Jeff Funicello is the head coach at Spartan Academy, a mixed martial arts gym in Mesa, Ariz. He works there with many combat veterans, who find that the training helps them cope with coming home from war. More at http://www.publicinsightnetwork.org/veterans

Voices of Spartan Academy: Jeff Funicello, coach

In this PINcast episode, we talk with Sarah Alvarez, a public insight journalist at Michigan Radio. She just put together a five-part series about the education system in Stockbrige, Mich., a small town about an hour away from Ann Arbor.

Sarah says Stockbridge is a town that, like many others in the state, has few economic opportunities to offer its residents. The school system there has managed to operate on a shoestring budget, but it’s becoming increasingly difficult to provide even the basics because of the way Michigan has changed its education funding.

Alvarez first learned about the Stockbridge schools’ situation from a PIN source who sent in a tip about a student project involving underwater robots that students were testing in a huge cow trough.

Check out Michigan Radio’s State of Opportunity project: http://stateofopportunity.michiganradio.org/

PINcast Epsiode 11: Underwater robotics on a shoestring budget

In this episode of the PINcast we talk with Brady Carlson. He's works for New Hampshire Public Radio - where he is a a public insight analyst and the host of All Things Considered. In late February, NHPR wrapped up a week-long series called "A Loaded Issue: Guns in New Hampshire". Stories include a look at New Hampshire's Gun laws, the big business of manufacturing guns, how parents are prosecuted in accidental shootings, the culture around open carry and the efforts to repeal the state's Stand Your Ground law. The series also featured online discussion questions and many of the stories were heavily influenced by sources from the Public Insight Network. 

Links to the project:

http://nhpr.org/topic/loaded-issue-guns-new-hampshire?page=1 

http://nhpr.org/post/self-defense-or-because-i-can-open-carry-nh

http://nhpr.org/post/nh-rural-gun-owners-buck-national-trends 

PINcast Episode 12: A loaded issue at New Hampshire Public Radio

When Saddleback College's veterans center opened in 2009, it was one of only three in California. Today, there are 14 in Orange County alone. In the meantime, the University of Southern California's veterans still have their meetings in vacant classrooms twice a month, as they work toward establishing a space of their own on campus. 

The full story: http://www.publicinsightnetwork.org/2013/04/01/a-tale-of-two-schools

The Next Mission: Student veterans and a space of their own, a tale of two schools

Traumatic brain injury often causes trouble with concentration, reading comprehension and memory -- the very things that would likely prevent academic success. For veterans attempting to navigate the rhythms of college life, they can spell disaster.

The full story: http://www.publicinsightnetwork.org/2013/04/01/tbi-in-the-classroom/

The Next Mission: Veterans take brain injury from combat to campus

Utah Public Radio created on-air promos asking listeners to share their experiences with air quality via a Public Insight Network query on its website. More on the project: www.publicinsightnetwork.org/2013/04/03…ic-health/ 
(image courtesy of lookingatthewest.com)

Utah Public Radio: Air quality engagement project (Promo 1)

Utah Public Radio created on-air promos asking listeners to share their experiences with air quality via a Public Insight Network query on its website. More on the project: http://www.publicinsightnetwork.org/2013/04/03/utah-public-radio-on-air-pollution-and-public-health/ 
(image courtesy of lookingatthewest.com)

Utah Public Radio: Air quality engagement project (Promo 2)

It’s often the first thing our reporter Jeff Severns Guntzel hears when he introduces himself to a veteran: “Why does the media only focus on the bad stuff?”
When they say “the bad stuff,” they usually mean post-traumatic stress disorder.
Since those conversations don’t usually make it into Jeff's stories — which often do feature veterans with PTSD -- we're featuring three examples he recorded on a recent reporting trip to Los Angeles. Read more about these veterans here: http://www.publicinsightnetwork.org/2013/04/10/the-problem-with-the-ptsd-sticker/

The PTSD sticker: Ian Smith

The PTSD sticker: Anthony Hassan

The PTSD sticker: Josh Jacobs

From Michigan Radio's State of Opportunity project: Lansing's Sexton High School is a public school hit hard by declining enrollment and a tight budget. A few weeks ago, State of Opportunity's Sarah Alvarez took a mobile storytelling booth to the school and produced this postcard of graduating seniors' reflections on education, some challenges, and growing up.

For the backstory on this project: http://www.publicinsightnetwork.org/partner-notes

State of Opportunity story booth: Sexton High School (Michigan Radio)

The Public Insight Network taps the experience and expertise of people across America to create journalism that's fresh and engaging. Everyone is an expert in something and we want to know your story. We are journalists who put people ahead of press releases and insight ahead of opinion. Sign up to receive questions from journalists in newsrooms around the country: http://www.publicinsightnetwork.org/

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