Mike Davis

Chicago, Seattle

Arts Reporter at WBEZ-FM (Chicago, IL)

✍🏾 Arts Culture Sports 🎙️ | bylines: @wbez @suntimes @kuow @seattletimes @seattleweekly

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Articles

Farmers Set to Lose Billions Without Tax Cut Extension

3 days ago | sfntoday.com | Mike Davis

If Congress doesn’t extend current tax provisions, America’s farmers and ranchers will be forced to pay up to $9 billion more in federal taxes every year. Tax relief enacted by the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is set to expire at the end of this year, which would lead to tax increases for almost two-thirds of families, including those in rural America.
Rural Mainstreet Index Stays Below Growth Neutral

5 days ago | sfntoday.com | Mike Davis

The May Rural Mainstreet Index fell below the growth-neutral reading of 50.0 for the 19th time in the past 20 months. The ten-state region covered by the Index came in at 44 during May, up from 40 in April. The index ranges between 0 and 100, with 50 representing growth neutral. “According to the bank CEOs in our survey, the economic outlook for 2025 farm income remains weak,” said Ernie Goss of Creighton University.
Google and Arable Expand Innovative Water Stewardship Collaboration to the Carolinas

1 week ago | sfntoday.com | Mike Davis

SAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESS Newswire / May 29, 2025 / Google and Arable are expanding their collaboration in water replenishment efforts by bringing Arable’s in-field irrigation technology to hundreds of fields across North and South Carolina. The project will support the Edisto-Santee River Basin in South Carolina and the Catawba and Pee Dee Basins in North Carolina.
Jackson Councilman Scott Sargent dies after 'extremely risky' surgery

1 week ago | yahoo.com | Mike Davis

JACKSON -- Jackson Councilman Scott Sargent, a longtime public works employee and former school board member, died on May 23 after experiencing complications from open heart surgery. He was 61 years old. Sargent underwent the "extremely risky" surgery last week after "suffer(ing) from several heart conditions that ultimately impacted his ability to live a comfortable lifestyle," according to an online fundraiser posted by his family to pay for funeral expenses.
‘Matrix’ filmmaker Lilly Wachowski on making movies about trans identity and liberation

1 week ago | chicago.suntimes.com | Mike Davis

In 1996, the movie “Bound” premiered from a little-known duo with a very Chicago background. Lilly and Lana Wachowski had grown up in Beverly and attended Whitney Young High School. The pair made “Bound,” a film noir about two women who steal $2 million from the Mafia, as a way to discuss their own internal feelings about their gender identity. The film wasn’t exactly a box-office success, but it became a cult classic for its steamy portrayal of a lesbian relationship to mainstream audiences.
‘Matrix’ filmmaker Lilly Wachowski on making movies about trans identity and liberation

1 week ago | wbez.org | Mike Davis

In 1996, the movie Bound premiered from a little-known duo with a very Chicago background. Lilly and Lana Wachowski had grown up in Beverly and attended Whitney Young High School. The pair made Bound, a film noir about two women who steal $2 million from the Mafia, as a way to discuss their own internal feelings about their identity. The film wasn’t exactly a box-office success, but it became a cult classic for its steamy portrayal of a lesbian relationship to mainstream audiences.
Wetlands are not wastelands

1 week ago | thesunchronicle.com | Mike Davis

Back in the day we didn't have AI searches and we showed little regard for wetlands. Today, if AI is asked "what did the public think of wetlands decades ago?", the response from a plethora of sources was "Historically, wetlands were widely viewed negatively, seen as obstacles to development, breeding grounds for disease, and unproductive areas." Yup, sounds about right for the time.
Rollins Rolls Out Proposals to Support Small Family Farms

2 weeks ago | sfntoday.com | Mike Davis |Mike Davis

Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins issued a suite of proposals intended to support small family farms across rural America. John Walt Boatright, director of government affairs for the American Farm Bureau Federation, says this is a critical time to support all agriculture, but particularly small farms. “We all know the farm economy is not doing quite well at the moment, but especially so for small family farms.
The Roundup: 'Sinners' Stake a Claim in South Seattle

2 weeks ago | southseattleemerald.org | Mike Davis

This week’s edition of "The Roundup" explores the music of "Sinners," local places to enjoy blues in the South End, and more. I’m going to start this week by giving you a minor spoiler alert: I'm about to talk about the movie Sinners. If you haven't seen this movie by now … and you're reading this newsletter … I'm disappointed in you. But that's ok. You can still see Sinners in theaters. Unfortunately, you can’t see it at Ark Lodge (RIP), but it is still showing in Renton at The Landing.
Two key Latino theater events just paused. Are there stormier months ahead?

2 weeks ago | chicago.suntimes.com | Mike Davis

Earlier this month, the organizer of two Chicago festivals supporting Latino theater artists said it was putting the popular events on pause for the year. Inicios, a Chicago playwrights festival started in 2023, paired emerging playwrights with local Latino theater companies for workshops and staged readings.