City manager Benjamin Marentette wants to know what Traverse City residents want their public spaces to look like. What kinds of ideas is he looking for? He told IPR's Austin Rowlader he wants ideas that "put a smile on people's faces."

The best part? The survey asks only two questions. You can take it here.

Also, our pledge drive begins today. A few times a year we ask our listeners to chip in so we can keep local news on the airwaves. If you like the Lowdown, we'd love your support.

Employees from Traverse City's largest private employer are going back to the office. Almost 400 workers at Hagerty Insurance Agency are now making their way to the company's downtown headquarters. IPR's Maxwell Howard checks in with local businesses.

Plus, Ed Ronco sits down with Paul Kapur whose debut novel Inside the Mirror will be the subject of a free event hosted by the National Writers Series and Interlochen Center for the Arts. Doors open at 6:00pm at the Alluvian in Traverse City.

Click here to RSVP for this free event.

Local entrepreneur John Velis joins us to talk about how his company is giving Alzheimer's patients access their past.

Using pictures, videos, and audio stories 'Memory Bright' gives people suffering from Alzheimer's and their caretakers an easy place to store and play memories from their past, before the disease took hold. It's called 'reminiscence therapy' and a Northern Michigan business is bringing it to the world.

Learn more here.

When you flush the toilet, it has to end up somewhere. That "somewhere" is the Traverse City Regional Wastewater Treatment plant. The plant, which has been at the north end of Boardman Lake since 1932, is undergoing millions of dollars in upgrades over the next few years. We took a fascinating — and, yes, at one moment quite smelly — journey inside to learn what's going on and why it matters.

It's been about three years since millions of dollars started flowing into Michigan — and other states — to help fight the opioid crisis. The money came from settlements with drug makers, distributors and pharmacies. The funds are starting to make a difference but many communities have been slow to spend much of it. Or any of it. That includes Grand Traverse County. Ron French from Bridge Michigan explains what's going on. Also, repeated drives down U.S. 31 make one of our reporters wonder: When will that freestanding Dunkin' location open? She's not alone, as it happens. An update.

Around one in six people in northern lower Michigan has a concealed pistol license, or CPL. That's the highest concentration in the state. Soon, they might not need it. A bill in the Michigan Legislature would allow eligible gun owners to carry a concealed weapon without a separate license or training. Plus, springtime in Michigan means orange barrels on the roads. We take a look at some big road construction projects here in northern Michigan.

After their father was detained at the North Lake Processing Center in Baldwin, two sisters from Grand Rapids committed to helping other detainees. When people are released from North Lake, they offer rides through a network of volunteers. They also help reconnect people with their families. We hear about it from journalist Jacob Wheeler, of the Glen Arbor Sun. We'll also hear about an old-but-newly-released report that has sparked renewed concern among opponents of the Line 5 tunnel project in the Straits of Mackinac. And a brief word about why IPR News avoids April Fools' stories — not that everyone should.

The 1st District of Michigan has been represented in the U.S. House for nearly a decade by U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman (R-Watersmeet). He's running for reelection. The best known Democrat in the race is Callie Barr. And neither plans to be at a "Meet the Candidats" event held by the group Traverse Indivisible Education & Solidarity. Still, organizers hope people will come see the two Democrats, one Republican and one Independent who will be there, in a conversation focused on civil discourse.

A year ago — in the throes of an ice storm that had scattered tree limbs and power lines across northern Michigan — Wanda Whiting suddenly needed to get her husband to a hospital. So she drove through the storm's aftermath, right across the power lines. Would any of that have happened if the lines had been buried? And one year later, do we have any plans to do that? IPR's Vivian La digs into that question.

The 850 members of the Michigan Nurses Association who work at Munson Medical Center in Traverse City have been working without a contract since March 10. They took their message to the public this week. Their concerns include staffing issues, mandatory overtime and other working conditions. They're planning what's called a "practice strike" on April 9. IPR's Claire Keenan-Kurgan explains what's going on.