Stateside

Today on Stateside, Democratic front-runners in the presidential primary are making their final pitch to Michigan voters. We spoke to Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, and heard about former Vice President Joe Biden's message to voters in Grand Rapids. Plus, the city of Detroit will restore water to thousands of households because of fears about the spread of COVID-19. 

Today on Stateside, we talk to a leader in Michigan's Chaldean community about his meeting with Vice President Mike Pence about the future for detained and deported Iraqi Christians. Plus, a conversation about why so many mentally ill people in Michigan end up in jail, and what we can do about it. 

On today's Stateside, lawmakers in Lansing may be ready to throw clerks a lifeline as they prepare to count an onslaught of absentee ballots this primary season. Plus, we'll talk to the state’s top health official about how Michigan is preparing for a potential outbreak of the coronavirus.

Today on Stateside, we look at two traditionally Republican congressional districts in West Michigan that are going through political change. Plus, we talk to poet and prose writer Saladin Ahmed, who has made a stellar transition into comic books and written for several iconic Marvel characters. 

Today on Stateside, we talk with Michigan Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (D-12th) about the presidential race. It's been four years since she predicted Donald Trump's surprise win in Michigan. We'll ask what she sees ahead in 2020. Plus, Michigan’s two largest energy companies have deeply divergent plans for moving to renewables. What does that mean for our state's energy future? 

Today on Stateside, as President Trump pardons a slew of white-collar criminals, some Detroiters are asking for consideration for Kwame Kilpatrick. The former Detroit mayor is serving a lengthy sentence on corruption charges. What would a commutation do for Trump's standing in metro Detroit? Also, a new documentary tells the story of how a lakeside town in West Michigan became contaminated with PFAS.

Today on Stateside, what the worsening erosion of Great Lakes shorelines looks like from a bird’s eye view. Plus, an expected flood of absentee ballots this November has some of Michigan's clerks nervous about timely reporting. We talk to a state senator who says accuracy is more important than speed when it comes to counting votes. 

Today on Stateside, we talk about Governor Gretchen Whitmer's budget priorities, including a boost in school funding. Plus, parents from Saline and Lansing discuss what it's like to raise kids of color who go to majority-white schools. 

Today on Stateside, we spoke to two Michigan clerks about how the state can avoid an Iowa caucuses style castastrophe in November. Plus, a new play at Plowshares Theatre in Detroit tells the story of Broadway's first black megastar Charles S. Gilpin.

Today on Stateside, Governor Gretchen Whitmer is set to deliver the Democratic rebuttal to President Trump’s State of the Union next week. Why was she chosen and what can we expect to hear? Plus, the head of a Dearborn seminary talks about educating the next generation of Muslim faith leaders.

Today on Stateside, a lack of legal banking options in the marijuana industry means that many businesses are operating solely in cash—creating significant safety risks and limiting the industry's growth. Plus, a Michigan Supreme Court case is testing how much money the government can collect from tax-delinquent homeowners. 

Today on Stateside, we step back in time to the summer of 1963, to hear how Martin Luther King Junior set the stage in Detroit for the March on Washington later that year. Plus, we go over this year's list of Michigan Notable Books, which includes everything from new fiction to gripping history.

Today on Stateside, we take a deeper look at how property tax foreclosures in Detroit created a pileup of city-owned properties, and left residents to care for the most desolate blocks. Plus, a Michigan photographer captures a whole year of sunrises in the Upper Peninsula. 

Today on Stateside, an investigation finds the city Detroit overcharged tens of thousands of homeowners for property taxes. What recourse is there for people who lost their homes as a result? We'll talk to the reporters who broke the story. Also, how the polls misread voters in 2016 – especially ones without a party affiliation.

It’s a New Year and Michigan Radio has added a new voice. April Baer is the host of Stateside. She joined Doug Tribou on Morning Edition to talk about her Midwest roots and her path to Michigan Radio.

Today on Stateside, we welcome new host April Baer. She jumps right into things by chatting with Senator Gary Peters, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security Committee, about the current situation developing in Iran and whether or not there is an "imminent threat" to American lives, as the Trump administration has claimed. Plus, it appears to be the Dark Ages of Detroit sports. What will it take to turn them around? 

Today on Stateside, we spoke with Democratic Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin, who represents Michigan's 8th District, about why she is voting to impeach President Trump. Plus, Richard Phillips served some 46 years in a Michigan prison for a murder he didn't commit, making him the longest-serving exoneree in U.S. history. We spoke with him about what life has been like since he was released from prison more than two years ago. 

Today on Stateside, we talk to Paul Mitchell, who represents Michigan’s 10th District, about his view on the impeachment proceedings against President Trump. Plus, we talk to one of the longest-serving members of the Capitol press corps about his nearly five decades covering Michigan politics.

Today on Stateside, we heard about the latest update on a lawsuit filed in 2015 on behalf of the tens of thousands of Michiganders wrongly accused of submitting fraudulent unemployment claims. Plus, the new director of the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency talked about her plan to get more of Michigan's 600,000 veterans connected to the benefits they need. 

Today on Stateside, a team from Emory University is in Michigan this week to take blood samples from people who were exposed to polybrominated biphenyls—or PBBs—in the 1970s. Plus, is new technology the key to fighting climate change—or is a radical cultural shift needed? 

Today on Stateside, Great Lakes water levels are at record or near-record highs, leading to dramatic shoreline erosion and threatening lakeshore properties. Plus, the Detroit origins of the spiral cut ham, a holiday dinner staple. 

Today on Stateside, we hear about the plan for a unique “net-zero” community in Ann Arbor. Plus, dispelling the stereotype that Michigan wine can't compete on the world stage. 

Today on Stateside, General Motors is suing rival automaker Fiat Chrysler. We’ll hear about how corruption charges against the UAW and Fiat Chrysler are at the heart of the lawsuit. Plus, a case before a federal appeals court looks at whether some Detroit students’ constitutional rights were violated by subpar learning environments and instruction.

The state of Michigan is a step closer to establishing the limits of PFAS in drinking water. PFAS is a family of chemicals that have been discovered in high levels in drinking water at sites across the state. Yesterday the Environmental Rules Review Committee voted to move the draft regulations forward. If approved, the new regulations will be among the strictest in the nation. The next step is a public comment period along with public hearings, which are expected to be announced before year's end. 

Today on Stateside, this year’s multiple weather-related curveballs have spelled out an uncertain future for some of Michigan’s corn farmers. Plus, we hear from a Michigander whose future depends on the upcoming U.S. Supreme Court decision on the fate of the Obama administration’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.