Kevin Lavery

On Tuesday, arts educators will come to Michigan State University for an annual breakfast meeting at the Wharton Center. 

Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero says he's finalizing a deal to bring some 80 green energy jobs to the city. 

The re-election of President Barack Obama on November 6 was the finale of the most expensive election in American history.  It also ended months of thousands of  political campaign ads aired across the country. 

There’s a steadily growing gap between the incomes of Michigan’s wealthiest and poorest families.  That’s the finding of a new report analyzing national income trends.

A grassroots coalition in Michigan is urging Congress to resolve the impending “fiscal cliff” before the end of the year. 

A large crowd marched through the Capitol and Secretary of State Ruth Johnson’s offices today to protest the state’s policy of not issuing driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants who arrived as children. 

Democrats won or retained many Mid-Michigan political offices Tuesday, with a few exceptions.  Here's a snapshot of some key races and issues.

Poll watchers in mid-Michigan say they expect today’s voter turnout to be about the same as the 2008 presidential election.  However, surge voters could play a large role in the outcome.

The proposed casino project for downtown Lansing has taken a big step forward.  The city has signed a deal with the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians to sell a tract of land adjacent to the city’s downtown convention center.

Two local public service veterans are competing to represent Michigan's 69th district in the state House.  Democrat Sam Singh is a former East Lansing councilman and mayor.  Republican Susan McGillicuddy is a former Meridian Township trustee who's served as the township's supervisor for the last 12 years.

For the past 14 years, Ingham County has provided low-cost health care for qualifying residents.  The Ingham Health Plan gives some 12,000 people who don’t qualify for Medicaid and can’t afford their own insurance access to medicine and regular doctor visits every year. 

However, upcoming changes in federal health care policy mean the plan will need additional funding.  Ingham County is asking its residents to approve a three-year millage to keep the Ingham Health Plan in operation.

On Election Day, Lansing voters will decide on the sale of 48 acres of land at the site of the former Red Cedar Golf Course.  A yes vote would move the property a step closer to commercial and environmental redevelopment.  Supporters say the site at the nexus of two cities and a major university is a key gateway in the region that must be improved.

Game designers and researchers from around the world are meeting at Michigan State University this week to talk about the concept of “meaningful play.”  MSU  is recognized as a leader in computer game development.  So-called “serious games” help players build problem solving skills, spur civic engagement and maintain their health. It’s a niche market with the potential for broad commercialization.

Classes started two hours late Thursday in Bath Township near Lansing after district officials received a pair of bomb threats early this morning.

The 2012 election is just a month away, and the campaign rhetoric continues to fly.  All that talk is a rich source of material for the Capitol Steps, a group of political satirists who perform in vaudeville-style tours.  The group began in 1981, when a bunch of congressional staffers got together at a Washington D.C. Christmas party. 

The Capitol Steps will perform Thursday evening at the Wharton Center at Michigan State University.

A recent study finds some 108,000 K-12 students in Michigan have no access to arts curriculum in their schools.  The state mandates at least one credit in the arts as a requirement to graduate.

WKAR’s Kevin Lavery looks at how those who advocate for the arts and those who regulate its instruction might fill the gap.

Mid-Michigan has a strong folk music tradition.  The annual Great Lakes Folk Festival held in East Lansing each August has attracted international attention, and you can hear folk music on 90.5 FM WKAR every Sunday night.

One of the genre's most famous performers will appear in Ann Arbor on Sunday.  Peter Yarrow formed the folk super group Peter, Paul and Mary with fellow singers Paul Stookey and Mary Travers in 1961.  Their music was part of the soundtrack of the civil rights era.

WKAR's Kevin Lavery asked Peter Yarrow about the current state of folk music.

Business leaders from more than 20 Michigan companies are traveling to China this week on a trade mission.  The six-city tour is one of the largest overseas events Michigan economic development officials have ever sponsored.  It’s an opportunity to match Michigan farmers, automakers, engineers and manufacturers with potential customers in China.