Fifty years ago, Marvin Gaye made a creative leap of faith, and gave us one of the most enduring works of the 20th century: his 1971 album, “What’s Going On?” But a little known fact is that he had a little help from his friends -- Mel Farr and Lem Barney of the Detroit Lions. Today, we hear about the circle of  friends who helped Gaye turn his disillusion about the world into one of the best pieces Motown ever released.

GUEST: 

Justin Tinsley, culture and sports writer for ESPN’s The Undefeated

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After more than a year, Governor Gretchen Whitmer has set a clear date for the end to the state’s pandemic restrictions: July 1. On this episode, we hear about why the business community says they still need more clarity from the state in order to fully reopen. We'll also speak with a bar owner about the struggle to get enough workers to return to business as usual.  

GUESTS: 

Brian Calley, president of the Small Business Association of Michigan 

Brian Brickley, owner of the Taproom in Ypsilanti 

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Ford is revealing it’s fully electrified version of a classic. It’s the subject of much curiosity both for F-150 fans and the wider industry. This week, President Joe Biden was in Dearborn, Michigan to get a look. Can America’s best selling vehicle leave its history of fossil fuel behind?

GUESTS: 

Michelle Krebs, senior director of automotive relations for Cox Automotive and executive analyst for Autotrader.

Mike Martinez covers Ford and other beats for Automotive News.

Phoebe Wall Howard covers automotive and other news for the Detroit Free Press.

NOTES:

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The Trumpeter Swan is a native species that once numbered in the tens-of-thousands in the Great Lakes region, but was wiped out in Michigan more than 100 years ago. But thanks to the decades-long efforts of the W.K. Kellogg Bird Sanctuary at Michigan State University, the species is gaining ground in Michigan.

GUEST: Sara DePew-Baby, avian caretaker at the W.K. Kellogg Bird Sanctuary at Michigan State University

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When the CDC announced last week that masks were no longer necessary for vaccinated individuals, we saw images and stories of people taking their masks off at the highest levels of government -- in the halls of the Capitol and White House. It felt like a moment. Could the pandemic be over? But epidemiologists remind us we’re still in a pandemic, and masks indoors and with groups of people are important to curbing COVID-19. It’s confusing. And the line between what is enforceable and what is individual decision making is coming into stark view. Today, we’ll dive into the amorphous world of the mask mandates, and how small businesses in Michigan are tackling the changing regulations.

GUESTS: 

Rick Pluta, Lansing Bureau Chief for the Michigan Public Radio Network

Rachel Lutz, owner of The Peacock Room, a women’s clothing store in Detroit

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Today Governor Whitmer announced she will follow the CDC and end the mask mandate for vaccinated Michiganders. Many of the details about what this means for gatherings and workplaces are still forthcoming, but things ARE changing rapidly. But the end of the mask mandate isn't all that happened in Michigan politics this week. There's also a gubernatorial race coming up. Today, a roundup of Michigan’s week in politics.

GUESTS:

 Adrian Hemond, Democratic strategist with Grassroots Midwest

John Sellek, Republican strategist with Harbor Strategic Public Affairs

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For a long time, psychedelic drugs brought to mind tie-dye, free love, and 1960s counterculture, but that’s changing. Now, there’s a push to decriminalize psychedelic drugs in Michigan, both for medical and recreational use. On today’s episode, we talk to someone who has made a career out of teaching other people how to use microdoses of psychedelic drugs to improve their lives.

GUESTS:

Paul Austin, founder of Third Wave and author of Microdosing Psychedelics: A Practical Guide.

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Last November, Governor Whitmer ordered Enbridge Energy to close the Line 5 twin pipelines in the Straits of Mackinac this week -- as in before midnight tonight. But Enbridge says they have no plans of doing so. Neither side is budging, environmentalists and native tribes are protesting, and this whole dispute is seemingly now happening on a much larger stage. Today we talk about the stance on each side and how Canada views the rift between Michigan and one of their country’s biggest petroleum providers.

GUESTS:

Amanda Coletta, Canada correspondent, The Washington Post

Lester Graham, reporter, The Environment Report, Michigan Radio

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In 1879, a botanist named William Beal was conducting his research at State Agricultural College - the land-grant college that would one day become MSU. The school focused on agricultural studies, and Professor Beal wondered how long seeds could remain viable underground. He buried 20 unsealed bottles of seeds mixed in a sandy soil, to be dug up several years apart. Beal knew the answer to this experiment might not come in his lifetime. He died in 1924, but the experiment continues, and researchers at MSU just dug up the most recent bottle this Spring. 

 

GUEST: Professor Frank Telewski, Professor of Plant Biology at Michigan State University

 

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Maybe you’ve seen the phrase: monoclonal antibodies. It’s a treatment doctors use to keep their COVID-19 patients out of the hospital. Pharmaceutical companies are running more ads for them now, too. Just a few months ago, the Michigan’s state health department practically couldn’t give this stuff away. They even had to stash some of their surplus in a warehouse. Now the state’s seen a 300% surge in usage. Today It’s an interesting case study for why sometimes the best medicine doesn’t make it to the front lines very quickly-- even when there are a lot of people who need it. 

GUEST: Kate Wells, Michigan Radio reporter

 

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