Up North Lowdown

Hear our special episode, broadcast live from the Harbor Springs Festival of the Book on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026! Authors, booksellers, a white whale who just wants a friend! What more could you ask for?

A new listening event in Traverse City, and a half century old rock shop closes its doors.

Today, the story of Therese O'Brien. Her family became the caretakers of the Carmelite Monastery in Traverse City when she was 17. She still takes care of the grounds today.

Antrim County Clerk Victoria Bishop made 128 unauthorized changes to the Qualified Voter Files (QVF), in violation of Michigan election law. 58 voters were canceled completely.

The fall equinox arrives today. On the Lowdown, we hear from political candidates and officeholders weighing in on affordable housing, hate speech, rising healthcare costs, and more. Also, hope rises for lake sturgeon with a recent hatchery release on the Boardman-Ottaway River.

A toxic underground chemical plume is making its way through parts of Antrim County. We'll get an update on that, as well as the fighter jet crash and fall seed saving techniques.

We'll get the latest on the F-16 fighter jet that crashed in Grand Traverse County Thursday.

Once upon a time, Cherry Capital Airport (TVC) was a quiet rural airport frequented by regional puddle-jumpers and small prop planes. Nowadays, jets, airliners, military aircraft and almost a million passengers from all over the world travel each year in and out of TVC. To accommodate the increasing number of travelers, the airport is building a new concourse — Concourse B. We'll take an inside lo...

When wildfire smoke blanketed northern Michigan in July, a lot of us turned to the AQI, or air quality index, for guidance on how to protect ourselves. But gaps in Michigan’s air quality monitoring network, particularly in rural areas of northern Michigan, mean many of us don’t have accurate information. Reporter Miles MacClure takes a deep breath and guides us through the facts.

The group Youth for Christ is suing Leland Township, which denied its permit to hold ministry activities at a building overlooking Leland's historic Fishtown harbor. Jacob Wheeler, editor of the Glen Arbor Sun, says the case has all the hallmarks of something destined for the U.S. Supreme Court. He walks us through the story and how it's affecting the community.

A Bellaire resident is making another attempt to recall the Antrim County clerk. The League of Women Voters wants you to know about tax proposals. And what's up with the possible sale of a baker's dozen dams in Michigan?

Ten people from the Transom Story Workshop have been at IPR for a week, gathering stories from throughout northern Michigan. They'll present those stories on Saturday in Traverse City. We talk about they've learned. Also, it's been a busy week for Line 5 news. Reporter Vivian La brings us up to speed.

Michigan Department of Corrections inmate Dylan Leenheer alleges his prisoner temporary ID was doctored to make it appear he was wearing stereotypical depictions of Native American garb. Reporter Sierra Nadeau tells us more. We also hear about a 9/11 memorial ceremony planned for Friday and get an update on Line 5 — and Michigan's governor giving a second look at some permits for the controversial...

Months after historic flooding washed out roads and bridges across northern Michigan, the Kaleva Norman Dickson School District says buses have much longer routes and some students have transferred out to avoid the drive. That costs the district money at a time when it's spending more than usual to handle its transportation needs. Reporter Charlie Brooks tells us more.

Every year on Labor Day, thousands of people walk across the Mackinac Bridge — that iconic span between Michigan's Upper and Lower peninsulas. It's a tradition that goes back to the late 1950s, when the bridge first opened.

When popular band director John Stanley Ross left Interlochen Arts Academy in 2000, he went on to teach at University of Minnesota-Morris, Cameron University, and most recently Appalachian State — where he resigned earlier this summer while the school investigated sexual harassment allegations against him. His story is a part of a larger phenomenon called "pass the harasser." IPR's Maxwell Howard...

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.