Up North Lowdown

Two members of Congress visited Michigan's largest immigrant detention center this week and they say they want more oversight of the Department of Homeland Security. Reps. Haley Stevens and Hillary Scholten, both Democrats, said they spoke with four of the 1,500 detainees inside North Lake Processing Center in Baldwin. We also speak with Joe Beyer, one of the organizers behind the Fresh Coast Film Festival's Traverse City iteration. It comes to town April 30 - May 3, and has just announced its lineup of films and events.

Politics, whether national or local, has become a game of camps. You’re either in the red camp or the blue camp. And most people stay pretty entrenched. Today on the Up North Lowdown, we introduce you to a third camp: Purple.

Tina Allen is one of the founding members of the Purple Assembly, which has a kickoff event tonight at the Traverse Area District Library.

She talks with the Up North Lowdown about her belief that we all have more in common than not, and that even in these polarized times, there might be a good way to come together.

When someone buys an illegal drug, there can be a difference between what they’re told they’re buying and what the drugs actually contain. That's because drugs on the illegal market are often mixed with other substances that pose an even greater risk for users. A lab in Traverse City works to sort it all out. IPR's Maxwell Howard spoke with the people who run those labs and know exactly what’s in Michigan’s drug supply, and with a drug user who doesn’t.

John James Witherspoon was 28 when he died while fighting Russian forces in January of 2025. His remains were recently released and returned to the United States. Witherspoon was a member of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians. His mother is the band's chairwoman. She and Witherspoon's father reflect on their son's life. We hear from one of his friends, too.

Today, we have two stories about how we use ice — from temporary caves along Lake Michigan to 'cryofarming' in the Upper Peninsula. First, Brian Freiberger from the Leelanau Enterprise tells us about the beauty and danger of ice caves, which have formed in our robust winter. And while this winter has indeed been pretty potent, the season has become less predictable over the years. Journalist Roxanne Hoorn tells us about efforts to make ice on a sheer rock face, and how that might help ice climbers have a more dependable season to practice their sport.

Last month, Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced plans to make Michigan a hub for geologic hydrogen. So what is it? IPR climate solutions reporter Vivian La dug deep into what this potential clean fuel source is and why Michigan might be a pretty good place to look for it right under our feet.

As far as anyone knows, there's no data center eager to locate in Hayes Township, north of Charlevoix. Still, community officials have imposed a 180-day moratorium on such projects. Why?

IPR's Claire Keenan-Kurgan listened in on a township meeting and heard what members of the public have to say. Some even worried that just talking about the topic might pique the interest of developers.

We'll also chat with Matt Schlomer, founder and artistic director of IPR's Sound Garden Project, about a new partnership that's bringing top musicians to northern Michigan.

Michigan is losing farms. Farmers are retiring and there are fewer people to take over their work. A new program wants to change that by acting as sort of a matchmaker.

The idea is to pair retiring farmers with people looking to advance in farming. The farms create a sort of dating profile, and prospective farmers see if they're a good fit. Today, we talk with reporter Miles MacClure, who looked into it.

He tells us there are 10 times as many people looking to farm as there are farms looking for successors. Despite that, it's not easy to find someone to take over.

Read the full story, from the Northern Michigan Journalism Collaborative.

Every four years, everyone goes crazy over curling. It shows up in the Olympic Games, which seems to give it a boost in popularity (at least in the countries where it's not already popular). And, since the games get underway tonight, we sent Austin Rowlader out on the sheet at the Traverse City Curling Club, to see what all the hype is about.

Data centers could be big business for communities in Michigan. They also raise serious concerns about their impact on energy grids and the environment.

Today, we talk with the planning director in Garfield Township, just outside Traverse City, about the prospect of data centers there.

Also: Deer baiting is a hot topic here in northern Michigan. That’s when you leave a big pile of, say, apples or carrots, to attract deer while hunting. The practice is forbidden right now in the Lower Peninsula, but that could soon change.

Michigan’s House of Representatives advanced a bill that would lift the ban.