City Makers: American Futures
The people, organizations, and ideas reshaping the country. A journey piloted by James Fallows with Deborah Fallows.
San Bernardino, CA
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All Progress Is Local: New Year’s Notes From Around the Country
This is the first of three posts on this New Year’s Day, building toward a change in (my part of…
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A Police Shooting Case in Mississippi
Over the past few years we’ve mentioned many of the positive developments underway in the three counties of northern Mississippi…
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Amerique at Wikimedia Commons Pitching in to Save a Library
In San Bernardino, one way to help save the city is to save its library.
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Jack Thompson for the Wildlands Conservancy Welcome Our Newest National Monuments!
Often it seems that modern presidents can’t do anything — except wage war. Here’s a heartening exception.
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James Fallows The San Bernardino Story: Fire Fighters Weigh In
Who is to blame when a struggling city runs out of money? A public-safety worker says it’s unfair to point the finger at him and his colleagues. Plus, a young resident of the city discovers reasons to hope.
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James Fallows Building for the Future, in California's Famously Failed City
The Los Angeles Times has a big, new demonstration of how bad things have gotten in the city of San Bernardino. Here’s a look at people doing their best, despite those odds.
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Deborah Fallows A High School That Changes Lives, One at a Time
Teachers and students in a bankrupt California city, determined to make progress
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James Fallows Post-Memorial Day Note: Another Kind of Service, in San Bernardino
“I don’t just sit around. I don’t sleep much. That’s what I do. I do stuff.” The story of a man determined to do something for his town.
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Max Whittaker / Reuters Today a Bankrupt City Votes on Its Next Steps
“We’ve gotten used to gridlock and stalemate at the national level. This is what it looks like for a city.” What civic dysfunction has in common with excessive CEO pay, and why it matters.
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James Fallows What It's Like When Your City Goes Broke
San Bernardino, California, is poor, and has a high unemployment rate, and is affected by drought, and is in bankruptcy court. But its real problem is something else.
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Deborah Fallows 'Generation Now'—What People Do, When There Seems to Be Nothing to Do
The frustrations and inequalities of America's second Gilded Age are as apparent in San Bernardino, California, as anywhere else in the country. Here is how one group of young people has chosen to respond.
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Brian Lockett for Air-and-Space.com Ask and Ye Shall Be Told, Mystery Airplane Edition
Sometimes crowdsourcing pays off.
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James Fallows When I Grow Up ...
Darth Vader vs. Casper the Friendly Ghost, on an airport tarmac
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OC Weekly On SOTU Day, Some Next Steps in Civic Life
A conference in Washington, a development across the country
