The first week of January (Jan 2-6), we'll have a week of special programs in place of SOT. It'll be State of the Re:Union, hosted by Al Letson.Jan 2 (noon & 9pm)
The Bronx-Still Rising from the Ashes
The Bronx has long been a symbol of America's failings. It's still the poorest urban congressional district in the nation, and for many who live in New York's other boroughs, the Bronx is usually a place to avoid. But despite the area's troubles, some have stayed and put down roots, intent on surviving and making their borough better. This episode looks at the hold-outs and the dreamers who've committed their lives to building community in the Bronx.
Jan 3 (noon & 9pm)
Mississippi Gulf Coast-Defending the Gulf
After Hurricane Katrina ravaged the area, Mississippi Gulf Coast residents were forced to come together to deal with the aftermath. Just as they were starting to get back on their feet, the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster resulted in millions of barrels of oil being dumped into the water just off their shores. We tell an hour of stories about how the fight for the natural world is bringing Gulf Coast residents together, sometimes with unlikely partners, and how, in some instances, that fight is turning out to be exactly what a community needed to survive.
Jan 4 (noon & 9pm)
Wyoming-The New Old West
Wyoming is the least populated state in the US. In this sparse landscape, where tradition and self-reliance are prized, what are the things that bring together distant neighbors? In their struggle to confront change-an oil boom in the suburbs of Cheyenne, a minister with unconventional ideas, the emerging gay community in Laramie-Wyomingites find the bonds between them tested. This episode brings listeners to the small towns and remote ranches of Wyoming, meeting people and communities as they adapt to the New Old West.
Jan 5 (noon & 9pm)
Cleveland-The Way Forward
From Rockefeller's Standard Oil to GE's first industrial park, Cleveland was a city made by entrepreneurs. But since the polluted Cuyahoga River caught fire in 1969, it's been trying to shake the moniker of "the mistake on the lake". Today Cleveland is being embraced by a new generation of entrepreneurs who are using their business sense to try and revitalize neighborhoods, clean up the environment and improve education.
Jan 6 (noon & Jan 7 @6am)
Sacramento-All Hands on Deck
A company town, where the company is government. In a city where one in four households contain a government employee, the crippling state budget deficit, police layoffs, fire engine brown-outs and park closures could easily signal only the bleakest of futures. This is a town where, through sheer force of will, residents and an enthusiastic mayor are keeping their major league basketball team around for another year. Despite the recession gloom, people are figuring out ways - from clothing swaps to home shares - to deal with the hard new economic reality.