On Hand

Tomorrow marks two decades since September 11th. Twenty years later, we’re still trying to wrap our heads around its impact. Today, we’re looking at a specific piece of this story, one that's especially relevant in Michigan. Michigan is home to the largest population of Arab Americans in the U.S. and since 9/11 Arab or Muslims - or people perceived as Arab or Muslim - have experienced intensified policing and discrimitation.

GUESTS:

Zahra Huber, podcaster and photographer

Ali Harb, journalist 

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Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.

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In 2009, Wayne Count Prosecutor Kym Worthy found out there were more than 11,000 unprocessed rape kits sitting neglected in a Detroit warehouse. Horrified, she made it a mission of her office to make sure all of the backlog of kits were tested, and as many rapists were convicted as possible. That work is finally nearly complete.

GUEST:

Bryce Huffman, reporter, Bridge Detroit

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Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.

Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.

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Everywhere you look, there are eateries—from fast food to fine dining—with help wanted signs in the windows. Some Michigan businesses hope that the end of federal pandemic unemployment benefits this week will push people back to work. But experts say it's not that simple.

GUESTS:

Betsey Stevenson, professor of public policy and economics at the University of Michigan’s Ford School of Public Policy

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Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.

Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.

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Today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer called on the state Legislature to repeal a 1931 abortion ban on the books in Michigan. Since the Texas state legislature passed a law that breaks new ground in its pursuit of abortion restrictions many states, including ours, have been re-examining legal precedent that has been part of American life for decades. Today, we’re talking about the ripple effect from Texas’ landmark anti-abortion law in Michigan.

GUEST:

Dave Boucher, Detroit Free Press politics and policy reporter

Notes:

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Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.

Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.

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Journalist Danny Fenster of southeast Michigan was detained in Myanmar by authorities at the airport on his way to see his family back in the US. It's been more than 100 days. Despite having limited contact with Danny, his family in Michigan is working to keep his story alive. On today's episode, efforts to get Michigan journalist Danny Fenster out of a Myanmar prison after more than 100 days in captivity.

GUESTS:

Andy Levin,  U.S. Representative for Michigan's 9th congressional district

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Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.

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Twenty years ago, Aaliyah released her much-beloved, self-titled red album. And just weeks later, she  died tragically in a plane crash, leaving behind a profound legacy of music, style and rhythm that still resonates across the globe. We’ll talk with writer Imani Mixon about one of the places where this legacy began: Detroit. 

 

GUEST:

Imani Mixon, Detroit-based, multimedia journalist and host of the podcast Subject Matters 

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Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.

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The sadness, isolation, and loss of the past year and a half can be so hard to talk about, but sometimes poetry provides the exquisitely precise language we need to name our hurt. That’s what writer Peter Markus found when he sat down to process the death of his father. On today’s pod, April Baer talks to Peter about how poetry became a vehicle to process his grief when fiction fell short.

GUESTS:

Peter Markus, writer, novelist, and poet. His first collection of poetry is called When Our Fathers Return to Us as Birds.

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Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.

Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.

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Residents of Oscoda have been dealing with PFAS contamination from an Air Force base for decades. Today, we’ll hear about a new report calling on the state and Department of Defense to do testing and clean up in affected areas. 

GUESTS: 

Cathy Wusterbarth, co-leader of Need Our Water Oscoda

Oday Salim, Great Lakes Regional Center Staff Attorney for the National Wildlife Federation 

Notes:

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Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.

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The car market is a tough one right now, especially for those looking to buy a used vehicle. On today’s pod, we’ll talk about what’s been driving record high prices. One factor? The demand seems to be way up. And, we’ll talk with someone navigating the hot used car market as they try to replace their beloved—and necessary—vehicle, which was damaged by flooding this summer. 

GUESTS:

Curtis Renee, Detroit resident

Sonari Glinton, journalist and host of the podcast Now, What’s Next?

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Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.

Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.

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Monarch butterflies are a quintessential part of the Midwestern summer experience. But the Midwest hasn’t been great for the monarch in recent years largely due to climate change. Today, what needs to be done for monarch butterflies before it’s too late for this distressed population.

GUEST:

Erin Zylstra, Research Associate in Department of Integrative Biology at Michigan State University

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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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