On Hand

The U.S. State Department is stepping up pressure on the military government in Myanmar to release journalist Danny Fenster. The Michigan native was detained by authorities at the airport on his way to see his family 10 days ago. He is one of dozens of journalists human rights organizations say have been detained under the country’s military junta. On today’s episode, we’ll talk to Danny’s brother about the fight to get him home.

GUESTS:

Bryan Fenster, Danny Fenster’s brother

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Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.

Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.

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A bipartisan package of police reform bills are in the state Senate. Advocates are aiming for a broader approach to major systemic failures in policing. But the sponsors of these bills say incremental progress may be fundamental progress in 2021. But does it go far enough? Today, we’ll hear from two state Senators, who are Black, about what’s in the proposed legislation and where their expectations stand. 

GUESTS: 

Democratic Senator Adam Hollier represents District 2, including Detroit, Grosse Pointe, Hamtramck, Harper Woods, Highland Park.

Democratic Senator Erica Geiss represents District 6, including many of Downriver towns: Taylor, Romulus, Rockwood and some surrounding cities.

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In the 1934 game against Georgia Tech, the University of Michigan athletic director, Fielding Yost, benched the football team’s best player, Willis Ward. Not because of an injury or anything Ward did, but because Ward was Black - the only Black player on the team. Fast forward to today, an advisory committee to the University of Michigan is recommending the name Fielding Yost be removed from Yost Arena. They’re saying the legendary football coach committed racist offenses against his own players. On this episode, we're taking a look at this insidious side of the University of Michigan's football record.

GUESTS:

Buddy Moorehouse,  Black and Blue - The Story of Gerald Ford, Willis Ward and the 1934 Michigan-Georgia Tech Football Game filmmaker

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Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.

Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.

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It is not your imagination, ticks are beyond plentiful in Michigan this year. So, what’s behind this boom in population? And what can we do to keep ourselves safe from the disease-spreading pests? On today's episode, we get a couple of tick experts to answer your questions. 

GUESTS: 

Howard Russell, entomologist at Michigan State University

Jean Tsao, associate professor in MSU’s Department of Fisheries and Wildlife.

You can find The Tick App, one of the projects Jean works on, here. The info you add on the app can help researchers like her track ticks in Michigan. 

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Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.

Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Opening a restaurant in the middle of a pandemic might seem like a risky choice. But for Mamba Hamissi and his wife Nadia Nijimbere, it was the only one that made sense. The couple are refugees from Burundi, and their new restaurant Baobab Fare is one of Detroit’s most buzzed about establishments. On today’s episode, we’ll talk to Mamba about serving up his home country’s cuisine and starting a business in the middle of a pandemic.

GUEST:

Mamba Hamissi, CEO and co-founder of Baobab Fare

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If you like what you hear on the pod, consider supporting our work.

Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.

Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One year ago today, George Floyd’s murder at the hand of a Minneapolis police officer, spurred a movement against police brutality that reached across the world. It has brought a lot of people to dig into the ways inequality touches their lives. One of the people seeking answers is Alexandria Hughes, a black woman and activist. She tells about her family’s experience of racial profiling by law enforcement while driving through predominately white suburbs of Detroit. Michigan Radio’s Beenish Ahmed also contributed to the podcast with her feature report. 

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Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.

Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.

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It’s never fun to get caught doing something you told someone else not to do -- like over the weekend when Governor Whitmer stepped outside of her own COVID social distancing guidelines and met up with 12 people at a bar for pizza. Will Whitmer’s gaffes damage her political reputation and her chances for re-election? We talk through this and some other matters in state government with a few Michigan reporters on this episode of the Stateside podcast. 

GUESTS:

Lauren Gibbons, policy and politics reporter at MLive

Sergio Martínez-Beltrán, capitol reporter at Bridge Michigan

Koby Levin, reporter for Chalkbeat Detroit 

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Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.

Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.

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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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Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.

Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.

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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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Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.

Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.

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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:

Looking for more conversations from Stateside? Right this way.

If you like what you hear on the pod, consider supporting our work.

Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.

Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.