The Reinvention of a Downtown: Danville’s Story Part 2
A snapshot of the efforts paying off in reviving Danville's downtown.
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Articles & News
The Reinvention of Danville’s Downtown: Part 1
A factory town coming back
Our Towns named Book of the Day
Our Towns is named June 11, 2019 Book of the Day by Book of the Day.org.
A Community Within A Community
Restoring Spirit and Pride in Danville
Featured in Sampsonia Way
In an interview with Sampsonia Way, the in-house magazine for City of Asylum, to which a chapter of Our Towns is devoted, Jim and Deb answer additional questions on travel,…
What Does All This Local Reporting Add Up To?
Yesterday, Deb Fallows and I sent an email to various loyal readers of The Atlantic. You can see what was in that message in the “Continue Reading” section of this post.…
How a ‘Communiversity’ Works
Real collaboration in Mississippi
The Rural-Urban Divide Is More Complicated Than You Think
Here are a few stories I found intriguing from the past week’s newspapers, on the unfolding complexities of the much-discussed “rural-urban divide.” 1) The first is by Andrew Van Dam,…
When Libraries Are ‘Second Responders’
Everyone knows about first responders. I've come to think of libraries as playing a crucial role as "second responders."
An Engineering School Pulls Off an ‘Epic Trick Play’
Daring and Guts Pay off for Trine University
Small Towns, Big Ideas
Jim reports on a session he moderated on May 13, sponsored by the renowned social-entrepreneur organization Ashoka. Four of its fellows working in rural or small-town locations report on innovations…
What David Halberstam Learned in Mississippi
A Journalistic Icon's First Lessons
Can Schools ‘Teach Students to Think’?
A reader's response
National Policies Have Local Effects
Changes—in trade policies, and for refugees—are making the United States more closed, rather than more open
How to Teach Students to Think
Students getting a 'first chance' at MSMS
The Last Family-Owned Daily in Mississippi
How one local paper survives