Stateside Staff

Today on Stateside, we check in with two reporters and a county clerk about what the primary turnout —both in-person and absentee — tells us about the upcoming general election. Plus, a medical historian walks us through the history of vaccine development and what complicates the race for a COVID-19 vaccine. 

Today on Stateside, what a primary election looks like in the midst of a pandemic. Also, a deep dive into how leftover human feces and other waste from water treatment plants ends up on our farm fields. Plus, what back to school might look like for the University of Michigan. 

Today on Stateside, we'll talk about the biggest races and issues on the August 4 primary ballot. Plus, a conversation with the Michigan Teacher of the Year about the return to school and what it means for his students to have a transgender adult to look up to in their lives.

Today on Stateside, what big funders and foundations can do to make sure arts groups are welcoming to everyone. Plus, an update on how the auto industry is faring during the pandemic.

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Today on Stateside, Senate Republicans have developed a proposal for COVID stimulus that would, most notably, reduce unemployment benefits from the federal government from $600 a week to $200 a week. We talk about the pushback and potential consequences. Plus, the pandemic has wreaked havoc on the restaurant industry. Will fine dining survive?

Today on Stateside, we discuss the many legal questions surrounding the president’s authority to send federal agents into a city like Portland, or Detroit. Plus, we talk to the superintendent of schools in Whitefish Township about the unique challenges rural districts face in reopening.

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Today on Stateside, Governor Gretchen Whitmer has been vocal about her decision to only reopen schools if public health officials agree it is safe.

What are the discussions happening between the Governor and the Republican led legislature regarding schools and education funding? Plus a conversation with former Detroit Institute of Arts and Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit employees about systemic racism in art institutions. Also, we spoke with the reporter who wrote about University of Michigan football star Jon Vaughn’s story of survival in “an ecosystem of abuse.”

Today on Stateside, we dig into the history of King James Jesse Strang— a self-professed mormon monarch who held court on Beaver Island. Plus, we look back on the worst oil spill into an inland waterway in US history, which took place here in Michigan.

Today on Stateside, while the United States Census of 2020 is still being counted, Michigan responses are higher than the national average. But some communities in the state are vulnerable to being left out of the official count, particularly amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, how the inequalities Black Michiganders discussed at the state’s first Convention of Colored Citizens in 1843 compare with those Black Americans still face today. Plus, kids and parents negotiate privacy and trust in the age of smartphone tracking.

Today on Stateside, we had a conversation with Jordyn Wieber, an Olympic champion gymnast from Michigan, and one of the central figures in ESPN’s new podcast series "Heavy Medals". Plus, a new podcast from Detroit producer Zak Rosen called "The Best Advice Show".

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Today on Stateside, Michigan Radio Sports Commentator John U. Bacon checks in on hopes for college sports amid COVID-19. Also, a conversation with an author whose new book digs into what the University of Michigan got right and got wrong in its diversity and inclusion efforts.  

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Today on Stateside, we spoke with the reporter who broke the story about a Michigan 15-year-old who was sentenced to juvenile detention for missing homework during the coronavirus shutdown. Also, a conversation about addressing disparities in education through connecting with families. Plus, how a Detroit nonprofit founded after the 1967 uprisings is pushing for change today.

Today on Stateside, we discussed how two recent Supreme Court decisions may impact cases in Michigan. Plus, last night, Lansing City Council heard public comments on a proposal to cut police funding in the city by 50 percent over the next several years.

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Michigan’s COVID-19 caseload has been on a rollercoaster for the past few weeks. We spoke with Michigan's medical director Joneigh Khaldun for an update. Plus, researchers at Michigan State University are working on cultivating the ever elusive morel mushrooms. And, we kick off our summer series about how systemic racism shapes the world around us with a conversation about healthcare.

Today on Stateside, a new initiative called the Mishigamiing Journalism Project has created six month long fellowships for Indigenous journalists at the Traverse City Record Eagle. Plus, a conversation with two Michiganders about dealing with family separation along the Canadian border. And should masks be mandatory throughout the state?

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Today on Stateside, hospitals and health workers are still looking for ways to safely interact with patients following the first COVID-19 surge in Michigan. We check in with an epidemiologist who’s researching how plasma from recovered patients might help those at high risk of infection. Plus, we continue to look at what school might look like in the fall as the governor's Return to Learn Task Force wraps up its work and recommendations next week. 

Today on Stateside, recent developments with Enbridge’s Line 5 have lead Attorney General Dana Nessel to ask for a temporarily halt of operations. Tribes who live and work around the Great Lakes have had an eye on this for years.  Also, Michigan’s legislators have announced funding plans for reopening K-12 schools. What will that look like? Plus, what to expect when you’re expecting to travel this summer.

Today on Stateside, Michigan has experienced a drop in COVID-19 cases these past few weeks, but over the weekend, case numbers slightly increased again. We check in with an epidemiologist on how to pace yourself for a pandemic. Also, two law professors explain how legal precedents make it tough to prosecute police misconduct. Plus, the founders of a new bilingual media outlet discuss the need for more local news in Spanish.

Today on Stateside, a long-time educator discussed how racism and Black history is taught in schools. Plus, a cultural arts center in Detroit that’s finding ways to survive when the economy crumbles but the mission is more important than ever. And Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence (MI-14) discussed Juneteenth, and the need for a national dialogue about reparations.

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Today on Stateside, we talk to a Detroit artist whose new mural is a monument to Malice Green and the wider community of Black citizens killed at the hands of police. Plus, two young Dreamers discuss what the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program (DACA) means for them.

Today on Stateside, Governor Gretchen Whitmer says schools should prepare for in-person instruction this fall. We’ll talk about what those plans could look like, even as the governor cautioned that things may change. We’ll also hear teenagers from Michigan Radio's newest podcast, Kids These Days, about how they are thinking and talking about race with their families. Plus, a Michigan musician and producer talks about a new song simmered in the same elements that have brought so many Americans to protest in the streets in recent weeks.

Today on Stateside, a conversation with a community activist in Grand Rapids looking to defund the police and what that would entail. Plus, four nurses have filed a lawsuit against the parent company of DMC and Sinai-Grace over what they say was negligence and mismanagement that led to unnecessary COVID-19 deaths.

Today on Stateside, the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday issued a landmark decision that ruled LGBTQ people are protected from workplace discrimination under existing civil rights laws. An attorney with the ACLU of Michigan discusses the impact of the court’s decision. Also, an Ypsilanti bookstore owner talks about the recent flood of orders he and other black-owned businesses have gotten amid ongoing Black Lives Matter protests, and tells us the books he recommends for the current moment. 

Today on Stateside, less driving statewide during the COVID-19 pandemic means insurance companies need to distribute refunds. We find out about what this means for drivers, as well as how they’ll be affected by upcoming changes to the state’s no-fault law. Also, a look at how the history of LGBTQ Pride and the Black Lives Matter movement intersect. Plus, social media’s relationship to social change.

Today on Stateside, how the state parks system is coping with the tidal wave of people desperate to get out of the house. Plus, restaurants and bars all around Michigan can restart dine-in service next week. We check in with a small business owner in Grand Rapids about reopening during COVID and protests over police brutality.

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Listen to the full show above or find individual segments below.