Radio Made in Michigan

Tomorrow, East Lansing voters will decide on a school bond issue to upgrade outdated equipment.  Officials say hundreds of phones, computers, cameras and clocks in the city’s schools are becoming obsolete.  The district is asking residents to approve a millage that would not exceed 1.26 mils over the next five years. The measure would raise more than $5 million for the upgrade.  

WKAR’s Kevin Lavery visited East Lansing High School to talk with the district’s director of technology, Christian Palasty, who says there’s a sizable amount of equipment to replace.

MLive's Lansing beat reporter Angela Wittrock joins us every Monday for a rundown of the latest news about the local economy, business and development. This week, she discusses the Lansing metro area's real "GDP."

Russ White talks radio with WKAR Radio station manager Peter Whorf.  Kirk Heinze chats with Michigan DNR leader Keith Creagh, all about the Michigan Horse Expo, and Scott Westerman shares his stirring "I Am A Spartan" essay.

State Democrats and Republicans will meet this weekend to elect party leaders.

Today on Current State:  A look at the tri-county mental health system; Detroit spoken word poet Jamaal May; the unveiling of a collaborative mural at Peckham Inc; sports with Joe Rexrode; Lansing-made boats at the Detroit Boat show; and an Oscar preview.

On Wednesday, Governor Rick Snyder ordered a review of how Michigan delivers mental health services.  Among other issues, commissions headed by Lt. Governor Brian Calley will focus on how to close the gap for people who need help but end up in jail instead.

Bob Sheehan, executive director of Community Mental Health of Lansing, discusses mental health challenges in mid-Michigan and what he thinks the review needs to address.

Jamaal May is a world class spoken-word artist and poet from Detroit. He has a guest performance at this weekend’s Poetry Out Loud Michigan high school state championships, which are being held in East Lansing.  Mr. May discusses his career, shares some poetry and tells us about the competition. 

Current State's Public Poetry Announcements are brought to you by the Center for Poetry at MSU's Residential College in the Arts and Humanities.

An art installation three years in the making is being unveiled this weekend. Art@Work is a community based art project, constructed through collaboration between the nonprofit organization Peckham Inc., MSU's Residential College of Arts and Humanities and the College of Engineering. The installation features over 100 portraits made by Peckham clients and students. WKAR's Emanuele Berry reports.