Stateside

Today on Stateside, after signs that a compromise on road funding might be on the horizon, negotiations over the state budget between Republican lawmakers and the governor stall again. Plus, Michigan food isn’t known for its tropical flavors, but we’ve got a cocktail might convince you otherwise.

The budget is the big news at the state capitol. The Republican-led state House and Senate have proposed $500 million in additional spending for the roads. Governor Gretchen Whitmer initially asked for $2 billion for the roads. 

Abortion has moved to the forefront of national politics. Where lawmakers stand on the issue has become a litmus test when determining if someone is a Republican or Democrat.

Today on Stateside, with current contracts set to expire this weekend, the clock is ticking for General Motors and the United Auto Workers union to strike a deal. Plus, we'll hear how some white nationalists are blending xenophobic ideology with environmentalism and calling themselves “eco-fascists.”

When you think about the modern environmentalist movement, you probably picture progressive supporters with liberal political views. 

But in a piece recently published in The Conversation, University of Michigan Professor Alexandra Minna Stern notes that more and more white nationalists are latching onto environmental concerns and calling themselves "eco-fascists.”

Agriculture has a long history in Michigan and continues to be one of the state’s top industries. And for one 19th century utopian community in the Thumb, it was half of the equation to living a godly life.

Today on Stateside, how "energy resilient" is Michigan? We talk to the chair of the Michigan Public Service Commission about a newly-released assessment of the state's energy infrastructure. Plus, the rise and fall of a 19th century Chrsitian utopian society in Michigan's Thumb region. 

Today on Stateside, do federal protections against sex discrimination extend to transgender people? A federal appeals court ruled that yes, they do. We'll talk with the lawyer who's asking the U.S. Supreme Court to come to the opposite conclusion. Plus, we’ll talk about Detroit country music ahead of a new Ken Burns documentary about this "uniquely American art form.”

Aimee Stephens took months to compose a letter to her employer in July 2013. It read: 

“With the support of my loving wife, I have decided to become the person that my mind already is. I cannot begin to describe the shame and suffering that I have lived with. At the end of my vacation on August 26, 2013, I will return to work as my true self, Aimee Australia Stephens, in appropriate business attire.” 

These words propelled Stephens into the heart of a legal case soon to be argued before the U.S. Supreme Court ─ a potentially landmark case for the future of LGBTQ rights in this country.

Today on Stateside, Michigan’s House Minority Leader shares her reaction to the agreement between Governor Whitmer and Republican legislative leaders to remove the issue of road funding from state budget negotiations. Plus, we talk to Aimee Stephens, a transgender woman involved in an employment discrimination case that is scheduled to go before the United States Supreme Court in October. 

Today on Stateside, a Detroit-based company tries to mediate the “plague” of tax foreclosures in the city of Detroit. Plus, we hear from a judge who might have made a legal path for LGBTQ people to go to court for discrimination even though there are no civil rights protections for them in Michigan.

Today on Stateside, what is Michigan doing to compensate the thousands of residents wrongly accused of making fraudulent unemployment insurance claims? Plus, we look into efforts at Grand Rapids Public Schools to improve opportunities for students of color, and talk to a desegregation expert about why urban districts often struggle to do so. 

Sturgeon are a long-grey, spiney, prehistoric fish that can live up to 100 years old.

But overfishing and habitat destruction has decimated their population across the state.

Today on Stateside, Governor Whitmer issued emergency rules making Michigan the first state to ban flavored e-cigarettes, which are popular among teenagers. Plus, the story of a Bay City teacher who took a trip over Niagra Falls. 

Today on Stateside, how is Benton Harbor High School faring after months of scrutiny from the Whitmer administration over the school’s low test scores and high debt? Plus, how will negotiations between UAW and the Big Three be impacted by the looming threat of a recession and an ongoing FBI probe into union leadership?

Looking for new music to ease the transition from summer into fall. Local Spins editor and publisher John Sinkevics has you covered. He joined Stateside with an update on three West Michigan artists that he recommends checking out.

Today on Stateside, the latest on the road funding dispute between Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Republican leadership in the Michigan Legislature. Plus, while some retirees might be getting ready to head to Florida for the winter, one Florida couple recently uprooted their life to move to Michigan to avoid the worst effects of climate change.

Today on Stateside, we talk to Republican state House Speaker Lee Chatfield about the ongoing negotiations between Governor Gretchen Whitmer and the Legislature over road funding and the state budget. Plus, the forgotten history of how a Grand Rapids high school became the birthplace of vocational education.

A road repair funding dispute continues to stall the approval of the state’s 2020 budget. The deadline for approving a budget is October 1. But agreement on a new budget has so far eluded Governor Gretchen Whitmer and the GOP-led legislature, hung-up on the major snag of how to fund road repairs.

Results for the 2019 M-STEP were released Thursday.

That's the statewide test designed to gauge how well students are mastering state standards. It tests students in grades 3-8 in English Language Arts and math.

Today on Stateside, negotiations over the state budget continue between Governor Gretchen Whitmer and the state Legislature. Plus, the 1930s program that rebuilt the forests of Northern Michigan after the age of lumber barons produced areas of massive clear cutting. 

With budget deadline looming, Gov. Whitmer pressures GOP legislators to reveal their road funding plan

Today on Stateside, it's been three weeks since a Michigan man died after being deported to Iraq. How are things for hundreds of other Chaldeans facing deportation? Plus, how one school district is remodeling its high school to make it harder for a mass shooter to carry out an attack.

In the midst of the ongoing national discussion over mass shootings and school safety, one district in West Michigan is taking a new approach to protect its students.

Fruitport High School in Muskegon County is undergoing major renovations designed, in part, to reduce the impact and potential damage from a mass shooter.

Funeral directors help people during what are often the lowest moments in their lives. However, for some pretty obvious reasons, it is not a common career path. 

Stateside's Work in Progress series features conversations between someone just starting out in a career and someone who is reaching the end of their professional life.

Today, we introduce you to two funeral directors on either end of that spectrum.

Today on Stateside, we get a preview of the top priorities for Michigan lawmakers as they return to Lansing Tuesday for the fall legislative session. Plus, why the number of full-time librarians in Michigan schools is shrinking, and what that means for students. 

Mental health treatment has changed drastically in the past century. But it wasn’t that long ago that many people with severe mental illnesses were permanent residents at state-run psychiatric hospitals.

There were once 16 psychiatric hospitals across Michigan, including Traverse City State Hospital. An oral history project in Traverse City is shedding light on what life was like in those institutions.  

This school year, districts in Michigan will start holding back third-graders who are more than one grade level behind in reading.

Michigan students have been sliding down the national rankings of test scores for reading.

Nearly 22 million pounds of plastic end up in the Great Lakes each year. University of Michigan student and West Michigan native Jackson Riegler is stepping up to face that challenge, and he's doing it through fashion. 

Riegler is the founder of Oshki, a company that uses plastic waste to create sustainable apparel.