cathryn Hankla

Hear what inspires their creativity, and the rewards and challenges of being an author.

Sheri Reynolds

P. Buckley Moss

Adriana Trigiani

In this edition of  “Virginia Conversations,” host May-Lily Lee talks with two cultural icons, both with ties to Virginia.  Enjoy her interviews with world-renowned artist P. Buckley Moss and best-selling author Adriana Trigiani.

On this edition of “Virginia Conversations,” Governor Bob McDonnell joins host May-Lily Lee to talk about his vision of the coming year and how the General Assembly will tackle it.

On  this edition of “Virginia Conversations,” getting around parts of the state is now a lot easier.
There’s a new rail line between Hampton Roads and Richmond… and more money in the pipeline to improve rail service between Richmond and Washington.  Host May-Lily Lee will lead a discussion of those improvements, plus the prospects of added rail lines in other parts of the state including Roanoke, with the Director of the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are behind us, but you still have plenty of shopping days left.  On this edition of Virginia Conversations with host May-Lily Lee, we take a look at how consumer spending is going so far for Virginia retailers, and get an idea on how they’re still hoping to entice you to hit the stores. Plus,advice on how to get the best deals and not get in over your head.

He used to be Governor of Virginia… he’ll soon be a U.S. Senator for Virginia… he’s also our guest on this edition of Virginia Conversations, with host Bob Gibson. One month after winning a seat in the Senate, Kaine discusses the challenges facing the 113th Congress. Also –  his take on how the race for Governor is shaping up in Virginia.

On this edition of “Virginia Conversations”  it’s the time of year for when college students wish for a financial aid package in their Christmas stocking. Our guests will help students and their parents get more out of the grants and student aid available, tackle the myths and realities of financial aid, and help get them through the complicated maze of paperwork to apply for aid. Join host May-Lily Lee.

As you prepare your Thanksgiving Day meal, have you ever wondered what the early American settlers sat down to at their special feasts? On this edition of  Virginia Conversations,  a look at that colonial menu with our guests including a woman who literally wrote the book on early Virginian cuisine as well as an interpreter from the Jamestown Yorktown Foundation who brings colonial culinary history to life. Join us with host May-Lily Lee.

On this edition of “Virginia Conversations,” the outcome of the 2012 elections, as our political conversation continues. How will the next chapter in America’s history unfold with the President and U.S. Congress in place? Our panel of political junkies weigh in.  Join their discussion on Virginia Conversations with  host May-Lily Lee.

On this edition of “Virginia Conversations,” will the Old Dominion end up in the “red” or “blue” column this election day?   On the program we’ll take a look at the final push for votes by the campaign staffs of President Obama and Governor Romney.

Join host Bob Gibson, with our panel of political experts discussing the last days of the U.S. Senate race between George Allen and Tim Kaine.

In a few weeks, Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln” comes out with scenes filmed in Virginia.  What does the film industry do for the state and local economy? We hear from the Virginia Film Office.  Plus, a look at the Virginia Film Festival in Charlottesville, with Virginia Conversations host May-Lily Lee.

On this edition of  “Virginia Conversations,” the race in Virginia to fill Jim Webb’s seat in the U.S. Senate. Two former governors are battling for that seat: Republican George Allen hopes to regain the seat he once held on Capitol Hill. And Tim Kaine hopes to join fellow Democrat Mark Warner representing Virginia in the U.S. Senate. Journalists covering the Allen and Kaine campaigns join this week’s host,  Bob Gibson.

On this edition of  the program,  the importance of poetry in our lives… and two women charged with keeping that mission alive. Host May-Lily Lee talks to Virginia’s new poet laureate, Sofia Starnes, and past poet laureate, Kelly Cherry.  They’ll share some of their own work, and we’ll hear from other poets in the state as well.

           On this edition of Virginia Conversations, we catch up with four Virginians you might remember.  Chuck Robb explains why he didn’t want to follow in his father-in-law’s footsteps to the White House.  Jim Gilmore weighs in on the current version of car tax relief.
Oliver North, for the first time, talks about the day terrorists showed up at his house to kill him and his family.  And John Warner describes a blind date with an actress named Elizabeth Taylor. Join host May-Lily Lee, for Virginia Conversations.

On this edition of Virginia Conversations, you’ll hear about the fight over one of the largest deposits of uranium in the world which happens to sit under the ground in Southside Virginia’s Pittyslvania County. Getting to it would be a huge financial windfall for the area but would it jeopardize the environment? Host May-Lily Lee talks with Patrick Wales, Chief Spokesman for Virginia Uranium and Andrew Lester, Executive Director of the Roanoke River Basin Association – a group against the proposed project. 

Making law, and making history…

On this edition of  Virginia Conversations with host May-Lily Lee, a visit with Mary Sue Terry, who in 1985 became the first woman elected to statewide office in Virginia.

BJ Leiderman

We’re mixing some music with the talk on this “Virginia Conversations”…
Our guest is composer and musician B.J. Leiderman, talking to our host May-Lily Lee.
You hear his name and music every day… many times a day… on public radio.
Now, find out more about the man behind the theme songs to shows such as:  “Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me”, “Marketplace”, “Car Talk”, “Morning Edition”, and “Weekend Edition”.

No doubt it pays to get an education… but too often it comes with decades of student loan payments.  On this edition “Virginia Conversations” – dealing with student debt… how to avoid it and how to dig out of the financial hole.  Host May-Lily Lee talks with Tom Kramer with Virginia 21 and Dr. Barry Simmons, Director of Financial Aid at Virginia Tech.

You wouldn’t know by all those ads on TV, but the traditional start to the campaign season in Virginia begins on Labor Day.  On this edition of  “Virginia Conversations” – a roundtable discussion of campaign spending and candidate stump speeches in the Old Dominion.  Our guests are Bob Gibson of the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership, Mike Sluss of the Roanoke Times and Jeff Schapiro from the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

On this edition of “Virginia Conversations,”  how law enforcement agencies are using Facebook, You Tube, and Twitter to fight crime.  Join host May-Lily Lee for a discussion with one law enforcement agency on the cutting edge of social media, as well as parents who have turned to the internet to help solve the abduction and murder of their daughter.

On this edition of Virginia Conversations, we peer into the classroom, just following the Governor’s Education Reform Summit.   Join host May-Lily Lee  in her discussion with Anne Carson, President of the Virginia PTA and  Mary Futrell, an internationally known educator and a past president of the National Education Association.

Join host May-Lily Lee and her guests representing Appalachian Power, Dominion Power, and the Rappahannock Electric Cooperative as they talk about the damage caused— and the lessons learned– from the June 29th storm.

Here’s our first episode of “Virginia Conversations,” from Virginia Public Radio.   The topic is globalization and the impact on Virginia.  Host May-Lily Lee is joined by guests:

–John Bassett III,  CEO of Vaughan-Bassett Furniture

–Jeff Keever, a top officials with the Port of Virginia

–Beth Macy, an  award-winning journalist spending the next year writing a book on the topic.

This call-in program was broadcast live on Friday, August 3rd.

May-Lily Lee

Virginia Public Radio will launch Virginia Conversations, an issue-oriented live weekly broadcast beginning Friday, August 3.

The program will initially air at 9:00 AM on WVTF/RADIO IQ and WHRV.

Hope you’ll join us for this regularly-scheduled, mountains-to-ocean, statewide weekly radio broadcast, hosted by May-Lily Lee of Richmond,  with Jerry Caldwell of Roanoke producing.