austin

Austin

chicago

Chicago

denver

Denver

lasvegas

Las Vegas

madison

Madison

nashville

Nashville

philly

Philly

pittsburgh

Pittsburgh

portland

Portland

saltlake

Salt Lake

seattle

Seattle

twincities

Twin Cities

We make podcasts and newsletters that connect people with the cities they love.

City Cast Test City

Sarah Keck and Laurie Pearman describe their meeting as fate. The pair grew up seven miles away from each other in Bakersfield, Calif. and both lived in Caldwell in the 1990s, but didn’t meet until 2022, when they’d both lived in the Ustick neighborhood for four years. But their parallel paths had led them both to the same conclusion: Ustick needed not only a coffee shop, but a place to gather. Earlier this year, they opened 

It would seem you found your footing with each other and the spirit of Common Ground pretty quickly. How did that happen?

“We have this very similar sense of humor and weirdness about us, so it feels like we're naturally sisters or something out of the gate. But I think it was really the shared want for this in the neighborhood. Our goal was so eerily similar, and then as we dug into, like, our histories, that had a lot of similarity too.”

“It’s been magical. A lot of people are like, ‘oh, don't get into business with your friends.’ But for us, I think the goal is so rock solid. And then we just add fun to it and stability.

You knew Ustick needed a gathering space — has the community response met your expectations?

 “Completely exceeded our expectations. We have had time to do zero things since we opened because we've been so busy. What did we liken it to? Oh, a baby giraffe. It’s like the business was the mama giraffe and we were the baby giraffe, and then we were like stumbling around.”

“I’m still surprised, we’re almost a month in and people are still thanking us for opening, for taking a chance on the neighborhood, for investing in the community, because this place is so ready.” Extra words.

Why the name “Common Ground,” and how does the American flag fit into that?

 “[Points at the large flag on the wall] The flag is actually my dad’s. He passed away in October 2022. He was a Vietnam vet, so this is his dedication flag that me and my brothers got from the Veterans Cemetery when he passed away. [We] received a surprise inheritance from him, and I essentially took that inheritance to start the coffee shop. So it only felt right to have the flag from him up in the coffee shop, you know? I think for the ‘common ground’ portion, we also just want to take back the flag. The flag shouldn’t just be for any specific subset of Americans. We want to show that we are safe people and that our space is a safe space where we can kind of reimagine what the flag can mean.”

 “I’ll just add, above all else, it’s about being a good neighbor. This isn’t about politics, or being polarized, or anything. It's just about a space where we can all come together, get a cup of coffee, and a ritual, and go back to our lives. Like, a positive interaction for everybody, and everybody's welcome.”

Plus, the best new coffee shops in Boise ☕

3 Questions With the Owners of Common Ground

3 Questions With

Writer and comedian Bill Murray contributed this guide to Chicago's comedy scene.

Chicago is undoubtedly one of the best cities for comedy. These are some of my favorite places to go for a laugh.

A Guide to Chicago's Comedy Scene

Newsletter only note test

How did you come up with the puzzles for the “Pockets Of Light” scavenger hunt?

Eric: “My goal is always to help people explore the built or natural environment. As I find pieces that might work well together, I slowly compile an appropriate puzzle structure for them. I try to imbue each puzzle with some sense of meaning. It takes a lot of tweaking to achieve something that feels serendipitous to participants, but it’s so worth it to give people something that only makes sense when they start observing the world around them.”

What’s the intention behind using trash as art to highlight nature?

Julie: “We saw this as an opportunity to take on the issue of plastic pollution and its impact on the natural world. Visually, this is a subversive message, as I’ve worked hard to make trash look beautiful, to mimic nature. The art of transforming post-consumer materials into something beautiful that brings people joy and also extends the life of materials feels meaningful.”

How long did it take to complete the installation?

Eric: “I probably spent about 120 hours on bringing this to life. This was a partnership from Day One, so I also planned the overall structure, designed activities, stickers and placards, assisted with installation, and helped promote the project.”

Julie: “The initial dreaming started in January, but I’ve dedicated the last three months to creating this body of work. I spent a few hundred hours at my sewing machine and sitting with a needle and thread, hand-stitching components. The installation process took two days and went pretty smoothly. Now I'm having fun hustling to get the word out and am grateful that there’s been such a warm reception!”

Eric the Puzzler and Julia Woodard recently unveiled “Pockets of Light,” a series of sculptures stretching along the Delaware River waterfront from Pier 68 to Race Street Pier.

Philadelphia Artist Duo Behind 'Pockets of Light'

Meet the Artist Duo Behind “Pockets of Light” 

About 450,000 people in the U.S. may have a tick-borne condition that causes a red meat allergy, and may not even know it, according to the 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Alpha-gal syndrome (AGS) is a life-threatening illness 

 that make people hypersensitive to a sugar molecule found in mammal-derived food, like meat and milk.

The lone star tick has been reported in 14 Pennsylvania counties since 2011, including Bucks, Delaware, Chester, and Philadelphia.

Click Here

Between 2017 and 2021, there were more than 90,000 suspected cases of AGS, and new suspected cases increased each year by about 15,000. The CDC doesn’t know the exact number of total cases.

Ann Carpenter, one of the study’s authors, told Axios Philadelphia that the increase in suspected cases may be due to lone star tick expanding its geographic range, as well as the 

The study also showed that nearly 80% of surveyed healthcare providers had little or no knowledge about the condition.

To continue enjoying the outdoors, here are a few tips to stay tick-free.

Wear long pants or socks when walking through the woods or tall grass

About 450,000 people in the U.S. may have a tick-borne condition that causes a red meat allergy, and may not even know it, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Meat Allergy Caused by Lone Star Tick Bites

The Meat Allergy Caused by Lone Star Tick Bites

Big news for the local bug-loving community: Last month, the Butterfly Pavilion saw the emergence of its very first lab-bred adult fireflies as part of its 

, an initiative born in 2019 dedicated to breeding native Colorado fireflies in order to learn more about their life cycles and sustainability needs.

Yes! They can be found in small populations along the Front Range from Greeley to Pueblo. They require wet habitats and can be seen lighting up the evening sky for a few short weeks in June and July (mating season).

The team at BP took notes about the kind of environmental factors — from diet to shelter to temperature — that will best help this species thrive. Fireflies serve as an indicator species for wetland habitats; their health directly indicates the overall health of their surrounding ecosystem.

BP will continue to study this species and other fireflies native to Colorado with the goal of breeding a sustainable population in the lab as part of conservation efforts — and you can help! The next time you see fireflies, report the sighting to the 

If you know where to look, you can spot the little lightning bugs in Fort Collins, Loveland, Boulder, and even Littleton! Check out 

Fireflies are not flies at all, but beetles!

Once they reach adulthood, they only live for a few weeks

Each firefly species has its own distinct flashing “language”

The females of some species are known to flash patterns of other species to attract those males, which they then kill and eat

If you know where to look, you can spot the little lightning bugs in Fort Collins, Loveland, Boulder, and even Littleton.

3 Questions With

3 Questions With the Owners of Common Ground

A Guide to Chicago's Comedy Scene

Newsletter only note test

Latest articles

Meet the Artist Duo Behind “Pockets of Light”

The Meat Allergy Caused by Lone Star Tick Bites

Where Can You See Fireflies in Colorado?

Image Gallery