Stateside Staff

Today on Stateside, why President Trump's tweets are unlikely to change Ford's decision to move small car production abroad. Plus, why rocks in the U.P. are giving off an alien glow. (No, it does not involve extraterrestrials.)

Listen above for the full show, or find individual segments below. 

Ford won’t be moving production of Focus hatchback to the U.S. Here’s why.

For 35 years, Congressman Sander Levin has represented people from parts of Oakland and Macomb counties. 

The Democratic congressman from Michigan's 9th District is retiring at the end of the year, and his son, Andy, is running for that seat. Andy Levin joined Stateside to tell us about why he joined the race. 

Today on Stateside, Governor Rick Snyder announced he's striking a question about past felony convictions from some state job and license applications. And, what should schools do with millions of dollars in school safety grants from the state? 

On today's Stateside, the Republican-controlled state Legislature passes two progressive ballot proposals, giving them the power to amend the laws with a simple majority. Plus, two Port Huron teachers reflect on teaching high school music when you're just starting out, and when you've been doing it for 27 years.  

Taking that first step down a career path can be daunting, like stepping into a world completely unknown.

On the flip side, if you've been walking that path a while, odds are you've learned a thing or two.

On today's Stateside, you've probably seen pictures of plastic pollution in the ocean forming giant islands or entrapping sea animals. But what happens when plastic gets into the Great Lakes? Plus, a Michigan chaplain pushing for prison reform in the 1930s wanted to enrich inmates lives with art. 

On today's Stateside, the students in Detroit's public schools are starting the year drinking bottled water after high levels of copper and lead were found in some drinking fountains. Plus, trips to Michigan's sand dunes are a classic summer activity, but could climate change reshape the state's beloved natural landmarks? 

Today on Stateside, why Republicans might be eyeing an adoption of paid sick leave and mininum wage proposals before they make it to the ballot. Plus, how your neighborhood can help, or hurt, your health. 

A recent editorial in Inside Higher Ed called on academia to “confront the power dynamics that can make academia a haven for predatory behavior and abuse.”

It was jointly signed by eight deans at Michigan State University, a school rocked by the conviction of Larry Nassar. The former sports doctor and MSU employee abused hundreds of girls and women under the guise of treatment.

Past research has indicated that where you live can affect your health. But what factors go into that, and how do you know just how bad or good your neighborhood is for you health?

The Michigan Legislature will return from summer break next week, and Republicans are discussing the potential of adopting two proposals headed to the ballot this November. 

In January, there were sightings of a fireball in the sky over Southeast Michigan.

The following day, the United States Geological Survey confirmed it was a meteoroid which had exploded in the atmosphere.

At the time, the loud "boom" it caused was reported to register at 2.0 on the Richter scale, but for the USGS and NASA, it didn't seem like that big of a deal.

Between now and November's election, we’re having conversations with statewide candidates about a variety of issues. The first one we’re tackling with candidates is education.

Recently-released state test results show that literacy scores of Michigan schoolchildren have continued to decline. Only 44 % of kids from 3rd grade through 8th grade in the state reached proficiency in the literacy portion of the test. That means more than half failed.

Frustrated by what they say is inadequate information provided to them by Enbridge, the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians sent their own tribal research vessel to the Straits of Mackinac on Thursday to take sonar imagery of the company’s Line 5 pipelines.

On Stateside today, Michigan tribal members and other activists plan to paddle the Mackinac Straits to protest Enbridge's Line 5 pipeline. Plus, why the language we use when talking about cancer matters. 

To hear individual conversations, click here or see below: 

In most workplaces, people are expected to do what their boss asks of them. But some worker's cooperatives are challenging the traditional office hierarchy.

The Sassafras Tech Collective, based in Ann Arbor, is the only registered tech co-op in the state. 

All this summer, we've brought you campfire stories from across the state.

Now, with summer winding down, we reluctantly say goodbye to our summer series with one final tale.

Colin Wesaw was recently elected Elder’s Representative for the Pokagon Band’s tribal council. He joined Stateside’s Cynthia Canty to share "The Girl and the Frogs."

Ford Motor Company got some troubling news this week from Moody's Investors Service.

It has downgraded Ford's investment rating to just one level above junk status. To Moody's, this signifies the chance of default.

This Saturday, a flotilla of kayaks, paddleboards, and birch bark canoes will paddle out into the Straits of Mackinac between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron.

It's the fourth annual Pipe Out Paddle Protest against the pair of oil and liquid natural gas pipelines known as Line 5 that lie beneath the Straits. 

In the past few weeks, there have been two high-profile people who lost their lives to cancer. Aretha Franklin died from pancreatic cancer. John McCain died from a brain cancer called glioblastoma.

How is design playing a role in Detroit’s revitalization?

That question will be on many designers’ minds at the first-ever Detroit Month of Design. It runs the entire month of September with events all around the city.

Today on Stateside, test results show fewer than half of Michigan's students are proficient in reading. So why isn't the state making gains in literacy? Plus, a Michigan teenager's baking skills have earned her a spot on national television.

The Michigan Department of Education on Wednesday released the results of its latest M-STEP assessment exams.

The big takeaways? Only 44-percent of students in grades 3-8 passed the literacy part of the exam. That's down from 2015, the first year the M-STEP was given.

Thirteen-year-old Kamryn Chasnis of Saginaw Township has been baking and cooking her whole life.

When she began watching cooking shows, there were only adult competitors. But then stations began to launch children's competitions, and Chasnis wanted to compete. 

President Trump's announcement of a limited bilateral trade agreement with Mexico to replace NAFTA is being closely watched by the farming community.

The deal is a not a finished product, and it still needs to clear Congress.

There is a rich tradition of wild rice in our state, especially for Michigan's first people. The plant plays a big role in the culture of Anishinaabe tribes, who call it manoomin. 

For much of American history, newspapers were the main source of information for citizens of all backgrounds.

And although profits may have been a top priority, newspapers helped form and inform communities, and provided a check on government.

Today on Stateside, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality says elevated PFAS levels in the Flint River posed no threat to the city's public water supply during the water crisis. Plus, as thousands of mourners gather in Detroit to say goodbye to Aretha Franklin, how should the city memorialize the Queen of Soul?  

Yesterday, MLive's Ron Fonger published a story detailing what the state knew about PFAS levels in the Flint River before the city switched its water source. 

It’s time for another edition of Theater Talk with David Kiley, editor-in-chief of Encore Michigan. 

Kiley joined Stateside to talk about the winners of the Wilde Awards, which honors the best plays, musicals, directors, playwrites, and actors in Michigan.