Middle Ground

Series produced by Middle Ground

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Image by: Rick Robinson 

A weekly show covering news, politics & culture from the states in between California & the eastern seaboard. No more "flyover country". Middle Ground is a weekly podcast and drop-in radio segment focusing on all the stories from what we call "flyover America".

Brought to you by PRX and host Celeste Headlee. Learn more about Middle Ground at prx.org/group/middleground. Please confirm carriage of Middle Ground by contacting us at producers@middlegroundshow.com


Additional Files

36 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
Caption: The 2013 Oklahoma City tornado as it passed through south Oklahoma City.
Energy in the US is a boom market right now. Just last week, corporations drilling in North Dakota and Montana announced they had filled their bill...

  • Added: May 09, 2014
  • Length: 07:00
Caption: Brian Bull with beekeeper Joel Leachko, Credit: Brian Bull
Beekeepers in Ohio say the winter was disastrous for their honeybees. State agriculture officials say they’ve gotten reports of losses between hal...

  • Added: May 07, 2014
  • Length: 03:58
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The death of a homeless man in New Mexico made national headlines when video of the police shooting him was leaked. The tragedy has raised a lot of...

  • Added: Apr 24, 2014
  • Length: 06:59
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The new film "The Suspect" went into wide release this week. Stuart Connelly is the writer and director of the film. It's a thriller that follows t...

  • Added: Apr 24, 2014
  • Length: 04:01
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Illinois considers a state takeover of high school sports, Oklahoma pays more for homeowner's insurance than any other state, mumps breaks out in O...

  • Added: Apr 10, 2014
  • Length: 06:09
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Since the 1970's, the city of Oak Park, Illinois, has invested deeply in creating a diverse community. Rachel Snyder's new novel examines what happ...

  • Added: Apr 10, 2014
  • Length: 04:00
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Did you know that a lot of people in Akron, Ohio, own not just a ball, but a bowling pin? David Giffels talks to us about his new book, The Hard Wa...

  • Added: Apr 10, 2014
  • Length: 04:00
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Parents and activists in Texas successfully lobbied the state government to cut back on the number of standardized tests that students have to take...

  • Added: Apr 03, 2014
  • Length: 07:00
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This week on Middle Ground: Mike Draper joins us to talk about the ongoing battle between Missouri and Kansas and how an 11-year-old Girl Scout bro...

  • Added: Mar 27, 2014
  • Length: 07:00
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You'd think it would be easy to mark where the Midwest is on a map. But there are hundreds of maps out there and very few of them agree on where th...

  • Added: Mar 17, 2014
  • Length: 03:59
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More than 8,000 meth labs were raided by police last year. Every one of them had to be cleaned up dangerous chemicals by trained technicians. We ta...

  • Added: Mar 07, 2014
  • Length: 07:00
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There are only two certified Somali court interpreters in the US. Reporter Brigitta Greene introduces us to the first one, who works in Minneapolis...

Bought by PRX Remix


  • Added: Mar 06, 2014
  • Length: 03:59
  • Purchases: 1
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Where is the Midwest? Seems like there should an easy, definitive answer to that question, but it’s more complicated than you’d think. According th...

  • Added: Feb 28, 2014
  • Length: 03:59
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Mike Draper talks about why some Canadians should feel ashamed our government, Chicago's efforts to build the tallest building in the Western Hemis...

  • Added: Feb 28, 2014
  • Length: 07:00
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A look at the Religious Freedom Act in Kansas, and why some people are saying it would endorse segregation in the Sunflower State. Also, the UAW lo...

  • Added: Feb 20, 2014
  • Length: 06:59
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Ohio City has seen an explosion in the growing number of craft beer breweries there. One brewery slated to open in late 2014 – and another in the w...

  • Added: Feb 20, 2014
  • Length: 03:59
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Pension systems in 21 states are fiscally unsound. The two state with the biggest debts are Illinois and Kentucky. A group of experts talk about ho...

  • Added: Feb 13, 2014
  • Length: 04:00
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This week, we check in the Mike Draper, get an update on the fire season that's due to start in a couple weeks, and visit the memorial service for ...

  • Added: Feb 12, 2014
  • Length: 07:10
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New census numbers show which states are the winners and losers in the population game. Spoiler: Texas and Illinois. Also, why are some inner citie...

  • Added: Jan 30, 2014
  • Length: 07:09
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A crop farmer in Kansas has become a viral internet star, and now produces professional quality YouTube videos out of his machine shop that focus o...

Bought by PRX Remix


  • Added: Jan 30, 2014
  • Length: 03:58
  • Purchases: 1