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6 days ago | 
interlochenpublicradio.org | Ed Ronco
A wooded area near Traverse City held an encampment for people who are unsheltered, until this past week, when police cleared out the area. We'll hear what happened. Plus, we walk around the centerpiece of the Grand Traverse Commons with two composers who were tasked with writing music about an old psychiatric hospital. Stories included in this episode:UPDATE: Traverse City clears 'The Pines' as new ordinance takes effectInterlochen composers on how you tell a building's story through music
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1 week ago | 
interlochenpublicradio.org | Ed Ronco
The Grand Traverse Commons is a sprawling campus in Traverse City that used to be home to a state hospital. Up until 1989, people were housed there for a number of reasons, ranging from severe mental illness to simple rest and recovery. Now, its main building — known as Building 50 — will be featured in a PBS program called “Songs About Buildings and Moods," an online series that looks at the history and architecture of a building with original music to reflect that.
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1 week ago | 
interlochenpublicradio.org | Ed Ronco |Maxwell Howard
Michigan State Police have blocked off a wooded area of Traverse City known as “The Pines,” which for years has been the site of makeshift encampments of homeless people. On Wednesday morning, police tape had encircled the massive area at 11th and Division streets, with 11th Street closed and several MSP vehicles stationed around the perimeter.
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1 week ago | 
interlochenpublicradio.org | Max Copeland |Ed Ronco
When trees snapped in the late-March ice storm that hit northern Michigan, many also took down power lines. Now, the same stuff that knocked out the power could help make electricity. We’ll learn how bees interact with northern Michigan’s ecosystem. And about the regional history of barn architecture … plus a related road trip you might enjoy.
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3 weeks 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.
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1 month 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
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1 month 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.
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1 month 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.
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1 month 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.
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1 month ago | 
interlochenpublicradio.org | Ed Ronco |Max Copeland
An ice storm wreaked havoc on northern Michigan this week. It left thousands without power and heat and littering the region with the debris of snapped trees and downed power lines. Recovery continues. We'll hear voices from the storm. Also, a look at how tensions between the U.S. and Canada could impact the Great Lakes. More than a century of co-management could be at stake amid trade battles and other disagreements introduced by the Trump adminisration.
