Today on Stateside, we talk to Governor Gretchen Whitmer about how the challenges her plan to "fix the damn roads" faces in the Legislature. Plus, we learn about Aldo Leopold, a father of wildlife ecology, and his connection to Les Cheneaux Islands in Lake Huron.
Listen above for the full show or find individual segments below.
Gov. Whitmer: Putting off road funding fix will only raise $2.5 billion price tag
- People aren’t happy with the proposed 45-cent increase to Michigan’s gas tax, but Governor Gretchen Whitmer says it is the only way to effectively fix Michigan’s roads. Whitmer joins Stateside from the Mackinac Policy Conference to discuss why she's pushing for the tax, and how it could save Michiganders money in the long run.
Howes: Short-term fixes for Michigan's education system aren't cutting it
- While other states seem to be improving their K-12 education systems, Michigan seems to be stagnating. Detroit News business columnist Daniel Howes explains why he thinks that Michigan education has been too focused on short-term goals, and not enough on long-term planning and action.
Les Cheneaux Islands celebrates one of America's most influential naturalists
- The fifth annual Leopold Festival is taking place this week at the Les Cheneaux Islands. The festival honors Aldo Leopold, a man who dedicated his life to protecting and preserving wildlands. Elliot Nelson, one of the festival organizers, talks about the history of the festival, and Leopold's connection to the Les Cheneaux Islands.
Why Lake Superior State thinks cannabis-related degrees are a good bet
- Since Michigan voters passed Proposal 1, legalizing recreational marijuana use in the state, a massive cannabis industry has begun to take root. Some Michigan universities are trying to keep pace with this change by adding cannabis-related courses and programs. One of these schools is Lake Superior State University, which recently added degree programs in cannabis chemistry and business.
- Rodney Hanley, the school’s president, discusses the need and potential for these new programs, what they'll teach students, and how Michigan could become a national leader in the marijuana industry.
Mobility entrepreneur talks about Michigan’s place in the mobility future
- Autonomous vehicles are becoming a highly competitive business sector. One of the companies making headway in Michigan is May Mobility, which provides self-driving transport in a variety of settings. Company co-founder Alisyn Malek talks about the struggles faced by Michigan startups, and the ways her company has been able to overcome them.
Tribal citizens say harassment affects how they hunt, fish
- Michigan became a state after Native American tribes ceded tens of millions of acres of land to the U.S. in a series of treaties. Those treaties said tribes kept their rights to hunt, fish and gather on that land, but racism and harassment still keep some tribal citizens from practicing their treaty rights.
- Michigan Radio’s Kaye LaFond reports on the harassment tribal citizens still face while exercising their treaty rights.
How Michigan tribes won back the right to fish and hunt under their own treaty laws
- In the 1970’s, harassment of tribal fishers was even more prevalent than it is today. There were heated arguments and physical fights between Native American anglers and sports fishers, who believed tribes were catching too many fish. This came to a head with a treaty rights case that went all the way to the Michigan Supreme Court.
- Kathryn Tierney is an attorney for the Bay Mills Indian Community, which challenged the state in the 1976 case People v. LeBlanc. Jacques LeBlanc, Jr. is a commercial fisherman and the grandson of the man whose arrest led to that case. They join Stateside to talk about this court case, and what it meant for Michigan tribal treaty rights.
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