Middle Ground Show

Beekeepers in Ohio say the winter was disastrous for their honeybees. State agriculture officials say they’ve gotten reports of losses between half to 80 percent of the winged insects. As Brian Bull of WCPN in Cleveland reports, this country doesn’t have the bees to spare.

Energy in the US is a boom market right now. Just last week, corporations drilling in North Dakota and Montana announced they had filled their billionth barrel. Some schools are churning out students trained specifically to fill those jobs on oil rigs and power plants. Also, Moore, Oklahoma decides to better prepare for the next tornado while the entire Sooner state braces for earthquakes.

The new film "The Suspect" went into wide release this week. Stuart Connelly is the writer and director of the film. It's a thriller that follows two African-American scientists as they conduct a social experiment and things go badly wrong. Connelly says he wanted to create a genre film that questions what people think they believe about race.

Illinois considers a state takeover of high school sports, Oklahoma pays more for homeowner's insurance than any other state, mumps breaks out in Ohio, and Nevada might soon add Mount Reagan to its maps.

Since the 1970's, the city of Oak Park, Illinois, has invested deeply in creating a diverse community. Rachel Louise Snyder's new novel examines what happens in that community during the 24 hours after a string of burglaries. How far is the trip from tolerance to prejudice?

Did you know that a lot of people in Akron, Ohio, own not just a ball, but a bowling pin? David Giffels talks to us about his new book, The Hard Way on Purpose. Why he chose to stay in Pittsburgh instead of taking his dream job in New York, why it's easier to be a pessimist, and why he's a fool to believe the Cleveland Indians can win the World Series.

Parents and activists in Texas successfully lobbied the state government to cut back on the number of standardized tests that students have to take. Students are testing this week and some moms say the fight isn't over yet. Kansans will have to bring photo ID to the voting booth this fall, and a professor in Ohio says he knows how to cut down on polarization in DC.

This week on Middle Ground: Mike Draper joins us to talk about the ongoing battle between Missouri and Kansas and how an 11-year-old Girl Scout broke a 20-year-old cookie record. Also, a look at a private prison in Idaho that's being sued for endangering inmates and how releasing a little bit of water into the Colorado River can make a big difference to wildlife.