Podcasts about knight foundation

We'll talk to the president of the Knight Foundation, which continues to support democracy and independent local news in 26 communities, including Akron.

Detroit artist Akea Brionne uses a digital loom to create painterly tapestries rooted in the Black experience. Her fresh approach to an age old craft recently earned Brionne accolades, and a $50,000 prize, from the Knight Foundation. We sat down with the Louisiana-born artist to talk about how she blends history and technology–and the stories she’s telling in her work. GUEST: Akea Brionne, Detroit-based artist Looking for more conversations from Stateside? Right this way. If you like what you hear on the pod, consider supporting our work. Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode is a listener-submitted Small Town People Problem, and it's one we hear a lot: What do we do about local negativity? How do we deal with it when the people in the town are the ones being the Negative Nancies (or Negative Normans), and what can we do about it? We are joined by the amazing Heidi Kerr-Schlaefer, who, as it happens, is someone who knows quite a lot about local apathy and what to do about it. About Heidi: Heidi Kerr-Schlaefer barely escaped law school. She became a freelance writer in 2006, the Mayor of HeidiTown.com in 2007, and a community builder in 2023 when she formed HeidiTown Consulting. Through years of visiting small towns as a writer and Mayor of HeidiTown.com, Heidi recognized that while she loved every small town she visited, the town's locals were often apathetic about where they lived. Today, Heidi reminds people to love where they live by telling them how to and why it is important. She believes it starts with the individuals in a community. They are the ones who have the power to make their town extraordinary.   "This isn't economic development and this isn't tourism; it is that sweet spot that inspires pride in place so that when they come, whether as a new resident or as a visitor, they are happy to be there." ~Heidi Kerr-Schlaefer In this episode, we cover: Why it's easy to get apathetic about our own small town What to do about a negative narrative Who our “front-line” people are and how we can help them be better ambassadors Resources Mentioned: HeidiTown Consulting: https://www.heiditownconsulting.com/ HeidiTown.com: https://www.heiditown.com/ Heidi and Ryan's Business: http://www.rtsfurnituredesign.com/ Knight Foundation: https://knightfoundation.org/sotc/ Small-Town Shout-Out! This week, we're celebrating Sean Miller and the City of Pullman, Washington. Congratulations on opening your newest coworking space, the Gladish Collective! You know we love a coworking space ‘round these here parts, because creating beautiful spaces to gather, work, collaborate, brainstorm, and do cool stuff helps make our small towns so much better. High fives to Sean and Pullman, Washington! New Segment Alert! We think some of the best parts about radio shows and podcasts are listener call-ins, so we've decided to make those a part of the Growing Small Towns Podcast. We really, really want to hear from you! We're introducing two new parts to the show:  “Small town humblebrags”: Call in and tell us about something amazing you did in your small town so we can celebrate with you. No win is too small—we want to hear it all, and we will be excessively enthusiastic about whatever it is! You can call in for your friends, too, because giving shout-outs is one of our favorite things.  “Solving Your Small-Town People Challenges”: Have a tough issue in your community? We want to help. Call in and tell us about your problem, and we'll solve it on an episode of the podcast. Want to remain anonymous? Totally cool, we can be all secretive and stuff. We're suave like that.  If you've got a humblebrag or a tricky people problem, call 701-203-3337 and leave a message with the deets. We really can't wait to hear from you!  Get In Touch Have an idea for a future episode/guest, have feedback or a question, or just want to chat? Email us at hello@growingsmalltowns.org Subscribe + Review Thanks for tuning into this week's episode of The Growing Small Towns Show! If the information in our conversations and interviews has helped you in your small town, head out to Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or Spotify, subscribe to the show, and leave us an honest review. Your reviews and feedback will not only help us continue to deliver relevant, helpful content, but it will also help us reach even more small-town trailblazers just like you!

From January 26, 2024: In front of a live audience at the Knight Foundation's INFORMED conference in Miami, Florida, Lawfare Editor-in-Chief Benjamin Wittes spoke with Hon. Kenneth L. Wainstein, Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis at the Department of Homeland Security; Jameel Jaffer, Executive Director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University; and Lawfare Senior Editor Quinta Jurecic about government surveillance of open source social media.To receive ad-free podcasts, become a Lawfare Material Supporter at www.patreon.com/lawfare. You can also support Lawfare by making a one-time donation at https://givebutter.com/lawfare-institute.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom MacWright is a prolific contributor in the geospatial open source community. He made geojson.io, Mapbox Studio, and was the lead developer on the OpenStreetMap editor. He's currently on the team at Val Town. In 2021 he bootstrapped a solo business and created the Placemark mapping application. He acquired customers and found steady growth but after spending two years on the project he decided it was financially unsustainable. He open sourced the code and shut down the business. In this interview Tom speaks candidly about why geospatial is difficult, chasing technical rabbit holes, the mental impact of bootstrapping, and his struggles to grow a customer base. If you're interested in geospatial or the good and bad of running a solo business I think you'll enjoy this conversation with Tom. Related Links Tom's blog Placemark Play Placemark GitHub Placemark archive geojson.io Valtown Datawrapper (Visualization tool) Geospatial Companies mentioned Mapbox ArcGIS QGIS Carto -- Transcript You can help correct transcripts on GitHub. [00:00:00] Introduction Jeremy: Today I'm talking to Tom MacWright. He worked at Mapbox as a, a very early employee. He's had a lot of experience in the geospatial community, the open source community. One of his most recent projects was a mapping project called Placemark he started and ran on his own. So I wanted to talk to Tom about his experience going solo and, eventually having to, shut that down. Tom, thanks for agreeing to chat today. Tom: Yeah, thanks for having me. [00:00:32] Tools and Open Source at Mapbox Jeremy: So maybe to give everyone some context on, what your background was before you started Placemark. Um, let's talk a little bit about your experience at, at Mapbox. What did you work on there and, and what would you say are like the big things you learned from that experience? Tom: Yeah, so if you include the time that I was at Development Seed, which essentially turned into Mapbox, I kind of signed the paper to get fired from Development Seed and hired at Mapbox within the same 20 seconds. Uh, I was there for eight and a half years. so it was a lifetime in tech years. and the company really evolved from, uh, working for Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International and the World Bank and doing these small, little like micro websites to the point at which I left it. It had. Raised a lot of money, had a lot of employees. I think it was 350 or so when I left. and yeah, just expanded into a lot of different, uh, try trying to own more and more of the mapping stack. but yeah, I was kind of really focused on the creative and tooling side of it. that's kind of where I see a lot of the, the fun and programming is making these tools where, uh, they can give people the same kind of fun like interaction loop that programming has where you, you know, you do a little bit of math and you see the result and you're able to just play with, uh, what you're working on, letting people have that in other domains. so it was really cool to figure out how to get A map design tool where somebody changes the background color and it just automatically changes that in your browser. and it covered like data editing. It covered, um, map styling and we did, uh, three different versions of that tool over the years. and then Mapbox is also a company that was, it came from, kind of people who are working on the Howard Dean campaign. And so it was pretty ideological and part of the ideology was being pretty hardcore about open source. we hired a lot of people who were working on open source projects before and basically just paid them to work on the open source projects, uh, for their whole time there. And during my time there, I just tried to make as much of my work, uh, open as possible, which was, you know, at the time it was, it was pretty great. I think in the long term it's been, o open source has changed a lot. but during the time that we were there, we both kind of, helped things like leaflet and mapnik and openstreetmap, uh, but also made like some larger contributions to the open source world. yeah, that, that's kind of like the, the internal company facing side. And also like what I try to create as like a more of a, uh, enduring work. I think the open source stuff will hopefully have more of a, a long term, uh, benefit. [00:03:40] How open source has changed (value capture by large companies) Jeremy: When I was working on a project that needed offline maps, um, we couldn't use Google Maps or any of the, the other publicly available, cloud APIs. So yeah, we actually used a, a tool, called Tile Mill that I, I hadn't known that you'd worked on, but recently found out you did. So that actually let us pull in OpenStreetMap data and then use this style, uh, language called carto to, to basically let us choose what the colors would be and how the different, uh, the roads and the buildings would look. What's kind of interesting to me is that it being open source really let us, um, build something we otherwise wouldn't have been able to do. But like, at the same time, we also didn't pay Mapbox any money. (laughs) So I'm, I'm kind of curious, like, if it's changed, like what the thinking was in terms of, you know, we pay for people to build all these things. We make it open source. but then people may just not ever pay us, you know, for all these things we did. Tom: Yeah. Yeah. I think that the main thing that's changed since the era of tilemill is, the dominance of cloud platforms. Like back then, I think, uh, Mapbox was still using, we were using like a little bit of AWS but people were still just on like VPSs and, uh, configuring things in cPanel and sometimes even running their own servers. And the, the danger of people using the product for free was such a small thing for us. especially when tile Mill was also funded by the Knight Foundation, so, you know, that at least paid half of my salary for, or, well, sorry, probably, yeah, maybe half of my salary for the first year that I was there and half of three other people's salaries. but that, yeah, so like when we built Tile Mill, a few companies have really like built on those same tools. Uh, there's a company called Carto coincidentally, they had the same name as Carto CSS, and they built on a lot of the same stack they built on mapnik. Um, and it was, was... I mean, I'm not gonna say that it was all like, you know, sunshine and roses, but it was never a thing that we talked about in terms of like this being a brutal competition between us and these other startups. Mapbox eventually closed source some stuff. they made it a source available license. and eventually Mapbox Studio was a closed source product. Um, and that was actually a decision that I advocated for. And that's mostly just because at one point, Esri, Microsoft, Amazon, all had whitelisted versions of Mapbox code, which, uh, hurts a little bit on a personal level and also makes it pretty hard to think about. working almost like it. You don't want to go to your scrappy open source company and do unpaid labor for Amazon. Uh, you know, Bezos can afford to pay for the labor himself. that's just kind of my personal, uh, that I'm obviously, I haven't worked there in a long time, so I'm not speaking for the company, but that's kind of how it felt like. and it yeah, kind of changed the arithmetic of open source in this way that. It made it less fun and, more risky, um, for people I think. [00:07:11] Don't worry about the small free users Jeremy: Yeah. So it sounds like the thinking was if someone on a small team or an individual, they took the open source software and they used it for their own projects, that was fine. Like you expected that and didn't worry about it. It's more that when these really large organizations like a, a Microsoft comes in and, just like you said, white labels the software, and doesn't really contribute significantly back. That's, that's when it, the, the thinking sort of shifted. Tom: Yeah, like a lot of the people who can't pay full price in USD to use your product are great users and they're doing cool stuff. Like when I was working on Placemark and when I was like selling. The theme for my blog, I would get emails from like some kid in India and it's like, you know, you're selling this for a hundred dollars, which is a ton of money. And like, you know, why, why should I care? Why shouldn't I like, just send them the zip file for free? it's like nothing to me and a lot to them. and mapping tools are really, really expensive. So the fact that Mapbox was able to create a free alternative when, you know, ArcGIS was $500 a month sometimes, um, depending on your license, obviously. That's, that's good. You're always gonna find a way for, like, your salespeople are gonna find a way to charge the big companies a lot of money. They're great at that. Um, and that's what matters really for your, for the revenue. [00:08:44] ESRI to Google Maps with little in-between Jeremy: That's a a good point too about like the, my impression of the, the mapping space, and maybe this has changed more recently, but you had the, probably the biggest player Esri, who's selling things at enterprise prices and then there were, or there are like a few open source options. but they feel like the, the barrier to entry feels a little high. And so, and then I guess you have stuff like Google Maps, right? That's, um, that's very accessible, but it's pretty limited, so. There's this big gap, it feels like right between the, the Esri and the, the Google Maps and open source. It's, it's sort of like, there's almost like there's no sweet spot. guess May, maybe it's just because people's uses are so different, but I'm, I'm not sure, um, what makes maps so unique in that way Tom: Yeah, I have come to understand what Esri and QGIS do as like an extension of what CAD is like. And if you've used CAD software recently, it's just as crazy and as expensive and as powerful. and it's really hard to capture like the people who are motivated enough to make a map but don't want to go down the whole rabbit hole. I think that was one of the hardest things about Placemark was trying to be in the middle of those things and half of the people were mystified by the complexity and half the people wanted more complexity. Uh, and I just couldn't figure out how to get it to the right in between spot. [00:10:25] Placemark and its origins in geojson.io Jeremy: Yeah. So let's, let's talk a little bit about Placemark then, in terms of from its start. What was your, your goal with Placemark and, and what was the product itself? Tom: So the seed of the idea for Placemark, uh, is this website called geojson.io, uh, which is still around. And, Chris Fong (correction -- Whong) at, at Mapbox is still, uh, developing it. And that had become pretty useful for a lot of people who I knew in the industry who were in this position of managing geospatial data but not wanting to boot up ArcGIS uh, geojson.io is based on, I just tweeted, I was like, why? Why is there not a thing where you can edit data on a map and have a GeoJSON representation and just go Back and forth between the two really easily. and it started with that, and then it kind of grew to be a little bit more powerful. And then it was just a tool that was useful for everyone. And my theory was just that I wanted that to be more useful. And I knew just like anything else that you build and you work on for a long time, you know exactly how it could be so much better. And, uh, all the things that you would do better if you did it again. And I was, uh, you know, hoping that there was something where like if you make that more powerful and you make it something that's like so essential that somebody's using every day, then maybe there's some some value in that. And so Placemark kind of started as being like, oh, this is the thing where if you're tasking a satellite and you need a bounding box on a specific city, this is the easiest way to do that. Um, and it grew a little bit into being like a tool for collaborating because people were collaborating on it. And I thought that that would be, you know, an interesting thing to support. but yeah, I think it, it like tried to be in that middle of like, not exactly Google my Maps and certainly a lot, uh, simpler than, uh, QGIS or ArcGIS Jeremy: something I noticed, so I've actually used geojson.io as well when I was first learning how to put stuff on a map and learning that GeoJSON was a format that a lot of things were using, it was actually really helpful to, to be able to draw, uh, polygons and see, okay, this is how the JSO looks and all that stuff. And it was. Like just very simple. I think there's something like very powerful about, websites or applications like that where it, it does this one thing and when you go there, you're like, oh, okay, I, I, I know what I'm doing and it's, it's, uh, you know, it's gonna help me do the, this very specific thing I'm trying to do. [00:13:16] Placemark use cases (Farming, Transportation, Interior mapping, Satellite viewsheds) Jeremy: I think with Placemark, so, one question I would have is, you gave an example of, uh, someone, I think you said for a satellite, they're, are they drawing the, the area? What, what was the area specifically for? Tom: the area of interest, the area where they want the, uh, to point the camera. Jeremy: so yeah, with, with Placemark, I mean, were there, what were some of the specific customers or use cases you had in mind? 'cause that's, that's something about. Um, placemark as a product I noticed was it's sort of like, here's this thing where you can draw polygons put markers and there's all these like things you can do, but I think unless you already have the specific use case, it's not super clear, who uses it for what. So maybe you could give some examples of what you had in mind. Tom: I didn't have much in mind, but I can tell you what people, what some people used it for. so some of the more interesting uses of it, a bunch of, uh, farming oriented use cases, uh, especially like indoor and small scale farming. Um, there were some people who, uh, essentially had a bunch of flower farms and had polygons on the map, and they wanted to, uh, mark the ones that had mites or needed to be watered, other things that could spread in a geometric way. And so it's pretty important to have that geospatial component to it. and then a few places were using it for basically transportation planning. Um, so drawing out routes of where buses would go, uh, in Luxembourg. And, then there was also a little bit of like, kind of interesting, planning of what to buy more or less. Uh, so something of like, do we want to buy this tract of land or do we wanna buy this tract of land or do we wanna buy access to this one high speed internet cable or this other high speed internet cable? and yeah, a lot of those things were kind of like emergent use cases. Um, there's a lot of people who were doing either architecture or internal or in interior mapping essentially. Jeremy: Interior, you mean, inside of a building Tom: yeah. yeah. Jeremy: Hmm. Okay. Tom: Which I don't think it was the best tool for. Uh, but you know, people used it for that. Jeremy: Interesting. Yeah. I guess, would people normally use some kind of a CAD tool for that, or Tom: Yeah. Uh, there's CAD tools and there are a few, uh, companies that do just, there's a company that just does interior maps especially of airports, and that's their whole business model. Um, but it's, it's kind of an interesting, uh, problem because most CAD architecture work is done with like a local coordinate system, and you have like very good resolution of everything, and then you eventually place it in geo geospatial space. Uh, but if you do it all in latitude and longitude, you know, you're, you're moving a door and it's moving the 10th or 12th decimal point, and eventually you have some precision problems. Jeremy: So it's almost like if you start with latitude and longitude, it's hard to go the other way. Right? you have to start more specific and then you can move it into the, the geospatial, uh, area. Tom: Yeah. Uh, that's kind of why we have local projections for towns is that you can do a lot of work just in that local projection. And the numbers are kind of small 'cause your town's small, relatively. Jeremy: yeah, those are kind of interesting. So it sounds like just anytime somebody wants to, like you gave the example of transportation planning or you want to visually see where things are, like your crops or things like that, and that, that kind of makes sense. I mean, I think if you just think about paper maps, if somebody wants to sketch something out and, and sort of track the layout of something, this could serve the same purpose but be editable. and like you said, I think it's also. Collaborative so you can have multiple people editing the same, um, map. that makes sense. I think something that I believe I saw on your website is you said though that it was, it's like an editing tool, but it's not necessarily a visualization tool. Uh, I'm kind of curious what you, what you meant by that. [00:17:39] An editing tool that allows you to export data not a visualization tool Tom: Yeah, I, when you say a map, I think there's, people can interpret that as everything from raw data to satellite imagery and raster data. and then a lot of it is like, can I use this to make a choropleth map of the voter turnout in our, in my country? and that placemark did a little bit, but I think that it was, it was never going to be the, the thing that it did super well. and so, yeah, and also like the, the two things kind of, don't mesh all that well. Like if you have a scale point map and you have that kind of visualization of it and then you're editing the points at the same time and you're dragging around these like gigantic points because this point means a lot of population, it just doesn't really make that much sense. There are probably ways to square that circle and have different views, but, uh, I felt like for visualizations, I mean partly I just think data wrapper is kind of great and uh, I had already worked for observable at that point, which is also, which I think also does like great visualization work. Jeremy: Would that be the case of somebody could make a map inside a placemark and then they would take the GeoJSON and then import that into another visualization tool? Is that what you were kind of imagining people would do? Tom: Yeah. Yeah, exactly. Jeremy: And I could see from the customer's perspective, a lot of them, they may have that end, uh, visualization in mind. So they might look for a tool that kind of just does both. Right. Tom: Yeah. Yeah. Certain people definitely, wanted that. And yeah, it was an interesting direction to go down. I think that market was going to be a lot different than the people who wanted to manage and edit data. And also, I, one thing that I had in mind a lot, uh, was if Placemark didn't work out, how much would people be burned? and I think if I, if I built it in a way that like everyone was heavily relying on the API and embeds, people would be suffer a lot more, if I eventually had to shut it down. every API that you release is really a, a long-term commitment. And instead for me, like guilt wise, having a product where you can easily export everything that you ever did in any format that you want was like the least lock in, kind of. Jeremy: Yeah. And I imagine the, the scope of the project too, you're making it much smaller if you, if you stick to that editing experience and not try to do everything. Tom: Yeah. Yeah. I, the scope was already pretty big. as you can tell from the open source project, it's, it's bigger than I wish it was. the whole time I was really hoping that I could figure out some niche that was much more compact. there's, I forget the name, but there's somebody who has a, an application that's very similar to Placemark in. Technical terms, but is just a hundred percent focused on planning septic systems. And I'm just like, if I just did this just for septic systems, like would that be a much, would that be 10,000 lines of code instead of 40,000 lines of code? And it would be able to perfectly serve those customers. but you know, that I didn't do enough experimentation to figure that out. Um, I, that's, I think one thing that I wish I had done a lot more was, pivot and do experiments. Jeremy: that septic example, do you know if it's a, a business in and of itself where it can actually support one person or a staff of people? Or is it, is that market just too small? Tom: I think it's still a solo bootstrapped project. yeah. And it's, it's so hard to tell whether a company's doing well or not. I could ask the person over DM. [00:21:58] Built the base technology before going public Jeremy: So when you were first starting. placemark. You were, you were doing it as a solo, developer. A solo entrepreneur, reallyyou worked on it for quite a while, I think before you announced, right? Like maybe a year or so? Tom: Yeah, yeah. Almost, almost a year, I think, maybe, maybe 10 months in the dark. Jeremy: I think that there's, there was a lot of overlap between the different directions that I would eventually go in and. So just building a collaborative editor that can edit map data fairly quickly and checks all the boxes of being able to import and export things, um, that is, was a lot of work. and I mean also I, I was, uh, freelancing during part of it, so it wasn't a hundred percent of my time. Tom: But that, that core, I think even now if I were to build something similar, I would probably still use that work. because that, whether you're doing the septic planning application or you're doing a general purpose kind of map editor or some kind of social application, a lot of that stuff will be in common. Um, and so I wanted to really get, like, to figure out that problem space and get a few solutions that I could live with. Jeremy: The base. libraries or technologies you were gonna pick to get the map and have the collaborative aspect. Those are all things you wanted to get settled first. And then you figured, okay, once I have this base, then I can go find the, you know, the, the, the customers or, or find the specifics of what I'm gonna build. Tom: Yeah, exactly. Jeremy: I I think you had said that going forward when you're gonna work on another project, you would probably still start the same way. [00:23:51] Geospatial is a tough industry, no public companies Tom: if I was working on a project in the geospatial space, I would probably heavily reference the work that I already did here. but I don't know if I'll go back to, to maps again. It's a tough industry. Jeremy: Is it because of the, the customer base? Is it because like people don't really understand the market in terms of who actually needs the maps? I'm kind of curious what you feel makes it tough. Tom: I think, well there are no, there are no public mapping companies. Esri is I think one of the 10 largest private companies in the us. but it's not like any of these geospatial companies have ever been like a pure play. And I think that makes it hard. I think maps are just, they're kind of like fonts in a way in which they are this. Very deep well of complexity, which is absolutely fascinating. If you're in it, it's enough fun and engineering to spend an entire career just working on that stuff. And then once you're out of it, you talk to somebody and you're just like, oh, I work on this thing. And they're like, oh, that you Google maps. Um, or, you know, I work at a font type like a, you know, a type factory and it's like, oh, do you make, uh, you know, courier in, uh, word. It's really infrastructure, uh, that we mostly take for granted, which is, that's, that means it's good in some ways. but at the same time, I, it's hard to really find a niche in which the mapping component is that, that is that useful. A lot of the companies that are kind of mapping companies. Like, I think you could say that like Strava and Palantir are kind of geospatial companies, both of them. but Strava is a fitness company and Palantir is a military company. so if you're, uh, a mapping expert, you kind of have to figure out what, how it ties into the real world, how it ties into the business world and revenue. And then maps might be 50% of the solution or 75% of the solution, but it's probably not going to be, this is the company that makes mapping software. Jeremy: Yeah, it's more like, I have this product that I'm gonna sell and it happens to have a map as a part of it. versus I'm going to sell you, tools that, uh, you know, help you make your own map. That seems like a, a harder, harder sell. Tom: yeah. And especially pro tools like the. The idea of people being both invested in terms of paying and invested in terms of wanting to learn the tool. That's, uh, that's a lot to ask out of people. [00:26:49] Knowing the market is tough but going for it anyways Jeremy: I think the things we had just talked about, about mapping being a tough industry and about there being like the low end is taken care of by Google, the high end is taken care of by Esri with ArcGIS. Uh, I think you mentioned in a blog post that when you started Placemark you, you, you knew all this from the start. So I'm kind of curious, like, knowing that, what made you decide like, I'm gonna, I'm gonna go for it and, you know, do it anyways. Tom: uh, I, well, I think that having seen, I, like I am a co-founder of val.town now, and every company that I've worked for, I've been pretty early enough to see how the sausage is made and the sausage is made with chaos. Like every company doesn't know what it's doing and is in an impossible fight against some Goliath figure. And the product that succeeds, if it ever does succeed, is something that you did not think of two or three years in advance. so I looked at this, I looked at the odds, and I was like, oh, these are the typical odds, you know, maybe someday I'll see something where it's, uh, it's an obvious open blue water market opportunity. But I think for the, for the most part, I was expecting to grind. Uh, you know, like even, even if, uh, the odds were worse, I probably would've still done it. I think I, I learned a lot. I should have done a lot more marketing and business and, but I have, I have no regrets about, you know, taking, taking a one try at solving a very hard to solve problem. Jeremy: Yeah, that's a good point in that the, the odds, like you said, are already stacked against you. but sometimes you just gotta try it and see how it goes, Tom: Yeah. And I had the, like I was at a time where I was very aware of how my life was set up. I was like, I could do a startup right now and kind of burn money for a little while and have enough time to work on it, and I would not be abandoning an infant child or, you know, like all of the things that, all the life responsibilities that I will have in the near future. Um. So, you know, uh, the, the time was then, I guess, [00:29:23] Being a solo developer Jeremy: And comparing it to your time at Mapbox and the other startups and, and I suppose now at val.town, when you were working on Placemark, you're the sole developer, you're in charge of everything. how did that feel? Did you enjoy that experience or was it more like, I, I really wish I had other people to, you know, to kind of go through this with, Tom: Uh, around the end I started to chat with people who, like might be co-founders and I even entertained some chats with, uh, venture capital people. I am fine with the, the day to day of working on stuff alone of making a lot of decisions. That's what I have done in a lot of companies anyway. when you're building the prototype or turning a prototype into something that can be in production, I think that having, uh, having other people there, It would've been better for my mentality in terms of not feeling like it was my thing. Um, you know, like feeling detached enough from the product to really see its flaws and really be open to, taking more radical shifts in approach. whereas when it's just you, you know, it's like you and the customers and your email inbox and, uh, your conscience and your existential dread. Uh, and you know, it's not like a co-founder or, uh, somebody to work with is gonna solve all of that stuff for you, but, uh, it probably would've been maybe a little bit better. I don't know. but then again, like I've also seen those kinds of relationships blow up a lot. and I wanted to kind of figure out what I was doing before, adding more people, more complexity, more money into the situation. But maybe you, maybe doing that at the beginning is kind of the same, you know, like you, other people are down for the same kind of risk that you are. Jeremy: I'm sure it's always different trade offs. I mean, I, I think there probably is a power to being able to unilaterally say like, Hey, this is, this is what I wanna do, so I'm gonna do it. Tom: Yeah. [00:31:52] Spending too much time on multiplayer without a business case Jeremy: You mentioned how there were certain flaws or things you may not have seen because you were so in it. Looking back, what, what were some of those things? Tom: I think that, uh, probably the, I I don't think that most technical decisions are all that important, um, that it never seems like the thing that means life or death for companies. And, you know, Facebook is still on PHP, they've fought, fixed, the problem with, with money. but I think I got rabbit holed into a few things where if I had like a business co-founder, then they would've grilled me about like, why are we spending? The, the main thing that comes to mind, uh, is real time multiplayer, real time. It was a fascinating problem and I was so ready to think about that all the time and try to solve it. And I think that took up a lot of my time and energy. And in the long term, most people are not editing a map. At the same time, seeing the cursors move around is a really fun party trick, and it's great for marketing, but I think that if I were to take a real look at that, that was, that was a mistake. Especially when the trade off was things that actually mattered. Like the amount of time, the amount, the amount of data that the, that could be handled at. At the same time, I could have figured out ways to upload a one gigabyte or two gigabyte or three gigabyte shape file and for it to just work in that same time, whereas real time made it harder to solve that problem, which was a lot closer to what, Paying customers cared about and where people's expectations were? Jeremy: When you were working on this realtime collaborative functionality, was this before the product was public? Was this something you, built from the start? Tom: Yeah. I built the whole thing without it and then added it in. Not as like a rewrite, but like as a, as a big change to a lot of stuff. Jeremy: Yeah, I, I could totally see how that could happen because you are trying to envision people using this product, and you think of something like Google Docs, right? It's very powerful to be typing in a document and see the other cursors and, um, see other people typing. So, I could see how you, you would make that leap and say like, oh, the map should, should do that too. Yeah. [00:34:29] Financial pressures of bootstrapping, high COL, and healthcare Tom: Yeah. Yeah. Um, and, you know, Figma is very cool. Like the, it's, it's amazing. It's an amazing thing. But the Figma was in the dark for way longer than I was, and uh, Evan is a lot smarter than I was. Jeremy: He probably had a big bag of money too. Right. Tom: Yeah. Jeremy: I, I don't actually know the history of Figma, but I'm assuming it's, um, it's VC funded, right? Tom: Uh, yeah, they're, they're kind of famous for just having, I don't think they raised that much in the beginning, but they just didn't hire very much and it was just like the two co-founders, or two or three people and they just kept building for long time. I feel like it's like well over three years. Jeremy: Oh wow. Okay. I think like in your case, I, I saw a comment from you where you were saying, this was your sole source of income and you gotta pay for your health insurance, and so you have no outside investments. So, the pressures are, are very different I think. Tom: Yeah. Yeah. And that's really something to on, to appreciate about venture capital. It gives you the. Slack in your, in your budget to make some mistakes and not freak out about it. and sadly, the rent is not going down anytime soon in, in Brooklyn, and the health insurance is not going down anytime soon. I think it's, it's kind of brutal to like leave a job and then realize that like, you know, to, to be admitted to a hospital, you have to pay $500 a month. Jeremy: I'm, I'm sure that was like, shocking, right? The first time you had to pay for it yourself. Tom: Yeah. And it's not even good. Uh, we need to fix this like that. If there's anything that we could do to fix entrepreneurship in this country, it's just like, make it possible to do this without already being wealthy. Um, it was, it was a constant stress. [00:36:29] Growth and customers Jeremy: As you worked on it, and maybe especially as you, after you had shipped, was there a period where. You know, things were going really well in terms of customers and you felt like, okay, this is really gonna work. Tom: I was, so, like, I basically started out by dropping, I think $5,000 in the business bank account. And I was like, if I break even soon, then I'll be happy. And I broke even in the first month. And that was amazing. I mean, the costs were low and everything, but I was really happy to just be at that point and that like, it never went down. I think that probably somebody with more, uh, determination would've kept going after, after I had stopped. but yeah, like, and also The people who used Placemark, who I actually chatted with, and, uh, all that stuff, they were awesome. I wish that there were more of them. but like a lot of the customers were doing cool stuff. They were supportive. They gave me really informative feedback. Um, and that felt really good. but there was never a point at which like the, uh, the growth scale looked like, oh, we're going to hit a point at which this will be a sustainable business within a year. I think it, according to the growth when I left it, it would've been like maybe three years until I would've been, able to pay my rent and health insurance and, live a comfortable life in, in New York. Jeremy: So when you mentioned you broke even that was like the expenses into the business, but not for actually like rent and health insurance and food and all that. Okay. Okay. can you say like roughly how much was coming in or how many customers you had? Tom: Uh, yeah, the revenue initially I think was, uh, 1500 MRR, and eventually it was like 4,000 or so. Jeremy: And the growth was pretty steady. [00:38:37] Bootstrapping vs fundraising Tom: Um, so yeah, I mean, the numbers where you're just like, maybe I could have kept going. but it's, the other weird thing about VCs is just that I think I have this rich understanding of like, if you're, if you're running a business that will be stressful, but be able to pay your bills and you're in control of it, versus running a startup where you might make life changing money and then not have to run a business again. It's like the latter is kind of better. Uh, if stress affects you a lot, and if you're not really wedded to being super independent. so yeah, I don't know between the two ways of like living your life, I, I have some appreciation for, for both. doing what Placemark entailed if I was living cheaply in a, in a cheap city and it didn't stress me out all the time, would've been a pretty good deal. Um, but doing it in Brooklyn with all the stress was not it, it wasn't affecting my life in positive ways and I, I wanted to, you know, go see shows at night with my friends and not worry about the servers going down. Jeremy: Even putting the money aside, I think that's being the only person responsible for the app, right? Probably feels like you can't really take a vacation. Right. Tom: Yeah, I did take a vacation during it. Like I went to visit my partner who was in, uh, Germany at the time, and we were like on a boat, uh, between Germany, across the lake to Switzerland, and like the servers went down and I opened up my laptop and fixed the servers. It's just like, that is, it's a sacrifice that people make, but it is hard. Jeremy: There's, there's on call, but usually it's not just you 24 7. Tom: Yeah. If you don't pick up somebody else [00:40:28] Financial stress and framing money spent as an investment Jeremy: Yeah, yeah, yeah, I guess at what point, because I'm trying to think. You started in 2021 and then maybe wrapped up, was it sometime in 2024? Tom: Uh, I took a job in, uh, I, I mean I joined val.town in the early 2023 and then wrapped up in November, 2023. Jeremy: At what point did you really start feeling the, the stress? Like I, I imagine maybe when you first started out, you said you were doing consulting and stuff, so, um, probably things were okay, but once you kind of shifted away from that, is that kind of when the, the, the worries about money started coming in? Tom: Yeah. Um, I think maybe it was like six or eight months, um, in. Just that I felt like I wasn't finding, uh, like a, a way to grow the product without adding lots of complexity to it. and being a solo founder, the idea of succeeding, but having built like this hulking mess of a product felt just as bad as not succeeding. like ideally it would be something that I could really be happy maintaining for the long term. Uh, but I was just seeing like, oh, maybe I could succeed by adding every feature in QGIS and that's just not, not a, not something that I wanted to commit to. but yeah, I don't, I don't know. I've been, uh, do you know, uh, Ramit Sethie he's like a, Jeremy: I don't. Tom: an internet money guy. He's less scummy than the rest of them, but still, I. an internet money guy. Um, but he does adjust a lot of stuff about like, money psychology. And that has made me realize that a lot of what I thought at the time and even think now is kind of a rational, you know, like, I think one of the main things that I would do differently is just set a budget for Placemark. Like if I had just set away, like, you know, enough money to live on for a year and put that in, like the, this is for Placemark bucket, then it would've felt better to me then having it all be ad hoc, month to month, feeling like you're burning money instead of investing money in a thing. but yeah, nobody told me, uh, how to, how to think about it then. Uh, yeah, you only get experience by experiencing it. Jeremy: You're just seeing your, your bank account shrinking and there's this, psychological toll, right? Where you're not, you're not used to that feeling and it, it probably feels like something's wrong, Tom: Yeah, yeah. I'm, I think it, I'm really impressed by people who can say, oh, I invested, uh, you know, 50 or a hundred thousand dollars into this business and was comfortable with that risk. And like, maybe it works out, maybe it doesn't. Maybe you just like threw a lot of money down into that. and the people, I think with the healthy, productive, uh, relationship with it. Do think of it as like, oh, I, I paid for kind of a bet on a risk. and that's, that's what I was doing anyway. You know, like I was paying my rent and my health insurance and spending all my time working on the product instead of paying, uh, freelance work. but if you don't frame it that way, it doesn't feel like an investment. It feels like you're making a risky gamble. Jeremy: Yeah. And I think that makes sense to, to actually, I think, like you were saying, have a separate account or a separate thing set aside where you are like, this is, this is this money for this purpose. And like you said, look at it as an investment, which with regular investments can go down. Tom: Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Jeremy: Yeah [00:44:26] In hindsight might have raised money or tried smaller bets Jeremy: Were there, there other things, whether technical or or business wise, that, that if you were to to do it again, you would do differently? Tom: I go back and forth on whether I should have raised venture capital. there are, there's kind of a, an assumption in venture capital that once you're on it, you have to go the whole way. You have to become a billion dollar company, uh, or at least really tell people that you're going to be a billion dollar company and I am not. yeah, I, I don't know. I've seen, I've seen other companies in my space, or like our friends of my current company who are not really targeting that, or ones who were, and then they had somewhere in between the billion dollar and the very small outcome. Uh, and that's a little bit of a point in the favor of accepting a big pile of money from the venture capitalists. I'm also a little bit biased right now because val.town has one investor and he's like the, the best venture capitalist that I have ever met. Big fan. don't quote me on that. If he sacks me in like a year, we'll see. Um, but uh, yeah, there, I, I think that I understand more why people take that approach. or I've understood more why people take like the venture capital but not taking $300 million from SoftBank approach. yeah, and I don't know, I think that, trying a lot of things also seems really appealing. Uh, people who do the same kind of. of Maybe 10 months, but they build four or five different products or three different products instead of just one. I think that, that feels, feels like a good idea to me. Jeremy: And in doing that, would that be more of a, like as a solo entrepreneur or you, you're thinking you would take investment and then say, I'm gonna try all these things with, with your money. Tom: Oh, I've seen both. I, that I, yeah, one friend's company has pivoted like four times between very different ideas and yeah, it, it's one way to do it, but I think in the long term, I would want to do that as a solo developer and try to figure out, you know, something. but yeah, I, I think, uh, so much of it is mindset, that even then if I was working on like three different projects, I think I. My qualifications for something being worth, really adopting and spending all my time doing, you just have to accept, uh, a lot of hits and a lot of misses and a lot of like keeping things alive and finding out how to turn them into something. I am really inspired by my friends who like started around the same time that I did and they're not that much further in terms of revenue and they're like still, still doing it because that is what they want to do in life. and if you develop the whole ecosystem and mindset around it, I think that's somewhere that people can stay and, and be happy. just trying to find, trying to find a company that they own and control and they like. Jeremy: While, while making the the expenses work. Tom: Yeah. Yeah. that's the, that's the hard part, like freelancing on the side also. I probably could have kept that up. I liked my freelance clients. I would probably still work with them as well. but I kind of just wanted the, I wanted the focus, I wanted the motivation of, of being without a net. Jeremy: Yeah, I mean, energy wise, do you think that that would've worked? I mean, I imagine that Placemark took a lot of your time when you were working full time, so you're trying to balance, you know, clients and all your customers and everything you're doing with the software. It just feels like it might be a lot. Tom: Yeah. Yeah. Maybe with different freelance clients. I, I loved my freelance clients because I, after. leaving config. I, I wanted to work on climate change stuff and so I was working for climate change foundations and that is not the way to max out your paycheck. It's the way to feel good about your conscience. And so I still feel great about those projects, but in the future, yeah, I would probably just work for, uh, you know, a hedge fund or something. [00:49:02] Marketing to developers but not potential customers Jeremy: I think something you mentioned in one of your posts is that you maybe could have spent more time or had a different approach with marketing. Maybe you could kind of say what you did do and then what maybe worked and what didn't. Tom: Yeah. So I like my sweet spot is writing documentation and blog posts and technical stuff. And so I did a lot of that and a lot of that like worked in a way that didn't matter. I am at this point, weirdly good at writing stuff that gets on Hacker News. I've written a lot of stuff that's gotten to the top of Hacker News and unfortunately, writing about your technical approach and your geospatial project for handling errors, uh, in your JavaScript code is not really a way to get customers. and I think doing a lot of documentation was also great, but it was also, I think that the, the thing that was missing is the thing that I think Mapbox does fairly well now, in which the homepage really pushes you toward use cases immediately. and I should have been saying to each customer who had anything compelling as a use case, like, let's write an article about you and what you're doing, and here's how you use this in your industry. and that probably would've also been like a good, a good way to figure out which of those verticals was the one that was most worth spending all the time on. yeah. So it, it was, it was a lot of good marketing to nerds. and it could have been better in terms of marketing to actual customers and to people who are making the buying decisions. Jeremy: Yeah. Looking at the, the Placemark blog, I can definitely see how as a developer, a lot of the posts are appealing to me, right? It's about how you worked on a technical challenge or decisions you made, but maybe less so to somebody who they wanna. Draw a map to manage their crops. They're like, I don't care about any of this. Right. Tom: Yeah, like the Mapbox blog used to be, just all that stuff as well. We would write about designing protocol buffer layouts, and it was amazing for hiring and amazing for getting nerds in the door. But now it's just, Toyota is launching with, Mapbox Maps or something like that. And that's, that's what you, you should do if you're trying to sell a product. Jeremy: Yeah. And I think the, the sort of technical aspect, it makes sense too. If you're venture funded and you are looking to hire, right? You wanna build your team and you just want to increase like, the amount of stuff you're building and not worrying so much about, am I gonna have a paycheck next Tom: Yeah. Yeah. I, I just kind of do it because it's fun, which is not the right reason to do it, but, Yeah, I mean, I still write my blog mostly just because it's, it's a fun thing to do, but it's not the best way to, um, to run a business. Jeremy: Yeah. Well, the fun part is important too though. Tom: Yeah. Yeah. That's, that's maybe the whole thing. May, that's maybe the most important thing, but you can't do it if you don't do the, the money part. [00:52:35] Most customers came from existing audience Jeremy: Right. So the people who did find you, was it mostly word of mouth from people who did identify with the technical posts, or were there places that surprised you, that people found you? Tom: Uh, a lot of it was people who were familiar with the Mapbox ecosystem or with, with me. and then eventually, yeah, a few of the users came in through, um, through Hacker News, but it was mostly, mostly word of mouth also. The geospatial community is like fairly tight and it's, and it's not too hard to be the person who writes the article about some geospatial challenge that everyone finds. Jeremy: Hmm. Okay. Yeah, that's a good point about like being in that community, especially since you've done so much work in geospatial and in open source that you have this little, this built-in audience, I guess. Tom: yeah. Which I appreciate. It makes me nervous, but yeah. [00:53:43] Val.town marketing to developers Jeremy: Comparing that to something like val.town, how is val.town marketing? How is it finding users? 'cause from what I can tell, it's, it's getting a lot of, uh, a lot of people coming in, right? Tom: Yeah. Uh, well, right now our, our kind of target user, or the user that we think of is a hobbyist, is somebody who's, sometimes a pro developer or somebody, sometimes just somebody who's really interested in the field. And so writing these things that are just about, you know, programming, does super well. Uh, but it, we have exactly the same problem and that that is kind of being revamped as we speak. uh, we hired somebody who actually knows marketing and has a good sense for it. And so a lot of that stuff is shifting to show you what you can do with val.town because it, it suffers from the same problem as well. It's an empty text field in which you can type, type script, code, and it runs. And knowing what you can do with that or what you should do with that is, is hard if you don't have a grasp of TypeScript and web applications. so pretty soon we'll have pages which are like, here's how to connect linear and GitHub with OW Town, or, you know, two nouns connect them, for all of those companies and to do automations and all these like concrete applications. I think that's, you have to do it. You have to figure it out. Jeremy: Just briefly for someone who hasn't heard of val.town, like what, what does it do? Tom: Uh, val.town is a social website, so it has comments and likes and all of that stuff. but it's for writing these little snippets of TypeScript and JavaScript code that run. So a lot of them are websites, some of them are automations, so they receive emails or send emails or connect one service to another. And yeah, it's, it's like combining some aspects of, GitHub or like a code platform, uh, but with the assumption that every time that you save, everything's instantly deployed. Jeremy: So it's maybe a little bit like, um, like a glitch, I guess? Tom: Uh, yeah. Yeah, it takes a lot of experience, a lot of, uh, inspiration from Glitch. Jeremy: And I, I think, like you had mentioned, you enjoy writing the, the technical blog posts and the documentation. And so at least with val.town, your audience is developers versus, the geospatial community who probably largely doesn't care about, TypeScript and the, the different technical decisions there. Tom: Yeah, it, it makes it easier, that's for sure. The customer is, is me. [00:56:30] Shifting from solo to in-person teams Jeremy: Nice. Yeah. Looking at, you know, you, you worked as a, a solo developer for Placemark, and then now you've got a team of, is it like maybe five Tom: Uh, it is seven at the moment. Jeremy: Seven people. Okay. Are you all in person or is it, remote Tom: We all sit around two tables in Brooklyn. It's very nice. Jeremy: So how did that feel? Like shifting from, I'm in, I don't know if you worked from home while you were working on Placemark or if you were in coworking spaces, but you're, you're shifting from I'm like in my own head space doing everything myself to, to, I'm in a room with all these people and we're like working on this thing together. I'm kind of curious like how that felt for you. Tom: Yeah, it's been a big difference. And I think that I was just talking with, um, one, one of our, well an engineer at, at val.town about how everyone kind of had, had been working remote for obvious pandemic world reasons. And this kind of privilege of just being around the same table, if that's what you like is, a huge difference in terms of, I just remember having to. Trick myself into going on a walk around the block because I would get into such a dark mental head space of working on the same project for eight hours straight and skipping lunch. and now there's a little bit more structure. yeah, it's, it's been, it's been a overall, an improvement. Some days I wish that I could go on a run at noon 'cause that's the warmest time of the day. but, uh, overall, like it makes things so much easier. just reading the emotions in people's faces when they're telling you stuff and being able to, uh, not get into discussions that you don't need to get into because you can talk and just like understand each other very quickly. It's, it's very nice. I don't wanna force everyone to do it, you know, but it it for the people who want it, they, they, uh, really enjoy it. Jeremy: Yeah. I think if you have the right set of people, it's definitely more enjoyable. And um, if you don't, maybe not so Tom: Yeah, we haven't hired any, like, extremely loud chewers yet or anything like that, but yeah, maybe my story will change. Jeremy: No, no one microwaving fish. Tom: No, there's, uh, yeah, thankfully the microwave is outside of the office. Jeremy: Do you live close to the office? Tom: Yeah. Yeah. Like most of the team is within a 20 or 30 minute walk of the office and it's very fortunate. I think there's been something of a mass migration to New York. A lot of us didn't live in New York before four years ago, and now all of us do. it's, it's, uh, it's very comfortable to be here. Jeremy: I think that makes, uh, such a big difference. 'cause I think the majority of people, at least within the US you know, you're, you're getting in your car, you're sitting in traffic. and I know people who, during the pandemic, they actually moved further, right? Because they went, oh, like, uh, I don't need to come into the office. but yeah, if you are close enough where you can walk, yeah, I think that makes a big difference. Tom: Oh yeah. If I had to drive to work, I think my blood pressure would be so much higher. Uh, especially in New York. Oh, I feel so bad for the people who have to drive, whereas I'm just walking with, you know, a bagel in hand, enjoying listening to the birds. Jeremy: Yeah. Yeah. well now they have, what is it, the congestion pricing in Tom: Yeah. Yeah. We're all in Brooklyn, so it doesn't affect us that much, but it's supposedly, it's, it's working great. Um, yeah. I hope we can keep it. Jeremy: I've never driven in New York and I, I wouldn't want to Tom: Yeah. It's only for the brave or the crazy. [01:00:37] The value of public writing and work Jeremy: I think that's probably a good place to, to wrap up, but is there any other thoughts you had or things you wanted to mention? Tom: No, I've just, uh, thank you so much. This has been, this has been a lot of fun. You're, you're very good at this as well. I feel like it's, uh, Jeremy: Thank you Tom: It's not easy to, to steer a conversation in a way that makes awkward people sound, uh, normal. Jeremy: I wouldn't say that, but um, what's been actually pretty helpful to me is, you have such a body of work, I guess I would say, in terms of your blogging and, just the amount that you write and the long history of projects that, that there's, you know, there's a lot to talk about and I'm sure it helps, helps your thought process as well. Tom: Yeah. I, I've been lucky to have a lot of jobs where people, where companies were like, cool with publishing everything, you know? so a lot of what I've done is, uh, is public. it's, it's, uh, I'm very, very thankful for like, early on that being a big part of company culture. Jeremy: And you can definitely tell, I think for people who look at the Placemark blog posts or, or now your, your val.town blog posts, like there's, there's a clear difference when somebody like is very intentional and, um, you know, it's good at writing versus you're doing it because, um, it's your corporate responsibility or whatever, like people can tell. Yeah. Tom: Yeah. You can't fake being interested. so you gotta work on things that are interesting. Jeremy: Tom, thanks again for, for agreeing to chat. This was fun. Tom: Yeah thank you so much.

The Power of Storytelling in the Age of AIIn today's rapidly evolving business landscape, where artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping operations, the art of authentic storytelling has become more crucial than ever. In a recent podcast episode, host Josh and guest Dan Grech, founder and CEO of BizHack Academy, explore the intersection of storytelling, marketing, and AI. This blog post distills their conversation into actionable insights for entrepreneurs aiming to leverage AI while preserving authenticity in their communications.Josh begins the episode by highlighting the critical role of storytelling in modern business. Compelling narratives are essential for connecting with customers, differentiating in a crowded market, and building trust. While AI can enhance business operations, Josh emphasizes that the human element—particularly personal storytelling—remains vital. AI can assist in crafting messages, but the essence of storytelling must remain genuine to foster trust and connection.Dan Grech shares his expertise in helping entrepreneurs, especially those in second-stage companies, harness AI for marketing and sales strategies. He acknowledges that many businesses feel overwhelmed by the rapid advancements in AI but stresses the importance of embracing these technologies to stay competitive. Dan offers practical advice, such as committing to learning AI tools, utilizing resources like BizHack Academy's free masterclasses, and customizing AI to reflect a brand's unique voice. By doing so, businesses can streamline operations and enhance the authenticity of their narratives, ultimately fostering deeper connections with their audience.About Dan Grech:Dan Grech is a Pulitzer Prize-winning former NPR and PBS journalist turned entrepreneur and educator. He's the Founder and CEO of BizHack Academy, which is on a mission to train 1 million businesses how to use AI-powered marketing and business storytelling to grow 10x faster so their communities can thrive. He was the News Director at Miami's NPR station), a correspondent for NPR's Marketplace and PBS's Nightly Business Report, and worked at The Miami Herald and The Washington Post. He co-hosted Miami's first podcast, Under the Sun. He is the grandson of a Philadelphia public school science teacher and of a professional soccer coach in La Liga in Spain, and he carries forward a family legacy of teaching, coaching and entrepreneurship. He's worked as the head of digital marketing at two software startups and the nation's largest Hispanic-owned energy company. Dan has participated in accelerator programs through Entrepreneurs Organization, the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program, and Knight Foundation. He's taught at top universities including Princeton, Columbia and University of Miami. Dan is a graduate of Princeton University and has a Masters degree in storytelling from FIU and in journalism from Universidad Torcuato di Tella in Argentina. He lives with his wife and two children in Denver, CO.About BizHack Academy:BizHack Academy is on a mission to help 10,000 small businesses to grow faster. BizHack works with business support organizations to create customized digital marketing training programs for small businesses. We teach courses and provide personalized coaching in AI for marketing and sales, online lead generation, business storytelling, and thought leadership. BizHack is the creator of two purpose-driven digital marketing methodologies: the Lead Building System™, a proven process for online lead generation, and the Thought Leadership Pyramid™, a systematic approach to content marketing.BizHack is a proud Florida MBE and has provided over $300,000 in scholarships to more than 200 BIPOC- and women-owned businesses. Its #BizHackLive Masterclass series, launched during the heart to COVID crisis as a free resource to the business

Local journalism is in crisis — and among its challenges is the urgent need for lawyers to enforce open records laws and assess stories for legal vulnerabilities. In Part One, hear how lawyers from Microsoft and Davis Wright Tremaine joined forces with the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and the Knight Foundation to build ProJourn, an initiative to protect journalists by equipping them with the pro bono legal support they need to tell impactful, truthful stories. Want to hear about new Pursuing Justice releases? Subscribe to our monthly pro bono emails Explore our Pro Bono programs and resources Learn about our Pro Bono Memberships and Scholarships for qualified organizations and individual Please note: CLE is not offered for listening to this podcast, and the views and opinions expressed within represent those of the speakers and not necessarily those of PLI.

NPR media correspondent and bestselling author David Folkenflik discusses headlines, investigations, reflections, successions and his career journey. Recorded with an audience at the University of Akron's Knight Foundation lecture series.

In the ever-evolving media landscape, understanding how news is consumed across different social platforms is crucial for adapting to changing audience behaviors. In this episode of “E&P Reports,” we interview Katerina Eva Matsa, director of news and information research at Pew Research Center, and Jim Brady, vice president of journalism at Knight Foundation, to delve into the Pew study: “How Americans Get News on TikTok, X, Facebook and Instagram.” The insights gleaned from our conversation provide a roadmap for news publishers navigating this dynamic environment. Read more at this episode's E&P Magazine landing page at: https://www.editorandpublisher.com/stories/from-platforms-to-practice-key-findings-from-pews-social-media-study,251134  

This week on Breaking Battlegrounds, we're bringing you a powerhouse lineup of guests. First, we welcome Congresswoman Nancy Mace from South Carolina's 1st Congressional District, who will discuss current hot-button issues like women's rights, the global IT outage, and the recent resignation of US Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle. Next, Elizabeth Nolan Brown, senior editor at Reason, joins us to delve into topics ranging from Kamala Harris's performance to the media covering for Biden. Finally, independent journalist Peter Bernegger, President of Election Watch, Inc., reveals insights into ActBlue's ghost donors and 'smurfing.' During Kiley's Corner, she dissects what we know about the Trump almost-assassin, and as always, we end on a positive note with the Sunshine Moment. Don't miss this compelling discussion as we unpack critical issues impacting our political landscape.Connect with us:www.breakingbattlegrounds.voteTwitter: www.twitter.com/Breaking_BattleFacebook: www.facebook.com/breakingbattlegroundsInstagram: www.instagram.com/breakingbattlegroundsLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/breakingbattlegrounds-Show sponsors:Invest YrefyYrefy offers a secure, collateralized portfolio with a strong, fixed rate of return - up to a 10.25%. There is no attack on your principal if you ever need your money back. You can let your investment compound daily, or take your income whenever you choose. Make sure you tell them Sam and Chuck sent you!Learn more at investyrefy.com4Freedom MobileExperience true freedom with 4Freedom Mobile, the exclusive provider offering nationwide coverage on all three major US networks (Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile) with just one SIM card. Our service not only connects you but also shields you from data collection by network operators, social media platforms, government agencies, and more.Use code ‘Battleground' to get your first month for $9 and save $10 a month every month after.Learn more at: 4FreedomMobile.comDot VoteWith a .VOTE website, you ensure your political campaign stands out among the competition while simplifying how you reach voters.Learn more at: dotvote.vote-About our guests:Congresswoman Nancy Mace, raised in the Lowcountry, hails from Goose Creek, South Carolina. Raised by a retired Army General and a retired school teacher, Mace learned the value of hard work early on. After leaving high school at 17, she began her journey in the workforce, starting as a waitress at the Waffle House on College Park Road in Ladson.Despite early setbacks, Mace's determination led her to achieve academic excellence. She earned her high school diploma by taking college classes at Trident Technical College in North Charleston. She then graduated magna cum laude from The Citadel, the military college of South Carolina, making history as the first female graduate from its Corps of Cadets in 1999. Continuing her education, she earned a master's degree from The University of Georgia in 2004.Mace transitioned into public service, gaining recognition as one of the most fiscally conservative members of the South Carolina General Assembly while also championing conservation efforts. An accomplished author, she penned “In The Company of Men: A Woman at The Citadel,” published by Simon & Schuster in 2001.In 2008, Mace founded her own company, specializing in technology and marketing, and commercial real estate. Her leadership embodies integrity, compassion, and a tireless pursuit of delivering results for the South Carolina. She has worked with colleagues on a nonpartisan basis, successfully getting several bills signed into law by the President, including the Quantum Computing Cybersecurity Preparedness Act and the Human Trafficking Prevention Act of 2022.Mace has been recognized with esteemed awards such as the 2021 Club for Growth Defender of Economic Freedom Award and the 2019 Taxpayer Hero Award from the South Carolina Club for Growth for her consistent efforts to lower taxes. She is also the recipient of the Champion Award from Palmetto Goodwill for her dedication to education and job training for the underprivileged, and she holds a 97% rating with Conservation Voters of South Carolina.A devoted single mother to two teenagers, a sweet little Havanese named Liberty, and a cat named Tyler, Mace continues to serve the Lowcountry with unwavering dedication and resilience.-Elizabeth Nolan Brown is a senior editor at Reason and the author of Reason's biweekly Sex & Tech newsletter, which covers issues surrounding sex, technology, bodily autonomy, law, and online culture. She is also co-founder of the libertarian feminist group Feminists for Liberty, and a professional affiliate of the journalism program at the University of Cincinnati.Brown has covered a broad range of political and cultural topics since starting at Reason in 2014, with special emphasis on the politics, policy, and legal issues surrounding sex, speech, tech, justice, reproductive freedom, and women's rights. She can be found frequently reporting and opining on topics such as sex work, social media, antitrust law, abortion, feminism, the First Amendment, policing, and Section 230. A few of her more memorable Reason features include a trio of cover stories on the federal government's war on sex ("The War on Sex Trafficking Is the New War on Drugs," "American Sex Police," and "Massage Parlor Panic"), a political profile of Kamala Harris ("Kamala Harris Is a Cop Who Wants to Be President"), a deep dive into the prosecution of the founders of Backpage.com, and a look at "The Bipartisan Antitrust Crusade Against Big Tech."Brown's work has also been published by The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Buzzfeed, The Daily Beast, Politico, Playboy, Persuasion, Fox News, Newsweek, TIME, The Dish, The Week, Spectator World, Libertarianism.org (where she wrote the Encyclopedia of Libertarianism entry on sex work), and numerous other outlets.She is the winner of the Western Publishing Association's 2016 award for best feature article and has been a finalist for seven awards from the Los Angeles Press Club, taking one second place and three third place awards for articles including Hot Girls Wanted: Exploiting Sex Workers in the Name of Exposing Porn Exploitation?" and "The Truth About the Biggest U.S. Sex Trafficking Story of the Year".Brown is a frequent commenter on panels, podcasts, radio, and television. She has debated sex work decriminalization at New York University and the Soho Forum; spoken before audiences at SXSW, the First Amendment Lawyer's Association meeting, the Sexual Freedom Summit, the Knight Foundation, the Mont Pelerin Society, George Mason University's Law & Economics Center, the 2022 Libertarian Party convention, FreedomFest, and numerous other places; and appeared on programs on NPR, C-SPAN, the BBC, Fox News, ESPN, and North Carolina Public Radio, among others.Prior to coming to Reason, Brown covered legal issues for the Daily Reporter in Columbus, Ohio; wrote about health and nutrition for Bustle and other women's websites; and served as an editor for AARP publications. She is a graduate of American University, where she earned a master's degree in public communication, and Ohio University, where she studied playwriting, English, and film. She lives in Cincinnati, Ohio, with her husband, sons, and two cats.-Peter Bernegger is an independent journalist and President of Election Watch, Inc. You can follow him on X @PeterBernegger. Get full access to Breaking Battlegrounds at breakingbattlegrounds.substack.com/subscribe

“I am very optimistic about local journalism,” says Informed California Foundation CEO Geoffrey King, but why? On this episode of The Media Mix, Claire Atkinson talks with Jim Brady of the Knight Foundation and two leaders his organization supports. What Candice Fortman, the Media Executive Director for Outlier, is doing to create text-based news. Plus the impact of student journalists and how artificial intelligence is being used in local news reporting. For more on this and other media topics subscribe to The Media Mix newsletter on Substack. The Media Mix is also are looking for sponsors and fresh guest bookings for 2024, so email us at themediamixUS@gmail.com You can also find Claire Atkinson on X @claireatki or pitch her Executive Producer jamie@oncamready.com To learn more about the guests visit this websites: Knight Foundation: https://knightfoundation.org/ Informed California: https://informedca.org/ Outlier Media: https://outliermedia.org/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

News and journalism organizations and dominant tech companies are in a years-long battle over content, clicks and revenue, and the tech companies are winning. What are policy options that encourage both the sustainability and quality of news content on popular online platforms? In this episode, Rebecca Rand explores perspectives on the subject, drawing on a conversation hosted by Justin Hendrix with experts Anya Schiffrin and Cory Doctorow at the Knight Foundation's INFORMED conference earlier this year.

Join us for an inspiring episode of Cut to the Chase: podcast as we dive into the latest chapter of Dennis Scholl's career.    From accountant, lawyer, preservationalist, serial entrepreneur, philanthropist, art collector, award winning film maker, wine maker, to helping artists advance their careers, what else could be left for him to achieve but to make his own art (and films).    How could anyone make so many significant career transitions?   On this episode, we go through some of Dennis' philosophies that helped him transform himself in such significant ways.   But before we go onto his third and (what he predicts) will be his final chapter-his own art work, I must pay my respect to Dennis and do what he prefers I not do-highlight some of his amazing achievements which have shaped so many lives and the art world.    The Miami art scene has become a global phenomenom in large part due to Dennis.      From 2009-2015, Dennis was the vice president for the arts at the Knight Foundation.   Launching the foundations arts program and leading it to national prominence, Dennis helped steer close to $200 million in grants to artists and cultural organizations.   Helping these artists launch and advance their careers has been one of Dennis' biggest joys in life.   Almost out of left field, Dennis decided to take what many of us would consider a mid life crisis into a remarkable journey into documentary film making.    Before the world knew it, Dennis had become an award-winning documentary filmmaker focusing on arts and culture creating 87 films and winning over 20 regional Emmys, including from Sundance and SXSW.   His films have been shown in over 100 film festivals.   You can even catch some of his films on Netflix.   My favorite was his first feature documentary called Deep City-the Birth of Miami Sound.    For those R & B fans that think Motown WAS R & B, think again.   Deep City showcases some of the amazing musical R & B talent that came from the 305. In almost a parallel universe while making these films (and wine), Dennis was brought into Oolite Arts as their CEO where he ran that amazing art support organization where he continued to help award millions of dollars to local artists.    One of the major accomplishments he achieved at Oolite Arts was the creation of the Ellies.    The Ellies, named after Ellie Schneiderman, who opened the South Florida Art Center back in 1984 when Lincoln Road could not even find tenants.   The Ellies is now an annual competition which funds local art teachers, artists projects, exhibitions, public artworks and even film. His farewell achievement for Oolite will be the opening of the  soon to be state of the art $30 million headquarters that is scheduled to open in Little River in 2025.     The space will provide, among other things, 21 free artists studios, rooms for art classes, a theatre and large gallery.  In this episode, we'll explore Dennis's journey from being an accountant, then a lawyer to becoming a pivotal figure in the Miami art scene to his current art work and upcoming films. Discover how he embraced a new chapter in his life, reinventing himself as an art collector turned filmmaker, and gain insights into his views on the future of art in the age of AI.   I know Dennis right now is upset at us rehashing his past so I won't go over all his amazing and various work (including his extremely successful wine making venture) and his various contributions to world art world, including the Guggenheim, the Tate Modern and the Perez Art Museum.   Instead of going into  all the amazing art work he has created over the past decade and continues to create AND his upcoming films AND his own philosophies that have enabled him to transform himself so dramatically so often, you will need to listen to this episode for such nuggets.    As a native Miamian who has seen first hand how Dennis has helped make Miami so special, myself and several others owe him the tremendous gratitude. Join Dennis and I as we discuss: Dennis's transition from law to the arts and its profound impact on his life and career.The importance of embracing change and pursuing passions later in life. Fostering creativity and innovation.. The evolving landscape of filmmaking and the influence of AI.Dennis's commitment to nurturing young artistic talent and giving back to the community.His skepticism about the long-term impact of NFTs on the art world. Key Takeaways: Embrace change and pursue your passions, no matter your age. Find activities that bring you joy and fulfillment, embracing the concept of "flow" in life. Get involved in your community and share your expertise and inspiration with others. Consider integrating cultural insights into your legal practice for innovative problem-solving. Stay open to learning and flexible in your career path to adapt to new industries and technologies. Join us for a fascinating conversation with Dennis Scholl as we explore the power of reinvention and the endless possibilities that await, even in the later chapters of life. Connect with Dennis Scholl: Check out all of Dennis Scholl's art on his instagram via @schollcreative and learn more about his work on his website https://schollcreative.com/.

Ashton Applewhite is an internationally recognized expert on ageism, Ashton Applewhite is the author of This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism and a co-founder of the Old School Anti-Ageism Clearinghouse. She speaks widely at venues that have included the United Nations and the TED mainstage, and is at the forefront of the emerging movement to raise awareness of ageism and make age a criterion for diversity. In 2022 the United Nations named Ashton one of the Healthy Aging 50: fifty leaders transforming the world to be a better place to grow older. She has been recognized by the New York Times, National Public Radio, the New Yorker, and the American Society on Aging as an expert on ageism and named as a Fellow by the Knight Foundation, the New York Times, Yale Law School, and the Royal Society for the Arts      She has written for Harper's, the Guardian, and the New York Times She speaks widely, at venues that have ranged from universities and community centers to the Library of Congress and the United Nations. In 2017 she received a standing ovation for her Ted Talk in Vancouver. She has received numerous awards for her work, including being named one of “fifty leaders working to transform the world to be a better place to grow older” by the UN's Decade of Healthy Aging platform (a collaboration between the WHO) in 2022. Join us as we sat down, coast-to-coast - Ed in his Southern California studio, and Ashton in her charming home in Brooklyn, NY, for this fun, enlightening, and sometimes deep conversation. You can reach Ashton in a multitude of ways, including at https://thischairrocks.com/, ashton@thischairrocks.com.  Twitter: @thischairrocks Facebook: www.facebook.com/ThisChairRocks Instagram: www.instagram.com/thischairrocks YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/AshtonApplewhiteVideos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashton-applewhite-64658/ RSS: https://thischairrocks.com/feed/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/fromthehart/message

Gregory Galant is the co-founder and CEO of Muck Rack, a platform enabling PR teams to work together to find the right journalists for their stories, send customized pitches, build meaningful relationships with the media, monitor news and quantify their impact. It's used by thousands of organizations, including Taco Bell, Pfizer, Golin, International Committee of the Red Cross, Knight Foundation, Kauffman Foundation and Penguin Random House. Muck Rack is also the solution of choice for journalists, who use Muck Rack's free, automatically updated portfolios to showcase their work and provide information about what stories they're looking for. Greg is also the co-creator and executive producer of The Shorty Awards, which honor the best of social media.  After being rejected by countless secret societies, Greg secured membership in Twitter and Instagram's exclusive first name club -- follow him at @gregory on both platforms.In this discussion Greg and I go deep on his experiences. Listen to our conversation to learn all about:➡️ Co-founder dynamics: The power of complementary skills and the dangers of too much similarity.➡️ Hiring: How to know when it's time to hire someone and what to look for when you're running lean. ➡️ Managing challenges: How to handle the stress that comes with building a startup - or doing anything challenging.Learn more about Greg's company Muck Rack | Website https://www.muckrack.comConnect with Alisa! Follow Alisa Cohn on Instagram: @alisacohn Twitter: @alisacohn Facebook: facebook.com/alisa.cohn LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alisacohn/ Website: http://www.alisacohn.com Download her 5 scripts for delicate conversations (and 1 to make your life better) Grab a copy of From Start-Up to Grown-Up by Alisa Cohn from AmazonLove the show? Subscribe, Rate, Review, Like, and Share!

The people who don't vote are often left out of the political conversation. Campaigns don't spend much money on them, and the media doesn't devote much coverage to them. But to understand a presidential contest like the 2024 race — one that threatens to be extremely close — we have to understand not just the people who show up to vote, but also those who sit out elections.This week, we talk to several people who skipped the last Trump-Biden matchup in 2020 and ask how they're thinking about 2024. We also speak to Anthony Williams, who directed a project at the Knight Foundation that surveyed 12,000 nonvoters ahead of the 2020 election. We ask: How do you define this group of people? And what, if anything, will change their minds when it comes to voting?Do you have a question about the 2024 election? We want to hear from you. Fill out this form or email us a voice memo at therunup@nytimes.com

Rachel Bitecofer is a political scientist and election forecaster turned political strategist. Her most recent book is Hit 'Em Where it Hurts: How to Save Democracy by Beating Republicans at Their Own Game. We discuss why it's time for Democratic Party candidates to embrace negative partisanship in their campaigns.   Half of America's electorate doesn't vote – even in the most consequential elections – because they aren't interested in politics. The Knight Foundation took a very large sample survey of non voters and discovered that the most commonly cited reason for not voting is lack of interest. The US has raised and created a political culture that encourages lack of civic participation and views politics as dirty. Turning the tide on disinterest and bolstering American democracy must include fixing the civic culture. Follow Rachel on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/RachelBitecofer    Follow Mila on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/milaatmos    Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/   Sponsor:  Thanks to Shopify for supporting Future Hindsight! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.   Love Future Hindsight? Take our Listener Survey!  http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=6tI0Zi1e78vq&ver=standard    Take the Democracy Group's Listener Survey! https://www.democracygroup.org/survey   Want to support the show and get it early?  https://patreon.com/futurehindsight    Check out the Future Hindsight website!  www.futurehindsight.com   Read the transcript here:   https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/a-real-right-to-vote-richard-l-hasen      Credits:  Host: Mila Atmos  Guests: Rachel Bitecofer Executive Producer: Mila Atmos Producer: Zack Travis

What's the role of philanthropy when it comes to building strong towns? How do we get philanthropy involved, and how do we make good investments? How do we access federal programs and bigger resources effectively? This is a tension within our conversation, and to help us unpack it, we invited two experts who are well-aligned with these issues onto the podcast: Kelly Jin, the Vice President for Community and National Initiatives at the Knight Foundation (where she leads a $150 million active grant portfolio, and $30 million in annual grant-making), and Stephen Goldsmith, the Derek Bok Professor of the Practice of Urban Policy and the Director of the Data-Smart City Solutions program at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. Goldsmith also directs the Project on Municipal Innovation, the Civic Analytics Network, and the Mayoral Leadership in Education Network. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Kelly Jin (LinkedIn). Stephen Goldsmith (Twitter/X). Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X).

For more than four decades, unhoused Chicagoans have called a small strip of land along the Dan Ryan Expressway in the South Loop home. While neighbors have gotten used to seeing tents, a tiny wooden home went up last week -- the first put up by volunteers with the Orange Tent Project, a local nonprofit that's already drawn the ire of the city and backlash from some neighbors for bringing hundreds of orange tents to the unhoused at over 15 city sites.Host - Jon HansenReporter - Mack LiedermanRead More Here To read more on this and other stories, head to BlockClubChicago.org New Goal Update:Block Club Chicago is participating in NewsMatch, an annual campaign that aims to bolster support of nonprofit newsrooms across the nation and fill the gaps news deserts have left.Block Club has participated in the national NewsMatch campaign every year since we launched. The campaign matched donations dollar to dollar to our newsroom. But because of our newsroom's growth (thanks to you!) and the growth of nonprofit news, our newsroom doesn't qualify for matching support from foundations this year.Our newsroom is a recipient of the DEI Partner Fund supported by the Knight Foundation and Heising-Simons Foundation. They are generously donating $8,000 that will contribute to our year-end donation goal.On November 1, we set an ambitious goal to raise $20,000 and reached it in 20 days thanks to the generous support of our readers. We're moving the meter to see if we can double ourinitialgoal by December 31.Every time we've asked for your support, you've never let us down. Help us reach our new goal of $40,000.We're also looking for donors to match their contribution to help us raise even more money from participating in NewsMatch. Offering a match is a powerful tool for our newsroom because it incentivizes other readers to give. The more money we raise, the more we can reinvest in putting reporters on the ground and covering the stories that matter most to you.No donation is too small to match. If you're interested in matching your donation, please reach out to Maple Walker Lloyd at maple@blockclubchi.org.

At INFORMED 2024, a conference hosted by the Knight Foundation in January, one panel focused on the subject of information integrity, race, and US elections. The conversation was compelling, and the panelists agreed to reprise it for this podcast. So today we're turning over the mic to Spencer Overton, a Professor of Law at the George Washington University, and the director of the GW Law School's Multiracial Democracy Project.He's joined by three other experts, including: Brandi Collins-Dexter, a media and technology fellow at Harvard's Shorenstein Center, a fellow at the National Center on Race and Digital Justice, and the author of the recent book, Black Skinhead: Reflections on Blackness and Our Political Future. Brandi is developing a podcast of her own with MediaJustice that explores 1980s era media, racialized conspiracism, and politics in Chicago;Dr. Danielle Brown, a social movement and media researcher who holds the 1855 Community and Urban Journalism professorship at Michigan State and is the founding director of the LIFT project, which is focused on mapping, networking and resourcing, trusted messengers to dismantle mis- and disinformation narratives that circulate in Black communities and about Black communities; andKathryn Peters, who was the inaugural executive director of University of North Carolina's Center for Information, Technology, and Public Life and was the co-founder of Democracy Works, where she built programs to help more Americans navigate how to vote. These days, she's working on a variety of projects to empower voters and address election mis- and disinformation.

A few years ago, Jim Bachor was hit by a “tsunami” of projects when he began filling city potholes with small mosaics. He's since filled more than 100 potholes in Chicago with images of everything from hot sauce packets to tiny replicas of famous paintings to the Chicago flag. He just opened a gallery in Uptown.Host - Jon HansenReporters - Iridian Fierro, Kayleigh Padar, Maxwell Evans, Shamus ToomeyStory Links:Artist Famous For Filing Potholes With Tiny Mosaics Opens Gallery In UptownBad Internet Service? Take This Survey To Help State Bring Better Broadband To Your AreaNew Pickleball Emporium SPF Offers Indoor Getaway In Lincoln Park  To read more on this and other stories, head to BlockClubChicago.org New Goal Update:Block Club Chicago is participating in NewsMatch, an annual campaign that aims to bolster support of nonprofit newsrooms across the nation and fill the gaps news deserts have left.Block Club has participated in the national NewsMatch campaign every year since we launched. The campaign matched donations dollar to dollar to our newsroom. But because of our newsroom's growth (thanks to you!) and the growth of nonprofit news, our newsroom doesn't qualify for matching support from foundations this year.Our newsroom is a recipient of the DEI Partner Fund supported by the Knight Foundation and Heising-Simons Foundation. They are generously donating $8,000 that will contribute to our year-end donation goal.On November 1, we set an ambitious goal to raise $20,000 and reached it in 20 days thanks to the generous support of our readers. We're moving the meter to see if we can double ourinitialgoal by December 31.Every time we've asked for your support, you've never let us down. Help us reach our new goal of $40,000.We're also looking for donors to match their contribution to help us raise even more money from participating in NewsMatch. Offering a match is a powerful tool for our newsroom because it incentivizes other readers to give. The more money we raise, the more we can reinvest in putting reporters on the ground and covering the stories that matter most to you.No donation is too small to match. If you're interested in matching your donation, please reach out to Maple Walker Lloyd at maple@blockclubchi.org.

Block Club Chicago's Quinn Myers interviews Eileen O'Neill Burke, on why she thinks she should be Cook County's next State's Attorney.  To read more on this and other stories, head to BlockClubChicago.org New Goal Update:Block Club Chicago is participating in NewsMatch, an annual campaign that aims to bolster support of nonprofit newsrooms across the nation and fill the gaps news deserts have left.Block Club has participated in the national NewsMatch campaign every year since we launched. The campaign matched donations dollar to dollar to our newsroom. But because of our newsroom's growth (thanks to you!) and the growth of nonprofit news, our newsroom doesn't qualify for matching support from foundations this year.Our newsroom is a recipient of the DEI Partner Fund supported by the Knight Foundation and Heising-Simons Foundation. They are generously donating $8,000 that will contribute to our year-end donation goal.On November 1, we set an ambitious goal to raise $20,000 and reached it in 20 days thanks to the generous support of our readers. We're moving the meter to see if we can double ourinitialgoal by December 31.Every time we've asked for your support, you've never let us down. Help us reach our new goal of $40,000.We're also looking for donors to match their contribution to help us raise even more money from participating in NewsMatch. Offering a match is a powerful tool for our newsroom because it incentivizes other readers to give. The more money we raise, the more we can reinvest in putting reporters on the ground and covering the stories that matter most to you.No donation is too small to match. If you're interested in matching your donation, please reach out to Maple Walker Lloyd at maple@blockclubchi.org.

Block Club Chicago's Quinn Myers interviews Clayton Harris III, on why he thinks he should be Cook County's next State's Attorney. To read more on this and other stories, head to BlockClubChicago.org New Goal Update:Block Club Chicago is participating in NewsMatch, an annual campaign that aims to bolster support of nonprofit newsrooms across the nation and fill the gaps news deserts have left.Block Club has participated in the national NewsMatch campaign every year since we launched. The campaign matched donations dollar to dollar to our newsroom. But because of our newsroom's growth (thanks to you!) and the growth of nonprofit news, our newsroom doesn't qualify for matching support from foundations this year.Our newsroom is a recipient of the DEI Partner Fund supported by the Knight Foundation and Heising-Simons Foundation. They are generously donating $8,000 that will contribute to our year-end donation goal.On November 1, we set an ambitious goal to raise $20,000 and reached it in 20 days thanks to the generous support of our readers. We're moving the meter to see if we can double ourinitialgoal by December 31.Every time we've asked for your support, you've never let us down. Help us reach our new goal of $40,000.We're also looking for donors to match their contribution to help us raise even more money from participating in NewsMatch. Offering a match is a powerful tool for our newsroom because it incentivizes other readers to give. The more money we raise, the more we can reinvest in putting reporters on the ground and covering the stories that matter most to you.No donation is too small to match. If you're interested in matching your donation, please reach out to Maple Walker Lloyd at maple@blockclubchi.org.

St. Ferdinand Parish operates what may be the area's only fish fry drive-thru, and it's been a hit with Northwest Siders for decades.Host - Jon HansenReporter - Karie Angell LucRead More About The Drive-ThruEvery Neighborhood Friday Fish Fry Mapped For Lent To read more on this and other stories, head to BlockClubChicago.org New Goal Update:Block Club Chicago is participating in NewsMatch, an annual campaign that aims to bolster support of nonprofit newsrooms across the nation and fill the gaps news deserts have left.Block Club has participated in the national NewsMatch campaign every year since we launched. The campaign matched donations dollar to dollar to our newsroom. But because of our newsroom's growth (thanks to you!) and the growth of nonprofit news, our newsroom doesn't qualify for matching support from foundations this year.Our newsroom is a recipient of the DEI Partner Fund supported by the Knight Foundation and Heising-Simons Foundation. They are generously donating $8,000 that will contribute to our year-end donation goal.On November 1, we set an ambitious goal to raise $20,000 and reached it in 20 days thanks to the generous support of our readers. We're moving the meter to see if we can double ourinitialgoal by December 31.Every time we've asked for your support, you've never let us down. Help us reach our new goal of $40,000.We're also looking for donors to match their contribution to help us raise even more money from participating in NewsMatch. Offering a match is a powerful tool for our newsroom because it incentivizes other readers to give. The more money we raise, the more we can reinvest in putting reporters on the ground and covering the stories that matter most to you.No donation is too small to match. If you're interested in matching your donation, please reach out to Maple Walker Lloyd at maple@blockclubchi.org.

The Bring Chicago Home referendum remains in limbo as the city and Chicago Board of Election Commissioners appeal a judge's order to throw out all votes cast on the question. Quinn Myers explains, and discusses what else is on the ballot. Host - Jon HansenReporter - Quinn MyersRead More Here To read more on this and other stories, head to BlockClubChicago.org New Goal Update:Block Club Chicago is participating in NewsMatch, an annual campaign that aims to bolster support of nonprofit newsrooms across the nation and fill the gaps news deserts have left.Block Club has participated in the national NewsMatch campaign every year since we launched. The campaign matched donations dollar to dollar to our newsroom. But because of our newsroom's growth (thanks to you!) and the growth of nonprofit news, our newsroom doesn't qualify for matching support from foundations this year.Our newsroom is a recipient of the DEI Partner Fund supported by the Knight Foundation and Heising-Simons Foundation. They are generously donating $8,000 that will contribute to our year-end donation goal.On November 1, we set an ambitious goal to raise $20,000 and reached it in 20 days thanks to the generous support of our readers. We're moving the meter to see if we can double ourinitialgoal by December 31.Every time we've asked for your support, you've never let us down. Help us reach our new goal of $40,000.We're also looking for donors to match their contribution to help us raise even more money from participating in NewsMatch. Offering a match is a powerful tool for our newsroom because it incentivizes other readers to give. The more money we raise, the more we can reinvest in putting reporters on the ground and covering the stories that matter most to you.No donation is too small to match. If you're interested in matching your donation, please reach out to Maple Walker Lloyd at maple@blockclubchi.org.

South Side steelworkers were promised economic stability as a reward for grueling and dangerous work. But many who survived were forced to start over when the industry collapsed.Host - Jon HansenReporter - Maxwell EvansRead More Here To read more on this and other stories, head to BlockClubChicago.org New Goal Update:Block Club Chicago is participating in NewsMatch, an annual campaign that aims to bolster support of nonprofit newsrooms across the nation and fill the gaps news deserts have left.Block Club has participated in the national NewsMatch campaign every year since we launched. The campaign matched donations dollar to dollar to our newsroom. But because of our newsroom's growth (thanks to you!) and the growth of nonprofit news, our newsroom doesn't qualify for matching support from foundations this year.Our newsroom is a recipient of the DEI Partner Fund supported by the Knight Foundation and Heising-Simons Foundation. They are generously donating $8,000 that will contribute to our year-end donation goal.On November 1, we set an ambitious goal to raise $20,000 and reached it in 20 days thanks to the generous support of our readers. We're moving the meter to see if we can double ourinitialgoal by December 31.Every time we've asked for your support, you've never let us down. Help us reach our new goal of $40,000.We're also looking for donors to match their contribution to help us raise even more money from participating in NewsMatch. Offering a match is a powerful tool for our newsroom because it incentivizes other readers to give. The more money we raise, the more we can reinvest in putting reporters on the ground and covering the stories that matter most to you.No donation is too small to match. If you're interested in matching your donation, please reach out to Maple Walker Lloyd at maple@blockclubchi.org.

A picture is worth a thousand words, and sometimes the frame completes the story. Frame Chicago was started over 40 years ago by an immigrant couple, who have provided the foundation to a thriving business their kids are now growing to new heights. Host - Iridian FierroMore on Frame Chicago HERE To read more on this and other stories, head to BlockClubChicago.org New Goal Update:Block Club Chicago is participating in NewsMatch, an annual campaign that aims to bolster support of nonprofit newsrooms across the nation and fill the gaps news deserts have left.Block Club has participated in the national NewsMatch campaign every year since we launched. The campaign matched donations dollar to dollar to our newsroom. But because of our newsroom's growth (thanks to you!) and the growth of nonprofit news, our newsroom doesn't qualify for matching support from foundations this year.Our newsroom is a recipient of the DEI Partner Fund supported by the Knight Foundation and Heising-Simons Foundation. They are generously donating $8,000 that will contribute to our year-end donation goal.On November 1, we set an ambitious goal to raise $20,000 and reached it in 20 days thanks to the generous support of our readers. We're moving the meter to see if we can double ourinitialgoal by December 31.Every time we've asked for your support, you've never let us down. Help us reach our new goal of $40,000.We're also looking for donors to match their contribution to help us raise even more money from participating in NewsMatch. Offering a match is a powerful tool for our newsroom because it incentivizes other readers to give. The more money we raise, the more we can reinvest in putting reporters on the ground and covering the stories that matter most to you.No donation is too small to match. If you're interested in matching your donation, please reach out to Maple Walker Lloyd at maple@blockclubchi.org.

Many Chicagoans, especially those living in Black and Latino neighborhoods, have similar experiences of being left to fend for themselves in times of crisis.Police leadership has blamed inadequate 911 responses on a shortage of officers and resources. But the Police Department's own records suggest the problem isn't the number of officers — it's what those officers are doing on their shifts.Host - Jon HansenReporter - Pascal SabinoRead More Here To read more on this and other stories, head to BlockClubChicago.org New Goal Update:Block Club Chicago is participating in NewsMatch, an annual campaign that aims to bolster support of nonprofit newsrooms across the nation and fill the gaps news deserts have left.Block Club has participated in the national NewsMatch campaign every year since we launched. The campaign matched donations dollar to dollar to our newsroom. But because of our newsroom's growth (thanks to you!) and the growth of nonprofit news, our newsroom doesn't qualify for matching support from foundations this year.Our newsroom is a recipient of the DEI Partner Fund supported by the Knight Foundation and Heising-Simons Foundation. They are generously donating $8,000 that will contribute to our year-end donation goal.On November 1, we set an ambitious goal to raise $20,000 and reached it in 20 days thanks to the generous support of our readers. We're moving the meter to see if we can double ourinitialgoal by December 31.Every time we've asked for your support, you've never let us down. Help us reach our new goal of $40,000.We're also looking for donors to match their contribution to help us raise even more money from participating in NewsMatch. Offering a match is a powerful tool for our newsroom because it incentivizes other readers to give. The more money we raise, the more we can reinvest in putting reporters on the ground and covering the stories that matter most to you.No donation is too small to match. If you're interested in matching your donation, please reach out to Maple Walker Lloyd at maple@blockclubchi.org.

Following an outreach program led by the Haymarket Center and Thresholds, social service agencies tapped by the CTA and the city's Department of Family and Support Services as part of a $2 million agreement signed in late 2022.Host - Jon HansenReporters - Rachel Hinton and Nick BlumbergEditor - Iridian FierroRead more - HERE  To read more on this and other stories, head to BlockClubChicago.org New Goal Update:Block Club Chicago is participating in NewsMatch, an annual campaign that aims to bolster support of nonprofit newsrooms across the nation and fill the gaps news deserts have left.Block Club has participated in the national NewsMatch campaign every year since we launched. The campaign matched donations dollar to dollar to our newsroom. But because of our newsroom's growth (thanks to you!) and the growth of nonprofit news, our newsroom doesn't qualify for matching support from foundations this year.Our newsroom is a recipient of the DEI Partner Fund supported by the Knight Foundation and Heising-Simons Foundation. They are generously donating $8,000 that will contribute to our year-end donation goal.On November 1, we set an ambitious goal to raise $20,000 and reached it in 20 days thanks to the generous support of our readers. We're moving the meter to see if we can double ourinitialgoal by December 31.Every time we've asked for your support, you've never let us down. Help us reach our new goal of $40,000.We're also looking for donors to match their contribution to help us raise even more money from participating in NewsMatch. Offering a match is a powerful tool for our newsroom because it incentivizes other readers to give. The more money we raise, the more we can reinvest in putting reporters on the ground and covering the stories that matter most to you.No donation is too small to match. If you're interested in matching your donation, please reach out to Maple Walker Lloyd at maple@blockclubchi.org.

If you run into a coyote this month, remind it that humans are scary by making noise and waving your arms. Don't leave out food for them, don't let your dog run loose outside — and play talk radio.Host - Jon HansenReporter - Kayleigh PadarREAD MORE HERE To read more on this and other stories, head to BlockClubChicago.org New Goal Update:Block Club Chicago is participating in NewsMatch, an annual campaign that aims to bolster support of nonprofit newsrooms across the nation and fill the gaps news deserts have left.Block Club has participated in the national NewsMatch campaign every year since we launched. The campaign matched donations dollar to dollar to our newsroom. But because of our newsroom's growth (thanks to you!) and the growth of nonprofit news, our newsroom doesn't qualify for matching support from foundations this year.Our newsroom is a recipient of the DEI Partner Fund supported by the Knight Foundation and Heising-Simons Foundation. They are generously donating $8,000 that will contribute to our year-end donation goal.On November 1, we set an ambitious goal to raise $20,000 and reached it in 20 days thanks to the generous support of our readers. We're moving the meter to see if we can double ourinitialgoal by December 31.Every time we've asked for your support, you've never let us down. Help us reach our new goal of $40,000.We're also looking for donors to match their contribution to help us raise even more money from participating in NewsMatch. Offering a match is a powerful tool for our newsroom because it incentivizes other readers to give. The more money we raise, the more we can reinvest in putting reporters on the ground and covering the stories that matter most to you.No donation is too small to match. If you're interested in matching your donation, please reach out to Maple Walker Lloyd at maple@blockclubchi.org.

Mayor Brandon Johnson is following through on a campaign promise to get rid of a controversial gunshot detection technology — originally planning to end the program in September. But now, it may be ending sooner. Host - Jon HansenReporter - Mack LiedermanEditor - Iridian FierroRead the Story - HERE To read more on this and other stories, head to BlockClubChicago.org New Goal Update:Block Club Chicago is participating in NewsMatch, an annual campaign that aims to bolster support of nonprofit newsrooms across the nation and fill the gaps news deserts have left.Block Club has participated in the national NewsMatch campaign every year since we launched. The campaign matched donations dollar to dollar to our newsroom. But because of our newsroom's growth (thanks to you!) and the growth of nonprofit news, our newsroom doesn't qualify for matching support from foundations this year.Our newsroom is a recipient of the DEI Partner Fund supported by the Knight Foundation and Heising-Simons Foundation. They are generously donating $8,000 that will contribute to our year-end donation goal.On November 1, we set an ambitious goal to raise $20,000 and reached it in 20 days thanks to the generous support of our readers. We're moving the meter to see if we can double ourinitialgoal by December 31.Every time we've asked for your support, you've never let us down. Help us reach our new goal of $40,000.We're also looking for donors to match their contribution to help us raise even more money from participating in NewsMatch. Offering a match is a powerful tool for our newsroom because it incentivizes other readers to give. The more money we raise, the more we can reinvest in putting reporters on the ground and covering the stories that matter most to you.No donation is too small to match. If you're interested in matching your donation, please reach out to Maple Walker Lloyd at maple@blockclubchi.org.

Whether a partner cheated, broke up an engagement or reneged on romantic promises, scorned lovers could sue for their heartache until 2016. Linze Rice details some of the more scandalous lawsuits, and how she stumbled on the story. Host - Jon HansenReporter - Linze RiceEditor - Iridian FierroRead More Here To read more on this and other stories, head to BlockClubChicago.org New Goal Update:Block Club Chicago is participating in NewsMatch, an annual campaign that aims to bolster support of nonprofit newsrooms across the nation and fill the gaps news deserts have left.Block Club has participated in the national NewsMatch campaign every year since we launched. The campaign matched donations dollar to dollar to our newsroom. But because of our newsroom's growth (thanks to you!) and the growth of nonprofit news, our newsroom doesn't qualify for matching support from foundations this year.Our newsroom is a recipient of the DEI Partner Fund supported by the Knight Foundation and Heising-Simons Foundation. They are generously donating $8,000 that will contribute to our year-end donation goal.On November 1, we set an ambitious goal to raise $20,000 and reached it in 20 days thanks to the generous support of our readers. We're moving the meter to see if we can double ourinitialgoal by December 31.Every time we've asked for your support, you've never let us down. Help us reach our new goal of $40,000.We're also looking for donors to match their contribution to help us raise even more money from participating in NewsMatch. Offering a match is a powerful tool for our newsroom because it incentivizes other readers to give. The more money we raise, the more we can reinvest in putting reporters on the ground and covering the stories that matter most to you.No donation is too small to match. If you're interested in matching your donation, please reach out to Maple Walker Lloyd at maple@blockclubchi.org.

Laurin Mack relaunched Conrad Seipp Brewing Company in 2020, more than 150 years after her great-great-great-grandfather started the business in Chicago. The company's beers will now be produced with Pilot Project Brewing.Host - Jon HansenReporter - Quinn MyersRead the Story - HERE To read more on this and other stories, head to BlockClubChicago.org New Goal Update:Block Club Chicago is participating in NewsMatch, an annual campaign that aims to bolster support of nonprofit newsrooms across the nation and fill the gaps news deserts have left.Block Club has participated in the national NewsMatch campaign every year since we launched. The campaign matched donations dollar to dollar to our newsroom. But because of our newsroom's growth (thanks to you!) and the growth of nonprofit news, our newsroom doesn't qualify for matching support from foundations this year.Our newsroom is a recipient of the DEI Partner Fund supported by the Knight Foundation and Heising-Simons Foundation. They are generously donating $8,000 that will contribute to our year-end donation goal.On November 1, we set an ambitious goal to raise $20,000 and reached it in 20 days thanks to the generous support of our readers. We're moving the meter to see if we can double ourinitialgoal by December 31.Every time we've asked for your support, you've never let us down. Help us reach our new goal of $40,000.We're also looking for donors to match their contribution to help us raise even more money from participating in NewsMatch. Offering a match is a powerful tool for our newsroom because it incentivizes other readers to give. The more money we raise, the more we can reinvest in putting reporters on the ground and covering the stories that matter most to you.No donation is too small to match. If you're interested in matching your donation, please reach out to Maple Walker Lloyd at maple@blockclubchi.org.

Dollar stores across the city have repeatedly violated city health and building codes by selling expired infant formula and other medicine, overcharging customers, selling tobacco to underage people and interfering with inspections, a Block Club Chicago analysis has found.Host - Jon HansenGuest -  Manny RamosRead More - HERE To read more on this and other stories, head to BlockClubChicago.org New Goal Update:Block Club Chicago is participating in NewsMatch, an annual campaign that aims to bolster support of nonprofit newsrooms across the nation and fill the gaps news deserts have left.Block Club has participated in the national NewsMatch campaign every year since we launched. The campaign matched donations dollar to dollar to our newsroom. But because of our newsroom's growth (thanks to you!) and the growth of nonprofit news, our newsroom doesn't qualify for matching support from foundations this year.Our newsroom is a recipient of the DEI Partner Fund supported by the Knight Foundation and Heising-Simons Foundation. They are generously donating $8,000 that will contribute to our year-end donation goal.On November 1, we set an ambitious goal to raise $20,000 and reached it in 20 days thanks to the generous support of our readers. We're moving the meter to see if we can double ourinitialgoal by December 31.Every time we've asked for your support, you've never let us down. Help us reach our new goal of $40,000.We're also looking for donors to match their contribution to help us raise even more money from participating in NewsMatch. Offering a match is a powerful tool for our newsroom because it incentivizes other readers to give. The more money we raise, the more we can reinvest in putting reporters on the ground and covering the stories that matter most to you.No donation is too small to match. If you're interested in matching your donation, please reach out to Maple Walker Lloyd at maple@blockclubchi.org.

More newsrooms are embracing generative artificial intelligence, even as it raises troubling questions about journalism's future. On POLITICO Tech, the Knight Foundation's Marc Lavallee tells host Steven Overly how bots are likely disrupt the news business and what that means for news consumers like you.

Violence prevention advocates say physically separating teens after a fight is not enough — schools need to provide counseling and mentors.Host - Jon HansenReporter - Crystal PaulRead more - HERE To read more on this and other stories, head to BlockClubChicago.org New Goal Update:Block Club Chicago is participating in NewsMatch, an annual campaign that aims to bolster support of nonprofit newsrooms across the nation and fill the gaps news deserts have left.Block Club has participated in the national NewsMatch campaign every year since we launched. The campaign matched donations dollar to dollar to our newsroom. But because of our newsroom's growth (thanks to you!) and the growth of nonprofit news, our newsroom doesn't qualify for matching support from foundations this year.Our newsroom is a recipient of the DEI Partner Fund supported by the Knight Foundation and Heising-Simons Foundation. They are generously donating $8,000 that will contribute to our year-end donation goal.On November 1, we set an ambitious goal to raise $20,000 and reached it in 20 days thanks to the generous support of our readers. We're moving the meter to see if we can double ourinitialgoal by December 31.Every time we've asked for your support, you've never let us down. Help us reach our new goal of $40,000.We're also looking for donors to match their contribution to help us raise even more money from participating in NewsMatch. Offering a match is a powerful tool for our newsroom because it incentivizes other readers to give. The more money we raise, the more we can reinvest in putting reporters on the ground and covering the stories that matter most to you.No donation is too small to match. If you're interested in matching your donation, please reach out to Maple Walker Lloyd at maple@blockclubchi.org.

Get the full interview by joining us for exclusive, uncensored content on Locals: https://theruthinstitute.locals.com/post/5218478/how-to-win-at-parenting-positive-and-authoritative-dr-jonathan-rothwell-on-the-dr-j-show-ep-221     Refute the Top 5 Gay Myths With this Incredible, Free eBook: https://ruthinstitute.org/refute-the-top-five-myths/   Jonathan Rothwell is a principal economist at Gallup. He advises clients and associates on the strategic and technical issues related to social science research, publishing, and data collection, particularly as they pertain to some of the world's biggest challenges, such as macroeconomics, entrepreneurship, labor economics, race relationships and higher education. He served as the primary researcher for the Bureau of Labor Statistics' A.I. in the Workplace project, which launched a study to understand the impacts of technology on employment.  Additionally, Jonathan developed ways to assess the quality and effects of news consumption for Knight Foundation and analyzed the causes of long-term economic growth for the U.S. Council on Competitiveness. His other projects include developing a way to assess the quality of management and business leadership practices, creating methods to evaluate the quality of colleges based on alumni experiences, and studying the quality of parent-child relationships and how they relate to youth mental health. Jonathan also researches and writes on a broad range of topics in academic and popular publications. In 2019, he published a book with Princeton University Press on the fundamental causes of income inequality called A Republic of Equals: A Manifesto for a Just Society. He frequently contributes analysis to The New York Times' Upshot column, and opinion pieces to a variety of other high-profile outlets. He has written several scholarly articles on the health, political, and economic aspects of the Wuhan Lab Virus. Jonathan is a visiting scholar at the George Washington University Public Policy Institute and a non-resident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution's Metropolitan Policy Program. In addition to publishing in social science journals, he has written for a variety of news platforms, such as Reason, Foreign Policy, and The New York Times. He holds master's degrees in Clinical Psychology and Economics and earned a PhD in Public Policy from Princeton University. He was raised in Louisville, Kentucky and now lives in Washington, DC with his wife and three children.   Rothwell's study on parenting: https://ifstudies.org/ifs-admin/resources/briefs/ifs-gallup-parentingteenmentalhealthnov2023.pdf   A summary article of Rothwell's study: https://ifstudies.org/blog/parenting-is-the-key-to-adolescent-mental-health   A summary by Rothwell on Gallop: https://news.gallup.com/poll/548381/quality-parent-child-relationships-families.aspx   Rothwell on Gallop: https://www.gallup.com/people/193904/jonathan-rothwell,%20ph.d..aspx   The latest news from Gallop: https://news.gallup.com/home.aspx   This episode of The Dr J Show may also be seen on the following platforms:   TheRuthInstitute.Locals.com   https://rumble.com/c/TheRuthInstitute   https://www.bitchute.com/channel/MXkWgTk4Brwr/   https://odysee.com/@TheRuthInstitute:7   Sign up for our weekly newsletter here: https://ruthinstitute.org/newsletter/   +

Animals are flocking back to Chicago after years of polluted air and disgusting waterways. How did the cleanup happen so quickly?Host - Jon HansenGuest - Chris Anchor  To read more on this and other stories, head to BlockClubChicago.org New Goal Update:Block Club Chicago is participating in NewsMatch, an annual campaign that aims to bolster support of nonprofit newsrooms across the nation and fill the gaps news deserts have left.Block Club has participated in the national NewsMatch campaign every year since we launched. The campaign matched donations dollar to dollar to our newsroom. But because of our newsroom's growth (thanks to you!) and the growth of nonprofit news, our newsroom doesn't qualify for matching support from foundations this year.Our newsroom is a recipient of the DEI Partner Fund supported by the Knight Foundation and Heising-Simons Foundation. They are generously donating $8,000 that will contribute to our year-end donation goal.On November 1, we set an ambitious goal to raise $20,000 and reached it in 20 days thanks to the generous support of our readers. We're moving the meter to see if we can double ourinitialgoal by December 31.Every time we've asked for your support, you've never let us down. Help us reach our new goal of $40,000.We're also looking for donors to match their contribution to help us raise even more money from participating in NewsMatch. Offering a match is a powerful tool for our newsroom because it incentivizes other readers to give. The more money we raise, the more we can reinvest in putting reporters on the ground and covering the stories that matter most to you.No donation is too small to match. If you're interested in matching your donation, please reach out to Maple Walker Lloyd at maple@blockclubchi.org.

65,000 Americans turn 65-year-old every day. It can be hard for friends and families watch their loved ones struggle with tasks that used to be simple. Jimmy Zollo spent years working tech, but founded 'Joe & Bella' to help seniors stay stylish and make putting on clothes easier for themselves and their caregivers. Host - Jon HansenGuest - Jimmy Zollo - Joe And Bella To read more on this and other stories, head to BlockClubChicago.org New Goal Update:Block Club Chicago is participating in NewsMatch, an annual campaign that aims to bolster support of nonprofit newsrooms across the nation and fill the gaps news deserts have left.Block Club has participated in the national NewsMatch campaign every year since we launched. The campaign matched donations dollar to dollar to our newsroom. But because of our newsroom's growth (thanks to you!) and the growth of nonprofit news, our newsroom doesn't qualify for matching support from foundations this year.Our newsroom is a recipient of the DEI Partner Fund supported by the Knight Foundation and Heising-Simons Foundation. They are generously donating $8,000 that will contribute to our year-end donation goal.On November 1, we set an ambitious goal to raise $20,000 and reached it in 20 days thanks to the generous support of our readers. We're moving the meter to see if we can double ourinitialgoal by December 31.Every time we've asked for your support, you've never let us down. Help us reach our new goal of $40,000.We're also looking for donors to match their contribution to help us raise even more money from participating in NewsMatch. Offering a match is a powerful tool for our newsroom because it incentivizes other readers to give. The more money we raise, the more we can reinvest in putting reporters on the ground and covering the stories that matter most to you.No donation is too small to match. If you're interested in matching your donation, please reach out to Maple Walker Lloyd at maple@blockclubchi.org.

City Council narrowly passed a symbolic resolution on Wednesday calling for a ceasefire in the war in Gaza. Alderpeople tied 23-23 in a final vote on the measure, forcing Mayor Brandon Johnson to cast a deciding tiebreaker in support. The vote came after a tense debate that saw the mayor clear the council gallery after repeated interruptions from spectators. Host - Jon HansenReporter - Quinn MyersRead More - HERE To read more on this and other stories, head to BlockClubChicago.org New Goal Update:Block Club Chicago is participating in NewsMatch, an annual campaign that aims to bolster support of nonprofit newsrooms across the nation and fill the gaps news deserts have left.Block Club has participated in the national NewsMatch campaign every year since we launched. The campaign matched donations dollar to dollar to our newsroom. But because of our newsroom's growth (thanks to you!) and the growth of nonprofit news, our newsroom doesn't qualify for matching support from foundations this year.Our newsroom is a recipient of the DEI Partner Fund supported by the Knight Foundation and Heising-Simons Foundation. They are generously donating $8,000 that will contribute to our year-end donation goal.On November 1, we set an ambitious goal to raise $20,000 and reached it in 20 days thanks to the generous support of our readers. We're moving the meter to see if we can double ourinitialgoal by December 31.Every time we've asked for your support, you've never let us down. Help us reach our new goal of $40,000.We're also looking for donors to match their contribution to help us raise even more money from participating in NewsMatch. Offering a match is a powerful tool for our newsroom because it incentivizes other readers to give. The more money we raise, the more we can reinvest in putting reporters on the ground and covering the stories that matter most to you.No donation is too small to match. If you're interested in matching your donation, please reach out to Maple Walker Lloyd at maple@blockclubchi.org.

Chicagoans could soon be shoveling cicadas instead of snow. For the first time in 221 years, two broods of the noisy but harmless insects are set to emerge together by late spring or early summer, blanketing the ground and leaving a crunch under people's shoes. Host - Jon HansenReporter - Mack LiedermanRead More - HERE To read more on this and other stories, head to BlockClubChicago.org New Goal Update:Block Club Chicago is participating in NewsMatch, an annual campaign that aims to bolster support of nonprofit newsrooms across the nation and fill the gaps news deserts have left.Block Club has participated in the national NewsMatch campaign every year since we launched. The campaign matched donations dollar to dollar to our newsroom. But because of our newsroom's growth (thanks to you!) and the growth of nonprofit news, our newsroom doesn't qualify for matching support from foundations this year.Our newsroom is a recipient of the DEI Partner Fund supported by the Knight Foundation and Heising-Simons Foundation. They are generously donating $8,000 that will contribute to our year-end donation goal.On November 1, we set an ambitious goal to raise $20,000 and reached it in 20 days thanks to the generous support of our readers. We're moving the meter to see if we can double ourinitialgoal by December 31.Every time we've asked for your support, you've never let us down. Help us reach our new goal of $40,000.We're also looking for donors to match their contribution to help us raise even more money from participating in NewsMatch. Offering a match is a powerful tool for our newsroom because it incentivizes other readers to give. The more money we raise, the more we can reinvest in putting reporters on the ground and covering the stories that matter most to you.No donation is too small to match. If you're interested in matching your donation, please reach out to Maple Walker Lloyd at maple@blockclubchi.org.

In front of a live audience at the Knight Foundation's INFORMED conference in Miami, Florida, Lawfare Editor-in-Chief Benjamin Wittes spoke with Hon. Kenneth L. Wainstein, Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis at the Department of Homeland Security; Jameel Jaffer, Executive Director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University; and Lawfare Senior Editor Quinta Jurecic about government surveillance of open source social media.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Irving Park neighbors have been captivated this week by what bird experts say is a bald eagle hunting for fish along the North Branch of the Chicago River. Alex V Hernandez explains why this is great news for Chicago's ecosystem. Host - Jon HansenReporter - Alex V HernandexRead more - HERE To read more on this and other stories, head to BlockClubChicago.org New Goal Update:Block Club Chicago is participating in NewsMatch, an annual campaign that aims to bolster support of nonprofit newsrooms across the nation and fill the gaps news deserts have left.Block Club has participated in the national NewsMatch campaign every year since we launched. The campaign matched donations dollar to dollar to our newsroom. But because of our newsroom's growth (thanks to you!) and the growth of nonprofit news, our newsroom doesn't qualify for matching support from foundations this year.Our newsroom is a recipient of the DEI Partner Fund supported by the Knight Foundation and Heising-Simons Foundation. They are generously donating $8,000 that will contribute to our year-end donation goal.On November 1, we set an ambitious goal to raise $20,000 and reached it in 20 days thanks to the generous support of our readers. We're moving the meter to see if we can double ourinitialgoal by December 31.Every time we've asked for your support, you've never let us down. Help us reach our new goal of $40,000.We're also looking for donors to match their contribution to help us raise even more money from participating in NewsMatch. Offering a match is a powerful tool for our newsroom because it incentivizes other readers to give. The more money we raise, the more we can reinvest in putting reporters on the ground and covering the stories that matter most to you.No donation is too small to match. If you're interested in matching your donation, please reach out to Maple Walker Lloyd at maple@blockclubchi.org.

Dollar store expansions could soon be curtailed under new regulations making their way through City Council. Quinn Myers explains. Host - Jon HansenReporter - Quinn MyersRead more - HERE To read more on this and other stories, head to BlockClubChicago.org New Goal Update:Block Club Chicago is participating in NewsMatch, an annual campaign that aims to bolster support of nonprofit newsrooms across the nation and fill the gaps news deserts have left.Block Club has participated in the national NewsMatch campaign every year since we launched. The campaign matched donations dollar to dollar to our newsroom. But because of our newsroom's growth (thanks to you!) and the growth of nonprofit news, our newsroom doesn't qualify for matching support from foundations this year.Our newsroom is a recipient of the DEI Partner Fund supported by the Knight Foundation and Heising-Simons Foundation. They are generously donating $8,000 that will contribute to our year-end donation goal.On November 1, we set an ambitious goal to raise $20,000 and reached it in 20 days thanks to the generous support of our readers. We're moving the meter to see if we can double ourinitialgoal by December 31.Every time we've asked for your support, you've never let us down. Help us reach our new goal of $40,000.We're also looking for donors to match their contribution to help us raise even more money from participating in NewsMatch. Offering a match is a powerful tool for our newsroom because it incentivizes other readers to give. The more money we raise, the more we can reinvest in putting reporters on the ground and covering the stories that matter most to you.No donation is too small to match. If you're interested in matching your donation, please reach out to Maple Walker Lloyd at maple@blockclubchi.org.

Englewood has no local, sit-down restaurants. Atavia Reed details how disinvestment has left an entire Chicago neighborhood with basically nowhere to eat. Host - Jon HansenReporter - Atavia ReedEditor - Iridian FierroRead more - HERE  To read more on this and other stories, head to BlockClubChicago.org New Goal Update:Block Club Chicago is participating in NewsMatch, an annual campaign that aims to bolster support of nonprofit newsrooms across the nation and fill the gaps news deserts have left.Block Club has participated in the national NewsMatch campaign every year since we launched. The campaign matched donations dollar to dollar to our newsroom. But because of our newsroom's growth (thanks to you!) and the growth of nonprofit news, our newsroom doesn't qualify for matching support from foundations this year.Our newsroom is a recipient of the DEI Partner Fund supported by the Knight Foundation and Heising-Simons Foundation. They are generously donating $8,000 that will contribute to our year-end donation goal.On November 1, we set an ambitious goal to raise $20,000 and reached it in 20 days thanks to the generous support of our readers. We're moving the meter to see if we can double ourinitialgoal by December 31.Every time we've asked for your support, you've never let us down. Help us reach our new goal of $40,000.We're also looking for donors to match their contribution to help us raise even more money from participating in NewsMatch. Offering a match is a powerful tool for our newsroom because it incentivizes other readers to give. The more money we raise, the more we can reinvest in putting reporters on the ground and covering the stories that matter most to you.No donation is too small to match. If you're interested in matching your donation, please reach out to Maple Walker Lloyd at maple@blockclubchi.org.

Host - Jon HansenGuest - Jewél Jackson from the Illinois Answers Project Editor - Iridian FierroChicago Public Schools has had early conversations with HopSkipDrive, a transportation network company designed specifically for students. Jewél Jackson from the Illinois Answers Project explains how it operates in other cities – and what it would take to work here. To read more on this and other stories, head to BlockClubChicago.org New Goal Update:Block Club Chicago is participating in NewsMatch, an annual campaign that aims to bolster support of nonprofit newsrooms across the nation and fill the gaps news deserts have left.Block Club has participated in the national NewsMatch campaign every year since we launched. The campaign matched donations dollar to dollar to our newsroom. But because of our newsroom's growth (thanks to you!) and the growth of nonprofit news, our newsroom doesn't qualify for matching support from foundations this year.Our newsroom is a recipient of the DEI Partner Fund supported by the Knight Foundation and Heising-Simons Foundation. They are generously donating $8,000 that will contribute to our year-end donation goal.On November 1, we set an ambitious goal to raise $20,000 and reached it in 20 days thanks to the generous support of our readers. We're moving the meter to see if we can double ourinitialgoal by December 31.Every time we've asked for your support, you've never let us down. Help us reach our new goal of $40,000.We're also looking for donors to match their contribution to help us raise even more money from participating in NewsMatch. Offering a match is a powerful tool for our newsroom because it incentivizes other readers to give. The more money we raise, the more we can reinvest in putting reporters on the ground and covering the stories that matter most to you.No donation is too small to match. If you're interested in matching your donation, please reach out to Maple Walker Lloyd at maple@blockclubchi.org.

Host - Iridian FierroContributors - Brandon Pope, Leen Yassine, Ariel Parella, Trey Arline, Maxwell EvansGuest - J. IvyToday's episode features: rollerstaking's West Side revival, 'Dry January' spots in Chicago, a scam involving lost luggage at O'Hare, and South Side native Grammy Winning poet J. Ivy!  To read more on this and other stories, head to BlockClubChicago.org New Goal Update:Block Club Chicago is participating in NewsMatch, an annual campaign that aims to bolster support of nonprofit newsrooms across the nation and fill the gaps news deserts have left.Block Club has participated in the national NewsMatch campaign every year since we launched. The campaign matched donations dollar to dollar to our newsroom. But because of our newsroom's growth (thanks to you!) and the growth of nonprofit news, our newsroom doesn't qualify for matching support from foundations this year.Our newsroom is a recipient of the DEI Partner Fund supported by the Knight Foundation and Heising-Simons Foundation. They are generously donating $8,000 that will contribute to our year-end donation goal.On November 1, we set an ambitious goal to raise $20,000 and reached it in 20 days thanks to the generous support of our readers. We're moving the meter to see if we can double ourinitialgoal by December 31.Every time we've asked for your support, you've never let us down. Help us reach our new goal of $40,000.We're also looking for donors to match their contribution to help us raise even more money from participating in NewsMatch. Offering a match is a powerful tool for our newsroom because it incentivizes other readers to give. The more money we raise, the more we can reinvest in putting reporters on the ground and covering the stories that matter most to you.No donation is too small to match. If you're interested in matching your donation, please reach out to Maple Walker Lloyd at maple@blockclubchi.org.

Host - Jon HansenReporter - Madison SavedraEditor - Iridian FierroMore on the story - HEREOver 500 migrants slept in CTA buses at the city's designated landing zone for new arrivals this week — a record as Texas officials double down on busing people to Chicago and city leaders scramble to find enough housing with snow and freezing cold coming. Madison Savedra with an update on Chicago's migrant crisis.  To read more on this and other stories, head to BlockClubChicago.org New Goal Update:Block Club Chicago is participating in NewsMatch, an annual campaign that aims to bolster support of nonprofit newsrooms across the nation and fill the gaps news deserts have left.Block Club has participated in the national NewsMatch campaign every year since we launched. The campaign matched donations dollar to dollar to our newsroom. But because of our newsroom's growth (thanks to you!) and the growth of nonprofit news, our newsroom doesn't qualify for matching support from foundations this year.Our newsroom is a recipient of the DEI Partner Fund supported by the Knight Foundation and Heising-Simons Foundation. They are generously donating $8,000 that will contribute to our year-end donation goal.On November 1, we set an ambitious goal to raise $20,000 and reached it in 20 days thanks to the generous support of our readers. We're moving the meter to see if we can double ourinitialgoal by December 31.Every time we've asked for your support, you've never let us down. Help us reach our new goal of $40,000.We're also looking for donors to match their contribution to help us raise even more money from participating in NewsMatch. Offering a match is a powerful tool for our newsroom because it incentivizes other readers to give. The more money we raise, the more we can reinvest in putting reporters on the ground and covering the stories that matter most to you.No donation is too small to match. If you're interested in matching your donation, please reach out to Maple Walker Lloyd at maple@blockclubchi.org.

Host - Jon HansenReporter - Shamus ToomeyEditor - Iridian FierroEvery year, Chicagoans claim their parking spots by placing random junk in the part of the street they just shoveled. But how did we get here? To read more on this and other stories, head to BlockClubChicago.org New Goal Update:Block Club Chicago is participating in NewsMatch, an annual campaign that aims to bolster support of nonprofit newsrooms across the nation and fill the gaps news deserts have left.Block Club has participated in the national NewsMatch campaign every year since we launched. The campaign matched donations dollar to dollar to our newsroom. But because of our newsroom's growth (thanks to you!) and the growth of nonprofit news, our newsroom doesn't qualify for matching support from foundations this year.Our newsroom is a recipient of the DEI Partner Fund supported by the Knight Foundation and Heising-Simons Foundation. They are generously donating $8,000 that will contribute to our year-end donation goal.On November 1, we set an ambitious goal to raise $20,000 and reached it in 20 days thanks to the generous support of our readers. We're moving the meter to see if we can double ourinitialgoal by December 31.Every time we've asked for your support, you've never let us down. Help us reach our new goal of $40,000.We're also looking for donors to match their contribution to help us raise even more money from participating in NewsMatch. Offering a match is a powerful tool for our newsroom because it incentivizes other readers to give. The more money we raise, the more we can reinvest in putting reporters on the ground and covering the stories that matter most to you.No donation is too small to match. If you're interested in matching your donation, please reach out to Maple Walker Lloyd at maple@blockclubchi.org.

Host - Jon HansenReporter - Mack LiedermanEditor - Iridian FierroThe Story - HERESpecial Thanks - Mike Lowe's WGN-TV Report on Recipe For Change in 2016. Watch HERE  To read more on this and other stories, head to BlockClubChicago.org New Goal Update:Block Club Chicago is participating in NewsMatch, an annual campaign that aims to bolster support of nonprofit newsrooms across the nation and fill the gaps news deserts have left.Block Club has participated in the national NewsMatch campaign every year since we launched. The campaign matched donations dollar to dollar to our newsroom. But because of our newsroom's growth (thanks to you!) and the growth of nonprofit news, our newsroom doesn't qualify for matching support from foundations this year.Our newsroom is a recipient of the DEI Partner Fund supported by the Knight Foundation and Heising-Simons Foundation. They are generously donating $8,000 that will contribute to our year-end donation goal.On November 1, we set an ambitious goal to raise $20,000 and reached it in 20 days thanks to the generous support of our readers. We're moving the meter to see if we can double ourinitialgoal by December 31.Every time we've asked for your support, you've never let us down. Help us reach our new goal of $40,000.We're also looking for donors to match their contribution to help us raise even more money from participating in NewsMatch. Offering a match is a powerful tool for our newsroom because it incentivizes other readers to give. The more money we raise, the more we can reinvest in putting reporters on the ground and covering the stories that matter most to you.No donation is too small to match. If you're interested in matching your donation, please reach out to Maple Walker Lloyd at maple@blockclubchi.org.