Dec 09 Patchwork Nation: A Different View on Banking in ‘Tractor Country’ By Anna Shoup Farmers in Sioux Center managed to avert much of the financial crisis by keeping a close eye on their balance sheets. Continue reading
Dec 08 Ray Suarez: Ann Arbor as a ‘Campus and Careers’ Patchwork Community By Ray Suarez The home of the renowned University of Michigan is just a short drive from Detroit. In those 40 minutes, the traveler crossed from a city in freefall with unemployment approaching 30 percent, to a thriving small city, with new… Continue reading
Dec 08 Patchwork Nation: Zingerman’s Keeps it Local in Ann Arbor By Hari Sreenivasan Our Patchwork Nation series continues Tuesday night with a look at Ann Arbor, Mich. After a Web-only video postcard the city, Patchwork Nation director Dante Chinni tells me more about the city's story. Continue reading
Dec 08 Watch In Ann Arbor, Michigan Finds Its ‘Life Preserver’ Michigan is home to few bright economic spots these days -- with the exception of the college town of Ann Arbor. Ray Suarez reports. Continue watching
Dec 08 Patchwork Nation: Small Business Maintains Local Roots in Ann Arbor By Anna Shoup Zingerman's Community of Businesses have become a local institution in Ann Arbor, Mich. And even with the success, the owners want to keep it local. Continue reading
Dec 08 Patchwork Nation: Media Landscape Shifts Online in a Wired Town If there is a community well positioned for the demise of a true local daily, it may be the heavily wired, tech-savvy college town of Ann Arbor, Mich. Continue reading
Dec 07 Diving Into Patchwork Nation By Hari Sreenivasan This week's Patchwork Nation series will feature reports from around the country on issues facing American communities. After a Web-only video postcard from the first city the series will explore -- Philadelphia -- I talk to Patchwork Nation director… Continue reading
Dec 07 Ray Suarez: Philadelphia as a Patchwork Nation Industrial Metropolis By Ray Suarez In a century, Philadelphia has moved from a city of skilled blue collar workers, an economy with more than half its jobs in manufacturing, to a city where one out of 20 workers made things for a living. Depending on… Continue reading
Dec 07 Patchwork Nation: The ‘Cities’ of Philadelphia By Anna Shoup As part of the kick-off to a series this week on the PBS NewsHour examining the communities of Patchwork Nation, project director Dante Chinni takes viewers on a drive down Germantown Ave., revealing the many "cities" that make up Philadelphia. Continue reading
Dec 07 Philadelphia’s ‘Love Letter’ Murals Spark Neighborhood Revival By Anna Shoup Originally started to combat a major graffiti problem, Philadelphia's Mural Arts program has become a successful tool for urban renewal. Continue reading