Radio Made in Michigan

Police and firefighters in the city of Lansing are under pressure to make concessions to improve the city’s short and long-term budget woes.  Last week, a long-awaited report from the city’s blue ribbon “Financial Health Team” called for a million dollars to be cut from the police department’s budget.  

Discussing the issue is the President of the Lansing Fraternal Order of Police---the police officers and supervisors’ union---Tom Krug and from the city of Lansing, Chief Operating Officer and Director of Public Service, Chad Gamble.

  Nic Gareiss has performed traditional Irish dance and the dances of its Diaspora around the world. But for Nic, his performances are not just visual expressions, but audible ones. He understands the body in motion as a form of music.

Nic holds degrees in both anthropology and music from Central Michigan University and recently completed his Masters' in ethnochoreology at the University of Limerick in Ireland.  

Nic discusses his research interests including percussive dances, cultural identity in relation to traditional dance and music, and sexual identity within traditional dance.

MSU molecular biologist Dr. Shannon Manning played a crucial role in helping to solve the

mystery behind one of the most deadly E. coli outbreaks ever, which killed more than 50 people and sickened nearly 4,000 in Germany in 2011.

Dr. Manning is also a featured lecturer in MSU’s Classes Without Quizzes hosted by the College of Natural Science. She joins us to discuss the rise in drug-resistant bacteria.

The Ann Arbor Film Festival is underway. Most of the events are at the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor.

Now into its fifty-first year, the festival has long been a showcase for makers of independent and experimental films.

Current State’s Scott Pohl spoke with program director David Dinnell about the festival’s history and a couple of this year’s highlights.

Agriculture is Michigan’s second largest industry. With the exception of California, no other state produces such a diverse variety of fruits and vegetables.  Michigan also has a large livestock industry.  Over the years, the state has seen an expansion of “CAFOs:” or Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations.  In exchange for high food product output, CAFO’s also produce a lot of waste.

Today on Current State: Republican State Rep. Al Pscholka on the proposed  state revenue cuts to universities; the future of the U.S. nuclear arsenal; Lansing's Habitat for Humanity; ​a new exhibition at MSU's Broad Museum; spring weather forecast; and a public poetry announcement.

 Yesterday the House Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee proposed a plan that would cut state revenue to universities that approve new long-term contracts with faculty unions. Several schools including the University of Michigan and Wayne State University have been pursuing the new contracts to delay the impact of Michigan’s new Right to Work law, which is set to take effect next week.