Stateside

Today on Stateside, new draft regulations for PFAS in drinking water take a step closer to becoming a reality. Plus, Detroit struggles to get landlords to comply with rules that protect renters.

The state of Michigan is a step closer to establishing the limits of PFAS in drinking water. PFAS is a family of chemicals that have been discovered in high levels in drinking water at sites across the state. Yesterday the Environmental Rules Review Committee voted to move the draft regulations forward. If approved, the new regulations will be among the strictest in the nation. The next step is a public comment period along with public hearings, which are expected to be announced before year's end. 

The woman was using her muddler like a weapon, smashing something to bits in her tin mixing cup.

“I had some frustrations to work out, Lester,” said Tammy Coxen with Tammy's Tastings.

It turns out she was pounding diced up beet pieces, making mush of them.

“How do you feel about beets,” she asked me.

She already knew the answer. I despise the taste of beets.

Today on Stateside, UAW rank and file members watch and worry as an ongoing federal corruption probe casts doubt over top leadership. Plus, we hear about the challenges of ensuring clean drinking water in America. 

It’s a challenging time, to say the least, for the United Auto Workers Union. The UAW’s president is on paid leave amidst a widening federal corruption probe, which has resulted in 13 charges and 10 guilty pleas.

Acting president Rory Gamble has pledged to “clean up” the UAW, but how do its rank and file members feel about their union’s future?

The Flint water crisis showed the state—and the country—that clean drinking water isn't something we can take for granted. But it isn’t just Flint. Recent water samples put St. Clair Shores on the list of Michigan communities with high levels of lead in their water. Other areas of the state are worried about PFAS contamination.

Today on Stateside, we hear from two sisters working to increase Muslim representation in the books at libraries. Plus, we talk to the director of the Detroit Zoo about the role that zoos can play in addressing the impacts of climate change. 

It's been nearly two years since Albanian immigrant Ded Rranxburgaj and his wife, Flora, took refuge at Central United Methodist Church in Detroit.

Flora has multiple sclerosis and Ded is her sole caregiver. He had been allowed to stay in the United States on humanitarian grounds until a deportation order from ICE came down in 2017, prompting the couple to seek sanctuary at the church.

Today on Stateside, this year’s multiple weather-related curveballs have spelled out an uncertain future for some of Michigan’s corn farmers. Plus, we hear from a Michigander whose future depends on the upcoming U.S. Supreme Court decision on the fate of the Obama administration’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

Today on Stateside, a veteran advocate says that Michigan veterans are not getting connected to the benefits they’ve earned. Plus, we talk to one of the last living members of the Tuskegee Airmen, a legendary all-black military unit that flew combat missions during World War II.

On this Veterans Day, we're 10 months into Governor Gretchen Whitmer's term. Air Force veteran Stephanie Zarb helped advise Whitmer's campaign for governor as co-chair of the Veterans for Whitmer group. Zarb told Stateside that despite Whitmer's promises to make sure veterans get the benefits to which they are entitled, the administration has actually made it harder for veterans to access those benefits. 

This segment originally aired on June 24, 2019.   

There are just 11 surviving members of the Tuskegee Airmen, a legendary all-black military unit that flew combat missions during World War II.

Ninety-four-year-old retired Lt. Col. Harry T. Stewart, Jr., who lives in Bloomfield Hills, is one of them. His life is the subject of a new book from aviation writer Philip Handleman titled Soaring To Glory: A Tuskegee Airman's Firsthand Account of World War II.

For some people, prison is temporary. At some point, they get released, they go home, and they move on with their lives.

But for those serving a life sentence, prison is their home. And whatever meaning they can find in life will have to be found behind the barbed wire and prison walls.

Today on Stateside, the UAW’s International Executive Board meets to consider reforms in the face of the growing federal corruption probe into the union. Plus, as our series “Life on the Inside” continues, we’ll look at what it’s like to parent while you’re in prison.

More than 40% of the prisoners at Lakeland Correctional Facility are lifers. But not every life sentence is the same.

We’ve reported a lot on the lifers who were sentenced for crimes they committed before they were 18. Some of those lifers have a new sense of hope after the Supreme Court decided that sentencing juveniles to life without the possibility of parole is unconstitutional.

Today on Stateside, as the federal investigation into the UAW continues, the union's new acting president vows to weed out corruption. Plus, a look at how two inmates in a state prison find meaning in their lives behind the prison walls. 

"Spring forward. Fall back." That's how we do daylight saving time. Having run around last weekend turning all the house and car clocks back one hour, we got to wondering: How'd we ever wind up with this thing called “daylight saving time” in the first place?

The  federal corruption probe into the UAW marches on.

On Wednesday, retired union vice president Joe Ashton became the 13th and highest-ranking person to be charged in the investigation. Union president Gary Jones has taken a leave of absence.

The union's vice president Rory Gamble, who recently negotiated the contract agreement with Ford, is now the UAW's acting president.

Today on Stateside, it’s Election Day! We’ll see what changes in voter registration and no-reason absentee voting has meant for voters and county clerks. Plus, the director of the Michigan Department of Corrections gives her answer to the question: what are prisons for?

With Veterans Day right around the corner, organizations nationwide are putting extra focus on our country’s service members and veterans.

On Wednesday night, the Fisher House Michigan will welcome veterans on stage to share their stories from World War II, Vietnam, Iraq, and other deployments. It's the organization's annual Stories of Service event. 

Local Spins editor and publisher John Sinkevics joined Stateside to share some of the most exciting new music coming out of West Michigan this month. What unites his artist picks this time around, Sinkevics said, are the “compelling stories” they each bring to their music. 

Today on Stateside, a rundown of the major issues voters across the state will see on their ballot in Tuesday's election. Plus, an urgent care center designed for mental health needs.

When you have an injury or illness that needs immediate attention, but isn't an emergency, you head to the urgent care center. Those facilities allow people to be seen outside of doctor's office hours while avoiding an expensive trip to the emergency room.

Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services in Grand Rapids has taken that idea and applied it to mental health treatment.

Today on Stateside, what 5G technology could mean for Michigan. Plus, Detroit is considering opting-out of allowing recreational marijuana business until at least 2020.

Today on Stateside, Ann Arbor Public Schools is asking taxpayers to approve a $1 billion dollar bond proposal to upgrade buildings in the district. We'll talk to the district's superintendent about why she believes the money is needed. Plus, Happy Halloween! We’ll explore Michigan's haunted places and horror films.

Today on Stateside, Michigan students are improving their academic performance in comparison to peers in other states. We'll talk about what that tells us about the success of recent education reforms. Plus, we'll hear from both of the people vying for the title of Flint mayor in next week's election. 

He was seven feet tall with glistening eyes of blue or yellow and a terrifying, humanoid howl. He looked like a man, but also had the qualities of a canine-like creature. He was the Michigan Dogman. 

Today on Stateside, what does the resignation of a member of the Michigan State University Board of Trustees mean for the university moving forward? Plus, how Kalamazoo and other cities are preparing for, and trying to mitigate, the impacts of climate change.

Halloween night is one of the busiest pizza delivery nights of the year. If you're having people over after trick-or-treating, there's a good chance you'll have a rectangular deep dish delivered to your home. 

That style of pizza—with the cheese pushed to the edges, forming a caramelized crust—that's Detroit style pizza. The Michigan invention is now becoming more popular in culinary scenes across the country.

Today on Stateside, Rachael Denhollander, one of the hundreds of women and girls abused by disgraced sports doctor Larry Nassar, joined us to talk about her new memoir What Is A Girl Worth? Plus, the legacy of former U.S. Representative John Conyers, who died Sunday, in Detroit and beyond.