Ed Ronco

5 days ago | interlochenpublicradio.org | Ed Ronco |Max Copeland

This week on the Lowdown, we meet some of the folks who depend on trees to make their living. Maybe they sell the wood, or make maple syrup. The ice storms at the end of March damaged or destroyed millions of trees in our region. And by doing so, they upended plans for the future. We'll also hear how federal aid could help those impacted by the ice storm and how, separately, federal cutbacks could hit regional arts organizations.

1 week ago | interlochenpublicradio.org | Ed Ronco

After the ice storms, the conversation is shifting from response to recovery, and utilities are figuring out how to prepare for the next storm. Also, Marc Maron talks to us about his career in comedy, podcasts, film and more. Stories included in this episode:One week later: Communities look to long-term recovery after ice stormThe lights are coming back on. How can utilities prepare for next time? Marc Maron on why clicks don't matter, and a look at TC's comedy fest

2 weeks ago | interlochenpublicradio.org | Ed Ronco

Planned Parenthood is closing three clinics in Michigan including ones in Petoskey and Marquette, in anticipation of funding cuts from the Trump administration. Ashlea Phenicie is the spokesperson for Planned Parenthood of Michigan. She says about 16 percent of the organization’s budget is from Title 10 family planning dollars. In Michigan, Title 10 does not cover abortions or gender affirming care but it does fund other services Planned Parenthood provides.

2 weeks ago | interlochenpublicradio.org | Ed Ronco

This segment is called "The Week Ahead," but this week, I thought it would be good to tell you a little about our reporting in the week that was. — Ed Ronco, news directorA Friday news releaseIt's not uncommon for large stories to come out on Friday afternoons, for many reasons. Sometimes it's because it takes the whole week for a big decision to be made or a deadline to be met.

2 weeks ago | interlochenpublicradio.org | Ed Ronco

U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman visited storm-damaged areas of northern Michigan on Saturday. The Republican from Watersmeet said he was in Cheboygan, Atlanta and Gaylord. "You can't believe what happened up there," he told IPR. "These telephone poles look like toothpicks that were just snapped."In addition to snapping utility poles, the massive ice storm which hit on March 29 and 30 brought down trees and power lines, leaving more than 100,000 people in the dark and many without heat.