Today on Stateside:
· In the U.S., it’s estimated that some 22 veterans commit suicide every day. U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Michigan, is co-sponsoring legislation to try and improve mental health care for veterans. Peters joined us to discuss the issue.
· Charles Eisendrath, the director of the national journalism program Knight-Wallace Fellows at the University of Michigan talks about the controversy surrounding NBC News Anchor Brian Williams.
· When Stateside's Rebecca Kruth lost her father, her family turned to Larry Skinner, the Eaton Rapids funeral director who's been helping the community say its goodbyes for years. As part of our Living with Death series, Kruth talked to Skinner about what it's like planning funerals in a town where everyone knows everyone.
· One of the big winter events in Michigan is the U.P. 200 Dog Sledding Championship marking its 25th anniversary this month. Frida Waara, a Marquette native is one of the announcers at this year's race. She joined us from the U.P.
· West Michigan author Lisa Lenzo talks about her new book Strange Love.
· Amidst a budget shortfall, Governor Snyder delivered his state budget for the coming fiscal year today. We crunched the numbers with our It’s Just Politics team.
· The Canadian dollar, also known as the "loonie," was once strong against the American dollar. But now, forecasters are tracking a slide in the loonie. Sal Guatieri, a senior economist at BMO Capital Markets joined us today to talk about the Canadian dollar.
· Valentine's Day is around the corner. And that got us thinking about one of our favorite couples: Judith Narrol and Ed Storement.