SOTRU’s new season of five episodes will be available for download beginning on June first. For the first half of season three, we traveled to Vermont, Maryland, Missouri and Washington State.

And in a series first, we are exploring a community based around a medium, instead of a location, for our much-anticipated Comics Book Episode.

Here is more information about our upcoming Episodes:

The Community of Comic Books

Despite the outdated stereotype of a solitary nerd holed up in his bedroom, burying himself in a world of fantasy, comic books serve as the connection point for a diverse community of people, who are drawn to them for all manner of reasons. And sometimes, comics become the vehicle for people to take action within the community itself or inspire individuals to make a difference in the wider world.

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Vermont – The Small Town State

Quaint storefronts along Main streets, covered bridges over clear streams, cows from dairy farms dotting green valleys: across the state, these are the iconic images of Vermont. But beyond its pastoral beauty, this is a place that prides itself on its independent spirit. Not only in the ways you might have heard of—first state in the nation to legalize same sex civil unions, say—but in the way Vermonters take on everyday life, and the challenges of it.

Southeastern Washington – The Unlikely Perfect Place

The Tri-Cities of Washington are Richland, Pasco and Kennewick—three cities clustered near one another in the vast plains and deserts of Washington state, to the east of the Cascade Mountains. It’s a region that seems like it would have little to attract newcomers—it’s largely remote, prone to dust storms, not close to any major city. But, over the decades, this area has drawn people from the world over for reasons as various as nuclear bombs, wine-making, and harvesting sugar beets.

Missouri’s Ozarks

The Ozarks have long been an isolated place—steep mountains break up the landscape into hills and hollows, making each little town its own microcosm.  Outsiders might know little beyond the stereotypical hillbillies, generations of poverty, and an infamous meth problem, one of the worst in the country. But people in the Ozarks are pushing for ways to build community with few resources, to hold on to what is authentic about their identity while bucking stereotypes imposed on them by the outside world.

Baltimore, MD – Outsiders In

Baltimore is a city of many neighborhoods, and of intense racial divides not easily overcome. But this it’s a place with more dimensions than the impression cast by the headlines and the TV series The Wire. Those images often overshadow the passion and dedication many Baltimoreans have for their city, and for taking on what’s wrong with it in ways small and large.

It’s a happy ending for one of the stories from our second season of episodes.

The Sacramento Kings will be staying in Sacramento. The city and the team reached a tentative deal yesterday to build a new arena in downtown Sacramento. You can read the full story in the Sacramento Bee.

If you remember the story from our Sacramento show last fall, we told you about the diehard fans that came together to save their Kings. They rallied together and reacted powerfully when the owners put a plan in motion to move the team to Anaheim. We followed the ups and downs as the dramatic — and at the time, possibly final — season through the voices of local radio host Carmichael Dave, Mayor Kevin Johnson and others. Listen to the drama that led up to yesterday’s big decision.

Listen Here

To hear more of the Sacramento show, visit our episode page.

Podcast Series Debuts Today!

The State of the Re:Union (SOTRU) team is proud to announce our new podcast series, making its debut today! Our faithful listeners have told us that they love our episodes, but they want more cowbell SOTRU in between the times the shows are released. So twice a month, Al or one of our talented producers will be releasing a short podcast. From ancillary stories that we didn’t have time to include in the radio show to Al’s random conversations with strangers, these short podcasts are sure to entertain, education and enlighten your day.

We kick off the new podcast series with host Al Letson, who asks filmmaker Steve Bognar a fairly simple question… but wasn’t prepared for his answer.

 

Subscribe to SOTRU’s podcasts on iTunes and look for a new podcast every other Monday from Al and our producers, Tina Antolini and Laura Starecheski.

If you enjoyed this story, please consider making a donation today to State of the Re:Union. Your tax-deductible contribution helps keep our show on the air.

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In 2003, Gladstone, Missouri, faced some difficult challenges—an aging population, strict boundaries that prevented physical growth, declining revenues, a declining business environment and inadequate city services. There was only one ambulance and two paramedics to provide emergency services and no place to house the city’s recreational programs for youth.

With technical assistance from Derek Okubo, a former National Civic League vice president who now works as Director of Human Rights and Community Relations for the city of Denver, more than 150 citizens participated in the community effort known as “Gladstone on the Move…Citizens Making a Difference.”

The group identified six key performance areas or KPAs: Business/Economic Development, Neighborhoods, Community Center, City Services, Education, Identity/Regionalism. The group researched and discussed the issue and came up with a list of priorities.

Gladstone on the Move came up with a plan that could be used to guide the city over the next 20 years. Next step: create an implementation committee to figure out a timeline and an action plan for achieving the desired results.

The citizens themselves recommended Gladstone’s first ever property tax increase to the city council, also to extend a sales tax that was about to expire to pay for parks and recreation needs. The council put the tax increases on the ballot and Gladstone on the Move campaigned to get them passed.

The community now has a complete ambulance service that is fully staffed, not only basic life support for getting people to a hospital but advanced life support for people suffering heart attacks, strokes and other medical emergencies.

It also has a marketing program. It is building more sidewalks than ever before. It has a comprehensive street lighting program, three major economic development initiatives, several hundred square feet in retail and several thousand in housing units with an affordable housing philosophy.

With the parks and recreation sales tax, they invested $1.3 million in an existing outdoor pool to make it a family event center, the city constructed a $25 million community center in partnership with the nearby school districts, complete with indoor recreation pools and the fitness area and the conference rooms and all that. It also has a competitive swim arena used to host the high school swim competition.

The point here is not that taxes are good and every community should raise them. The point is, if you have these needs and desires: a recreation center, a better ambulance service, an economic development plan, more street lighting, you need to figure out how to pay for it, and it helps to have that conversation out in the open with members of the public taking the leading role.

There can be little doubt that these tax proposals could easily have failed without the Gladstone on the Move process.  As one local official put it, “When you involve people and you listen and you take action, positive outcomes result.”

Gladstone was an All-America City Award winner in 2008. The Gladstone on the Move process won a Program Excellence Award from the International City/County Management Association in the strategic planning category.

Use the box below to tell about people in your community who are rallying together to make improvements for your town possible.

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Mike McGrath is senior editor and chief information officer for the National Civic League. A former newspaper reporter and magazine writer, he is editor of the quarterly National Civic Review, which will be beginning its centennial year of publishing this spring.

Mike’s posts will appear every Thursday on the State of the Re:Union website.

Yesterday was the first year anniversary of the shootings that occurred in Tucson, Arizona. Six people lost their lives and 13 people maimed on that infamous day, and many more carry scars. During a visit to Tucson, State of the Re:Union asked relatives of victims and those who bore witness to this horror to write a letter to their city, reflecting on Tucson one year after this tragedy occurred.

In remembering these people, NPR aired SOTRU’s Letters to Tucson, One Year After the Shootings. It is a collection of indelible memories and thoughts from men and women recounting this day. If you missed it on NPR yesterday, you can listen to it here.

NPR’s and PRX’s State of the Re:Union will feature this fascinating city and the people who call it home in SOTRU’s 2012 season. As it is with all of the places we visit, there is a lot more than meets the eye going on in this town. With SOTRU as your personal guide, you will enjoy a spectacular journey into the intriguing city of Tuscon. Stayed tuned!

A Reflection of Meaning

Although Thanksgiving has come and gone, the spirit that it ushers in is one of charity, thankfulness, well-wishes and acts of kindness. This spirit has a tendency to last through year’s end, but what of the other months in the year? Where does this spirit go, but most importantly, why does it go? State of the Re:Union contributor Rich Harwood of the Harwood Institute for Public Innovation shares some of his reflections on Thanksgiving, including the proverbial turkey chase, what it means to us and how it intertwines with our daily lives.

I’ve never been on a real turkey chase, and maybe you haven’t either, but with the passing of Thanksgiving, I suspect we’re all in pursuit of something. But where will your own chase lead you, and why are you headed there? Here are some thoughts concerning “the chase” to think about as you reflect over this recent Thanksgiving and the upcoming holiday season.

Turkeys hold a special place in American culture — from defining early historical meals and current Thanksgiving menus, to Wild Turkey whiskey, to calling something we deem unsatisfactory “a turkey!” It was even the bird Benjamin Franklin suggested be our national symbol instead of the bald eagle. And on every Thanksgiving, there are all kinds of “turkey runs,” 5K and 10K races sponsored in support of some charitable cause.

And yet, the notion of “a chase” conjures up the pursuit of the unattainable. Think: “chase dreams,” where you cannot bring closure or finality to something in your life. Think: “ideals,” which we strive to place within our grasp, knowing that they may never be fulfilled. According to Wayne Capooth, in Delta Farm Press, “Turkey chases have been a part of American history since our earliest days. Samuel Kercheval in his A History of the Valley (Shenandoah), 1833, said “the native youth is taught the wiles of the turkey hunter.”

This season you may be “chasing” your own way to a holiday gatherings. Maybe it is across town, or in another community, or at your home. But, wherever the places you go, this time of year puts each of us in a precarious bind: running to complete our work, running to get somewhere, running to get back to work. That’s me too.

I’m in the middle of writing a new book about how people can make good on their urge to do good. There are many subtexts at work, but there are two that shed light on the notion of the turkey chase.

First, there is the pressure of inwardness, which is our proclivity to see our work in public life through the prism of promoting and spreading our own efforts. Inwardness tells us to start with our own needs and programs, rather than the community in which we live and work. The second factor is the push for busyness — a kind of “activity happy, yet action deprived” approach. Such busyness can make us feel we are doing something, moving ahead, and soothing our own anxieties about the lack of progress. But for all the running, all the activity, little changes.

I raise the ideas of inwardness and busyness because they launch us on a chase of the unattainable. If we are not careful, we risk losing sight of what we care about, and what change or goodness we hope to effect. What about you?

What is that path for you? Is it the “chase” — the proverbial unattainable, unachievable, even undesirable; or, is it something that you should stop to see and feel and know? There is something noble about Thanksgiving, [the start to the holiday season] about how it has the power to halt our busyness and inwardness; for many, it creates the space that might not otherwise exist to come together with family and friends (however difficult that can sometimes be!).

Maybe it is trite to say that this Thanksgiving should be about something doable, and that is intrinsically decent: giving thanks. It’s a simple idea, I know, and one that you have already thought about. But it may not be something we each do.

As we go through this holiday season, what are some ways we can integrate the hallmarks of Thanksgiving and this season into our daily lives? What does the “chase” mean to you, and how does it intertwine with your everyday living? How do you make your busyness count? Is it satisfying with how you spend your time, or do you think your “activity” could include notes of “action” offering more fulfillment? You can tell us, we always have an ear to bend your way.

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A dynamic public speaker, Rich Harwood is a frequent keynote for foundations and national organizations. He is an expert contributor on national and syndicated media outlets including MSNBC, NPR, The Christian Science Monitor, CNN’s Inside Politics, The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, Special Report with Brit Hume, C-SPAN, and many others. He is also the author of Hope Unraveled: The people\’92s retreat and our way back (2005), Make Hope Real: How we can accelerate change for the public good (2008) and numerous studies, articles and essays chronicling vital issues of our time. His most recent written work, Why We\’92re Here: The Powerful Impact of Public Broadcasters When They Turn Outward, is being published and distributed in Spring 2011. You can follow him on twitter @RichHarwood and facebook.com/richharwood.

You can read Rich’s posts every Tuesday on State of the Re:Union’s website.