On Hand

By Michigan PublicNews

On Hand episodes

April 20, 2021 How the B117 Variant Took Hold
COVID-19 case rates and hospitalizations in Michigan have been rapidly rising for weeks. The numbers are now nearing—and sometimes surpassing—those of the last two surges. A lot of Michiganders have been wondering how this happened in the state that was among the first to flatten the curve during the initial wave infections. There is an answer to that question. A reporting team published an extensive article Sunday in the Detroit Free Press that chronicles the spread of the B117 variant in the state.
GUESTS:
Tresa Baldas, Detroit Free Press reporter
Derek Kravitz, investigative journalist with the Documenting COVID-19 project at the Brown Institute for Media Innovation.
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Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.

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19 min
April 19, 2021 COVID Surges in the Thumb
When it comes to COVID-19 cases, it's not great anywhere in Michigan right now. But the Thumb region is in serious trouble, ranking among the hottest spots in the state for COVID infection rates. Today we talk with Michigan Radio's Caroline Llanes about surges in the area. And we also speak to a nearby restaurant owner in St. Claire who made the decision to close dine-in service amid the surge.
GUESTS:
Caroline Llanes, newsroom intern at Michigan Radio
SadaatHossain, owner of the Raven Café
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Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.

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22 min
April 16, 2021 Congressman Peter Meijer on Afghanistan
This week President Joe Biden announced that US troops will exit Afghanistan by September 11th of this year. More than 66,000 Michiganders have served in the military since September 11th, 2001. Some of them, of course, signed up for the mission of going after Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. There are 68 of them from Michigan who died there. For everyone who worked and sacrificed, or lost family in Afghanistan, it is a deeply mixed bag of feelings.
Today were talking about this announcement and how it may represent a new chapter in US foreign affairs.
GUEST:
Representative Peter Meijer, U.S. Representative for Michigan's 3rd congressional district
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Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.
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14 min
April 15, 2021 Poet Tommye Blount’s Fantasia
Detroit-born poet Tommye Blount’s writing belongs somewhere in the realm of short films: vivid and fearless as it portrays human vulnerability, whether the threat is a fist or something much more intimate. In today's episode, we talk with Blount about growing up black and queer and how his head-on collisions with white America’s myth-making informed his newest collection. Fantasia for the Man in Blue exploded into publication and was a finalist for the National Book Award 2020 for poetry.
GUEST:
Tommye Blount, poet and author of Fantasia for the Man in Blue, finalist for the National Book Award 2020 for Poetry
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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.
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25 min
April 14, 2021 The Best Laid COVID Plans
Governor Gretchen Whitmer and top state health officials are strongly recommending Michiganders take COVID-19 safety precautions like avoiding indoor dining and youth sports. But they’re not making you do these things, even though Michigan’s infection rates are higher than they’ve ever been. And to throw another wrench into the works, the state announced a pause this week on the use of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine after incredibly rare blood clots were linked to vaccinations in a handful of people.
Today on the podcast, we talk to Michigan’s chief medical executive about the state’s plans for moving past this new surge. And we’ll hear from a restaurant owner who decided to take action on his own and go to takeout only service amid this latest rise in cases.
GUESTS:
Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, Michigan’s chief medical executive
Phil Cooley, the founder and owner of Slow’s Bar BQ in Detroit
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Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.

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21 min
April 13, 2021 Michigan Hits Pause on Johnson & Johnson Vaccines
The CDC and FDA have recommended a “pause” in the single-dose Johnson and Johnson vaccine, after the company made a disclosure. Of the nearly 7 million people who’ve received the vaccine, six women experienced blood clots. The story has complicated the picture for a state that’s trying to vaccinate its way out of the latest COVID surge. But how long will this ripple effect last and how far reaching, as public health officials struggle to get COVID under control?
GUESTS:
Kristen Jordan Shamus, health reporter at the Detroit Free Press
Emily Martin, epidemiologist at the University of Michigan
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Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.
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22 min
April 12, 2021 Why Vaccines (Alone) Won’t Save Us
Michigan is in a third surge of COVID-19 cases, with infection rates and hospitalizations still on the rise. Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s administration is focusing its attention on vaccination efforts, rather than enacting new lockdown measures. But public health experts are warning that vaccines alone aren’t enough to get the state’s outbreak under control.
GUEST:
Dr. Debra Furr-Holden, epidemiologist and professor of public health at Michigan State University
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Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.
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18 min
April 09, 2021 One Pandemic, Two Approaches
Today, Governor Whitmer announced that she is holding off on new restrictions, even as COVID-19 cases surge in the state. But Michigan isn't the only place with a rise in cases. We're also taking a look at how Windsor in Canada has been managing this moment. Suffice to say, it's a different approach.
GUESTS:
Rick Pluta, Capitol Bureau Chief for Michigan’s Public Radio Network and Washington correspondent for the Detroit News
Doug Schmidt, reporter with the Windsor Star
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Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.

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18 min
April 08, 2021 Hemingway's Michigan Roots
Did you know some of Ernest Hemingway’s characters were named after people he knew in his Michigan boyhood? Today, we’re going to get up close with the Michiganders that inspired Hemingway and talk about his complicated legacy today.
GUESTS:
Christopher Struble, President of the Michigan Hemingway Society
Jennifer Tianen, English Teacher and Literary Garden Club Sponsor at West Bloomfield High School and Secretary of the Michigan Hemingway Society
Yael Mizrahi, sophomore at West Bloomfield and an Honors American Literature student
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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.
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22 min
April 07, 2021 Poet Thomas Lynch on a Year of Loss
If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, reach out and talk to someone with the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or chat with someone online at their website.
The poet Thomas Lynch had a long career as a funeral director before retiring a few years ago. That gave him an interesting vantage point for observing the pain and loss of the past year, including his own. Last July, Lynch’s only daughter, Heather, died by suicide.
His new collection of poetry, essays and more, called Bone Rosary is dedicated, in part, to her. On today’s episode, we talk to Lynch about that collection and about the process of grieving in a year when so much has been lost.
GUEST:
Thomas Lynch, poet and author of the new book Bone Rosary
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.
23 min

About On Hand

From the publisher's feed

Ever wondered why we call ourselves “Michiganders”? Or why we say “pop” instead of “soda”? Or, seriously, how many people need to be rescued from Sleeping Bear Dunes every year? That’s why we’re bringing you a new podcast - On Hand - to answer all your questions about what makes our state so special.