Up North Lowdown

Ownership over a Grand Traverse County park has local residents worried about its future. Also, Ludacris cancels his performance at the Cherry Festival sighting “an unforeseen scheduling conflict.”

Traverse City this week hosted a statewide competition for recycling initiatives. Competitors were awarded cash prizes. IPR's Vivian La takes us to the NextCycle Showcase, and introduces us to some of the ideas on display. Plus, we hear from IPR's Red Pine Radio. Producer Helen Raica-Klotz talks with Holly Polich about a pancake that brings back some great memories.

Leelanau County hired Jim Dyer in late 2024 to be county administrator, hoping to bring stability to a dysfunctional workplace. A year and half later, Dyer is the subject of multiple complaints, has been cited by several former employees as a reason for resigning. Even before Dyer was hired, showed up in a 2024 study of the county offices.

It’s summer, folks. There are a lot of people going swimming. There are a lot of people going out on their boats. Then, of course, there’s a lot of people walking on the shoreline with their heads down. Did they lose their keys? Are they checking out their new toenail polish? No. We'll tell you what they're doing in this episode. Also, a local composting company is making their pitch at the NextCy...

Get the latest on Randy and Victoria Bishop's defamation lawsuit. Also, large scale solar array plans in Wexford County.

During a 2024 broadcast of "Our Defending Fathers," Randy Bishop's conservative talk radio program, he told his listeners an Onaway businessman, Tom Moran "shipped in illegal immigrants" to work at his metal fabrication business. Moran sued Bishop and the radio station for defamation. The radio station airing the comments was owned by Antrim County Clerk Victoria Bishop, who has recently come unde...

Data centers are popping up around the country, including in Michigan. So far, the projects have been downstate. What's the likelihood they'd come Up North?

Some immigrants detained inside Michigan detention centers have been held for over six months. For some, it’s been closer to a year. Mental health experts say that takes a toll. We hear the voices of some who have been held for what feels like an indefinite amount of time. Reporting by Claire Keenan-Kurgan and Michigan Public's Michelle Jokisch Polo and Adam Yahya Rayes.

IPR has obtained the 10-page complaint made against Leelanau County Administrator Jim Dyer, who was placed on paid leave earlier this month. In today's episode, IPR's Maxwell Howard walks us through some of the specifics, and we hear voices from Leelanau County commenting on the turbulence in their government. Plus, our occasional gardening segment, "Grow & Tell," explores rhubarb.

The state Bureau of Elections has suspended Victoria Bishop's ability to see or modify the qualified voter file, or QVF. State officials wrote that she was told not to alter the file, but did anyway. We hear from two voters who went down to their township clerk's office to make sure they were still registered. Also, could the waves of Lake Michigan provide reliable power to Beaver Island? A test t...

The proposal to bury oil and natural gas liquid pipelines beneath the Straits of Mackinac has been a lightning rod for years. A virtual hearing on a state permit is set for Thursday. But there are lots of moving parts: state permits, federal permits, legal challenges and more. We thought it would be useful to walk through some of the details.

The potential use of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare settings was a big subject at the bargaining table for union nurses at northern Michigan's largest hospital. Now that they have a deal, what does it say? We have some details. Also, we have a look at IPR's Sound Garden Project and its residency in Glen Arbor.

The Grand Rapids-based Native News Online is doing a variety of things this year to bring Native voices to the forefront as the United States marks 250 years as a nation. Native News Online Editor and Publisher Levi Rickert talked to IPR about how the project got started and the complicated mix of feelings he and many others feel around occasions like the semiquincentennial of the United States.

It's never too late to learn something new. That's the idea behind Act 2, a program of the Traverse City Philharmonic that lets adults who are new to music learn how to play an instrument. Some, like Jennifer Wesling, participated in music in their youth and are learning a new musical instrument. Classical IPR has been checking in with members of the Act 2 band. On this episode, we get an update a...

On Monday, a Grand Traverse County jury convicted Steven Gary Koon, 64, of the killing of Linda Meteer in 1989. Key to securing the conviction, the prosecutor said, was mitochondrial DNA evidence demonstrating Meteer had been in Koon's vehicle. Journalist Mardi Link explains how recent science secured a conviction after 37 years.

For about 20 years, people in Antrim County have piled unwanted goods along the side of the road. People spend time picking it all over, taking what they like, and often find some real treasures: furniture, art, a hot tub. But MDOT says the trash needs to stay out of the right-of-way or the Spring Cleanup could end. And one township is hoping a small sign might save the tradition.

It's a regional roundup today on the Up North Lowdown. We'll hear about a crucial millage vote in Benzie County, solar array concerns in Wexford County and how rainfall doesn't necessarily tell you much about wildfire danger.

Union nurses and Munson Medical Center in Traverse City have reached a tentative agreement after months of negotiation. Artificial intelligence was among the issues on the table during those talks. We hear why. Plus, other stories from northern Michigan.

Last year, you might recall, northern Michigan experienced three tornadoes on the same day. In 2022, Gaylord was hit by a deadly twister. And southwest Michigan suffered deaths and injuries after tornadoes earlier this year. What do you do if you live in a home with little shelter, like no basement, or lots of windows? More and more, people are turning to tornado safe rooms. Bridge Michigan's Nate...

Prison workers in the Michigan Department of Corrections have been upset about working conditions — including thin staffing, safety concerns and mandatory overtime — for a while. IPR, WCMU and the Northern Michigan Journalism Collaborative produced a series of reports about this back in April. Now, those workers are about to get a raise. Will it assuage any concern? Reporting for this episode came...

Some groups that do research and collect data on the Great Lakes face existential threats as the federal budgeting process gets underway. The president wants to cut their funding. That’s worrying scientists who say the work they do is the foundation of weather observations, water quality, maritime safety and recreation on the Great Lakes. IPR climate solutions reporter Vivian La tells us more. And...

How do you tell the story of a complicated country, for people you'll never meet? Hear our conversation with Interlochen resident Tom Medema, project manager for America's Time Capsule, part of the official celebration of the nation's semiquincentennial. The capsule will be buried in Philadelphia until 2276.

Michigan needs new farmers. So does the nation. But it's a hard business. There are big challenges, including high costs and access to land. That's to say nothing of fickle weather and a changing climate. Just south of Traverse City, an incubator farm is working to solve some of these issues. IPR climate solutions reporter Vivian La takes us there. And Austin Rowlader has details on a new investig...

Five children from Grand Traverse County were sent out of state for mental health treatment — to a Missouri facility with a history of allegations of sexual and physical abuse. Now, the mother of one of those children speaks out, telling IPR she warned the court about the facility's past, but her son was sent there anyway.

We first met Leslie Meyers, aka "the Dam Lady," back in October — long before rising waters this spring that flooded many households downstream of the dam in Bellaire. When that happened, in April, it was Meyers who was tasked with orchestrating the emergency response, issuing evacuation preparedness orders, handling media contacts, and overseeing repairs to the 100 year old earthen berm that hold...