On today’s episode, we look at the COVID-19 pandemic through two lenses. One is a very personal story, and the other takes a much wider view. We’ll hear from a pastor who has presided over the funerals of more than 20 victims of COVID-19. And we’ll talk to a West Michigan reporter about why hospital capacity is more complicated than just one number.

GUESTS:

Jerry Bishop is the  senior pastor at LifeQuest Urban Outreach Center in Grand Rapids.

Dustin Dwyer is the West Michigan reporter for Michigan Radio.  

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Even with the promise of a vaccine around the corner, Michigan schools still have massive unknowns to deal with, for this winter, and beyond. That includes the Detroit Public Schools Community District, which serves kids and families in a city that COVID-19 hit hard this spring. The district is moving to completely virtual schooling amid a rise in cases, and is figuring out how to support students remotely. Across the state, families are trying to figure out how to support kids through other challenges, like getting through the first holiday season without a loved one lost to COVID-19.

GUESTS:

Dr. Nikolai Vitti, superintendent of Detroit Public Schools Community District

Kristine Kuhnert directs the Lansing branch of Ele’s Place, a nonprofit that offers free grief counseling services to kids and families

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Public health leaders in Michigan have their work cut out for them. That’s especially true in places where large public gatherings—which can become super spreader events—are a common sight. In Ingham County, you’ve got two such locales just down the road from each other.

In Lansing, state lawmakers, lobbyists, and protesters from across the political spectrum gather regularly. And in East Lansing, you’ve got tens of thousands of Michigan State University students. We talked to two public officials in the state’s capital region about what it’s been like dealing with COVID-19 in two cities known for bringing together large groups of people.

GUESTS:

Linda Vail, Ingham County Health Officer

Aaron Stephens, mayor of East Lansing

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We’ve almost made it through the first semester of this pandemic school year. But as a second surge of COVID-19 cases hits the state, families are having to adjust to yet another iteration of 2020 “normal.”

Huge upticks in COVID cases means many schools that had been hosting in-person classes are back online. On today’s podcast, a look at the challenge of parenting through a pandemic and some tips on how to help you survive. 

GUESTS:

Jennifer Guerra, executive producer for podcasts at Michigan Radio

Erin Hunter, clinical psychologist and interim director of the University Center for the Child and Family (UCCF) at the University of Michigan

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While COVID-19 has put so many folks out of business, one industry is booming: cannabis. It’s been nearly one year since Michigan dispensaries were allowed to start selling marijuana for recreational purposes. And for many Michiganders, it came just in time. As people look for a way to take the edge off 2020, recreational cannabis sales are closing in on half a billion dollars. We talked to two people about why the cannabis industry is thriving in a year when most of us definitely are not. 

GUESTS:  

Dustin Walsh is a senior reporter at Crain's Detroit who covers Michigan’s cannabis industry.

Marie King works with Bloom City Club, a dispensary with locations in Battle Creek, Burton, and Ann Arbor. 

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It can be really hard to find your happy in a moment when so much of the world is in turmoil. If you need a little extra joy right now, Tunde Olaniran’s music is a good place to start. We talked to the Flint-based musician, artist, and activist about their latest single “WDWHI,” their love of the X-Men, and creating joy and art in tough times.

GUEST:

Tunde Olaniran, Flint-based musician, artist, choreographer, and activist.

If you want to try out the Instagram filter for Tunde’s new single, click here.

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The election might be over, but there’s a lot of work ahead for the Democratic Party when it comes to figuring out where its attention needs to be right now. Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib just got re-elected to her second term representing Michigan’s 13th Congressional District. She’s now trying to meet the needs of her district during a pandemic, and a subsequent economic slide that erased many of the gains of the last decade. We talked to hear about those challenges and what she sees for the future of the Democratic Party.

GUEST:

Rashida Tlaib, U.S. Representative for Michigan’s 13th District

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Late Monday afternoon, the Board of State Canvassers voted to certify Michigan’s election results and confirm that President-elect Joe Biden won the state. That’s after a serious pressure campaign from President Donald Trump to get Republican lawmakers and officials to hand him the state’s electoral votes anyway, a move that would have been unthinkable in previous cycles. But Trump has made the unthinkable reality in today’s Republican Party. And that’s driven many conservatives away. 

We talked to Matt Resch and Nick De Leeuw of Resch Strategies public relations in Lansing. They’re fiscal and religious conservatives who have worked for many Republican administrations and campaigns in Michigan. They’re not becoming Democrats, but they don’t recognize much about the GOP anymore.

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Republican state Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey was met by protesters early Friday morning as he got on a plane bound for Washington D.C. to meet with President Trump. Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield, a Republican, was also invited. So, why would a sitting president issue an invitation on less than one day’s notice to two state legislative leaders he barely knows? Many Democrats are worried it’s part of a plan to use the state Legislature to undermine Joe Biden’s win in Michigan.

We talked to Zach Gorchow, executive editor and publisher of Gongwer Michigan, about what we know (and don’t know) about the last minute meeting. We also checked in with Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson about how the Trump campaign’s strategy squares with Michigan election laws.

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As COVID-19 cases balloon in Michigan, the state has shut down indoor dining again. How many Michigan restaurants will be left standing after the pandemic is over? An industry group is suing the state over the ban on serving customers inside. But for some restaurants, it’s already too late. 

GUESTS:

Andrew Epstein and Marcela Rubio Orozco were co-owners of Dolores, a Mexican restaurant and bar in Ypsilanti. They closed down earlier this year. 

Justin Winslow is president and CEO of the Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Association, which has filed suit against the state over the indoor dining ban.

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