Rural Politics, Justice System, Senior Suicide

Rural America and the 2020 Election Guest: Sarah Smarsh, Author of “Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth” Rural America helped Donald Trump win the presidency and could give him another four years in office. Kansas author Sarah Smarsh says the prevailing story of what rural America is –who the people are, what they want, why they voted for Donald Trump –is largely wrong. Autopsy of a Wrongful Conviction Guest: John Hollway, Associate Dean and Executive Director of the Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice at the University of Pennsylvania Law School 2,482. That’s how many people over the last 30 years have spent time in prison–an average of 8 years –and then been exonerated of the crime because it turned out they were innocent. 2,482 people. How do mistakes like that happen? Or maybe it’s not mistakes –it’s outright misconduct on the part of cops or prosecutors? Increasingly, cities around the country are setting up task forces to uncover wrongful convictions –and in a few cases, when they do, another task force comes into figure out what went wrong. Seniors Are at Higher Risk for Suicide Guest: Yeates Conwell, MD, Director of Geriatric Psychiatry, Co-Director, Center for the Study and Prevention of Suicide, University of Rochester As Baby Boomers reach their golden years, the risk of suicide among seniors is a growing concern. Americans 85 years and older have one of the highest suicides rates of any age group. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 Seagulls Have Some Redeeming Qualities Guest: Sarah J. Courchesne, Associate Professor of Natural Science at Northern Essex Community College, Co-Coordinator for the Gulls of Appledore Project with the Shoals Marine Laboratory Seagulls can be really annoying. They steal your French fries. Poop on your beach towel. Harass your kids. The pesky birds have become such a problem in a New Jersey city that officials spent thousands of dollars this month on hawks, owls, and falcons to s