Stateside

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,...

When changes to auto-no fault insurance in Michigan passed in 2019, lawmakers hailed it as a bipartisan win. But for many catastrophically injured survivors of auto accidents, it meant losing the care they’ve depended on for years. On this episode, we hear about the attempts to increase the caps on in-home nursing care for catastrophically injured crash survivors--and why proposed reforms are stalling.

GUEST: 

Tracy Samilton, ene...

A political legal drama is unfolding in Michigan. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has filed more than a dozen charges against former state House Speaker Lee Chatfield, alleging that he used a non-profit to amass kickbacks and to use a slush fund for personal expenses.

GUEST:

Craig Mauger, state politics reporter for The Detroit News

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For 33 years, the story of Anita Wiley’s disappearance was unresolved. After firefighters found her remains in a vacant house in Detroit that had been set on fire, she was buried in a cemetery for the unidentified, and her case was named “Unknown Woman 1987.” In 2020, through a cemetery DNA program, Anita’s remains were identified and linked to her son, Antonio Wiley, and her sister, Tonya Mosley, who neve...

The Mackinac Bridge lacks modern protections around its piers in the Straits of Mackinac, making it vulnerable if a freighter veered off course as happened recently in Baltimore.

In response to this question, a representative from the Michigan Department of Transportation sent this statement: "The investigation into the tragedy in Baltimore continues, and appears to be focused on what caused the ship to lose power and veer so far ...

The NFL Draft is happening in Detroit from April 25-27. With high volume events like this, there's a risk for human trafficking. So how are law enforcement and advocates preparing to protect people this NFL draft and what should you look out for if you attend?

GUEST:

Sarah Rahal, reporter for The Detroit News

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Michigan born author Katie Williams' novel “My Murder” is the next Michigan Public Reads. The premise is a woman murdered by a serial killer and brought back to life as a clone tries to piece together the days and weeks leading up to her murder. 

GUEST:

Katie Williams, writer

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Move over, solar eclipse, there's another stunning and fleeting natural phenomenon in Michigan... Corpsy the Corpse Flower. We get an up-close whiff of a pungent corpse flower grown at home by a Michigander. The endangered species is exceedingly rare, and blooms for about 36 hours, once or twice a decade. 

GUEST:

Kevin Hauser, owner and nurturer of Corpsy the Corpse Flower

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James and Jennifer Crumbley were each sentenced to 10-15 years in prison for negligence that contributed to their teenage son killing four of his peers at Oxford High School. It's the first such conviction of parents of a school shooter. 

GUEST:

Briana Rice, criminal justice reporter, Michigan Public 

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The U.S. Census plans to add a new response option for race/ethnicity: Middle Eastern or North African. It's  something Arab and Muslim communities have sought for years to codify their community presence and hopefully, over the long-term, cement support for community services. 

GUEST:

Germine H. Awad, professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Michigan

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The National Athletic Trainers Association recently came out with a bulletin on how to manage sports related concussions. On this episode, we’re talking about new concussion treatments, the impact of sports, and the mental health side effects.

GUEST:

Steven Broglio, director of the Michigan Concussion Center and professor at the University of Michigan School of Kinesiology

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The Council on American-Islamic Relations' recently published report documents a surge in discrimination against Muslims in the U.S.

GUEST:

Dawud Walid, executive director of the Michigan chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations 

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Robin Michigiizhigookwe Clark is the first Anishinaabe woman to serve on the Michigan’s Natural Resource Commission.

GUEST:

Robin Michigiizhigookwe Clark, Michigan National Resources Commission appointee and Natural Resources Division Director for the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians

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Writer A.H. Kim's newest book "Relative Strangers" loosely follows the story of Jane Austen's "Sense and Sensibility," telling the tale of two sisters in transition. Kim joins us for a conversation about writing for entertainment, looking in from the outside, and life after cancer.

GUEST:

A.H. Kim, writer

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The Hemlock Woolly Adelgid may sound and look cute, but it's a menace to our forests and wild spaces. This invasive species has been identified this year in the Huron-Manistee National Forest. And that's just more bad news signaling its spread.

GUEST:

Deborah McCullough, professor of entomology at Michigan State University

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April is poetry month! And in Michigan, there’s lots to celebrate. In honor of the pen, we’re bringing you a conversation we absolutely loved with two of our favorite writers — both who’ve collaborated with InsideOut Literary Arts, a poetry program for students in Detroit.

GUESTS:

Nandi Comer, Michigan Poet Laureate

Ross Gay, best-selling poet and essayist

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The Palisades power plant located in Van Buren township closed down in 2022, but there's a new effort to reopen it. Today, we’re talking about the Palisades power plant, the impact it’s had on the community there, and why some people are pushing for it to reopen.

GUESTS:

Dustin Dwyer, reporter for Michigan Public
Lindsey Smith, editor for Michigan Public

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