Stateside

Today on Stateside, Democrats in Lansing want to investigate the ties between people in Michigan and the January 6 Capitol insurrection. Also, with summer almost upon us, the environmental and human toll of heat waves. Plus, a conversation with queer Detroit street artist Bakpak Durden.

Today on Stateside, former Michigan Governor Rick Snyder’s pretrial begins in the ongoing legal battle over the Flint Water Crisis. We check in on what the committee in charge of redrawing political districts is hearing in public comments. Then, a conversation with a former head coach of the Detroit Pistons about race and politics in the NBA. Plus, the best cicada recipes for your summer cookout.

Walk into the children’s section of pretty much any bookstore or library in Michigan and you’re likely to find Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen’s work staring back at you from the shelf. Even if you don’t know his name, you probably would recognize the cover to the first book he illustrated, The Legend of Sleeping Bear by Kathy-jo Wargin. There are puffy black bear shaped clouds floating over Sleeping Bear Dunes, all of it luminescent orange from a setting Lake Michigan sun.

Today, on Stateside, we discuss changes to medical care under Michigan’s reworked no-fault auto insurance law, and what it means for those in a catastrophic accident. Also, the artisitc journey of Michigan-based children's book illustrator Gijsbert van Frakenguyzen. Plus, long-time journalist John Gallagher talks about entrepreneurship and reinvention in Detroit.

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Lord Huron’s latest record, "Long Lost," isn’t only an album. It’s a hazy, echo-filled history, populated with a cast of mysterious, hard-luck characters and layered with ghostly fragments of musical eras gone by. Guitarist and lead singer Ben Schneider, who grew up in Michigan, said the band aimed for the record, released last month, to feel like a nostalgic classic lost to time.

Today, on Stateside, Democratic U.S. Senator Gery Peters discussed what we still don’t know about the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Plus, how Matt Schembechler’s story of abuse at the hands of Dr. Robert Anderson changes the game for University of Michigan football fans. 

Ford introduced the world this week to the Maverick — a smaller, hybrid truck. Concurrently, the demand for the electric F-150 Lightning is soaring with 100,000 pre-orders placed. This suggests new possibilities for Ford, an iconic Michigan brand and the global leader in trucks. 

Automotive reporter, Sonari Glinton, is the host of Now What’s Next. He thinks that the stereotypical consumer for electric vehicles is now changing with the introduction of vehicles such as the Maverick and F-150 Lightning. 

Today on Stateside, the son of longtime University of Michigan football coach Bo Schembechler went on record to say that he, too, was abused by former UM doctor Robert Anderson. Also, a review of this week’s big auto industry reveal: Ford’s new hybrid mini-truck. Plus, one art fan’s collection, and the personal statement it reflects about gay identity.

Today, on Stateside, let’s dive into a reflection on the HIV/AIDS crisis and how it relates to the current pandemic. We’ll look into COVID infections, vaccinations, and health care equity. Plus, we talk about the year 1971 that gave rise to Marvin Gaye’s masterwork --  What’s Going On. Lastly, if you're in search of a vacation, we’re rediscovering Idlewild, where generations of Black Michiganders went for vacation and respite.

Today on Stateside, a look at where Michigan stands with COVID-19 infections, vaccinations, and power machinations. Also, an exploration of writer Ernest Hemingway’s summers in northern Michigan. Plus, a West Michigan musician discusses how performance and therapy intersect in her work, and how her creative life has changed amid the pandemic.

Contemporary innovations like virtual school, wristwatches that are televisions, and genetically modified foods are pretty familiar concepts to us today. But back in the 1950s and ‘60s, Michigan artist Arthur Radebaugh dazzled millions of people every week with illustrations of inventions like these, as well as other outlandish visions of the future. His work appeared in a syndicated Sunday comic strip called Closer Than We Think, which debuted at a time when the expansive potential of technology captivated Americans’ attention. And while some of his art still looks like science fiction now, some of his creative, futuristic designs aren’t fantasy anymore — they’re reality.

Today, on Stateside, changes to Michigan’s election laws move through the legislature. Plus, one Detroit chef talks about seizing the moment to expand her business, and why she still makes time for the kitchen. 

The strangeness and beauty of bodies and how we live in them is a theme that weaves itself throughout poet Petra Kuppers’ work. These are intensely personal interests for Kuppers. She’s a University of Michigan professor who lectures on writing, disability culture, and queer culture. Kuppers uses a wheelchair and lives with chronic pain. And she says the process of poetry— observing and distilling her experiences through writing— is a healing one. 

Today on Stateside, Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced her plan to spend more than a billion dollars in federal money. A reporter talks us through some of the details of the governor's proposal. Also, as more people continue to receive their COVID-19 vaccines, a medical historian discusses how we’ll know when the pandemic is over. Plus, a poet tells us about her latest collection, which explores the strangeness and beauty of bodies.

As the 19th century began, two Shawnee brothers rose to prominence in the Great Lakes region. The younger sibling, Tenskwatawa, was a spiritual leader known as “The Prophet.” His older brother was Tecumseh, a renowned statesman and military commander who organized a pan-Indian confederation of several thousand, including many from Michigan. A new biography released in October 2020 details the experiences of the brothers and their intertwined visions for an alliance of Native tribes, unified in spirituality and resistance to the white settlers who were encroaching on their lands and lives.

Today, on Stateside, the mayor of Windsor, Ontario has a creative solution for getting excess Detroit vaccine doses to Canadians: a vaccine clinic in the Detroit-Windsor tunnel. Plus, a historian from the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians talks about the enduring legacy of Tecumseh, the Shawnee leader who united Native tribes against settler expansion. And, we dig into the job market during the pandemic recovery. 

Staying safe inside for the past 15 months has done a number on most people. Anxious for a change of scenery, many Michiganders have been perusing the housing market these past few months.

Even if it’s just the casual late-night Zillow rabbit hole, you’ve probably noticed that the current market is on the fritz. Buyers are paying significantly over the asking price, forgoing inspections, and paying in cash, creating an unprecedented housing market for buyers and sellers.

Today on Stateside, Danny Fenster, a journalist from Michigan, has been detained by authorities in Myanmar. His brother discussed the ongoing efforts to secure his release. Also, a columnist from the Detroit Free Press discusses the editorial board’s pursuits of criminal justice reform in Michigan. And, a look at Tecumseh’s vision for a sovereign pan-Native Nation in the 19th century, including the role he had in mind for Michigan.

2020 was supposed to be an exciting year for women’s lacrosse players at Cass Technical High School in Detroit.

There’s never been a last day of school quite like this one. Students and teachers throughout Michigan are nearing the finish line, with many keen to put the 2020-2021 pandemic school year behind them. Stateside caught up with two high schoolers about how the COVID-19 public health crisis has shaped their education and shifted their perspectives this year. We’ll be using just their first names to protect their privacy as minors.

Today on Stateside, a state lawmaker discusses police reform measures under consideration in the Michigan Senate. Also, a look at what’s driving the housing market — and making it difficult for buyers to navigate right now. Plus, two high school students discuss wrapping up the pandemic school year.

With the long holiday weekend ahead, many of us are thinking about grilling and sharing a meal with loved one for the first time in more than a year. Today on Stateside, we start with food and drink. First, how one beloved Detroit barbecue joint has been surviving the COVID-19 pandemic. Then a contribution from the Cheers! team. Also, two writers discuss putting together a special fiction and poetry edition of the Detroit Metro Times. Plus, an award-winning poet reflects on exploring the nuances of love and pain for Black Americans.

You know it's summer when you see Bell's Oberon hit your local grocer’s shelves. It’s one of the signs that summer is finally coming to Michigan. One of the very first Cheers! episodes that Tammy Coxen of Tammy’s Tastings and I did almost five years ago featured a drink called the Oberon Sour. It was a hit.

Earlier this month, the Ann Arbor Art Fair’s organizers made the choice to cancel the event for a second year in a row due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. But, after Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced outdoor capacity restrictions will be lifted June 1, the event’s directors decided the fair can now move forward.

Today, on Stateside, why a growing population of ticks is invading lower Michigan. Plus, the popular Ann Arbor Art Fair reopens this summer, and artists are lining up to participate. 

Baobab Fare, a new restaurant launched amid pandemic-related capacity restrictions this year, has quickly caught Detroiters’ attention. The business offers sumptuous East African dishes like flash-fried fish with fresh corn salad, beef simmered with tomatoes paired with peanut-stewed spinach, and creamy dessert pudding made with avocado and passion fruit. Co-founder and CEO Mamba Hamissi, who came to Michigan from Burundi as a refugee less than a decade ago, said love is a key part of the restaurant’s menu and atmosphere.

Today on Stateside, with an influx of cash from the 2021 stimulus bill, Mayor Duggan has big plans for Detroit. We talk with a reporter about the proposed spending plan for a city in recovery. Plus, infrastructure week never ends. A new book by a Michigan journalist focuses on “bridging” the gap in a polarized America.

Back in 1934, the University of Michigan and Georgia Tech football teams met in a game at Michigan Stadium. Ahead of the event, Georgia Tech made a demand of the U of M athletic director, legendary football coach Fielding Yost: bench Michigan’s Black football player, Willis Ward, or Georgia Tech would refuse to compete. Yost agreed to the racist request and barred Ward from playing and from the stadium that day.