Stateside: New acting UAW president; a world without time zones; finding meaning behind bars

Stateside for Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Today on Stateside, as the federal investigation into the UAW continues, the union's new acting president vows to weed out corruption. Plus, a look at how two inmates in a state prison find meaning in their lives behind the prison walls. 

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

New UAW acting president vows to “bring integrity back to this union”Stateside’s conversation with Rory Gamble

• The federal investigation into UAW leadership corruption marches on. Acting UAW President Rory Gamble, who recently negotiated the contract agreement with Ford, said he has plans to root out corruption. Gamble has been a UAW member since 1974 and moved from UAW vice president to acting president just days ago. Gamble discussed his goal to regain trust among members and reorganize the system to hold leaders accountable.

Seven more communities opt to ban recreational weed businessStateside’s conversation with Kathy Gray

• One year after Michigan voters approved recreational marijuana, the issue was back on ballots in ten communities. The question this time was whether they wanted to allow recreational pot businesses. Seven of these communities voted ‘no’. Kathy Gray is the Detroit Free Press marijuana reporter. She discussed the implications of last year's legalization vote, and what this local vote means for the budding marijuana businesses in the state.

Eastpointe makes history with the first “ranked-choice” election in MichiganStateside’s conversation with Brian Fairbrother

• The Detroit suburb of Eastpointe made Michigan history on Tuesday. The city became the first in the state to use "ranked-choice voting" for two seats on city council. Voters ranked the four candidates, from first preference to fourth. If a candidate cleared more than one third of the vote, he or she would immediately win. But if no one hit that threshold, the candidate with the fewest preferences is dropped and those ballots go to the second choice candidate. The shifting and counting lasts until two candidates emerge. Brian Fairbrother, assistant city manager and deputy city clerk, recapped how the process works, and what Eastpointe voters think of the new model.

Sundials, chaos, waffling: A history of time-keeping in MichiganStateside’s conversation with Rachel Clark

"Spring forward. Fall back." That's how we do daylight saving time. Having run around last weekend turning all the house and car clocks back one hour, we got to wondering: How'd we ever wind up with this thing called “daylight saving time” in the first place? Rachel Clark with the Michigan History Center helped us answer this question. She started the story in the 1870s, when the United States had hundreds of different time zones.

Life on the Inside: When you’re inside

Stateside’s conversation with Matt Blumke and Felton Mackiehowell

• When you’re sent to prison, many of the things that make life meaningful—work, family, and friends—are gone. During Stateside’s visit to Lakeland Correctional Facility in Coldwater, we wanted to know how inmates there create meaning for themselves. Stateside talked to two of the men there — Matt Blumke and Felton Mackiehowell — during our live show at the prison to hear how they create meaningful lives behind prison walls. 

WEB EXCLUSIVE: Life on the Inside: Two former inmates return to prison to share what they've learned 

Stateside's conversation with Michael Wilder and Yafincieo Harris

• For many inmates, the difficulties of being in prison do not stop the moment they are released. Life after prison can be hard to navigate, especially when past crimes and choices haunt you. Michael Wilder and Yafincieo Harris know this well, as both have been incarcerated several times. They joined Lester Graham in front of a live audience at Lakeland Correctional Facility to discuss what it took to get their lives on track and what they say to the teens they work with in west Michigan.

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