Up North Lowdown

Today, we talk about changes to hunting regulations and coyote management. And we hear about some budget numbers that made our reporter's jaw drop.

Northern Michigan's ice storm in March 2025 caused staggering damage to forests. Getting federal aid to make up for the losses has been a waiting game for many here. Now, things are starting to move forward — but not soon enough for many.

Grand Traverse County is getting millions of dollars from opioid lawsuit settlements. County officials want your help figuring out how best to spend that money. Plus, Arsenic and Old Lace and a whole bunch of yarn, in Manistee.

A new season of "Pints North" trivia is coming up, so "Points North" host Dan Wanschura tests our mettle. Also, why the wild swings in the weather? A battle of the air masses, says a local meteorologist.

In the first winter after Traverse City's ‘no camping’ ordinance, people endure winter out of view. IPR looks at where they're ending up — from shelters to shacks. Homelessness in Traverse City hasn't gone away. It's just become less visible.

The Up North Lowdown returns Jan. 12 as a daily podcast. New episodes Monday through Friday.

Over the last few months, we’ve been thinking a lot about how we serve you, our audience, and pouring a lot of energy into some new ideas. That’s taken a lot of our focus and attention. And so we took a pause here. But we'll be back!

There are a handful of traditional sailing vessels that depart from the shores of Michigan. These boats are wind-powered and look like relics of the past. Sailing on one of them was voted No. 3 on the Michigan Dreaming bucket list, which the nonprofit news organization Bridge Michigan put together with reader suggestions. Bridge Michigan’s Laura Herberg boarded one of them — Manitou, a schooner ru...

In the summer, in the Upper Peninsula, there’s a place where you’ll find sled dogs running around. Bridge Michigan's "Michigan Dreaming" series takes us there.

President Trump wants the U.S. maritime industry to have more vessels under the flag of the United States. That will tap into a short supply of merchant mariners.

Cheering all night long was rated No. 4 on the Michigan Dreaming bucket list, which the nonprofit news organization Bridge Michigan put together with reader suggestions. Come with us to the Au Sable River Canoe Marathon.

In the last eight years, the number of cars traveling through Mancelona has gone up by 47 percent. And this has created some unique challenges for local police.

Last week, dozens of canoe teams made their way down the Au Sable River in an all-night marathon. But come morning, all that remains is the trash that people left behind. One conservation group is continuing a decade-long program to clean the river — while also teaching troubled kids to value the pristine waters.

Traverse City Police Officer Krista Fryczynski is the department’s Community Officer, a position focused on outreach to unsheltered residents in the city.

On July 26, a man started stabbing people inside the Walmart near Traverse City. We look at what transpired that day, where the story stands now, and what we know about the suspect. Reporter Eli Newman joins us to talk about his reporting into suspect Bradford Gille's history of mental illness and a conversation he had with Gille's older brother, Shane.

What’s on your summer bucket list? The nonprofit news organization Bridge Michigan asked readers that question this spring. The result is a list of ten under-the-radar adventures that can be completed in our state during the summer. One of the items on that list is to climb Mount Arvon, the state’s tallest natural point. Bridge Michigan’s Laura Herberg is checking off items on the list this summer...

We'll get back to our usual stories in short order — a couple good ones coming later this week, in fact. But this episode is all about us. You've probably heard that Congress voted to take back federal funding already promised to public broadcasting. For Interlochen Public Radio, it's a $300,000 budget hit. Still, IPR Executive Director Peter Payette says despite the bad news for our federal fundi...

In this episode, a short conversation with the author Katie Yee. She is known as a short story writer, but Yee is appearing later this month at the National Writers Series in Traverse City to talk about her debut novel. t’s called “Maggie; or, a Man and a Woman Walk into a Bar.” Ahead of her visit to town, Yee spoke with IPR’s Ed Ronco.

Cindy Monroe has been around music for decades. Fifty years, she figures. But never a marching band. So she showed up to play cymbals with the National Cherry Festival Marching Band. That's it. No audition, just a conversation with the director. She even gave him an out — offering to go on home if it didn't work out. But so far, so good.

Michigan's Attorney General is going after the Twin Flames Universe, a spiritual organization based in Leelanau County that's widely considered to be a cult.

In May, authorities in Traverse City cleared out an encampment from part of town known as "the Pines." What happened to those who left?

In Lake County — population 12,000 — a new ICE facility is opening in a shuttered private prison, promising to create hundreds of jobs in the poorest county in the state. Many residents have doubts about whether the jobs will last.

Just one story for you this week, and it's about deer, money and big piles of carrots. Or apples. Or whatever else deer are interested in eating.

An earful from those who experienced the ice storm. An interview with abuse survivor Tina Talbot. Hiring nurses for Munson Healthcare. And Elberta's Turtlefest.