Billy Shields
Multimedia Journalist, Chesterfield CountyBilly Shields has decades of journalism experience in television, radio and print. Before joining VPM he worked as an MMJ for TV news outlets in Montreal, Canada and for newspapers in Mexico, Miami and the Caribbean. He has won awards for a retrospective on the Oka Crisis and investigations into questionable sewage contracts in the Virgin Islands and the gray market of lawsuit loans in Miami.
Shields earned a bachelor's from Kenyon College and a master's in Latin American Studies and Journalism from the University of Florida. He's a member of the National Press Photographers Association, a former trainer with Journalists for Human Rights and a Canadian citizen.
He was born and raised in Richmond and began his career as a cub reporter for the Tidewater Review in West Point, Virginia.
Email Billy: [email protected]
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The ferry began running between Virginia and Maryland during the 1700s. -
Late last year the Upper Mattaponi bought 855 acres of riverfront land from a gravel mine company. The tribe plans to use the land for environmental conservation and ecotourism.
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Medical debt is a problem that affects more than 500,000 Virginians. Medical bills that are beyond someone’s financial capacity can drive people into bankruptcy.
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The Melungeon Heritage Association met in Hillsborough, NC recently to discuss an upcoming conference exploring their identity. Andrew Harris Jr was an attendee.
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The path to federal recognition is long and complicated. But it can offer important administrative and financial benefits. It is also an important symbol of acceptance for Indigenous tribes whose existence has been denied by Virginia’s racial integrity laws.
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Public transit in Richmond has become more accessible over the years, but advocates say more can be done. The Greater Richmond Transit Co. says it plans to install more bus shelters and better train drivers.
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The neighborhood of Culmore is considered an island of disadvantage – an impoverished area largely in the midst of one known for being wealthy. Million dollar homes sit mere blocks away from apartment complexes that house several families in a single unit.
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High school seniors from Hanover County are spearheading efforts to get around the book ban imposed by the county’s school board. They’ve created what one of them calls “underground libraries.”
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Army veteran Jim Rudisill argues that Veterans Affairs is improperly denying him full benefits under the G.I. Bill. Through his lawyers, he argued to the U.S. Supreme Court he’s entitled to more robust benefits passed by Congress after 9-11.
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Controversial speakers are meeting with increasingly fierce protests on campus. Two Virginia schools are banding together to search for efforts to ensure free speech on campus.
