Stateside

There is something special about strawberry season in Michigan: that brief moment of the year when we trade the pale gigantic plastic clamshell berries for the sweet, deep red jewels of in-season strawberries. On this episode, Chef Abra Berens is back with a recipe that gives those summer strawberries the respect they deserve. GUEST: Abra Berens, cookbook author and culinary director at Granor Farm Looking for more conversations from Stateside? Right this way. If you like what you hear on the pod, consider supporting our work. Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Whitefish populations in the lower Great Lakes have been declining for decades. Bridge Michigan environment reporter Kelly House joined Stateside to discuss what’s threatening the iconic fish, and what could be done to save them. GUEST: Kelly House, Environment Reporter at Bridge Michigan See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This summer, the Scripps Howard Fund gave Detroit Free Press reporter M.L. Elrick an award for his column “On Guard”, in which he publishes all manner of exposes, in the muckraking tradition. Back in 2009, Elrick and his colleague Jim Schaefer shared a Pulitzer prize for covering corruption in the administration of then-Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. Elrick is also the creator of a student journalism project called Eye on Michigan at MSU. GUEST: M.L. Elrick, journalist, Detroit Free Press See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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For a pilot, ejecting mid-flight is always a bad scenario. Lt. Kegan "Smurf" Gill narrowly escaped from a fighter jet traveling 695 miles per hour, approaching the speed of sound. It’s the fastest survived ejection in naval aviation history. “I have a very clear linear memory, right up to the point where I pulled the ejection handle, and after that I have no linear memory,” he said about the experience. “But over the course of the years, I'd gotten a lot back in flashbacks, which were often night terrors. So maybe not the most pleasant way to remember something, but that gave me some insights into what had happened.” A former Naval fighter pilot, Gill flew a training exercise off the East Coast in 2014 when his F/A-18 ran into trouble. His subsequent injuries, including head trauma, changed his life forever. Gill wrote about the experience and aftermath in his new book “Phoenix Revival: The Aftermath of Naval Aviation's Fastest Ejection.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Everything you hear on Stateside is made possible by listener support. Please become a member today and help keep Michigan Public strong. In the wake of the U.S. military airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, an Iranian-American scholar at the University of Michigan-Dearborn reflects on how public perception of Iranians has evolved alongside U.S. relations with the country over the years. GUEST: Camron Amin, professor of Middle East Studies and Iranian Diaspora Studies at the University of Michigan-Dearborn Looking for more conversations from Stateside? Right this way. If you like what you hear on the pod, consider supporting our work. Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the weather heats up in Michigan, so does the excitement of the Ann Arbor District Library's 15th annual Summer Game. We talked to AADL library director Eli Neiburger about the origins of the beloved tradition and how it's changed through the years. If you're already a Summer Game fan, we've got a treat for you! Enter the word 'STATESIDE' as a summer game code to earn 500 points. You can also text the code to (734) 327- 4200 to be signed up for the game and start earning points. GUEST: Eli Neiburger, director of the Ann Arbor District Library Looking for more conversations from Stateside? Right this way. If you like what you hear on the pod, consider supporting our work. Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Detroit Tigers are the best in baseball right now. Yes, that's right. GUEST: Rogelio Castillo, Tigers beat writer and podcaster See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Movement, Detroit’s long-running techno music festival made its way back to the city last month. Dynamic sounds and energetic tempos could be felt miles away from Hart Plaza as massive crowds danced their way through Memorial Day Weekend. Headlining this year’s festival was Carl Craig, a Detroit music producer, DJ, and founder of the record label Planet E Communications. Last year, a documentary film that chronicles the artist's life, Desire: The Carl Craig Story, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. This year, the film was screened at a pre-party to the music festival, ringing in the vibrant celebration of techno. “Most people don’t get a chance to see their lives before their eyes until a near-death experience. So I’m totally happy to see these things. These friends, family members, everyone in front of my face,” said Craig. GUEST ON THIS EPISODE: Carl Craig, music producer and DJ from Detroit [Get Stateside on your phone: subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or YouTube Music today.] See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This year Mackinac Island celebrates a big milestone; it's been 150 years since it was named a National Park. It was only the second space given that designation in the nation, behind Yellowstone. Mackinac Island is a State Park these days, and it enjoys a rich and intriguing history that creates a sense of timelessness. Today we explore some of the chronology that take the island from Anishinaabe fishing community, to Revolutionary War outpost, to the carless, fudge-filled spot it is today. GUEST: Craig Wilson, Mackinac Island Historic Parks Looking for more conversations from Stateside? Right this way. If you like what you hear on the pod, consider supporting our work. Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Stonewall Riots in New York City in 1969 brought attention to the harassment and violence that LGBTQ+ people faced in America. But it wasn't just America that was paying attention. We talked to an assistant professor at Michigan State University about how Pride celebrations have evolved in Mexico—which saw its first Pride celebration in 1979. GUEST: Alejandra Márquez, assistant professor of Spanish at Michigan State University Looking for more conversations from Stateside? Right this way. If you like what you hear on the pod, consider supporting our work. Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Immigrant advocates in Grand Rapids say ICE tried detaining people at routine check-ins. Now, immigrants face a difficult choice: show up and risk arrest, or stay home and break the law. GUEST: Gema Lowe, volunteer organizer with the immigrant rights group Movimiento Cosecha GR Looking for more conversations from Stateside? Right this way. If you like what you hear on the pod, consider supporting our work. Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You may be wondering why you haven’t seen swarms of mayflies yet. Cold water temperatures have delayed their arrival—but don’t worry, they’re on their way. Experts predict the mayflies will begin hatching in Michigan over the next couple of weeks. GUEST: Richard Merritt, former entomology professor at Michigan State University Looking for more conversations from Stateside? Right this way. If you like what you hear on the pod, consider supporting our work. Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Scholar and poet Shonda Buchanan grew up in Kalamazoo with a deep love for Nina Simone. Her new book, The Lost Songs of Nina Simone, captures the singer's spirit in a unique blend of poetry, memoir, and historical reflection. Looking for more conversations from Stateside? Right this way. If you like what you hear on the pod, consider supporting our work. Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A UM student who has been active in the pro-Palestinian protest movement on campus, says he was followed by apparent plainclothes private surveillance teams contracted by the university. And he has video to prove it. GUEST: Josiah Walker, UM student Looking for more conversations from Stateside? Right this way. If you like what you hear on the pod, consider supporting our work. Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Maykol Bogoya-Duarte is a Detroit high school student, who was just 3.5 credits away from earning his diploma when he was pulled over by Rockwood police for alleged tailgating. Bogoya-Duarte, who was already under an active deportation order and planning to fly back to Colombia with his mother, was detained by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement during the May 20 traffic stop. He had hoped to finish his high school diploma by the end of this year, but now faces imminent deportation. We talked to Bogoya-Duarte's attorney and a reporter about the student's case, and what it can tell us about the bigger picture for undocumented students in Michigan. GUESTS: Hannah Dellinger, Chalkbeat Detroit reporter Ruby Robinson, senior managing attorney at the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center Looking for more conversations from Stateside? Right this way. If you like what you hear on the pod, consider supporting our work. Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How Lansing native Terk Brunk, aka Sabu, changed wrestling and became a global sports hero for Arab Americans GUESTS: Shaffee Abraham, former radio host and ring manger for Sabu Khalil AlHajal, Deputy Opinion Editor at the Detroit Free Press Looking for more conversations from Stateside? Right this way. If you like what you hear on the pod, consider supporting our work. Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Senate may soon vote on a federal budget packed with President Trump’s priorities. The bill passed the house last month with major changes to Medicaid. Michigan’s Republican representatives argue these aren’t “cuts” – they say that they’re “protecting” Medicaid by removing “waste, fraud and abuse.” These changes, whatever you call them, could result in millions losing Medicaid coverage by 2027, according to estimates by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. Nearly two million Michiganders, including many people with disabilities, are enrolled in eMdicaid. State officials may be left with the choice to let many people lose coverage or make cuts elsewhere to cover losses in federal funding. GUESTS: Amanda Rhines, director for Disability Network Lakeshore and member of the Michigan Developmental Disabilities Council Terry DeYoung, board president of Disability Network Lakeshore and former disability concerns coordinator for the Reformed Church in America Looking for more conversations from Stateside? Right this way. If you like what you hear on the pod, consider supporting our work. Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alex B. Hill is the principal of DETROITography, an organization that provides data resources for city residents. "You know, I have Detroit maps in the back of my head. I've made so many of them. And the Great Lakes, I've lived here forever, but I hadn't ever really made a map of the region," Hill said. As a cartographer and information designer, Hill focuses on Michigan locations, offering new perspectives for understanding these areas. His new book, "Great Lakes in 50 Maps," explores our freshwater features and the surrounding land, highlighting how this relationship impacts how people live. "As I was thinking about this book, I realized how much the Great Lakes are a part of all of us," Hill said. "We're 90 percent water. We are the Great Lakes; we just walk around!" The book includes maps featuring indigenous names for the lakes, treaties, and land rights associated with the Great Lakes, historical Underground Railroad stops, and shipwrecks in the inland seas, among other topics. Hill is also the author of "Detroit in 50 Maps." See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The regents of University of Florida had already offered Ono the gig, and he had accepted. But the larger governing body - the Board of Governors - rejected that plan as pressure mounted from Republican lawmakers and influential voices decried Ono as too liberal. At the meeting on June 3, 2025, the members of the Board of Governors peppered Ono with questions about his record of support of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs. DEI programs have become a target of the Republican Party under President Donald Trump. Ono halted DEI programs at U-M after Trump took office this year. Ono told the board members this week that he stood by his decision to walk away from DEI. "My evolution over the past 18 months or more... has really focused on my personal experience seeing DEI programs - that were started with all good intensions - what impact they've had on campuses," said Ono. Board members also pushed on Ono's handling of pro-Palestinian campus protests, and questioned whether he came out with enough forceful support of Israel in the days after the Oct. 7th attack in 2023. Conversely, many pro-Palestinian supporters on campus and in Ann Arbor railed against Ono while president at U-M for being too supportive of Israel and for continuing university investment in Israeli businesses. The Florida Board of Governors rejected Ono's appointment by a 10-6 vote. It's unclear what Ono will do now. His departure from U-M came after three difficult years, in which the university was challenged on multiple fronts. The reason and manner of Florida’s apparent rejection are also historic, and say a lot about this moment. Today, we’ve invited back Jamal Watson, editor of the online journal, Diverse: Issues in Higher Education to explain what happened and what's next for Ono. Watson is also a Professor of Strategic Communication and Public Relations at Trinity Washington University. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.