WKAR | Public Media from Michigan State University

Featured WKAR News

Protesters Gather At Michigan Capitol Demanding Shutdown Of Line 5

Protesters met at the Michigan Capitol Thursday in opposition to Enbridge’s Line 5 oil pipeline. The gathering took place a day after a shutdown deadline ordered by Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

Grand Ledge Selects New School Superintendent

After Months Of Isolation, Life Starts To Return To Normal For Michiganders In Long-Term Care

The Story of Us | A Michigan American Portrait Special

Thu. May 13 at 9:30pm on WKAR-HD 23.1 & STREAMING | It’s a story told by everyday people - in their own words - on their struggles, triumphs, and joys.

TechNotes

TECHNOTE: TV 23.5 Michigan Learning Channel is off the air

Drive SAFE Bills Would Let More Than 100,000 Immigrants Apply For A MI Driver’s License

By Michelle Jokisch Polo • 1 hour ago

A set of bills aimed at restoring driver's licenses for immigrants in Michigan was reintroduced this week in the state legislature.

Listen

Listening...

/

0:46

State Health Department Begins Measuring PFAS Concentrations In Firefighters

By Brett Dahlberg | WCMU • 7 hours ago

Michigan’s state Department of Health and Human Services has begun testing some firefighters for PFAS in their blood.

PFAS is a family of chemicals often used in firefighting foams. They’ve been linked to health problems including cancer and developmental disorders.

A New Spin On A Classic Video Game Gives Native Americans Better Representation

By Anna King • 7 hours ago

Jazz Halfmoon, 38, remembers playing the educational video game Oregon Trail as a reward for doing well in class. "It was on a super-old computer," she says. "The green screen was like the only color."

She says it was really exciting, and the kids would often clamor and fight over who could play the game at their school on the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, in northeast Oregon.

How Health Care In The U.S. May Change After COVID: An Optimist's Outlook

By John Henning Schumann • 7 hours ago

With more than one-third of U.S. adults now fully vaccinated against COVID-19, there's growing optimism on many fronts. A majority of states have either lifted health-related restrictions or have announced target dates for doing so.

Already, many clinicians and health policy experts are thinking about what the post-pandemic world will look like.

Current Sports | May 12, 2021 | Ragnow Gets Paid, MSU FB Lands Big Time Corner From Alabama

By Al Martin • 19 hours ago

We discuss the new addition for Mel Tucker and the MSU football program. Also, Frank Ragnow has become the highest paid center in the NFL. What does this mean for the future of the Detroit Lions?

Listen

Listening...

/

50:32

Groups Sue AG Over 2018 GOP Lame Duck Legislature Gutting Minimum Wage Proposals

By Caroline Llanes | Michigan Radio • May 12, 2021

In 2018, the Republican-led lame duck legislature prevented minimum wage and sick time laws from getting on Michiganders' ballots by adopting the proposals and then gutting them. Now, a new lawsuit is asking a court to overturn then-Attorney General Bill Schuette's opinion that the move was legal, and implement the original proposals.

Whitmer: Enough People Vaccinated To Allow Return To Office Work

By Rick Pluta • May 12, 2021

Courtesy / Michigan Executive Office of the Governor

Michigan has reached a COVID-19 vaccination benchmark that will soon allow people to return to the office in person, but Governor Gretchen Whitmer acknowledges the next target will be more difficult to hit.

Ingham County's Top Health Official: Michigan Isn't Ready To Relax Indoor Mask Requirements

By Megan Schellong • May 12, 2021

Photo of a face mask. — Photo courtesy of CANVA

Ingham County's top health official says it's not yet time to relax indoor mask requirements.

Speaking at a media briefing Tuesday, Health Officer Linda Vail said other states in the country are in a different situation than Michigan.

Live Updates: Coronavirus In The Lansing Region

By WKAR Staff • May 12, 2021

Illustration of Virus — Alissa Eckert, MS; Dan Higgins, MAMS / CDC

Regular updates from WKAR News about the regional response to the pandemic.

Para obtener información sobre COVID-19 en español, haga clic aquí.

10:50 a.m. Wed. 5/12/21

The city of East Lansing is no longer requiring people to wear masks in outdoor spaces. The mask mandate was lifted today.

'If Hate Is A Virus, There Is No Vaccine': Asian Photographers Speak Out

By Xueying Chang • May 12, 2021

The arrival of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month has come at a particularly difficult moment. It has been nearly two months since shootings at three Atlanta-area spas left eight people dead — including six women of Asian descent — and in AAPI communities across the country, pain, tears, frustration and loss continues to reverberate.

Pages

Join Us

Right to Read | Screening with Q&A

By WKAR STAFF • May 10, 2021

Thu. May 20, 2021 at 7pm on WKAR OVEE - RSVP HERE | Join the conversation at a virtual preview screening of the upcoming WKAR original documentary, Right to Read. The film presents the moving story of Michigan families attempting to secure the right to read for their children.

WKAR Station News

Curious Crew Returns for Seventh Season

By WKAR Staff • May 5, 2021

Dr. Rob with Curious Crew and chemistry experiment — Amanda Pinkney / WKAR-MSU

Mondays beginning May 10, 2021 at 5:30pm on WKAR-TV 23.1 | Why does a sock cling to a sweater? How does a rainbow get its colors? Where does wax go when it burns? Explore these questions and more, as Curious Crew returns for a seventh season with ten new episodes.

More Station News

May is Mental Health Awareness Month and “it’s completely normal to feel completely abnormal"

By Russ White • 3 hours ago

Dr. Claudia Finkelstein is Director of Wellness, Resilience and Vulnerable Populations at Michigan State University's renowned College of Human Medicine. May is Mental Health Awareness Month. She talks about our collective mental health as we cautiously emerge from the pandemic.

Listen

Listening...

/

18:35

Claudia Finkelstein talks with Russ White.

MORE MSU TODAY

From NPR News

'Disinformation Dozen' Test Facebook's, Twitter's Ability To Curb Vaccine Hoaxes

By Shannon Bond • 24 minutes ago

Researchers have found just 12 people are responsible for the bulk of the misleading claims and outright lies about COVID-19 vaccines that proliferate on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

"The 'Disinformation Dozen' produce 65% of the shares of anti-vaccine misinformation on social media platforms," said Imran Ahmed, chief executive of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, which identified the accounts.