Michelle Jokisch Polo
Stateside ProducerMichelle Jokisch Polo is a producer for Stateside. She joins us from WKAR in Lansing, where she reported in both English and Spanish on a range of topics, including politics, healthcare access and criminal justice. Her stories have appeared on NPR, as well as WBUR's Here & Now and Marketplace. Michelle began her career as a journalist as the head reporter at El Vocero Hispano, the largest Hispanic newspaper in Michigan.
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As the population in the privately-run North Lake Processing Center in Baldwin grew in September 2025, habeas corpus petitions started to show up in Michigan’s federal District Courts. Judges granted most of the hundreds of petitions they’ve ruled on. -
The Michigan Supreme Court will hear arguments in the case of a former professor at Calvin University who was terminated after officiating a wedding of two LGBTQ+ people. -
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The average daily population at the North Lake facility in Michigan has ballooned to more than 1,300 people. This retired pastor visits each week. -
If you live in Michigan, it's very likely you’ve heard someone use the word “ope” more than once. But why do we say it and where does it come from? -
Kent County resident Joe Cedillo has been out of prison for a year. He spent nearly 40 years in prison for a crime he committed at 18. Stateside Producer Michelle Jokisch Polo caught up with Cedillo and his family at their home in Grand Rapids. -
Michigan immigrants in detention could soon see some relief after a federal judge in California ruled that the Trump administration’s denial of bond hearings is illegal. -
Four Michiganders facing food insecurity shared what the uncertainty over SNAP benefits has meant for their families. Some have had to cut back on fresh produce, or consider other income sources. -
In Michigan and across the country, child care remains hard to find and expensive as ever. Some families are finding ways to bring down costs without having to step away from their work. -
Hundreds of thousands of Michigan residents are losing access to SNAP food benefits amid the federal government shutdown. Here’s what the pause means for families, when payments might resume, and where to find help in the meantime.
