On Hand

Yesterday on the podcast we talked to two organizers from the “Vote Uncommitted” campaign among Arab American and other voters in Michigan. Today we’ll get analysis on that movement from Detroit Free Press editorial page editor Nancy Kaffer.

GUEST:

• Nancy Kaffer, editorial page editor, Detroit Free Press

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Listen to Michigan is leveraging political power by casting "uncommitted" votes rather than voting for President Joe Biden in the 2024 Michigan primary.

GUESTS:

Layla Elabed, campaign manager for Listen to Michigan 

Abbas Alawieh, political strategist and spokesman for Listen to Michigan

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Michigan Senator Stephanie Chang and a group of collaborators came up with a plan to fund delinquent water bills and offer more affordable costs to low income households. Today, we’re looking at what this water-affordability plan would do, and we’ll dig into the years of water advocacy in places like Detroit that preceded it. 

GUESTS:

Stephanie Chang,  Michigan Senator representing the 3rd district

Gary Brown, director of the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department

Jim Nash, Oakland County's Water Resources commissioner

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Isle Royale – Lake Superior’s island National Park – is a naturalist's playground. It’s home to an estimated 30 odd wolves and nearly 1000 moose – all protected from hunting. For decades now, a team of researchers have been surveying the wolf and moose populations, but this winter with record breaking warm weather, the census did not go as planned. 

GUEST:

Rolf Peterson,  research professor in Forest Resources and Environmental Science at Michigan Technological University

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Kristina Karamo was ousted by state committee members last month, but said that she’s not leaving her position as Michigan Republican Party chair. Then, last week the Republican National Committee announced that they are now recognizing former Congressman Pete Hoekstra as MI GOP chair. So what is going on in Michigan’s Republican Party? And how will this all effect the upcoming Republican Convention?

GUESTS:

Craig Mauger, reporter for the Detroit News

Stephen Henderson, host of WDET's Created Equal

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We have some updates for you from Lansing. Gun reform laws that passed last session came into effect this week, Michigan State Representative Brenda Carter's been feeling the heat from auto no-fault reform activists, and Representative Josh Schriver was recently disciplined for a racist social media post.

GUESTS:

Tracy Samilton, reporter for Michigan Public

Rick Pluta, senior Capitol correspondent for the Michigan Public Radio Network

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This year, the Kresge Foundation re-introduced us to a prolific metro Detroit artist who connected imaginative abstract motion and ideas with stories and images of Latino and Indigenous people.

Nora Chapa Mendoza is a self-taught painter who established her career in Detroit. She is the 2024 Kresge Eminent Artist, for her life of achievements on the canvas and in advocacy.

GUEST:

Nora Chapa Mendoza - painter, educator and activist

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Detroit chef Ameneh Marhaba has carved out a place for her own Afro-fusion style with a pop-up kitchen and catering business called Little Liberia. Now Marhaba is working on a big lift: she’s preparing to open a brick-and-mortar storefront for Little Liberia in Midtown, Detroit.

GUEST:

Ameneh Marhaba, owner of Little Liberia

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How has campus security changed one year after the Michigan State University shooting?Today we get into what we know so far about security upgrades and how the MSU community is responding to it.

GUEST:

Isabel Lohman,  education reporter at Bridge Michigan

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Confections with Convictions is a chocolate shop. But it does a whole lot more than sell sweet treats. This confectionary employs young people fresh out of entanglements with the legal system, and gives them a chance to build a career path.

GUEST:

Dale Anderson, founder of Confections with Convictions

Jennifer Faketty, owner of Confections with Convictions

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Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions.

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