Stateside Daily Archive

Michigan’s surge of COVID-19 hospitalizations in the past couple of weeks has shocked many people back to reality about where we are in the pandemic. But what does the view look like from the inside of those hospitals? On today’s episode, a conversation with an emergency room doctor about what’s different about this third wave of infections. GUEST: Dr. Patricia Nouhan, emergency...

It's national poetry month and Michigan has no shortage of creative writers with stories to tell. Today on the pod, we'll hear from a West Michigan high schooler and refugee from Myanmar, who recently won the Gold Key Award for poetry. Thang Lian talks leaving home and where he feels his work belongs, as Asians and Asian Americans are targeted in the US and abroad. GUESTS: Thang Lian , senior at E...

Michigan is facing a high teacher turnover rate and an overall teacher shortage. Today we're digging into why this is happening and taking a look at its impact on both students and educators. GUESTS: Owen Bondono , English Language Arts teacher at Oak Park Freshman Institute   Koby Levin , Chalkbeat Detroit reporter  Looking for more conversations from Stateside ? Right this way . I...

COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are surging across Michigan. At the same time, vaccine supply has increased dramatically. That means public health officials are engaged in a very tough race: variants vs. vaccines. Today we’ll talk to two county health officials, on opposite sides of the state, about how they’re keeping pace in this exhausting sprint. GUESTS: Annette Mercatante, med...

Kalamzoo cellist Jordan Hamilton embraces the pandemic as a time to challenge his musicianship and listener expectations. His classically trained, genre-bending style is inspired and otherworldly.  GUESTS:  Jordan Hamilton, Kalamazoo-based cellist with a new album of music titled "Vibrations"  Looking for more conversations from Stateside ? Right this way . If you like what you hear...

Michigan Republican Party co-chairman Ron Weiser has gotten major criticism over video footage of him calling Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Attorney General Dana Nessel, and Secretary of State Jocelyn Bension the “three witches.” But there’s a bit more going on here than just a terrible choice of words. If you look at where and how he said these things, you can pick up the main tens...

Michigan has one of the highest COVID-19 infection rates per capita. Today we’re going to talk about what the trends and data mean for the state and for the deep desire we all have to return to something normal. GUESTS: Emily Toth Martin , Associate Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Michigan School of Public Health Looking for more conversations from Stateside ? Right this way ....

Deepwater sculpin are tiny fish that lay at the bottom of a lakebed. They’re relatively prevalent in the Great Lakes, but their nests are extremely hard to find. In fact, never before seen. Today, a recent discovery concerning the nesting of fish in the Great Lakes we just don’t talk about that often. GUESTS: David Jude, retired research scientist at the School for Environment and Sust...

About 10 years ago, graphic designer Tommey Walker Jr. took a common sentiment in Detroit and printed it on a shirt. It said, in stark white lettering on a black background, “Detroit vs. Everybody.” It’s now become an internationally recognized brand with “vs. Everybody” apparel adapted for other major cities across the U.S. And this month, Walker brought the brand in...

The Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit has a new board member, filmmaker dream hampton. She was the executive producer of “Surviving R. Kelly," and has a long legacy of working the space between art and activism. Today, the interplay between artistic freedom and social responsibility. GUEST:  dream hampton, an Emmy-nominated filmmaker and Detroit native   Looking for more conversat...

When it comes to government transparency and accountability laws, Michigan ranks last out of all states, according to a 2015 report from the Center for Public Integrity. Today on the pod, we’ll talk to two reporters covering the effort to change that by making the executive and legislative branches of state government subject to the Freedom of Information Act. GUESTS: Craig Mauger, Detroit N...

The Detroit Free Press named longtime area chef, Phil Jones, Chef of the Year. On today's episode of the pod, we're talking about how the pandemic has revealed weak spots in our food system and what Phil Jones is doing to fill in those gaps. GUEST: Phil Jones , 2021 Detroit Free Press Chef of the year Looking for more conversations from Stateside ? Right this way . If you like what you hear on the...

We're over a year into the coronavirus pandemic. Every single person in Michigan has been impacted by it. But the pandemic feels different in day-to-day life across the state, and that’s certainly true for Yooper's in the Upper Peninsula. Today, we’ll hear from a local business owner about life and business up north, and we'll speak to a lawmaker about the impact of COVID-19 in her dis...

Today on the podcast, we get in the St. Patrick’s Day spirit with a conversation about the history of Irish immigration in Michigan. And we’ll talk to the owner of a bar in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood, a historically Irish enclave, about what the festivities look like in 2021.  GUESTS: Pat Commins and Elizabeth Rice, authors of Irish Immigrants in Michigan: A History in...

Michigan was once a stronghold of the so-called “Reagan Democrat.” But now, another breed of swing voter has emerged. Today, Michigan’s role in crafting these unique, amorphous, and consequential voting blocs.    GUEST: Zack Stanton is digital editor for Politico. His recent work is titled, “The Rise of the Biden Republicans.”   Stateside theme music is...

Last week, President Biden signed the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package into law. What does that mean for Michigan? On today’s episode of the pod, we’ll hear how much money the state is expecting—and how it might be spent. We’ll also talk about what such a massive infusion of cash could do for Michigan’s economy.   GUESTS: Melissa Nann Burke , Washington corr...

Michigan just marked its first full year of legal recreational marijuana sales. As the cannabis business continues to grow in the state, some Michiganders are wondering: how can I get a job in this booming industry? Our Cannabis , a group in West Michigan, is offering free training and advice for people hoping to find work in the marijuana business. GUEST : Matt Hoffman is the founder and chairman...

The Biden administration's Covid-19 relief package passed through Congress this week, and it had a little reported provision that would be of specific benefit to black farmers. It provides $4 billion in debt relief to disadvantaged farmers. About a quarter of those who qualify are black. Over the past century, black farmers have lost millions of acres in farmland. In 1920, they numbered nearly a m...

It’s hard to find words to sum up the year that’s gone by since Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced the first cases of COVID-19 in Michigan. Around 16,000 people in the state have died from COVID-19. Schools closed down. Businesses went dark. Front line workers risked their health for us. And then there have been the million little unique ways each one of our lives shifted. Today on th...

Michigan was known for yeas as one of the most gerrymandered states in the nation. Today, we’ll hear how we got the political representation we have currently, and the latest on what’s going on to change it. GUEST:  John Lindstrom is the former publisher of  Gongwer News Service and a retired journalist covering state capital politics.  Sue Hammersmith is the execut...

From ice fishing scenes to mid-air polar bear plunges, Amy Sacka's photos could convince even the most Vitamin-D deprived Michigander of the joy of winter. But some of her most recent work examines what we stand to lose as climate change begins to reshape what Michigan winters. On today’s episode, we hear from the Detroit-based photographer about documenting the thawing of the Great Lakes. G...

So here’s a drawing prompt for you: how would you depict the interior of your mind? Would it be a scribble...a web? A cloud? Detroit-based artist Elizabeth Youngblood  explores her method for illustrating  interiors - along with other matters - in her new solo exhibition titled “Room Tone”.  It’s on view now at M Contemporary Gallery in Ferndale. GUESTS:&nbsp...

Many demographic groups are starting to get a whiff of their coronavirus vaccination. Governor Whitmer announced that state health officials have approved scheduling Michiganders age 50 and up. But there are so many people who’ve spent the past year waiting - and not sitting at home to wait. We’re talking about the front line workers in Michigan’s food processing facilities, groc...

The state of Michigan is beginning to open up the pool of people eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. But many in the disability community say they’re being left behind despite a higher risk of serious complications from the virus. On today's episode, we talk to a disability rights advocate in Detroit about the successful campaign to get the city to open vaccine eligibility to people with inte...

Bethany Christian Services, a Michigan-based adoption network, one of the largest in the nation, now says it’s open to placing children in homes with LGBTQ parents.  GUEST: Dana Nessel is Michigan's Attorney General. She had an important role in the early stages of the legal challenges.  NOTES: Stateside theme music is by 14KT. Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions. If you like wha...