Radio Made in Michigan

East Lansing high school presents "And The World Goes Round" tomorrow night, with a fundraising event after at the East Lansing Marriott. The "Gala of Gratitude" is part of the East Lansing Foundation's effort to raise $1 million for students  to support their theater tradition in East Lansing schools.

Many East Lansing high theater, music and arts grads will be attending the event on Saturday.

One of those people is Dana Brazil.  Brazil is the Associate Director of the MSU Federal Credit Union's Institute for Arts and Creativity at the Wharton Center.  She's a professional actress, teacher and M.F.A. acting student at Michigan State University.

WKAR's Peter Whorf spoke with Dana Brazil about her days at East Lansing High School.

A few weeks ago, Democrats in the Michigan Senate, led by East Lansing’s Gretchen Whitmer, announced that the ‘Michigan 2020’ plan is their highest legislative priority in 2013. The measure would offer some amount of free college tuition for all high school graduates in the state. It would be funded by eliminating almost two-billion dollars in loopholes in the Michigan tax code.

 Detroit Free Press sportswriter Joe Rexrode joins us every Monday and Friday to discuss what's happening in the sports world -- from Michigan State to local prep athletics to the pro leagues. Today he discusses the NCAA tournament. 

Jim Robinson, Vice President of Michigan Farm Bureau Insurance, joins the panel to discuss his “bleed green” passion, and the relationship between his company and Michigan State University Athletics.  Jim Pignataro, Director of Smith Academic Center, describes his relationship with student athletes and their academic experience with the College of Business.  Finally, MSU head soccer coach Damon Rensing discusses the season and the day-to-day activities.

  Architect Albert Kahn was famous for his Michigan buildings, among them Detroit’s Fisher Building and General Motors Headquarters, Ann Arbor’s Hill Auditorium and the many functional but distinctive factories and industrial facilities throughout Detroit and the U.S. Lansing is home to one Kahn building, the former Motor Wheel Factory.

Russ and Kirk give listeners continuous score updates from MSU's second round matchup versus Valparaiso.  The two also hone in on Spring Training baseball from the Detroit Tigers, and recap the unfortunate season for the Detroit Pistons.  The two have open lines, for listeners to give their emotions of March Madness.

Today on Current State: budget cuts for Lansing police; dancer Nic Gareiss; Dr. Shannon Manning on drug-resistant bacteria; the Ann Arbor Film Festival; and CAFOs for livestock.

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.