Keeping educated and skilled workers from leaving the Alabama Gulf coast is an ongoing concern. Efforts are underway at the state, regional and local levels to attract and hold onto these workers. Surveys of those leaving Alabama for other parts of the U.S. cite a range of complaints as reasons for looking elsewhere to work and live. The Alabama Public Radio news team will examine problems and search for solutions, here and elsewhere. The state of Kansas made national headlines when voters resoundingly rejected a ballot item restricting abortion. This result occurs while Topeka, like the Alabama Gulf coast, tries to manage its conservative image that workers may find unacceptable.