Today on Stateside, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel comments on the recent dismissal of charges against state officials and others for actions related to the Flint water crisis. Plus, an interview with the writer of an "Afrofuturistic techno choreo-poem" set in 3071 Detroit.
Listen to the full show above or find individual segments below.
Prosecutors will have to work quickly if they want to refile charges in Flint Water investigation
- On Thursday, prosecutors dismissed felony charges against eight people on trial for actions related to the Flint water crisis. They say that they intend to reinvestigate the case. State Attorney General Dana Nessel talks about the reasoning behind the dropped charges.
- Also, Wayne State University Professor of Law Peter Henning responds to Nessel’s comments, and explains what to expect next in the investigation into the Flint water crisis.
Detroit poet’s latest work is an Afrofuturistic world of poetry, dance, and techno music
- “Salt City” is a new Afrofuturistic techno choreo-poem set in 3071 Detroit. The performance, which debuts this week at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African-American History, features a combination of spoken word poetry, techno music, and dance. Poet, activist, and five-time Live at the Apollo winner jessica Care moore wrote "Salt City." She joins Stateside to talk about what inspired the performance, and the impact she hopes it will have on audiences.
Roundup: Crisis in Benton Harbor schools brings difficult choices and uncertain outcomes
- Governor Whitmer has urged the Benton Harbor School District school board to close the city's high school, which she says is the best way to save the district. She's given the board until midnight tonight to come up with an alternative plan. We discuss the situation with our Friday political commentators.
- Vicki Barnett is a former mayor of Farmington Hills and a former Democratic State Representative. Ken Sikkema is Senior Policy Fellow with Public Sector Consultants and a former Republican Majority Leader of the Michigan Senate. They join Stateside to discuss whether closing the school would be the best option, and what could result from this plan in the long run.
Artisans of Michigan: Shaping molten glass into sparkling beauty
- April Wagner is a glass blower who makes art as well as functional items. She uses a combination of tools, gravity, centrifugal force, and air from her lungs to make her creations. Stateside host Lester Graham visited her business, Epiphany Glass, to see her in action.
- Support for arts and culture coverage comes from the Michigan Council for the Arts and Cultural Affairs.
New memoir from writer Dean Kuipers a tale of family reconciliation set in rural Michigan
- Writer Keith Taylor reviews The Deer Camp: A Memoir of a Father, a Family, and the Land that Healed Them by Dean Kuipers, a memoir about family, substance abuse, mental illness and reconciliation.
What the state House budget means for schools, roads, and the rest of government
- The Michigan House of Representatives passed its version of a budget plan yesterday along party lines. They rejected Governor Whitmer’s gas tax hike proposal, instead coming up with a plan that would raise about one-fifth of what Whitmer says is necessary to fix the roads.
- Zach Gorchow from the Gongwer News Service explains what this could mean for Michigan drivers and taxpayers.
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