Up North Lowdown

What happens when you take Sesame Street, with its puppets and lessons and gentle touch on serious subjects, and mix it up with Blanche DuBois and New Orleans and "A Streetcar Named Desire" by Tennessee Williams? A local theater company is finding out. And so will we, in this episode. Also a roundup of northern Michigan headlines.

Carol Rose has worked at the Women's Resource Center Thrift Store for about 40 years. And in that time, she's heard countless stories from women in domestic violence situations, and connected them to help. But the work is actually joyful says Rose, 70, who says she's not ready to retire. She's being honored this week for her work. We pay a visit to the store.

A renewable energy developer wants to build a large-scale solar array straddling Wexford and Grand Traverse counties. Local opposition blocked an application for the project from moving forward, earlier this summer. Now, the developer might use a new law to try to get approval from the state. Also, the village manager in Kalkaska, who is also the police chief, has been suspended with pay as Michig...

A new fire authority could be coming to the Manistee area. Rising costs and rising call volumes mean the City of Manistee is looking to combine multiple municipal fire departments into a new fire authority — an idea that’s drawn mixed reactions.

Amid a global downturn in wine consumption, northern Michigan wineries are offering experiences beyond drinking. For some, that means snowshoeing, or more live music or, yes, allowing visitors to get up close with live goats. We'll also look in the Line 5 pipeline as Enbridge continues its response to a spill in Wisconsin and laments delays in its plans for the Straits of Mackinac.

Dolly Parton, among the seemingly endless list of her life's accomplishments, also wrote a musical. "9 to 5" will be playing at Old Town Playhouse. IPR's Ellie Katz is a big fan of Dolly Parton. In fact, Ellie's radio origin story begins with Dolly's podcast "Dolly Parton's America." Ellie sits down with Michelle Perez, director for the Old Town Playhouse's production of the musical "9 to 5." Also...

A truck backed into a section of the Line 5 pipeline in northern Wisconsin, causing a spill of natural gas liquids. We'll check in with Katie Thoresen, news director at WXPR public radio in Rhinelander, Wisconsin. Also, we hear about how Michigan farmers are trying to save money by fixing their own gear.

Farmers have lots of land. Data centers and large scale solar need lots of land. We all need energy and we all need food. So what gives? We'll hear how some northern Michigan farmers navigate this tension. And did you know that Dolly Parton played a show in Traverse City? Those details, and more, on today's Lowdown.

A literacy program in five northern Michigan school districts shows some promise. Leelanau County housing advocates want to hear what gets in the way of people living, affording to live in the county.

Anne Stanton steps down in September after years as executive director of the National Writers Series, a program that brings notable authors to Traverse City. She talks about how it all got started and what's next after 17 years leading an organization she helped build into a staple of northern Michigan's arts and culture scene.

The documentary "Coldwater Kitchen" takes us inside Lakeland Correctional Facility in southern mid-Michigan, where inmates are learning to become gourmet chefs. Co-director Mark Kurlyandchik says the film asks us some fundamental questions about the purpose of incarceration. Several of the film's subjects have gone on to careers in the restaurant industry.

Last week, the federal government approved a permit for the proposed Line 5 tunnel project. Austin Lowes, chairman of the Sault Ste Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, said the permit approval is "one of the most disgusting things I’ve been confronted with as a tribal leader." What does it mean for tribal treaty rights?

Our gardening expert, Dylan Kulik, talks about cover crops and how they can help prime your garden for next year. And we hear about a big land sale in the U.P. — thousands of acres along the Keweenaw Peninsula.

After only a few months of operation, the Prism News’s network of more than 200 AI-generated publications – posing as local newsrooms and hobby sites – has closed. This includes one focused on Grand Traverse County, which produced AI-generated news articles about northwest Michigan. Emily Horne wrote about Prism News in her substack Spin Class. She joins IPR's Maxwell Howard and Ed Ronco to talk a...

A mass shooting on Friday claimed the lives of six people and left a 16 year-old girl severely injured in Missaukee County. We'll have an update on what we know so far. Also, FEMA money is making its way to northern Michigan after April flooding. Vivian La tells us where those funds are headed. And a second petition to recall Antrim County Clerk Victoria Bishop will be in front of the Board of Sta...

Puzzle master Jonathan Baude tries to stump this week's IPR Puzzle winner Marilyn Kaczanowski from Mancelona. She plays a puzzle on-air that highlights some familiar places around the region (and the world). Also, the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians wrote checks totaling $1.66 million dollars this year through their 2% allocations. We'll hear about a township on Beaver Island th...

For many seniors, food assistance from the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) is a lifeline to afford their monthly groceries. Drastic cuts this month caught some Traverse City seniors off guard. We'll hear from people who were affected. Also, a Line 5 permit approval and piping plover protections (and pronunciation).

An 87-year-old village president. Another village almost voting itself out of existence. And a model of government that predates the Civil War. These are some of the problems facing Michigan's rural townships and villages. We talk with Ron French at Bridge Michigan about what that means for how we pay taxes, vote and even live in our communities.

Patrick Preusser left a job as the COO of public transit in Denver, Colorado. Now he's the new CEO of BATA. He jumped on board the #2 line with IPR's Austin Rowlader. Also, an update on Camp Grayling's drone testing facility, and a possible expansion of uses for opioid settlement funds in Grand Traverse County.

The Traverse City Food and Wine Festival is coming up August 19 - 23. Whitney Waara from Traverse City Tourism fills us in on the more than 80 events happening around Traverse City. Also, what do The Accidentals think about roundabouts? Find out in today's episode.

What do pickles and jazz music have in common? Austin Rowlader finds the answer from a couple of musicians hanging out in their mom's garage. Also, the people own the lakes — not the government. Vivian La's got the scoop on how the recent MI Supreme Court decision on Line 5 strengthens the public trust doctrine, with far-reaching implications for other big projects in the future.

Bart Stupak was the last Democrat to represent northern Michigan in the U.S. House. He weighs in on the road ahead for Callie Barr, running in the 1st District. And a new study shows a whole world of rock-eating fungi on the Antrim Shale.

An unknown Senate outcome (as of recording), decisive gubernatorial decisions, and a rematch in the 1st District: We'll take a look at election results for the 2026 midterm primaries with Votebeat Michigan reporter Hayley Harding. We'll also hear from voters, poll workers, and a township clerk in an audio postcard from Antrim County.

On this Primary Election Day, we take you to Antrim County, where the county clerk is under investigation for sowing doubt about voter registrations. IPR's Austin Rowlader talks to us from a polling place and updates us on an effort to recall Victoria Bishop. Plus, the two candidates in a hotly contested Democratic U.S. Senate primary say no matter who wins, the party plans to come together tomorr...

Tribes in Michigan and other Line 5 opponents celebrated a major victory over the weekend. A near unanimous decision by the Michigan Supreme Court throws the future of the Line 5 tunnel project into uncertainty. Vivian La joins us to discuss what might be next for the project. Also, iconic printmaker Gwen Frostic's 21,000 sq. ft. studio gets new owners.