Author

Audio director
About the Author
Sara Schleede is an audio director with The Drag and host of the '35' and 'Request Pending' podcasts.

Austin

After the Federal Highway Act of 1956, interstate highways all over the country plowed through Black and Latinx communities and when I-35 was constructed in Austin, it cemented a racial divide between the west and east sides of the city. Now that Austin grows in population and popularity, it faces more pressure to redevelop neighborhoods…

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Chisholm Trail

Today, I-35 is one of the country’s main freight highways, but before it existed, a different path fed America: The Chisholm Trail. 1 out of 4 of the cowboys driving cattle up to Kansas along the Chisholm Trail were Black men, and Texas’ history is filled with forgotten stories of the Black cowboys who tamed…

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Cotulla

Cotulla, Texas has used its place on the Eagle Ford Pass, an oil and natural gas field, to keep its economy afloat. However, the latest oil bust has turned Cotulla to a new form of revenue: heritage tourism. Now the sleepy small town is undergoing a transformation to pull drivers off the highway and revitalize the community.

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Laredo

Interstate 35 begins in the border city of Laredo, and its role as a major port of entry has made it more than just an economic hub. Since 1898, it’s been home to Washington’s Birthday Celebration, a month-long series of events attracting over 400,000 guests in honor of America’s first president. But what does such a patriotic celebration mean in a city so intertwined in Mexican history?

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Gainesville

Giant, kitschy roadside attractions dominated American roadways in the 1960s. Among them were fiberglass figurines known as muffler men, drawing travelers into restaurants, auto shops, and even a sandblasting shop off I-35 in Gainesville, Texas. These quirky constructions reveal insights into the history of advertising and America’s attachment to nostalgia.

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Sara Schleede reflects on her time at The Drag

The first time I ever listened to a podcast, I was 12 years old. My parents, brother, and I were driving through towering pine trees on the way to my father’s hometown of Burlington, Vermont for vacation. My brother had just graduated from Arizona State University, and to me he was completely cosmopolitan, always recommending…

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‘35’ coming May 25

From the people who brought you “The Orange Tree,” “35” tells the stories about Texas beyond the stereotypes. Instead, you’ll hear stories about Texas you don’t already know — through a road trip along Texas’ main artery, Interstate 35.

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A new age of sex work

They say sex work is the oldest profession, and as over generations, it has evolved and taken on new forms. Its latest iteration: Onlyfans. On Onlyfans, creators sell and users pay for access to original, independently made pornographic content. Sex workers are making big money from behind a computer or phone screen and often find…

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Minisode: Deep sea of deep space?

This week, the Request Pending crew explores a very big question: deep sea or deep space? Executive producer Haley Butler offers her stance and explains why her love for the deep sea goes deeper than a fascination with octopi and submarines.

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Not your average yard sale site

How can you help the environment, make friends and furnish your house without spending any money? Join your local Buy Nothing Facebook group. The Buy Nothing Project is a global network of hyper-local gift economies. All you have to do is find a group near you and start posting.

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