Stateside

Today on Stateside, Governor Whitmer announced a plan earlier this week to introduce a 45 cent gas tax by October 2020. Are there enough road workers to put all that funding to use? Plus, Ingham County is building a public defender office from the ground up. We talk about the challenges of developing a brand new governmental department. 

Today on Stateside, Ann Arbor officials announced last week that trace amounts of a chemical known as 1,4-dioxane had been found in the city's drinking water for the first time. So, what does that mean for residents? Plus, if you feel like popular songs aren't as happy as they used to be, a new study says you're right. 

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

Today on Stateside, we talk to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel about criticisms of how her office is handling civil lawsuits involving the Flint water crisis. Plus, we dive into the life of one of Henry Ford's mentors, who beat him to Michigan's first drive in a car by about three months. 

Today on Stateside, the former special assistant attorney general for the state’s Flint water investigation shares his concerns over Attorney General Dana Nessel's decision to remove an independent legal counsel from that investigation. Plus, a co-founder of the recently-established Anishinaabek Caucus within the Michigan Democratic Party talks about the issues of concern to native voters. 

Today on Stateside, the legislature revisits Michigan’s high auto insurance rates, but will a decrease in rates only come with less guaranteed medical care? Plus, a study looks at how an all-renewable energy grid would have fared in January’s polar vortex.

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

Today on Stateside, the co-sponsor of a gun safety bill introduced in the Michigan House explains what his proposed legislation would do to address gun violence. Plus, how a Grand Rapids conference is helping people love and accept their bodies exactly as they are. 

Today on Stateside, the nation's second largest Protestant denomination voted Tuesday to reaffirm the church's ban on same-sex marriage and LGBTQ clergy. We talk to two United Methodist pastors about what it means for the church going forward. Plus, 67 years ago, a young activist named Coleman A. Young went toe-to-toe with congressmen on the feared House Un-American Activities Committee over allegations that he was involved with the Communist Party.  

Today on Stateside, we look back to the 1960s, a neighborhood in Lansing, mainly African-American, was destroyed to make way for the I-496 freeway. Plus, we’ll learn about a new effort to gather the lost history of that Lansing community. 

Today on Stateside, the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan is accusing Grand Rapids police of engaging in racial profiling after one of its officers contacted immigration authorities upon the arrest of a Marine combat veteran last December. Plus, two members of Michigan's business community talk about what "business friendly" means to woman and minority business leaders. 

Today on Stateside, the priest in charge of processing cases of sexual abuse by clergy in the Detroit diocese responds to state Attorney General Dana Nessel’s call for the Catholic church to stop investigating itself. Plus, the legal gray area around growing – and selling – hemp and its products, including CBD oil.    

Today on Stateside, we talk with Congresswoman Debbie Dingell about the loss of her husband and his  last words to America. Plus, we continue our look into Michigan's mental health services for children, with a conversation about the state's dire shortage of child and adolescent psychiatrists. 

Today on Stateside, we hear from two Catholics who have been pushing for changes in their dioceses in response to the allegations of sexual abuse by priests. Plus, Afrofuturism was spotlighted for an international audience in last year’s wildly successful film Black Panther. But the philosophy and art of Afrofuturism have had a home in Detroit for decades.