Stateside

The Gordie Howe International bridge crossing the Detroit River is nearing completion and is expected to open in the fall of 2025. On this episode of the Stateside podcast, we spoke with one of the officials behind the bridge about what it takes to pull of a project of this magnitude.

GUEST:

Grant Hilbers, Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority chief capital officer

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Over the past few months, encampments and protests on college campuses have been a constant in the headlines. But how does news media shape our perception of these actions?

GUEST:

Danielle K. Brown, 1855 Community & Urban Journalism Professorship and associate professor at Michigan State University

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A garden designed to bring awareness and combat environmental racism will launch with a major installment this month - a large work of art that will serve as a gateway to the park, but also monitor air quality.

GUEST:

Jordan Weber, Activist and Regenerative Land Sculptor 

Rukiya Colvin, Sidewalk Detroit Project Manager

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Ann Arbor Public Schools is facing a projected $25 million dollar deficit in the coming year. So, what happens now? On this episode, we ask the board of education's president about how one of the state's wealthiest school districts ended up here and about the plan for righting the ship.

GUEST: 

Torchio Feaster, AAPS Board of Education President

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Former President Donald Trump was in Michigan again campaigning for reelection. A few days later Vice President Kamala Harris was in Detroit promoting the strength and importance of the auto sector. And President Joe Biden will be here as well, making a campaign sweep through Detroit.

On this episode of the Stateside podcast, how Michigan is shaping up as a battleground state.

GUEST:

Zoe Clark, host of ...

Earlier this week a series of tornadoes whipped through West Michigan, destroying buildings in their path. Images of the aftermath show ruined houses and a caved-in FedEx warehouse facility, where 50 workers were trapped due to downed power lines. On this episode, we look at the immediate affects of the storm. Plus we zoom-in on Portage, a city in Michigan particularly hard hit.

GUESTS:

Yumna Jawad is best known as the Feel Good Foodie, with millions of followers on TikTok and Reels. Her shortform videos gained popularity for combining the easy and comfort of Midwestern cooking, but with Lebanese flavors and sensibilities. Now Jawad has a new cookbook, "Feel Good Foodie" publishing this week. 

GUEST:

Yumna Jawad, Feel Good Foodie

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In Michigan, the warmer months mean mushrooms! On this episode, we learn about some of the mushrooms in season, the basics of foraging, and some simple ways to prepare your bounty.

GUESTS:

Jill Grenchik, co-owner of Great Lakes Treats

Aaron Grenchik, co-owner of Great Lakes Treats

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Gaza solidarity encampments have been present at the University of Michigan's Diag for more than two weeks. The coalition of students organizing the protest are calling for the university “to divest from its financial holdings in companies that invest in Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza.” In this episode, Michigan Public reporters joined Stateside to share their analysis of the university'...

Tiff Massey is an interdisciplinary artist whose work focuses on ideas of community and adornment. She makes everything from custom, wearable jewelry to large scale architectural sculptures. Her work contends with race and class, while evoking the history of West African and Black American culture. Massey's solo exhibit, "7 Mile + Livernois ," opens at the Detroit Institute of Arts May 5th.

GUEST:

Tiff M...

"Diarra From Detroit" follows Diarra Brickland, a Detroit school teacher, as she attempts to track down a Tinder date who ghosted her. Diarra Kilpatrick, a Detroiter herself, writes, stars is, and executive produces the new BET+ series. She joined Stateside to discuss the real-life moments that inspired her writing, and what it takes to balance many themes and genres in one story.

GUEST ON THIS EPISODE:

In 2009, an assistant Wayne County prosecutor made a horrifying discovery: more than 11-thousand untested rape kits sitting in an abandoned Detroit Police warehouse. The repercussions of that find are still being felt today.

GUEST:

Sarah Cwiek, reporter for Michigan Public

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After 14 years of organizing and building, the Detroit People’s Food Co-op will open its doors on Wednesday, May 1st, with a grand opening celebration to follow on Saturday, May 18th. 

The co-op was fathered by the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network. Malik Yakini, who co-founded the group, currently serves as its executive director.

"Part of what we're working on is really not just addressing access, but addressing the...

For many years, Michigan was considered a national political bellwether. 
There are so many factors in play this year. We’ve talked in recent days about how the arrival of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on the Michigan ballot last week as a candidate with the Natural Law Party might shift primary results. So, is Michigan going to be any kind of predictor of trends in national election results in 2024? In this episode, Michigan State Univ...

What would you do if your tap water turned brown? If it gave your children a rash every time they took a bath? Or worse, what if it made them sick? We're revisiting Michigan Public's audio documentary from 2015 about the Flint Water Crisis. Plus we'll hear from the reporter about the making of Not Safe to Drink.

GUEST:

• Lindsey Smith, lead of Michigan Public's Amplify team

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More than 100 people who were abused by former Michigan State University and U.S. Olympic gymnastics doctor Nassar have finally reached a $138.7 million settlement with the Department of Justice. The FBI failed to properly investigate complaints about Nassar, which allowed Nassar to continue abusing patients and athletes in Michigan for another year.

GUEST:

Kate Wells, reporter for Michigan Public

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Ten years ago today a devastating water crisis began in the city of Flint, Michigan. Its water was tainted with lead, threatening tens of thousands of people. Suddenly the spotlight swung onto Michigan and on the quality of the nation’s drinking water. Today, we’re looking at what happened, what’s changed, and how people are thinking about the crisis ten years later.

GUESTS:

Steve Carmody, reporter for M...

The politician Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will be on the presidential ballot in Michigan, as the nominee for the Natural Law Party. Will his run from the outside is a swipe at the binary choice of Joe Biden or Donald Trump, but the odds are stacked against him. 

GUESTS:

Tyler Scott, reporter for Michigan Public

Jonathan Hanson, political science expert from University of Michigan

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Kalamazoo-born artist Titus Kaphar's work is displayed in some of the premiere art museums, like MoMA, the Whitney, and the Met. But you can also find his work in a different kind of institution. One of his pieces features in his series "From a Tropical Place"  is currently displayed at Grosse Pointe North High School.

The painting is causing quite a stir. On this episode, we’re talking to Titus Kaphar about this particular piece,...