economy

Today on Stateside, businesses across Michigan have succumbed to the pressures of the COVID-19 crisis, with devastating consequences for workers and our economy. A business owner and a behavioral scientist weigh in on why those who were sidelined still need help — and how the pandemic is shaping the state’s business ecosystem in the long term. Also, we meet a biologist whose team is collaborating with a colleague across 143 years.

For Michiganders who transitioned to working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, the prospect of returning to in-person work is… complicated. Working from home does involve a lot of new distractions, from kids, to pets, to the lawnmower next door. But it can also allow for greater flexibility, new kinds of family and friend time, and a stronger sense of autonomy on the job.

It’s a big week for many Americans. While we may not be able to go out in search of a pot of gold for St. Patrick’s Day, many adults will receive a nice $1,400 stimulus check.

It’s part of the recently passed $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill, the third of its kind since the pandemic began just over a year ago. A hefty sum, more than $10 billion, is coming Michigan’s way. Here’s a bit of how it breaks down, according to Detroit News reporter Melissa Nann Burke:

It’s been a long, hard pandemic for restaurants. Michigan has banned indoor dining at restaurants twice to try and slow the spread of coronavirus -- once at the beginning of the pandemic and again in November. The second ban is still in effect through at least January 15.

With public health restrictions limiting their business for much of the past year, restaurants have struggled to stay open for business. A December study from Top Data and Zenreach indicates spending at restaurants at the end of 2020 declined 11% from January of last year. 

Today on Stateside, we take a look back at this year in business. For those invested in the stock market, it’s been the best of times. For those waiting in food lines, it’s been the worst. We’ll talk with some experts about what’s been going on with the economy and looking ahead to a new year.

The further we get into growing season, the more complex life becomes for Michigan's farmers and farmworkers. They're trying to plant and harvest at a time when the world is moving in slow-motion, if at all. 

Today on Stateside, what will the impending re-opening of Michigan’s economy mean for public health. Plus, how the pandemic could allow districts to reshape learning in the fall.

Today on Stateside, how one Detroit emergency room physician is searching for answers and solutions to handling the coronavirus pandemic. Plus, what would it mean to safely reopen the state.

Some politicians and businesses are pressuring Governor Gretchen Whitmer to reopen the economy. Republican legislative leaders have a plan to phase in business operations.  It’s very difficult to make an informed decision about opening the economy because no one has enough data to know exactly how risky it could be.

Today on Stateside, the Big Three auto companies are rolling back operations in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. What does that mean for the state's economy? Plus, we talk to faith leaders about how they are guiding their congregants during the uncertainty of the COVID-19 outbreak.

In 2010, there were 247 Dollar General stores in Michigan. Now there are more than 500. 

And many of the new stores are located in rural areas and small towns in Northern Michigan. 

This week, Stateside has been bringing you a series of conversations about the recent National Climate Assessment, a report compiled by 13 federal agencies that breaks down how climate change is projected to impact different regions of the United States.

Andrew Hoffman is a the Holcim Professor of Sustainable Enterprise at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. He joined Stateside to talk about the risk climate change poses to the economy, and how that risk might help convince people skeptical about climate change to change their mind. 

Judging by conventional wisdom and all-knowing polls, President Donald Trump and his Republicans face a historic wipeout in the coming mid-term elections.

But if you accept the Clintonian notion that “it’s the economy, stupid” such thinking may be just a bit too conventional.

On today’s Stateside, we answer your questions about what happens if Michigan voters legalize recreational marijuana. And, the story of broadcast executive and former Detroit Tigers owner John Fetzer’s exploration of new-age spiritual movements.

Some start-up tech companies are skipping the cutthroat atmosphere of Silicon Valley and instead opting for the Midwest.

Matthew Shaer wrote an article about that trend for The California Sunday Magazine. He joined Stateside to discuss what attracts tech companies to the Midwest, what differentiates Midwestern tech culture from that of Silicon Valley, and how the tech boom is reshaping the Midwestern economy.

When it comes to unemployment insurance, Michigan is the worst state in the Midwest for unemployed workers. A recent report from the Michigan League for Public Policy says the maximum benefits paid to the state's unemployed workers are the lowest in the region.

This Week in Review, Weekend Edition host Rebecca Kruth and senior news analyst Jack Lessenberry talk about what Michigan needs to do to clean up its act.