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Recent posts

Articles & News

our towns
View Post
  • HBO Documentary

‘Our Towns’ Viewer Response Roundup

  • Ben Speggen
  • June 29, 2021
Viewers respond to 'Our Towns' HBO documentary.
Movie marquee showing "Our Towns"
View Post
  • Local Institutions

Learning from a Prairie State

  • James Fallows
  • June 28, 2021
Small cities, potentially big lessons. What a state that is home to 800,000 people can demonstrate to the country as a whole.
Erie Pennsylvania's Refugee Owned Businesses 2021
View Post
  • Economic Development

Erie Celebrates World Refugee Day with New Film, Publishes Directory of Refugee-Owned Businesses

  • Ben Speggen
  • June 27, 2021
Erie Celebrates World Refugee Day with New Film, Publishes Directory of Refugee-Owned Businesses
MenajErie Studio presents Meet Erie Part 3 Cultural Impact
View Post
  • Economic Development

Creating and Reimagining Community through a Crisis

  • Ben Speggen
  • June 8, 2021
A look at the impact of Covid-19 on the culture sector in Erie, Pennsylvania.
James Fallows, Deborah Fallows, Steven Ascher, and Jeanne Jordan at Jefferson Educational Society Global Summit 12
View Post
  • Civic Life

“Our Towns:” From the Pages to the Screen

  • Ben Speggen
  • June 8, 2021
The filmmakers and writers discuss the story of "Our Towns" at JES Global Summit.
aerial look at Charleston, West Virginia
View Post
  • Economic Development

Revitalizing Charleston, West Virginia Brick by Brick

  • Ben Speggen
  • June 4, 2021
Revitalizing Charleston, West Virginia Brick by Brick
View Post
  • Local Journalism

The Editor Behind the Story of ‘Own Towns’

  • James Fallows
  • May 26, 2021
Few people outside the publishing world knew of Dan Frank. Many benefitted from his vision, and skill—including anyone visiting this site.
Students on university campus at tree-planting event
View Post
  • Civic Life

‘New Old Ideas’: A Modern CCC

  • James Fallows
  • May 24, 2021
American history doesn't repeat, but it rhymes. Crises keep cropping up—and so do ideas and solutions. Many innovations from the 1930s have new relevance for the post-pandemic 2020s. Here is an example, and the thinking behind it.
Three people holding shovels planting trees.
View Post
  • Trees

A Plan to Grow 90,000 Trees in Los Angeles

  • James Fallows
  • May 17, 2021
Using tree planting as an axis to connect job creation, climate sustainability, urban renewal, and economic equity and inclusion.
View Post
  • Media

HBO’s “Our Towns” Documentary Shows Off Small-Town Beauty

  • Shelli Stockton
  • May 11, 2021
Deborah and James Fallows join Tamron Hall to discuss their expansive perspective on America. Watch the interview here.
Dwight Eisenhower receiving a report on the nation's transportation needs, in 1955.
View Post
  • Transportation

Learning from Eisenhower (and Lincoln): A Grand Bargain on Transportation

  • Christopher Leinberger and Patrick Doherty
  • May 11, 2021
Two Republican presidents—Abraham Lincoln, and Dwight Eisenhower—offered bold new approaches to transportation as part of their national strategy. A proposal
Franklin D. Roosevelt, soon after his inauguration, delivering his first Fireside Chat, in March, 1933.
View Post
  • Civic Life

‘My Friends’: Communications and a ‘National Family’

  • James Fallows
  • May 8, 2021
What the presidential addresses of 1933 tell us about the America of 2021.
View Post
  • Local Institutions

Geo-Journalism Illustrates & Expands the Story

  • Shelli Stockton
  • May 8, 2021
An interactive map of the Columbus, Ohio Library system illustrates the power of maps in reporting.
View Post
  • Education

History Come Alive – and Livestreamed!

  • Ben Speggen
  • May 7, 2021
Eighth of May Emancipation Celebration in Columbus, Mississippi now available on YouTube.
Man in red shirt talking
View Post
  • Community Colleges & Technical Training

‘One Flat Tire Away’: Community Colleges Deserve the Spotlight

  • James Fallows
  • May 5, 2021
Two members of the Biden family, one a president with an "American Families Plan" and the other a First Lady known as "Dr. B" to her community college students, make the case for these schools as engines of opportunity.
View Post
  • HBO Documentary

Writers discuss state of the US in documentary ‘Our Towns’

  • Shelli Stockton
  • May 3, 2021
Hoda and Jenna talk with James and Deborah about 'Our Towns,' their documentary of the month.

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