On Hand

Michigan’s COVID-19 totals are surging again—this time in West Michigan and the Upper Peninsula. In Kent County, hospitalizations have increased and test positivity rates have reached nearly 12% at their high point. In more rural parts of the state, cases are rising in the areas least equipped to deal with a second surge—particularly when it comes to staff capacity.

On today’s episode, we’ll hear about how two hospitals—one in West Michigan and another in the U.P.—are dealing with the spike.

Mark Van Dyke is manager of business assurance for Spectrum Health. His job is to coordinate strategies for emergency operations.

Robin Erb is a reporter for Bridge Michigan. She recently published a profile of one U.P. hospital that’s grappling with a surge in COVID patients.

Looking for the full length version of today’s Stateside? You can find it here.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re all paying a lot of attention to Detroit’s vote right now—and for good reason. But there’s more than one ingredient to Biden’s win in Michigan, including the county that flipped on the west side of the state. We talked to Kent County Clerk Lisa Posthumus Lyons about why she says voters should trust the elections process—and be skeptical about unfounded claims of voter fraud.

And while we’re still very much in the middle of this contentious election, what happens after the results are certified? We spoke with two members of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus—Debbie Dingell (D-MI12) and Fred Upton (R-MI6)—about finding common ground in an intensely partisan moment.

Looking for the full version of today’s Stateside? Click here.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At the TCF Center in Detroit on Wednesday, hundreds of election workers were tabulating ballots. Election observers and poll challengers were inside to watch the work. But there was also a group of unofficial challengers gathering outside of the building.

Protesters who support President Donald Trump began chanting “stop the count,” echoing the president’s calls to halt any additional vote counting. The scene became a frightening reminder of America’s problems ensuring the vote for Black Americans.

We talked to two people who were there as all of this happening. Bryce Huffman is a reporter for BridgeDeroit.Candice Fortman is the executive director of Outlier Media. She also volunteered to work during the absentee ballot count in Detroit on Wednesday.

You can find Bryce’s reporting on the TCF Center protests for BridgeDetroithere. And you can find all the latest election results from Michigan at our website.

Looking for the Stateside full show? Right this way.

We’d love to hear what you think of our new sound on the Stateside podcast. Send your thoughts and suggestions to [email protected]. Or tweet us—we’re @StatesideRadio.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Election Day turns into days, the presidential race is still too close to call. Michigan was predicted to be a focal point of this election, along with Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, and that prediction has held true. Today, we dig into what we know as the state wraps up its final vote tallies, and what the results mean for Michigan's political future.

NOTE: This podcast was recorded in the 4 o’clock hour on Wednesday, November 4, 2020. Things may (and probably will) change in the next 12 hours. You can find the latest updates and election results from Michigan Radio here. 

Looking for today’s full episode? You can find it here.

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For months, people have taken to the streets in Michigan—and across the country—to protest racial injustice in the wake of George Floyd’s death. While social upheaval can definitely change how voters are feeling as they cast their ballots, it doesn’t always work in the way you might expect.

Instead, says journalist and historian Ken Coleman, broad social movements can set the stage for political changes that happen after ballots are counted. When he looks at the 1967 uprising in Detroit, and at the presidential election the year after, he sees things that might inform a lot of what we’re going through right now.

Coleman is a journalist with the Michigan Advance, and a serious student of Detroit history. He’s written several books, including On This Day: African American Life in Detroit.

Looking for the full version of today’s show? Find it here.

We’d love to hear what you think about the new podcast format! Send your thoughts and suggestions to [email protected]. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After one of the strangest election years in American history, Election Day is less than 24 hours away. Clerks across the state have received an unprecedented number of absentee ballot requests, and state officials are expecting that the contentious presidential race will drive record voter participation. The question is: How prepared is Michigan for that kind of a turnout?

We talked to Michigan's Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist and Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum about what voters can expect when they head to the polls, and how long they can expect to wait for final vote tallies. 

You can find today’s full episode of Stateside here.

Have feedback on the new podcast? We want to hear it. Send your thoughts and suggestions to [email protected].

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Michigan’s Arab American community is one of the largest in the nation, with people immigrating to the state from all over the Arab world. With such a diverse population comes a wide range of political beliefs. In 2016, around a quarter of Arab Americans in the U.S. said that they planned on voting for Donald Trump.

A lot has changed since then. President Trump implemented a ban on travel to and from several majority Muslim countries. This year, the COVID-19 crisis has socially and financially impacted every community—including Arab American ones. So how is this diverse group of Michiganders feeling about the election this time around?

We talked to Rima Meroueh, director of the National Network for Arab American Communities at ACCESS, and Ali Harb, a reporter for the Middle East Eye.

Looking for the full hour-long Stateside? Click here. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some Republican activists in Michigan have mobilized around President Trump’s suggestion during the first presidential debate that substantial voter fraud is not just possible, but imminent. There is no evidence that such fraud is likely to occur—a point reiterated by both Republican and Democratic clerks around the state. Still, hundreds of people have showed up for poll challenger trainings organized by conservative groups this fall.

So what does this all mean for voters heading to the polls next Tuesday? And what happens when a poll challenger, well, challenges? 

To find out, Stateside talked to Madeline Halpert, who reported on poll challengers for Bridge Michigan and VoteBeat. We also spoke with two longtime election attorneys—Mark Brewer and John Pirich.

Looking for the full version of today’s Stateside? Find it here.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We know the number of Black voters in Michigan—many in Detroit and surrounding Wayne County—who stayed home in 2016 was greater than Donald’s Trump’s narrow margin of victory here. But there are signs that Black voters in the city are mobilizing like they haven’t in awhile.

Millions of Michiganders are expected to vote absentee this year. Many of those requesting absentee ballots were people who didn't vote last year—and a sizable number are people of color. So, Detroit is everything in this race—or could be. 

We got an on-the-ground perspective from Candice Fortman. She's a lifelong Detroiter and the executive director of Outlier Media. She's also volunteering as a poll worker in the city next week. 

Looking for the full on-air Stateside show? Just click here.

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today’s episode, we take a look at a couple more hotly-contested congressional races in Michigan.

In West Michigan, Democrats are fighting hard to flip two districts long held by Republicans. In the 3rd District, which includes the city of Grand Rapids, two political newcomers compete for the seat currently held by Rep. Justin Amash. And in the 6th District, longtime Republican Congressman Fred Upton faces a serious challenger who is putting health care at the center of his campaign. Two reporters following these competitive races catch us up on the candidates and how voters are feeling about them. 

You can find Dustin Dwyer’s most recent reporting on the race for the 3rd District here.

Lindsay Moore’s latest on the 6th District match-up is here.  

Find full episodes of Stateside at our website.

Have feedback on our new podcast? Send your thoughts and suggestions to [email protected]. Or find us on Twitter—we’re @StatesideRadio.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.