On Hand

Mary “BGIRL MAMA” Mar is an award-winning dancer in multiple breaking groups, manager and teacher at a dance studio in Detroit, and a vocalist with a new single out. She’s also a native Detroiter with Cambodian heritage, Muslim American, and an eternal optimist. Her incredible identities and passion for music are making her into a b-girling icon.

GUEST:

Mary “BGIRL MAMA” Mar, dancer, vocalist, teacher

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Additional music by Mary Mar and Blue Dot Sessions.

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The school year is already here for some Michigan districts. For the rest, it’s right around the corner. And there’s one thing that seems to be on everybody’s mind: masks. Today on the pod, we’ll talk about why some counties have decided to issue mask mandates for schools—instead of leaving it to individual districts. And we’ll hear what kind of pushback they’ve gotten for doing so.  

GUESTS:

Dave Coulter, Oakland County executive

Caroline Llanes, Michigan Radio reporter

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Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.

Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.

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Where were you when "Malice at The Palace" happened? Much of Michigan was watching the Detroit Pistons game that cataclysmic night in 2004 against the Indiana Pacers. The pandemonium is now the subject of a new Netflix documentary, "Untold: Malice at The Palace".

GUEST:

Larry Lage, sports writer for the Associated Press, was at The Palace of Auburn Hills on November 19, 2004

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Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.

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Today, we’ll touch on the world of COVID politics… where perception is reality and has little to do with policy.

GUEST:

Rick Pluta, Capitol Bureau Chief, Michigan Public Radio Network

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Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.

Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.

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The pawpaw, an elusive and unique fruit native to the U.S.’s mid-Atlantic region, has been an important food to plenty of Native people for a very long time. But in modern times, it’s just now getting traction in the culinary scene. Today, we learn how to find, cook, and consume a pawpaw.

GUEST:

Sara Bir, chef and author of The Pocket Pawpaw Cookbook

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Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.

Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.

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Kids in Pandemics Past and Present

 

You’ve seen the stories about more children across the country being hospitalized after contracting COVID-19’s Delta variant. And this isn’t the first time families, school districts, and public health officials have had to make hard decisions about children during a pandemic. Today on the pod, what to know about the Delta variant and the vulnerable population of unvaccinated children in Michigan. Plus, history’s take on balancing education and public health during a crisis. 

GUESTS:

Beenish Ahmed, reporter, Michigan Radio 

Dr. Howard Markel, professor and director, University of Michigan Center for the History of Medicine

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Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.

Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.

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All the economic turmoil of the pandemic has led around 15,000 Michiganders to join new or existing unions in the past year and a half. That's according to a new story from MLive. Today on the pod, we’ll talk to the reporters about why the pandemic has led to a surge in union memership, and we’ll talk to a labor economist about how this moment compares to other pivotal times in American labor history.

GUESTS:

Emily Lawler and Lindsay Moore, MLive reporters

Harley Shaiken, professor at University of California-Berkeley

Find Lindsay and Emily’s full write-up about the surge in Michigan’s union membership here.

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Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.

Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.

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Summer storms and power outages have always been part of life in Michigan, but changing climate means an acceleration of the natural forces that drive our weather. Severe thunderstorms left more than 700,000 Michiganders without power last week, and some 20,000 are still without. That's almost a week later. Today, how utilities are addressing vulnerabilities in the grid.

GUESTS: 

Dan Scripps, chair of the Michigan Public Service Commission and a former state lawmaker

Charlotte Jameson, director of the Citizens Utility Board of Michigan, and also program director of the Michigan Environmental Council

NOTES:

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Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.

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The delta variant of the coronavirus continues to cause in uptick in COVID-19 cases in communities across Michigan. What does this mean for the state in the months ahead? And how are state health officials preparing for the rising tide of delta as unvaccinated kids head back to school? Today on the podcast, we talk to Michigan’s top doctor about those questions, and ask her what you should know about breakthrough cases and booster shots, too.  

GUESTS:

Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, chief medical executive for the state of Michigan

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Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.

Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.

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Theatre companies have faced some unique challenges throughout the pandemic as a sector that is so dependent on being in the room with other actors, writers, directors, and patrons. Plowshares Theatre Company in Detroit occupies a pretty unique vantage point for COVID-19 in the theatrical lockdown, being an urban theatre with a distinctly Detroit style. Today, we check in on how the company has coped with all that’s happened in the past year and a half, and how it’s approaching plans for the future.

 

GUEST:

Gary Anderson, Producing artistic director for Plowshares Theatre Company

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Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.

Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions

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