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.

Source: politicsdaily.com

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!

Marietta Synodis started as an intern for SOTRU and is now our Senior Researcher. She has a knack for finding great stories and in the course of researching for our Los Angeles episode, found an incredibly helpful, community building social media effort called Hidden Los Angeles. Check out Marietta’s post about Hidden Los Angeles and be sure to let us know how you feel about it and about what may be similar efforts in your hometown below.

Having grown up in San Diego, I definitely have engaged in anti-LA sentiment more times than I should probably admit. You know, it’s so polluted, cement everywhere, wallets (and bodies) full of plastic, Los Angel-less, and lest I not forget the unbearable traffic, traffic, TRAFFIC!  We all know the stereotypes.  But in doing research for our LA episode, I came across the website Hidden Los Angeles: “embracing the depth beneath the shallow.” OK, interest piqued. And, as is often the case with the internet, I found myself an hour later still looking through all the vintage photos, event listings, and intriguing collateral posted throughout the site. (more…)

The New York Times published an article yesterday titled, “As the Mountaintops Fall, a Coal Town Vanishes.” It discusses the devastating effects of mountain top removal mining, in this case, on Lindytown, West Virginia. In our 2010 Fall Season, we visited Lindytown for the Appalachia Rising episode and discussed in great detail the toll that the town, and the surrounding area, had taken and continues to take as a result of mountain top removal mining.

The thing that really stood out to us at SOTRU, was learning of the passing of Lawrence Richmond who so graciously invited us into his home and spoke to us during the recording of the episode. Rest in peace Lawrence and our deepest sympathies to the Richmond family.

Radio Producer Tina Antolini’s post from October of 2010, about her time in Appalachia seemed appropriate to share upon hearing this news:

Abandoned Home in Lindytown, WV

We all know what it’s like to be homesick—that bittersweet pang of longing for a place so familiar it feels part of us. Estranged from it, at certain moments it seems almost as if we are estranged from ourselves. But what’s it like to feel homesick when you’ve never left home? When, instead, your home has changed around you? (more…)

Listen to Our Newest Episode Here!

LISTEN TO OUR NEWEST EPISODE HERE!

Listen to Our Newest Episode Here!

Every city probably has its sandwich—New Orleans its Po Boy, Philly its Cheesesteak, the Chicago-style hot dog with its neon green relish.  The Twin Cities entry may not be as well known, but it is certainly a highly celebrated entity by Minnesotans: the Jucy Lucy.

A Jucy Lucy at The Nook, St. Paul, MN

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Unlike places that have been thrown into a state of crisis by a disaster, Austin, Texas, has been thrown into crisis by success. Its population has skyrocketed, but along with the economic advantages has come a considerable identity crisis. Austin has long prided itself on its funkiness, and many residents have grown worried new development and growth might jeopardize the city’s countercultural “feel.” In this hour, SOTRU looks at the tension between “keeping Austin weird” and its growing success.

To discuss this episode, please comment on this post. We would love to hear your thoughts. Start the discussion!

Did you miss State of the Re:Union’s piece about Oakridge on NPR’s Weekend Edition? Don’t fret, you can listen now:

You can listen to the full hour, watch our documentary Dear Oakridge, read the Dear Oakridge Letters and much more at our Oakridge page.

It isn’t exactly Lake Wobegon anymore… Once known as the home of Midwestern Lutherans and Scandanavian farmers, the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul are now wildly diverse. They have become cities of immigrants, from Tibetans to Somalis, Iraqis to the Khmer people of Cambodia. In this episode, SOTRU explores the worlds within the Twin Cities, from Ethopian Lutherans to Hmong rappers to a Somali community struggling with a devastating mystery.

To listen to our Twin Cities episode, take a look at our pictures from the area and much more, visit our Twin Cities page.

We want you to start the discussion. To share your thought, simply comment on this post and get the conversation going!

Chattanooga, Tennessee, is nicknamed the Scenic City for a good reason. With breathtaking vistas of the Appalachian mountains and the Tennessee River flowing through it, the city is rich with outdoor beauty. To add to its resume, Forbes ranked Chattanooga as the eighth most affordable city in America in 2009. But Chattanooga hasn’t always had such a gleaming reputation. In the early 20th century, the city was a bustling industrial, railroad, and manufacturing hub. After decades of industry, pollutants hung heavily in the air, shrouding those same beautiful mountains the area is known for. In 1969, the federal government deemed Chattanooga’s air quality the dirtiest in the nation. (more…)