Stateside Daily Archive

The state budget, signed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer, has a provision that could threaten the funding of local health departments that issue mask mandates. The governor says it's unenforceable, but some counties aren't willing to risk it. On this episode, we'll sort through what this all means for public health policy on the ground with a political reporter and someone from a county health depart...

From the Great Migration to the impact of the I-75 extension in Detroit, Black and Latinx Americans have seen many parallels through their decades in the city. Today, we talk about the history, development and gentrification of Southwest Detroit, including Mexicantown, Corktown, and Delray. GUEST: Maria Elena Rodriguez , native Detroiter, entrepreneur, activist, and former president of the Mexican...

In Northern Michigan, two GOP events, one on Mackinac Island, and one in Antrim County cast light on a party divided. Many national figures joined with mainstream elected officials at the Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference. Not too far away, Garrett Soldano, a candidate for Governor held his own rally. What is the Republican Party in Michigan in the post-Trump era? And can the disparate fac...

Detriot artist Rashaun Rucker has spent the past few years thinking about birds—more specifically pigeons. He’s considered their gift of flight, their lower status with respect to human city dweller, and the odd kinship he feels with them as a Black man. On this episode, we talk to Rucker about his new exhibit exploring those connections, which draws its title— Never Free to Rest...

Have you noticed a barrage of projectiles crashing down on your roof this fall? Much to the delight of squirrels, chipmunks and other creatures, 2021 has been a big year for acorns, walnuts and other fruit of Michigan trees. Today, a horticulturist talks about our unexpected bumper crops. GUEST: Bert Cregg , professor of horticulture at Michigan State University. Looking for more conversation...

How do you capture the sense of a place? The sights, the sounds, its people? Author Jerry Dennis's new book, Up North In Michigan: A Portrait of Place Across Four Seasons , sets out to capture the essence of Northern Michigan.   Today, we’re talking to Jerry Dennis about his love of the North Michigan landscape and what it means when the place you’ve known for a lifetime transform...

Michigan’s system of care for people hurt in car accidents is breaking down after the state implemented a package of major reforms to auto insurance laws this summer. That’s left auto accident survivors, and the home health care workers that support them, without the funding they’ve relied on for years. On today’s episode, we talk to a reporter about how insurance companies...

Kent County’s health director was nearly run off the road by an angry county resident, after issuing a countywide mandate for masks in schools. A new bombshell report in Michigan Advance details a health official in distress. Today, the health director's appeal to the county’s Board of Commissioners for help. GUESTS: Anna Gustafson, assistant editor of Michigan Advance Melissa LaGrand,...

Doctors, nurses, and hospital staff have seen scores of COVID-19 patients pass away in the past year and a half. They've endured brutally long hours at the hospital. But now, they're up against a different kind of challenge: unvaccinated patients who are in denial about their condition or refuse to accept doctors' advice. On today's episode, you'll hear from a doctor whose widely-shared Facebook p...

Back in 1972, a couple of contemporary artists created an installation that explored what it means to be a woman. It was called Womanhouse. And the artists transformed a deserted Hollywood mansion into an expression of womanhood, femininity, and its challenges. Now, nearly 50 years later, a group of Detroit artists are taking on the same concept and reinterpreting it for this present moment. On to...

School is back in session—from college campuses to kindergarten classrooms. And, thanks to the highly contagious delta variant, COVID-19 outbreaks in schools are popping up across the state. On today’s episode, we talk to Michigan Radio data reporter Nisa Khan about the latest state data on COVID outbreaks in public schools, and how to interpret the numbers. GUEST: Nisa Khan, data repo...

It’s back to school season, and in this era of COVID-19 with the debate over mask mandates, what this looks like depends a lot on where you live. Today, we hear stories of two Michigan families: One family has an unvaccinated seven year old in a school district that is not requiring masks, and the other has a teenager who is vaccinated in a district with a mask mandate. GUESTS:  Erin Al...

Surrounded by protesters on Belle Isle, former Detroit Police Chief James Craig announced his run for Michigan governor as a Republican. This may not be the announcement he had planned or hoped for, but it could work out in his favor.  GUEST: Zoe Clark, Michigan Radio program director Looking for more conversations from Stateside ? Right this way. If you like what you hear on the pod, conside...

After the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, people who hadn’t thought much about domestic security were suddenly painfully aware of what could happen. And people whose business was public safety suddenly had a new set of concerns on their hands. On today’s episode, we’ll get into how that day changed the institutions charged with keeping us safe, and the implications those...

Tomorrow marks two decades since September 11th. Twenty years later, we’re still trying to wrap our heads around its impact. Today, we’re looking at a specific piece of this story, one that's especially relevant in Michigan. Michigan is home to the largest population of Arab Americans in the U.S. and since 9/11 Arab or Muslims - or people perceived as Arab or Muslim - have experienced...

In 2009, Wayne Count Prosecutor Kym Worthy found out there were more than 11,000 unprocessed rape kits sitting neglected in a Detroit warehouse. Horrified, she made it a mission of her office to make sure all of the backlog of kits were tested, and as many rapists were convicted as possible. That work is finally nearly complete. GUEST: Bryce Huffman , reporter, Bridge Detroit Looking for more conv...

Everywhere you look, there are eateries—from fast food to fine dining—with help wanted signs in the windows. Some Michigan businesses hope that the end of federal pandemic unemployment benefits this week will push people back to work. But experts say it's not that simple. GUESTS: Betsey Stevenson, professor of public policy and economics at the University of Michigan’s Ford Schoo...

Today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer called on the state Legislature to repeal a 1931 abortion ban on the books in Michigan. Since the Texas state legislature passed a law that breaks new ground in its pursuit of abortion restrictions many states, including ours, have been re-examining legal precedent that has been part of American life for decades. Today, we’re talking about the ripple effect f...

Journalist Danny Fenster of southeast Michigan was detained in Myanmar by authorities at the airport on his way to see his family back in the US. It's been more than 100 days. Despite having limited contact with Danny, his family in Michigan is working to keep his story alive. On today's episode, efforts to get Michigan journalist Danny Fenster out of a Myanmar prison after more than 100 days in c...

Twenty years ago, Aaliyah released her much-beloved, self-titled red album. And just weeks later, she  died tragically in a plane crash, leaving behind a profound legacy of music, style and rhythm that still resonates across the globe. We’ll talk with writer Imani Mixon about one of the places where this legacy began: Detroit.    GUEST: Imani Mixon , Detroit-based, multimedia...

The sadness, isolation, and loss of the past year and a half can be so hard to talk about, but sometimes poetry provides the exquisitely precise language we need to name our hurt. That’s what writer Peter Markus found when he sat down to process the death of his father. On today’s pod, April Baer talks to Peter about how poetry became a vehicle to process his grief when fiction fell sh...

Residents of Oscoda have been dealing with PFAS contamination from an Air Force base for decades. Today, we’ll hear about a new report calling on the state and Department of Defense to do testing and clean up in affected areas.  GUESTS:  Cathy Wusterbarth, co-leader of Need Our Water Oscoda Oday Salim, Great Lakes Regional Center Staff Attorney for the National Wildlife Federation&...

The car market is a tough one right now, especially for those looking to buy a used vehicle. On today’s pod, we’ll talk about what’s been driving record high prices. One factor? The demand seems to be way up. And, we’ll talk with someone navigating the hot used car market as they try to replace their beloved—and necessary—vehicle, which was damaged by flooding t...

Monarch butterflies are a quintessential part of the Midwestern summer experience. But the Midwest hasn’t been great for the monarch in recent years largely due to climate change. Today, what needs to be done for monarch butterflies before it’s too late for this distressed population. GUEST: Erin Zylstra , Research Associate in Department of Integrative Biology at Michigan State Univer...

Mary “BGIRL MAMA” Mar is an award-winning dancer in multiple breaking groups, manager and teacher at a dance studio in Detroit, and a vocalist with a new single out. She’s also a native Detroiter with Cambodian heritage, Muslim American, and an eternal optimist. Her incredible identities and passion for music are making her into a b-girling icon. GUEST: Mary “BGIRL MAMA&rdq...