Midstory

👀 . . . 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝟭𝘀𝘁, installation open to the public. . 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝟮𝟳𝘁𝗵, public reception, registration here: https://lnkd.in/g9n9SVp4 . 𝗔𝗻𝘆 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲, explore the project's interactive data stories at www.midstory.org

Electric vehicle plants are poised to open around the country — especially in the Midwest. While residents of these towns are happy to see re-investment, they seem less excited to buy EVs. Technologically, EVs are more advanced than ever. New vehicles are coming to market that better compete with gas vehicles on both price and convenience, as charging times come down and the distance an EV can travel increases. Their popularity among buyers has also dramatically increased in the past few years, going from just 2% of the U.S. market share in 2019 to 10% in 2024. On the other hand, growth appears to have slowed compared to industry expectations. American manufacturers seem to be lagging behind international competitors in both technology and price. Electric vehicles have also entered the culture wars, making buying an EV a political statement. By Vitus Larrieu for Midstory.

As Ohio goes, so goes the nation. At least, it used to. The Buckeye State — the seventh most populous and 34th in size among the states — has been a longtime focus of politicians, pundits and political scientists alike for a simple but peculiar reason.   In each presidential election between 1964 and 2016, the candidate that won Ohio also won the presidency. Ohio’s streak stands as the longest in American history. During this period, Ohio was not only a bellwether, but also the quintessential swing state, with candidates focusing their time and resources on the Buckeye State in election after election to punch their ticket to the White House.   But not anymore. Explore why in this interactive data story as part of "Battleground Breakdown," an election-season series from the Midstory team.

News deserts, or areas without a reliable news outlet, are becoming increasingly common on a national scale. This could spell danger for rural communities in the Midwest. Northwestern University’s The State of Local News Project has tracked the news industry over the last 20 years, identifying trends like media consolidations, newspaper closures, shifting business models and how those changes impact the way Americans get information.   “The clearest takeaway is that newspapers, especially local newspapers, have disappeared at a somewhat alarming rate,” Zach Metzger, the program’s director, said. These closures, leading to dwindling media source diversity, have had detrimental effects on American democracy, he said. By Ruby Grisin for Midstory.

On a one-acre plot in Southwest Detroit, what was once a vacant parking lot now abounds with seasonal produce: lettuce, chives, and herbs like mint, thyme, lavender and oregano are just a few results of the spring harvest. Founded as a nonprofit in 2012 by Sarah Clark, Cadillac Urban Gardens is on a mission to tackle food insecurity in Southwest Detroit. CUG is host to the largest raised-bed urban garden in Southeast Michigan, grows everything for free and has no limit for customers. “Any individual can come into the space and take one bag or 20 bags — it does not matter,” Dolores Perales, co-director of CUG, said. “We’re not going to tell somebody that they don’t need 20 bags of produce … They may have multigenerational households that they’re servicing, they may be taking produce for their neighbors.” In 2021, 10.2% of households in the U.S. were considered food insecure. In Detroit, 69% were. And while some areas of the city aren’t technically considered “food deserts,” experts say the term is misleading, and the situation’s far more complex. By Chinmayi Rajaram for Midstory.

Captain America, Wonder Woman and … Super Zach? If you haven’t heard of that last superhero, he can be identified by a fish-shaped toy guitar held close to his ear. Unlike Captain America or Wonder Woman, Zach is a real person — a child with a history of seizures and who really does hold his guitar close to hear the music better. It’s those kinds of details that artists with The Superhero Project pay attention to when they draw children with disabilities in a new light. “It was such a subtle shift that brought the personality of that hero forward. And somebody who knows him will know it [and] recognize that that’s the way that he plays it,” Matthew Minnich, year-long Board of Director and Associate Director of Online Services at the Cleveland Institute of the Arts (CIA) and one of The Superhero Project’s artists, said. By Cydney Macon for Midstory.

Food insecurity is a global problem, and in its simplest definition, refers to a lack of availability and access to nutritious and safe foods — a phenomenon affecting Northwest Ohio residents at rates that exceed both state and national averages.

About 90% of job growth in the high-tech sector in the past two decades went to just five metropolitan areas — all on the coasts. The Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs program, funded by the CHIPS and Science Act, aims to change that by investing federal money to stimulate economic and job growth in tech clusters around the country. By Casey He for Midstory.

When asked about his background, RS Deeren’s first instinct is to describe the setting of his upbringing: rural isolation and working-class struggle. This view of identity — inseparably forged by geography and social class — permeates throughout his short story collection, “Enough to Lose,” published in 2023 by Wayne State University Press. The collection features nine short stories that take place in Tuscola County, a rural region in the “Thumb” of Michigan’s lower peninsula. The narrative spans from the 1980s to present day, following recurring motifs and characters navigating the uneasy — and at times devastating — terrain of natural disasters and human connection. Throughout all the stories, a noticeable solitude looms over Tuscola County. Growing up in the Thumb himself, Deeren was acutely aware of the isolation that the peninsula’s dead-end geography produces. “It makes being there a very intentional thing,” Deeren said. “To go to these rural, isolated spaces … you’re going there for a very specific reason: It’s to keep the world away from you to find the ‘simple life.’” By Caitlin Evans for Midstory.

Van Gogh on an Etch A Sketch? 🖼 🟥 In this #behindthestory, intern Judy Zeng discusses her reporting on how artists are using the iconic children’s toy to make complex artistic masterpieces. They are part of the niche but growing online community of Etch A Sketch artists who find joy through this 65-year-old drawing toy. . . Read the full story: https://lnkd.in/gc-JCcvU . . Video edited by Dea Kukeli for Midstory. . . Ready to stay connected with stories coming out of the Midwest? 🌾📖 Do you believe in empowering, uplifting, and supporting the Midwest narrative? 🙌 Subscribe FREE to our weekly newsletter for direct access to our film reviews, video podcasts, thought pieces and more. Click on the link in our bio to subscribe. #etchasketch #etchasketchart #etchasketchartist #art #ohioartcompany #midstory #midstorytoledo #midwest #midwestcities #midwestlife #nonprofit #nonprofitnews #northwestohio #ohio #ohiohistory #ohioexplored #ohiogram #midwestmoment #onlyinohio #ohioliving #exploreohio #ohioexplored #ohiofindithere #theheartofitall #midwestliving