Culled from public television stations and independent producers from across the country, LOCAL, USA is a half-hour series featuring fascinating stories of diverse people, curated around a single theme.
Three episodes from the POSTCARDS FROM THE GREAT DIVIDE series examine the partisan split among the electorate in Minnesota ("The Big Sort"), Florida ("Post-Obama Drama") and Texas ("The Giant Still Sleeps").
The national spotlight is on Flint, Michigan in the midst of a water crisis that has been mismanaged by government officials and threatens its citizens. But the city is not alone. Local, USA: BEYOND THE TAP examines the human, economic, and political costs of one of America's greatest threats: our crumbling infrastructure.
An examination of what has become all too common among U.S. veterans returning home from combat zones. Spotlighting those affected by war-related PTSD: a devastating injury pushes a former soldier into the dark; the family of a Navy Seal tells his tragic story; a woman rebuilds her post-war life; and a program committed to rehabbing veterans.
As the Asian American population continues to rise in the United States, so do their questions about what their place is in America. Stories of a Japanese-Filipino man who narrates his “becoming American” story; a group of mixed race professionals address issues of identity and acceptance; and mothers trying to balance the old with the new.
The story of America's solar industry, and the promise of solar today and tomorrow: rise and fall of the 1970s American solar energy program; a non-profit dedicated to providing low income families with solar panels; the company that built “the worlds greenest office building;” and the Idaho couple blazing new solar paths for America’s highways.
Portraits of America's hungry. Food insecurities from San Joaquin, California's farmers who do not have enough to eat to a family in suburban Chicago feeling the economic pinch at the dinner table and food deserts in the home and big city.
As our loved ones near the end of their lives, the difficulty in comforting them reverberates in the lives of family members and caretakers: a woman with young children must find balance as she cares for her ailing mother; a look at the intimate bond between patient and caretaker; the story of a man who personifies “in sickness and in health”; and how the power of music can awaken sleeping minds.
Issues on immigration from both sides of the fence: the treacherous conditions migrants face while trying to cross into the United States; danger for the children of immigrants who are left behind; and the vigilante Americans who patrol the border.
The immigration trail to Nashville, Tennessee: Bhutan refugees who come for religious freedom; the relocation and adaptation of Somalians; and the flourishing professionals in the Kurdish community.
DRIVE LIKE A GIRL follows New York's champion all-girls robotics team, The Iron Maidens, a year after beating 60+ male-dominated teams in a regional competition. They advanced to the national stage but lost before winning it all. Now, they've returned for another shot with six weeks to design, program and build a robot. It's a glimpse at the changing roles of females in science and technology.
Living the life! Whether it be in your home or out in the big wide world four subjects in the pursuit of their dreams. Airstream enthusiasts in Colorado have their own rules for the road; a roper from Louisiana hopes to lasso himself a winner; a collector with an eye for the unusual finds beauty in found objects in Brooklyn; and a veteran returns to pursue his gridiron goals in South Carolina.
Sowing Seeds of Change planting ideas for sustainability and self-sufficiency. Community gardeners in Flint, Michigan are undergoing a variety of projects and planting the seeds of hope for economic revitalization. From green belts to green thumbs, a couple works with children to hone their martial arts and gardening skills; and two women toil with the local government to get their garden growing.
Storytelling with a kick! The words, sounds and people that bring poetry to life five shorts from San Francisco, Detroit, Chicago and Minneapolis connected by words and identity. A painful story about bullying; inaccurate assumptions about a pretty face; the melting pot of identity politics; powerful memories of a soon-to-be demolished housing project; and coming to terms and acceptance with loss.
Get social with social media! Finding people using social media to change the world. Chicago painters using Twitter to reward treasure hunters; asking how social media influenced the 2012 presidential election in Raleigh-Durham; a look at what happens when a generation of Instagram users get together on the beaches of Santa Monica; and how facebook helped make a Los Angeleno boy’s dream come true.
An uplifting meditation on death and dying with stories that prepares us for the journey. An embalmer in Toledo, Ohio prepares a deceased person with the precision and attention of an artist; a teenage hospice volunteer shares advice from his patients; a dying Brooklyn woman prepares for her final journey with dignity, grace and a dinner party; and observations from an urban Memphis philosopher.
Utah is not exactly the first place you think of when talking about alcohol & liquor. But since the early days of prohibition, “The Beehive State” has a unique foray into distilling spirits. We retrace Utah’s fight for and against alcohol with a look at the characters keeping it alive today.
Three stories question the limits of any disability: the loving marriage of two individuals in New York City; a volunteer program that introduces unlikely candidates to surfing on the North Shore of Hawaii; and a blind North Carolina hiker sets out to climb the Appalachian Trail.
Three stories about the modern Native American culture: A look at how climate change is effecting a Pacific Northwest tribe known as the “Salmon People” and how science can help find a solution; the Lincoln, Nebraska rock star artist who’s creating sculptures, linking the past to the present; and the fight an Oklahoma tribe tries to revive their fading language.
Searching for an artistic voice and a way of expressing oneself. An autistic artist in New Jersey finds the best tools to communicate his wonderful works of art -- despite barely uttering a word -- ("Breaking Boundaries: The Art of Alex Masket") and a young Chicago prodigy connects with her inner performer and discovers her electrifying voice ("The Chicagoans: MaeYa Carter Ryan").
Check out the new streaming service from Cascade PBS, which pairs your PBS favorites with an ever-growing selection of TV series and films from around the world. Enjoy dedicated mobile and TV apps.
