Up North Lowdown

Taped LIVE from Right Brain Brewery in Traverse City, Ed kicks off the first full day of the Fresh Coast Film Festival. Traverse City Mayor Amy Shamroe joins us to talk about the film industry. Rachel Felder, producer of "Detroit to Gloryland," talks about the experience of taking a group of students to see the Yosemite National Park. Also a preview of "An Autumn Summer" — a coming of age romance...

Julie Cordier keeps a binder filled with notes on each person’s name, some details about them, and how often she’s seen them. She guesses she's visited between 15 and 20 detainees at the North Lake Processing Center. Today, we hear her story, plus we meet a composer who takes inspiration — and sound — from the natural world to make his music.

Michigan dams are not built for climate change. Many of the state's 2,500 dams were built more than a century ago and updates have not kept up with the warming world. So as waters continue to recede across northern Michigan from historic flooding, several close calls have renewed a push for dam upgrades, maintenance and even removal. In this episode, we also check in with Shannah Vergote of Northw...

Christian clergy in northern Michigan and around the state are holding a 'solidarity fast' with a Traverse City man detained by ICE and on hunger strike at the North Lake Processing Center in Baldwin. They spoke to reporters and others in Suttons Bay. Also: Antrim Co. Clerk Victoria Bishop has responded to state demands for information, after the Bureau of Elections questioned her methods in handl...

Northern Michigan needs a facility to help people with mental health issues. That's the recommendation of a Michigan House report. The region has a severe lack of psychiatric hospital beds. We'll hear what local mental health advocates say about it. Also, we look in on construction at FishPass, a big project along the Boardman-Ottaway River. And the monarchs are coming! The butterflies, we mean, m...

Understaffing. Mandatory overtime. Physical danger. Michigan's prison workers face serious obstacles and the issue is especially acute in the Upper Peninsula. A special report from the Northern Michigan Journalism Collaborative explores what's happening, how we got here and what officials are doing about it. IPR's Claire Keenan-Kurgan walks us through the details and brings us some voices.

The man who runs a group called the Election Integrity Force … based in metro Detroit … says he just wants free and fair elections. But he’s flagging individual voters for investigation by their local clerks without verifying if there’s any reason to be concerned. And his sights are set on Antrim County. Plus, the U.S. Supreme Court hands a win to opponents of Line 5, deciding that a lawsuit over...

The Michigan Bureau of Elections has sent a letter to the Antrim County Clerk demanding that she explain some actions she’s taken in the year-or-so she’s been in office. State officials say Victoria Bishop has been too zealous in her efforts to "clean up" Antrim County's voter roll and is acting outside her legal authority. Votebeat reporter Hayley Harding explains what's happening. Also, a show o...

The Civil Air Patrol in Traverse City actually keeps its plane in Cadillac. That slows the group down when its volunteers are called upon to help with search-and-rescue operations or other services. IPR's Claire Keenan-Kurgan learns what the group is all about and how it's working toward a new home in Traverse City. Plus, a Harvest Public Media story about how farmers are coping with extreme weath...

The flood waters are starting to recede in northern Michigan, but they have certainly left their mark. Near Cheboygan County's Black Lake, some homeowners say they've lost everything. The Cheboygan Lock and Dam Complex is still churning away at the water backed up behind it. And in Antrim County, there might be renewed interest in efforts to repair the 120-year-old Bellaire Dam. Also: Police have...

Leslie Meyers, operator of dams in Antrim County, talks to IPR from the site of the Bellaire Dam. She says there are reasons to hope, but also plenty of reasons to stay vigilant as more rains are expected Friday night. Also, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer visits the Cheboygan Dam. And at the end of a long week, a couple laughs with a renewed euphoniumist. Don't know what that word means? Listen to the end...

Today on the Up North Lowdown, IPR's Austin Rowlader takes us on a tour of the Bellaire Dam and then gives us the latest on its status — and what could happen if it fails. We also hear about a narrow escape for a road crew that was inspecting a bridge when it suddenly gave way in Grand Traverse County.

In today's episode of the Up North Lowdown, we look around the region at efforts to prepare for the worst while also hoping for the best. We'll hear the latest from Cheboygan, where authorities explained what a flood might look like if the dam there were to burst. We hear about sandbagging in Antrim County and get an update on the Bellaire Dam from IPR's Austin Rowlader. And Vivian La tells us abo...

The strain has increased on dams in Cheboygan and Bellaire as snowmelt and rainfall push huge amounts of water through northern Michigan. In Cheboygan, people are actively preparing to evacuate from their homes, and Consumers Energy is helping the Michigan Department of Natural Resources move water through its dam on the Cheboygan River. In Antrim County, the situation is less severe but no less w...

There were numerous reports of flooding across northern Michigan, and all eyes were on the Cheboygan Dam on Monday morning, where the water was just about a foot below the top of the dam. We'll hear the situation as of Monday morning from Cheboygan and Antrim counties. Austin Rowlader reports from the Bellaire Dam on monitoring efforts there. *** This was recorded at 8:42 a.m. Monday, so condition...

Put a short description of the episode here. You'll have a chance to do a longer description elsewhere. Focus here on the main item in the episode. Then use a second paragraph to talk about what else might be on offer today. That can include a secondary item or a couple of things from a headlines roundup. If the main event is the WHOLE event, go on just a little longer about what was said or what...

City manager Benjamin Marentette wants to know what Traverse City residents want their public spaces to look like. What kinds of ideas is he looking for? He told IPR's Austin Rowlader he wants ideas that "put a smile on people's faces." The best part? The survey asks only two questions. You can take it here. Also, our pledge drive begins today. A few times a year we ask our listeners to chip in so...

Employees from Traverse City's largest private employer are going back to the office. Almost 400 workers at Hagerty Insurance Agency are now making their way to the company's downtown headquarters. IPR's Maxwell Howard checks in with local businesses. Plus, Ed Ronco sits down with Parul Kapur whose debut novel Inside the Mirror will be the subject of a free event hosted by the National Writers Ser...

Local entrepreneur John Velis joins us to talk about how his company is giving Alzheimer's patients access their past. Using pictures, videos, and audio stories 'Memory Bright' gives people suffering from Alzheimer's and their caretakers an easy place to store and play memories from their past, before the disease took hold. It's called 'reminiscence therapy' and a Northern Michigan business is bri...

When you flush the toilet, it has to end up somewhere. That "somewhere" is the Traverse City Regional Wastewater Treatment plant. The plant, which has been at the north end of Boardman Lake since 1932, is undergoing millions of dollars in upgrades over the next few years. We took a fascinating — and, yes, at one moment quite smelly — journey inside to learn what's going on and why it matters.

It's been about three years since millions of dollars started flowing into Michigan — and other states — to help fight the opioid crisis. The money came from settlements with drug makers, distributors and pharmacies. The funds are starting to make a difference but many communities have been slow to spend much of it. Or any of it. That includes Grand Traverse County. Ron French from Bridge Michigan...

Around one in six people in northern lower Michigan has a concealed pistol license, or CPL. That's the highest concentration in the state. Soon, they might not need it. A bill in the Michigan Legislature would allow eligible gun owners to carry a concealed weapon without a separate license or training. Plus, springtime in Michigan means orange barrels on the roads. We take a look at some big road...

After their father was detained at the North Lake Processing Center in Baldwin, two sisters from Grand Rapids committed to helping other detainees. When people are released from North Lake, they offer rides through a network of volunteers. They also help reconnect people with their families. We hear about it from journalist Jacob Wheeler, of the Glen Arbor Sun. We'll also hear about an old-but-new...

The 1st District of Michigan has been represented in the U.S. House for nearly a decade by U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman (R-Watersmeet). He's running for reelection. The best known Democrat in the race is Callie Barr. And neither plans to be at a "Meet the Candidats" event held by the group Traverse Indivisible Education & Solidarity. Still, organizers hope people will come see the two Democrats, one Rep...

A year ago — in the throes of an ice storm that had scattered tree limbs and power lines across northern Michigan — Wanda Whiting suddenly needed to get her husband to a hospital. So she drove through the storm's aftermath, right across the power lines. Would any of that have happened if the lines had been buried? And one year later, do we have any plans to do that? IPR's Vivian La digs into that...