Today on Stateside, a biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) breaks down how the ongoing partial government shutdown is affecting his lab's Great Lakes research. Plus, a member of Hamilton's original Chicago cast looks back at his two years playing George Washington.
Listen to the full show above or find individual segments below.
Great Lakes research slows down during partial government shutdown
- The current partial government shutdown is one of the longest in American history. With no resolution in sight, 800,000 federal employees are still unsure when they’ll be allowed to get back to work. Biologist Dave Fanslow is president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 3908, which represents employees at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab in Ann Arbor. He explains how the partial government shutdown is affecting his lab right now, and what could change if it continues.
Coast Guard focusing only on essential missions during partial government shutdown
- Because its budget is covered by the Department of Homeland Security and not the Department of Defense, the United States Coast Guard is the only military branch to be affected by the partial government shutdown. Petty Officer Brian McCrum is with the Coast Guard’s Ninth District, which covers all of the Great Lakes and the eight surrounding states. He tells us about the nearly 3,000 personnel in the Ninth District that have been impacted by the partial shutdown, and what he wants people spending time on the lakes this winter to know.
From church choir to studying opera at MSU, Southfield native on his path to Hamilton stardom
- It’s been nearly four years since Hamilton opened off-Broadway and captivated audiences with its unique blend of American history and hip-hop. Jonathan Kirkland played George Washington for two years as a member of Hamilton’s original Chicago cast. He talks about his experiences as an undergraduate at Michigan State University, how he got his start in musical performance, and what his time in Hamilton’s Chicago company meant to him.
“State committed fraud against Flint,” says attorney who worked on water crisis investigation
- In January 2016, then-Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette announced his investigation into the Flint water crisis. Ultimately, criminal charges ranging from felonies to misdemeanors were brought against 15 current and former state and city officials. Wayne State University law professor Noah Hall is an expert in environmental law, and he served as Special Assistant Attorney General during the investigation. He joined Stateside to talk about where he thinks the investigation succeeded, and where it failed, as well as what new Attorney General Dana Nessel’s oversight will mean for the investigation.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this post said that there were nearly 300,000 Coast Guard staff in the Ninth District. This is incorrect. There are nearly 3,000 members in the Ninth District. The story has been corrected above.
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