In the debate over so-called "red flag" laws in the state, the subject of suicide is centered. Rural Michigan - as in the remote regions throughout the nation - suffers from the highest rates of suicide. And many of those deaths are caused by guns. Just as most gun-related deaths are self-inflicted. Advocates for red-flag laws say the change could help prevent many of those deaths.

GUEST: 

If you or someone you love is having suicidal thoughts, please seek someone out to talk to. The Suicide Prevention Hotline is available 24 hours a day at 9-8-8.

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Music from Audio Network and Blue Dot Sessions.

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Democrats in control of the state Legislature think they can start to turn the tide of preventable gun death here in Michigan. But the thing about laws, is they have to be enforced to work. And not all county commissions want new laws on the books.

GUEST:

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Music from Audio Network and Blue Dot Sessions.

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This weekend, UAW members elected the next UAW president: Shawn Fain. And Fain’s taking a strong stance out of the gate – promising a more aggressive approach with automakers. So what does this new era of UAW leadership mean for auto workers, and for the automotive sector at large?

GUEST:

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Music from Audio Network and Blue Dot Sessions.

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Wayne County has a juvenile detention crisis. Last week Wayne County Executive Warren Evans declared it public health emergency.

GUEST:

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Music from Audio Network  and  Blue Dot Sessions.

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What does accountability look like when a mass shooter is a minor? 

In the case of the shooting at Oxford High School, the local county prosecutor is taking a unique approach: charging the alleged shooter’s parents. Today, we’ll talk about prosecutors’ strategy in this case, and the legal precedent it could set if it’s successful.

GUEST: 

Mike Nichols, criminal defense attorney in East Lansing and former adjunct faculty member at WMU Cooley Law School

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Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions.

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Today, a studio visit with collage artist Judy Bowman. In less than a decade, Bowman’s bright, textured collages have gained a national audience and collector base. She’s shown her art in New York, at Art Basel Miami, and her first solo exhibition, called “Gratiot Griot,” is currently wrapping up at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit. But despite her national fame, Bowman is, admittedly, a homebody. Her home is her studio. She lives and works in Romulus, and her artwork prominently features the scenes and people of her childhood in Detroit’s Black Bottom and Eastside.

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In the aftermath of power outages that affected hundreds of thousands of people in February and March this year, many Michiganders are scrutinizing the state’s largest investor-owned utilities: DTE and Consumers Energy.

Michigan’s Public Service Commission is holding town halls this week on the outages, and dozens of Michiganders have come forward to share their frustrations. Meanwhile, an Ann Arbor-based nonprofit has long been advocating for a transition to a public-owned electric utility, rather than an investor-owned one. 

DTE is a corporate sponsor of Michigan Radio.

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Since the beginning of the pandemic, we’ve seen an uptick in alcohol related liver disease hospitalizations across the country. In Michigan that number increased by 50% in 2020. We've also seen an increase in younger people needing care. Today, the rising rates of alcohol consumption, the reasons behind it, and what people are doing to make a change.

GUESTS:

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Other music from Blue Dot Sessions

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In the wake of a creative project that didn't go as planned, Detroit-based audio storyteller Zak Rosen set out to find the best morsels of advice from folks of all walks of life. Since then, he's compiled the advice of hundreds of family members, acquaintances, and total strangers.

Every tidbit is cataloged on his podcast, The Best Advice Show. Today, he shares some of his favorites morsels with Stateside, and solicits some advice from a member of the Stateside team.

GUESTS:

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The Best Advice Show theme music courtesy of Zak Rosen:

"Pizogi" by Guustav

"Come Clean" by Gloria Tells

Other music from Blue Dot Sessions

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Something historic that happened at the Michigan Capitol this week. After more than a decade of starts and stops, lawmakers this week added protections for LGBTQ Michiganders to the state's Elliott Larson Civil Rights Act. We talked with Jay Kaplan, from the ACLU of Michigan, about what this new legislation means for the queer community, and the work that still remains.

GUEST: 

Jay Kaplan, staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Michigan's LGBTQ+ Project 

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Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions.

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