Stateside Daily Archive

The Gordie Howe International bridge crossing the Detroit River is nearing completion and is expected to open in the fall of 2025. On this episode of the Stateside podcast, we spoke with one of the officials behind the bridge about what it takes to pull of a project of this magnitude. GUEST: Grant Hilbers , Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority chief capital officer ___ Looking for more conversations f...

Over the past few months, encampments and protests on college campuses have been a constant in the headlines. But how does news media shape our perception of these actions? GUEST: Danielle K. Brown, 1855 Community & Urban Journalism Professorship and associate professor at Michigan State University ___ Looking for more conversations from Stateside? Right this way . If you like what you hear on...

A garden designed to bring awareness and combat environmental racism will launch with a major installment this month - a large work of art that will serve as a gateway to the park, but also monitor air quality. GUEST: Jordan Weber, Activist and Regenerative Land Sculptor   Rukiya Colvin, Sidewalk Detroit Project Manager _____ Looking for more conversations from Stateside ? Right this way . If you...

Ann Arbor Public Schools is facing a projected $25 million dollar deficit in the coming year. So, what happens now? On this episode, we ask the board of education's president about how one of the state's wealthiest school districts ended up here and about the plan for righting the ship. GUEST:  Torchio Feaster, AAPS Board of Education President Looking for more conversations from Stateside ? Right...

Former President Donald Trump was in Michigan again campaigning for reelection. A few days later Vice President Kamala Harris was in Detroit promoting the strength and importance of the auto sector. And President Joe Biden will be here as well, making a campaign sweep through Detroit. On this episode of the Stateside  podcast, how Michigan is shaping up as a battleground state. GUEST: Zoe Clark ,...

Earlier this week a series of tornadoes whipped through West Michigan, destroying buildings in their path. Images of the aftermath show ruined houses and a caved-in FedEx warehouse facility, where 50 workers were trapped due to downed power lines. On this episode, we look at the immediate affects of the storm. Plus we zoom-in on Portage, a city in Michigan particularly hard hit. GUESTS: Brett Dahl...

Yumna Jawad is best known as the Feel Good Foodie, with millions of followers on TikTok and Reels. Her shortform videos gained popularity for combining the easy and comfort of Midwestern cooking, but with Lebanese flavors and sensibilities. Now Jawad has a new cookbook, "Feel Good Foodie" publishing this week.  GUEST: Yumna Jawad , Feel Good Foodie   ___ Looking for more conversations from Statesi...

In Michigan, the warmer months mean mushrooms! On this episode, we learn about some of the mushrooms in season, the basics of foraging, and some simple ways to prepare your bounty. GUESTS: Jill Grenchik , co-owner of Great Lakes Treats Aaron Grenchik , co-owner of Great Lakes Treats ___ Looking for more conversations from Stateside? Right this way . If you like what you hear on the pod, consider s...

Gaza solidarity encampments have been present at the University of Michigan's Diag for more than two weeks. The coalition of students organizing the protest are calling for the university “to divest from its financial holdings in companies that invest in Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza.” In this episode, Michigan Public reporters joined Stateside  to share their analysis of the universi...

Tiff Massey is an interdisciplinary artist whose work focuses on ideas of community and adornment. She makes everything from custom, wearable jewelry to large scale architectural sculptures. Her work contends with race and class, while evoking the history of West African and Black American culture. Massey's solo exhibit, "7 Mile + Livernois ," opens at the Detroit Institute of Arts May 5th. GUEST:...

"Diarra From Detroit" follows Diarra Brickland, a Detroit school teacher, as she attempts to track down a Tinder date who ghosted her. Diarra Kilpatrick, a Detroiter herself, writes, stars is, and executive produces the new BET+ series. She joined Stateside to discuss the real-life moments that inspired her writing, and what it takes to balance many themes and genres in one story. GUEST ON THIS EP...

In 2009, an assistant Wayne County prosecutor made a horrifying discovery: more than 11-thousand untested rape kits sitting in an abandoned Detroit Police warehouse. The repercussions of that find are still being felt today. GUEST: Sarah Cwiek , reporter for Michigan Public ___ Looking for more conversations from Stateside? Right this way . If you like what you hear on the pod, consider supporting...

After 14 years of organizing and building, the Detroit People’s Food Co-op will open its doors on Wednesday, May 1st, with a grand opening celebration to follow on Saturday, May 18th.  The co-op was fathered by the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network. Malik Yakini, who co-founded the group, currently serves as its executive director. "Part of what we're working on is really not just addr...

For many years, Michigan was considered a national political bellwether.  There are so many factors in play this year. We’ve talked in recent days about how the arrival of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on the Michigan ballot last week as a candidate with the Natural Law Party might shift primary results. So, is Michigan going to be any kind of predictor of trends in national election results in 2024? In t...

What would you do if your tap water turned brown? If it gave your children a rash every time they took a bath? Or worse, what if it made them sick? We're revisiting Michigan Public's audio documentary from 2015 about the Flint Water Crisis. Plus we'll hear from the reporter about the making of Not Safe to Drink. GUEST: Lindsey Smith , lead of Michigan Public's Amplify team ___ Looking for more con...

More than 100 people who were abused by former Michigan State University and U.S. Olympic gymnastics doctor Nassar have finally reached a $138.7 million settlement with the Department of Justice. The FBI failed to properly investigate complaints about Nassar, which allowed Nassar to continue abusing patients and athletes in Michigan for another year. GUEST: Kate Wells , reporter for Michigan Publi...

Ten years ago today a devastating water crisis began in the city of Flint, Michigan. Its water was tainted with lead, threatening tens of thousands of people. Suddenly the spotlight swung onto Michigan and on the quality of the nation’s drinking water. Today, we’re looking at what happened, what’s changed, and how people are thinking about the crisis ten years later. GUESTS: Steve Carmody , report...

The politician Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will be on the presidential ballot in Michigan, as the nominee for the Natural Law Party. Will his run from the outside is a swipe at the binary choice of Joe Biden or Donald Trump, but the odds are stacked against him.  GUESTS: Tyler Scott , reporter for Michigan Public Jonathan Hanson , political science expert from University of Michigan __ Looking for more...

Kalamazoo-born artist Titus Kaphar's work is displayed in some of the premiere art museums, like MoMA, the Whitney, and the Met. But you can also find his work in a different kind of institution. One of his pieces features in his series "From a Tropical Place"  is currently displayed at Grosse Pointe North High School. The painting is causing quite a stir. On this episode, we’re talking to Titus K...

When changes to auto-no fault insurance in Michigan passed in 2019, lawmakers hailed it as a bipartisan win. But for many catastrophically injured survivors of auto accidents, it meant losing the care they’ve depended on for years. On this episode, we hear about the attempts to increase the caps on in-home nursing care for catastrophically injured crash survivors--and why proposed reforms are stal...

A political legal drama is unfolding in Michigan. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has filed more than a dozen charges against former state House Speaker Lee Chatfield, alleging that he used a non-profit to amass kickbacks and to use a slush fund for personal expenses. GUEST: Craig Mauger , state politics reporter for The Detroit News ___ Looking for more conversations from Stateside? Right t...

For 33 years, the story of Anita Wiley’s disappearance was unresolved. After firefighters found her remains in a vacant house in Detroit that had been set on fire, she was buried in a cemetery for the unidentified, and her case was named “Unknown Woman 1987.” In 2020, through a cemetery DNA program, Anita’s remains were identified and linked to her son, Antonio Wiley, and her sister, Tonya Mosley,...

The Mackinac Bridge lacks modern protections around its piers in the Straits of Mackinac, making it vulnerable if a freighter veered off course as happened recently in Baltimore. In response to this question, a representative from the Michigan Department of Transportation sent this statement: "The investigation into the tragedy in Baltimore continues, and appears to be focused on what caused the s...

The NFL Draft is happening in Detroit from April 25-27. With high volume events like this, there's a risk for human trafficking. So how are law enforcement and advocates preparing to protect people this NFL draft and what should you look out for if you attend? GUEST: Sarah Rahal , reporter for The Detroit News ___ Looking for more conversations from Stateside? Right this way . If you like what you...

Michigan born author Katie Williams' novel “My Murder” is the next Michigan Public Reads . The premise is a woman murdered by a serial killer and brought back to life as a clone tries to piece together the days and weeks leading up to her murder.  GUEST: Katie Williams , writer ___ Looking for more conversations from Stateside? Right this way . If you like what you hear on the pod, consider suppor...