Up North Lowdown

The Antrim County Clerk, Victoria Bishop, owns a radio station where her husband airs a daily three-hour-long conservative talk radio show.

Producer Austin Rowlader takes you inside one of his recent episodes where Trucker Randy raises money so the Antrim County Clerk's office can sue Michigan elections officials.

For more information about the Antrim County Clerk and the recent allegations from the state Bureau of Elections, click here.

Grand Traverse County is moving ahead with new building projects, plus the state Natural Resources Commission could consider enacting a "one-buck" rule on deer hunters this week.

We also talk with Matthew Burtner, a composer and sound artist who records soundscapes from different environments and makes them into music.

Burtner is completing an artist residency sponsored by the Elberta Labor Heritage Center (WUWU Community Radio), Sawbill Surf Club, and Interlochen Public Radio.

He collaborated with residents of Benzie County to record the sounds of the Betsie River Valley for a new composition called "Estuary and Crossing."

Hear the composition in full and meet Burtner at a community potluck and listening session on Wednesday, May 13 at 6 p.m. at Elberta United Methodist Church.

The pink salmon first entered the Great Lakes when a small number were discarded into a sewer. They eventually made their way into Lake Superior.

That was 70 years ago. The population has just experienced a sharp increase in numbers worldwide. Ellie Katz discusses possible Great Lakes implications.

Also, a popular local restaurant is hoping to open a cafe and bakery in a vacant space in downtown Traverse City.

Isiah Smith was astonished when an author shared some of his research — a bill of sale that enslaved Smith's great grandfather, just a boy at the time. The retired attorney and northern Michigan author talks tonight with that author — Orice Jenkins — whose book, "The Early County Massacre: Goolsby vs. The State of Georgia" is set in the county where Smith was born. We hear from Smith in this episode. We also get the latest about ongoing tensions between the Antrim County clerk and the state Bureau of Elections.

The Father Fred Foundation food pantry in Grand Traverse County served 47,000 people last year. That's in a county of just over 90,000 people. We look at the demand on one resource in Grand Traverse County. Also, a newly restored barn just opened at Traverse City's Historic Barns Park and, when it did, the public got a look at a message left behind nearly 70 years ago by a grumpy worker who wrote his feelings on the wall.

Northern Michigan wineries are leaning on hybrid grape varieties to withstand less predictable winters and other obstacles brought on by climate change. Reporter Miles MacClure takes us to a winery in Charlevoix to learn more. Also, we hear about a conference planned for Traverse City that aims to prevent threats facing children — things like campus safety, internet predators, bullying and AI-driven deepfakes.

We're talking about representation today. In one sense, it's literal representation — who will fill the open state Senate seat in Michigan's 35th District? It's far away from Up North, but the ramifications of today's special election could be felt statewide. We also hear from Classical IPR's Isabel Li, whose new podcast — AAPI Classical Musicians of Interlochen — looks at the musical contributions made by Asian Americans, Pacific Islander Americans and Native Hawaiians. Plus, we hear Dan Wanschura lead a room full of people in an owl call at the end of the episode. (They do pretty well, actually.)

Bellaire, Michigan. People gather in a bar on a Saturday. Sports? No. Beverages? Maybe. Probably, really. But the main reason they're here is to copy the United States Constitution, every word of it, by hand. These events have been going on for a while now — and IPR's Austin Rowlader went to see what it's all about. He found some pondering over the document itself (why the weird capitalizations?) but also some deeper reflections on where we are as a country.

Taped LIVE from Right Brain Brewery in Traverse City, Ed kicks off the first full day of the Fresh Coast Film Festival.

Traverse City Mayor Amy Shamroe joins us to talk about the film industry.

Rachel Felder, producer of "Detroit to Gloryland," talks about the experience of taking a group of students to see the Yosemite National Park.

Also a preview of "An Autumn Summer" — a coming of age romance making its up north debut this weekend. We'll talk to director Jared Isaac and producer JohnPaul Morris.

Dan Wanschura does his best to call in an owl on the latest Points North episode.

And then, if you've never heard the sun come up before...Austin Rowlader was in Clinch Park to see how it sounds.

Julie Cordier keeps a binder filled with notes on each person’s name, some details about them, and how often she’s seen them. She guesses she's visited between 15 and 20 detainees at the North Lake Processing Center. Today, we hear her story, plus we meet a composer who takes inspiration — and sound — from the natural world to make his music.