Midstory

21/12/2024

In recent years, a growing number of residents, transit workers, transit planners and local politicians have increasingly pushed for substantive social, political and economic changes to address Chicago’s transit issues.

Chicago has one of the country’s oldest and most extensive public transit systems. Today, however, it is also a transit system in crisis, facing service issues and budget shortfalls. However, these challenges are sparking a wave of new activist groups, urban planners, and politicians to propose a ...

21/12/2024

In Columbus — the city home to the largest Bhutanese population outside of Bhutan — the Bhutanese Community of Central Ohio is helping refugees settle and make home in Ohio.

Sudarshan Pyakurel last saw his home country in 1992 when he was 10 years old. Like many other Bhutanese, he is not permitted to return. “I don’t think there are any other refugee communities that aren’t allowed to go back to the country of their origin,” he said. Columbus is home to thousan...

20/12/2024

“The Wizard of Oz” is a timeless story that has secured its spot in cultural history — but this came at a cost for Kansas, the state portrayed as gray and dull against sparkling Oz. Yet Kansas is now leveraging this iconic connection to bring in tourism and positive perception through the magic of Oz.

In “The Wizard of Oz,” Dorothy Gale’s adventure across yellow brick roads, poppy fields and emerald cities is a beloved, technicolor dream. But where does that journey start?  In drab, dreary Kansas. Both L. Frank Baum’s original children’s tale and MGM’s 1939 film portray Kansas as unw...

19/12/2024

Midwestern meteorologists frequently drop the phrase “lake effect snow” in their winter forecasts. But what does this commonly-used term even mean?

The town of Michigan City, Indiana, woke up on January 19, 2024, to a winter surprise: Three feet of snow had inundated the small factory town on the southern shore of Lake Michigan. Northeast Indiana is not usually prone to massive deluges of snow. Nearby Gary, Indiana, records an average of just o...

04/12/2024

This week’s highlights the life and works of Howard Dwight Smith, the architect of "The Shoe."
Smith was born in 1886 and went on to study at The Ohio State University, earning his civil engineering degree in 1907. Ten years later, Smith returned to Columbus and became a professor and lead architect of Ohio State. His biggest claim to fame is Ohio Stadium, which features a Roman inspired design and a shape that gave it the nickname “The Shoe.” While he worked on other campus structures, he also worked in the community, designing municipal and school buildings throughout the Columbus area. Among these projects was the Open Air School, a school designed to prevent tuberculosis by providing students with abundant fresh air. Although he died in 1958, Smith's legacy lives on in the buildings that continue to bring joy to his community.
Written and complied by Vitus Larrieu for Midstory.
📸: Photo 1: National Archives and Record Administration via Wikimedia Commons. Photo 2: Ohio State Alumni Magazine via Wikimedia Commons. Photo 3: Boston Public Library Tichnor Brothers Collection via Wikimedia Commons. Photo 4: Ɱ via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Sources:
https://www.cityscenecolumbus.com/communities/tri-village/meet-the-ua-resident-who-designed-ohio-stadium-100-years-aft/
https://alumnimagazine.osu.edu/story/shoe-stadium-architect
https://www.ohiohistory.org/preserving-ohio/state-historic-preservation-office/shpo-awards/open-air-school/
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03/12/2024

Our region's issues are global issues. Our solutions can be, too.

This , we're highlighting our top stories of the year, as well as the work and dedication it takes to tell them. This story is part of "Colors of Climate Change," an interactive data storytelling series and installation we completed in 2024. We built a gallery exhibit that saw over 1000 people pass through, hosted a climate storytelling event that brought in over 200 attendees and published six interactive data stories unpacking the nuances of climate change in Ohio (with two more to come!).

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Explore the story: https://www.midstory.org/colors-of-climate-change-1/

03/12/2024

We're not afraid to tackle big issues — or dream big solutions.

This , we're highlighting our top stories of the year, as well as the work and dedication it takes to tell them. This story was part of a three-part series written by former intern Will Clark, who came to Midstory from Northwestern University. It delves into the data behind Chicago's transit system and explores where it might go from here. Help us bring you important stories like this by supporting our work.

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Explore the story: https://www.midstory.org/taking-the-red-line-how-race-and-demographic-change-shaped-chicagos-transit-history/

03/12/2024

Our Midwest story is important — and it's changing.

This , we're highlighting our top stories of the year, as well as the work and dedication it takes to tell them. This explainer video as part of our Battleground Breakdown series took the work of researchers, writers, video editors and more. It situated Ohio in the national spotlight during tumultuous and divided times, and helped us to better understand ourselves and our future. It was viewed over 100,000 times on YouTube, and reached audiences across the country. Help us bring you important stories like this by supporting our work.

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Explore the story: https://www.midstory.org/how-americas-quintessential-battleground-broke-down/

03/12/2024

Toledo has many hidden gems — and we're bringing them to light.

This , we're highlighting our top stories of the year, as well as the work and dedication it takes to tell them. This story on the Toledo Museum of Art and the genesis of the American Studio Glass Art Movement was the work of one of our interns who came to Toledo from Northwestern University and dedicated her summer to uncovering the stories of our beloved city and region.

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https://www.midstory.org/the-american-studio-glass-art-movement-was-born-in-toledo-ohio-and-continues-its-legacy-there/
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In the summer of 1962, a group of curious artists gathered around a furnace in a garage at the Toledo Museum of Art. The purpose for their assembly? A workshop on glassworking techniques organized by a ceramics instructor from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, Harvey Littleton.  They had been...

03/12/2024

Food insecurity rates are high in Lucas County — and we're bringing that story to light.

This , we're highlighting our top stories of the year, as well as the work and dedication it takes to tell them. This story on food insecurity in Toledo was part of an intensive data storytelling project, done in partnership with the Greater Toledo Community Foundation, that highlighted some of Toledo's biggest challenges — but also the inspiring work being done to solve them. Projects like this take over a year and involve interviews, research, film sessions, drone shoots, writing, editing, designing, coding, data visualization and more.

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https://www.midstory.org/more-than-a-meal/
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03/12/2024

As we face an ever-complex and increasingly divisive world, we believe that the human story is the most important one — one told through narratives, data, research and conversation. We hope that you’ll consider supporting our endeavors to tell it this Giving Tuesday.

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22/11/2024

Bus and train frequency dropped significantly between 2020 and 2023, and Chicago riders dealt with so-called “ghost” buses and “ghost” trains — buses and trains that were scheduled to come but simply didn’t, leaving riders hanging.

Chicago has one of the country’s oldest and most extensive public transit systems. Today, however, it is also a transit system in crisis, facing service issues and budget shortfalls. The COVID-19 pandemic is one factor in the equation, having left lasting impacts on the reliability and equity of C...

21/11/2024

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21/11/2024

The number of remote workers in the U.S. has grown by more than 18 million since 2012. For the Midwest — a region that has faced population and industrial decline — this presents a unique opportunity to entice residents with its low housing costs and, in some cases, cold hard cash.

Interstate migration has boomed across the United States since 2020, with the amount of moves in 2022 rivaling the last domestic migration spike in 2005. Much of this can be attributed to the rise in remote work, giving some workers the ability to conduct business from anywhere in the country. The n...

17/11/2024

In a community where so many people rely on cars, how might public transportation fit into the equation?

“I had not ridden the bus in over 30 years,” Janine Gwozdz, former election clerk at the Lucas County Board of Elections, said. “And literally, it took me three days before I got to work on time, because I had no idea what I was doing.” Since 2006, when she lost her job of 16 […]

15/11/2024

The Native American Indian Center of Central Ohio surpasses conventional historical narratives, striving to elevate Native American heritage to prominence in the modern landscape while fostering healing and unity in the process.

In the heart of Ohio, the enduring echoes of Native American culture remain deeply ingrained. Central Ohio was once home to numerous indigenous tribes — including the Wyandot, Haudenosaunee, Shawnee, Myaamia and Delaware — that thrived across its expansive terrain. The present, however, tells a ...

15/11/2024

In the heart of Ohio’s Cuyahoga Valley National Park, a group of Midstory’s interns and fellows hear U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón read from her newest poetry anthology.

Still, there are mysteries below our sky:the whale song, the songbird singingits call in the bough of a wind-shaken tree. We are creatures of constant awe,curious at beauty, at leaf and blossom,at grief and pleasure, sun and shadow. — Ada Limón, from “In Praise of Mystery: A Poem for Europa” ...