Stateside

Today on Stateside, the role of election challengers at the polls. Also, a Mt. Pleasant photographer uses striking portraits to call attention to missing and murdered Indigenous women. And a conversation about the Arab American voting bloc in Michigan.

Four years ago, around 26% of Arab Americans in the U.S. said that they were leaning toward voting for Donald Trump for president ahead of the election. Since then, Trump has banned travel to and from numerous countries with majority Muslim populations, and the COVID-19 pandemic has brought economic and health hardships to every community—including Arab American ones. But there are still many people in these communities who prefer Trump’s conservative, social, or fiscal approaches to leadership.

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Attorney General Dana Nessel have appealed a judge’s October 27 decision to block a ban on firearms at polling places this year. Benson has argued that open carry amounts to a form of voter intimidation at polling places. But some gun rights advocates disagree.

Today on Stateside, we talk about Detroit voters and what turnout looks like in the Motor City. Plus, a conversation with the Sheriff of Livingston County about Secretary Benson’s order against firearms at the polls.

Today on Stateside, we check in with a reporter who’s been following the race for Michigan’s 6th Congressional District. Also, a Canadian member of parliament discusses a U.S. plan to collect DNA samples from some detainees at the Canadian border. Plus, how the 24-year-old mayor of East Lansing has navigated the COVID-19 pandemic.

Today on Stateside, only eight days remain until Election Day. We take a look at the race for the 3rd congressional district currently held by U.S. Representative Justin Amash (L-MI 3). And what auto workers are listening for from presidential candidates.  Also, a new country album offers a wistful twang for these trying times.

What is Proposal N?

Proposal N (“N” stands for neighborhoods) is a measure Detroit voters have on their ballots this election year.

If voters approve Proposal N, the city will have the go-ahead to issue $250 million in bonds for blight remediation—that is, either taking down or rehabbing much of the city’s remaining stock of vacant homes. Proposal N proposes to tackle around 16,000 of those vacant properties, with around 8,000 salvageable homes targeted for rehab, and another 8,000 for demolition.

Today on Stateside, Big Ten football returns this weekend. A sports columnist talks us through what collegiate football games will be like in a pandemic year. Also, a look at what life was like for African American people in Michigan prior to the Civil War. Plus, a Black family wonders whether they’re still welcome in their home in Cadillac.

If you’ve ever worked in a restaurant, you’ve most likely heard the term “86” yelled at you from the kitchen. In the restaurant industry, the term is used to refer to dishes that are no longer available on the menu.

Today on Stateside, we’ll hear about the Native Justice Coalition’s call to action in support of missing and murdered indigenous people. Also, we talk to artists working for a Flint theater project borne out of the civil rights protests sparked by George Floyd’s death.

Stateside for Wednesday, October 21, 2020

Today on Stateside, we take a look at the troubling rise in COVID-19 cases in Kent County. Also, a conversation about Jackson County’s history as a birthplace for  Abraham Lincoln's Republican Party. Plus, we talk to two election attorneys about the possibility of contested election results after the presidential election.

Stateside for Tuesday, October 20, 2020

Today on Stateside, democrat Haley Stevens tries to hold on to a swing seat in one of the tightest congressional races in Michigan. Then, a conversation around “unschooling” as an alternative to the hectic school year. Plus, how the FBI turns insider tips into a viable case.

Today on Stateside, what military leadership makes of Michigan's active militia movement. Also, we look into a hotly-contested race Up North that could help decide which party has control of the Michigan House of Representatives.

To make sense of the present, it sometimes helps to look to the past. One moment in history that’s particularly relevant to our current moment is the tuberculosis epidemic during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Despite the differences in daily life and the advances in medicine and technology since then, the country’s response to tuberculosis outbreaks has clear parallels to the current COVID-19 crisis.

If this were any other year, Michiganders could expect the usual costume parties, trick-or-treating, and corn mazes that signal the approach of Halloween. But now that COVID-19 is circulating, bobbing for apples is definitely out, and families might not be comfortable accepting candy from strangers this year. For holiday-driven businesses like haunted houses, the pandemic presents challenging questions about how to open up for the Halloween season safely.

Today on Stateside, an artist and an architect come together to rethink what performance spaces look like in the era of physical distancing. Also, with Halloween right around the corner we’ll explore the changed aspects of the haunted house business.

Tammy Coxen of Tammy’s Tastings had a couple of cocktail coupes on the table and some small whiskey tasting glasses and a bottle of Grand Traverse Distillery’s Small Batch Rye Whiskey. Obviously, this was going to be more than just mixing up a drink.

Today on Stateside, we talk with two entrepreneurs about launching a cannabis business amid a global pandemic. Also, we catch up with Governor Whitmer about her alleged kidnapping plot and the stakes of the upcoming election.

Today on Stateside, the hearings for Judge Amy Coney Barrett have been dominating the news and one of the biggest questions has been what her nomination will mean for the Affordable Care Act. We discuss what it has meant for patients for the past 10 years. Also, an update on the men involved in the alleged plot to kidnap Governor Whitmer.

In the middle of a pandemic, a lot of voters are planning to cast their vote via absentee ballot. It's a fairly simple process (which you can learn more about here). You fill out your ballot, put it in the mail, track it to your local clerk’s office where it will be counted come Election Day. But between November 2018 and August 2020, the ACLU of Michigan says there were around 35,000 people who thought they had voted, but actually had their absentee ballots rejected. The organization has been sending letters out to those voters to let them know what went wrong, and how to avoid it this time around. 

This documentary orginally aired Oct. 13, 2010. 

Its critics called it "naive idealism."

In the 1950s, the United States' answer to the global spread of Communism had been military strength and monetary aid to prop up nations friendly to the U.S., including dictators and other authoritarian governments.

That changed late one chilly night on the campus of the University of Michigan when Democratic candidate for president, John F. Kennedy, challenged students to help the world.

Today on Stateside, what we’ve learned about the accused conspirators in what prosecutors call a terrorist plot against Governor Gretchen Whitmer and other state leaders. Also, families separated by the coronavirus pandemic get some relief as the state begins loosening restrictions on nursing home visits.

School has been back in session for more than a month now, and Michigan families and educators are beginning to settle into the strange new reality. Teachers and kids have shared how they’re adjusting to things like Zoom discussions, asynchronous learning, and masks in the classroom. Now that the back-to-school season is behind us and the rest of the year looms ahead, Stateside wanted to know: How are parents doing?

Malissa Clair, Lamphere Public Schools. Both she and her husband are essential workers for Consumers Energy. Before the pandemic, they both worked during school hours. But when Clair found out that her kids' school district was only going to be virtual this fall, she went into "mommy mode" and changed her schedule so she could be home during the day to help her youngest daughter, five-year old Sloan, with virtual kindergarten. Clair's hours are now 3:30pm - midnight, sometimes longer.

Today on Stateside, as more information emerges about an alleged plot to kidnap Governor Gretchen Whitmer, there's a renewed debate about banning guns in Lansing’s halls of power. Also, we take a deep dive into how Michigan families are doing as they balance uncertain school plans, childcare needs, work, and mental health. 

Federal investigators have foiled a domestic terrorism plot, hatched by an anti-government extremist group, to kidnap Governor Gretchen Whitmer and take hostages at the state Capitol. That’s according to an unsealed criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan.