News

Today on Current State: Ingham County Land Bank; a tour of the Greater Lansing Hall of Fame; stocking fish in the Great Lakes; and Lord Huron, an indie rock band with local roots.

The Ingham County Land Bank, is currently going through a bit of a renovation. Chairman and County Treasurer Eric Shertzing along with the organization's new Executive Director Jeff Burdick discuss the current changes to the ICLB, including the organization's new pilot project involving transportation, which will be the first public bike-sharking program in Michigan. 

The Greater Lansing Sports Hall of Fame, located within the Lansing Center, showcases a wealth of local athletic talent. Home to memorabilia from 228 individuals and 46 teams, the Hall of Fame celebrates the world class athletic talent that Mid-Michigan has produced. WKAR’s Al Martin toured of the Hall of Fame with Executive Director and 1994 inductee Bob Every.

Brown trout, Chinook and coho salmon  are all currently stocked in one or more of the Great Lakes, however none of these prized catches are native to the basin. These fish were stocked to help manage invasive species and to build a sport fishery.  

Ben Schneider, Mark Bary and Tom Renauda from Okemos, along with Miguel Briseno of Eaton Rapids and Californian Karl Kerfoot have been making waves with their band Lord Huron.  Now based in Los Angeles, Lord Huron is touring to support their album "Lonesome Dreams."

Current State's Scott Pohl spoke with Ben Schneider about his music, and growing up in a media savvy household with his parents, well-known Lansing PR executive Sharon Emery and longtime Lansing State Journal columnist John Schneider.

Al begins his week discussing homosexuality in sports with Co-Founder of the Rainbow Bowling League Don Hubbard. Al also runs through the latest in sports including Tigers baseball, the U.S. Open and NBA Finals. And the Current Sports team plays Pick'em Monday through this week's slate of games.

Governor Rick Snyder sat down with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Monday.

Tea Party activists are threatening to put up primary challengers against Republican lawmakers who vote to expand Medicaid in Michigan.

Today on Current State: Michigan high school education gap in Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate classes; co-generation power plant in REO Town; third-party gubernatorial candidate Robin Sanders; 3D printing; and diagnosing sick dogs.

Last week, Bridge Magazine highlighted a study conducted by The Education Trust, a Washington D.C.-based education research and policy group, showing Michigan had one of the worst rates in the country for enrollment in Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate classes among low income and minority students. Enrollment in these higher level classes during high school greatly increases a student’s chances for success in college.

 Many Michigan voters have begun anticipating a Gubernatorial contest next year between Republican incumbent Rick Snyder and Democratic challenger Mark Schauer.  But a political neophyte from Southeast Michigan has also launched an effort at getting the state’s top job. Robin Sanders has spent close to 20 years as a corrections officer with the Michigan Department of Corrections, most of it specializing in mental health work.

3D printing was in the news recently when a Texas group called Defense Distributed posted instructions on its website for printing a functional plastic handgun using a 3D printer. Although the State Department had the group remove the postings, the story brought 3D printing to the headlines.

Current State host Mark Bashore speaks with Dr. Patrick Kwon, a professor of mechanical engineering at MSU, about the technology of 3D printing.

When a beloved dog becomes seriously ill, owners are faced with difficult decisions. Researchers are developing a new tool which could help dog owners tackle the tough choice of prolonging life or letting go.

Maria Iliopoulou, an MSU-trained veterinarian and  doctoral student in the Department Of Community Sustainability  discusses  the study.

Al sits down with Author Jeffery Beers to discuss his new book The Lost Season. Jeffery discusses the culture of sports and if we as society takes sports to seriously. Al also breaks down the latest in sports and the gang has another segment of Reflection Friday.

Simon & Hollis talk with Strampel and Gould.

Today on Current State: the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on gene patenting; Ann Arbor Summer Festival; Lansing Lugnuts; A Father’s Day memory and Mackinac fudge.

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled unanimously that naturally occurring human genes cannot be patented. The ruling will affect researchers, universities and industries. 

The Ann Arbor Summer Festival bills itself as "an international arts gathering." Events are indoors and outdoors over the next three weeks. It will be a good time for everybody -- kids, music lovers, film buffs and even public radio fans. Current State’s Scott Pohl spoke with Robb Woulfe about the 30th Ann Arbor Summer Festival. Woulfe has been the festival’s executive and artistic director for nine years.