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Enhanced Security Planned At Capitol This Weekend

Governor Gretchen Whitmer has activated Michigan National Guard units ahead of protests expected Sunday at the state Capitol. The coordinated law enforcement effort also includes the FBI and local police departments.

Lansing MLK Day Event To Feature Talk With Bernice King

Andy Schor photo — WKAR File Photo / WKAR-MSU

Schor Satisfied With Protest Enforcement Plan

WKAR STAYTUNED UPDATE

American Reckoning | PBS NewsHour Special Report

Fri. Jan. 15 at 9pm on WKAR-HD 23.1 & STREAMING | Following the aftermath of the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol, American Reckoning: A PBS NewsHour Special Report will focus on the economic and racial history that led to a political divide between Americans, the impact of President Donald Trump's rhetoric throughout his presidency and the next steps for the nation to heal from the recent attack on American democracy.

Inside the Mind of Agatha Christie | Support WKAR

Cicely Tyson smiling and raising arms in air — Courtesy of Dennis Oulds/Hulton Archive via Getty Images / PBS

How It Feels To Be Free | American Masters

MSU Expert Discusses Coronavirus Mutations

By Scott Pohl • Jan 11, 2021

COVID-19 vaccine bottle photo — Scott Pohl / WKAR/MSU

The discovery of a new variant of the coronavirus in Great Britain, and it’s appearance in the U.S., has experts considering the next steps in fighting COVID-19.

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4:34

WKAR's Scott Pohl talks with Dr. Peter Gulick about the new strains of coronavirus.

Twitter Permanently Suspends Trump, Citing 'Risk Of Further Incitement Of Violence'

By Bobby Allyn • Jan 8, 2021

Updated 10:05 p.m. ET Friday

Twitter has permanently suspended President Trump's account over a pattern of behavior that violated company rules.

The action was the most sweeping punishment any major social media company has ever taken against Trump, who has used his Twitter account to announce White House policy, attack rivals and widely disseminate misinformation.

Whitmer: Schools Should Offer In-Person Classes By March 1

By David Eggert | Associated Press • Jan 8, 2021

Courtesy / Michigan Executive Office of the Governor

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Friday strongly encouraged all K-12 schools in Michigan to offer in-person instruction by March 1, stopping short of requiring it but saying face-to-face classes should at least be an option.

Jan. 8, 2021 - Rep. Donna Lasinski | OFF THE RECORD

By WebTeam • Jan 8, 2021

The panel discusses the Capitol Building violence. The guest is Rep. Donna Lasinski.

Watch now at video.wkar.org

The panel discusses the Michigan reaction to violence at the nation's capitol. The guest is house democratic leader Rep. Donna Lasinski. Panelists Kathy Gray, Lauren Gibbons and Kyle Melinn join senior capitol correspondent Tim Skubick to discuss the week in Michigan government and politics.

On Far-Right Websites, Plans To Storm Capitol Were Made In Plain Sight

By Laurel Wamsley • Jan 8, 2021

The mob violence that descended on the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday was the culmination of weeks of incendiary rhetoric and increasingly feverish planning – much of which took place openly on websites popular with far-right conspiracy theorists.

Jared Holt spends a lot of time on those websites. He's a visiting research fellow with the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab, where he has been focused on extremist online activity.

Local Jeopardy! Contestants Remember Alex Trebek

By Scott Pohl • Jan 8, 2021

Elizabeth Johnson with Alex Trebek photo — Courtesy photo / Jeopardy/Sony Productions

For 37 years, the TV game show Jeopardy! was hosted by Alex Trebek. The legendary host died of pancreatic cancer two months ago, and the final episode he taped before his death airs tonight. Producers of the show say tonight’s program will include a special goodbye.

We asked a couple of Jeopardy! contestants from mid-Michigan to reflect on the show and their time around Alex Trebek.

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4:08

Two mid-Michigan Jeopardy! contestants discuss Alex Trebek's final show.

DeVos Resigns As Education Secretary, Says, 'Impressionable Children Are Watching'

By Cory Turner • Jan 7, 2021

Updated at 11:55 p.m. ET

U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos sent a letter to President Trump on Thursday announcing her resignation. She is the latest administration official to quit in protest of Wednesday's violence at the U.S. Capitol. The news was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

Michigan Republican Party Expected To Choose New Leadership After Chair Withdraws Reelection Bid

By Rick Pluta • Jan 7, 2021

The Michigan Republican Party is expected to choose a new leadership team at its convention next month. That’s after current chair Laura Cox withdrew her a reelection bid, clearing the way for millionaire businessman Ron Weiser.

Ingham County Health Officer Says Addressing Vaccine Skepticism In Communities Of Color A Priority

By Michelle Jokisch Polo • Jan 7, 2021

Ingham County’s Health Officer says health officials are working hard to address vaccine skepticism in communities of color.

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0:48

MI Capitol Swept Following Bomb Threat

By Rick Pluta • Jan 7, 2021

The state Capitol in Lansing is reopened to legislators and staffers following a security sweep Thursday morning. That’s after the building was closed due to a phoned-in bomb threat.

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9to5: The Story of a Movement | Indie Lens Pop-Up

By WKAR Staff • Jan 15, 2021

9to5: The Power of a Movement | Indie Lens Pop-Up

Thu. Jan. 28, 2021 at 7pm VIRTUAL EVENT | View the film by Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar and join the conversation online. | RSVP HERE

PBS KIDS Day with WKAR | 2021

By WKAR Staff • Jan 15, 2021

FREE Sat. Jan. 30, 2021 | Join us online for a very special PBS KIDS Day with WKAR! Explore science with the Curious Crew and enjoy story time with PBS KIDS favorite Daniel Tiger and WKAR’s Mrs. Pizzo.

Freedom Riders with Q & A

By WKAR Staff • Dec 22, 2020

Fri. Jan. 22, 2021 at 7pm VIRTUAL EVENT | Join the virtual screening and conversation featuring “Freedom Riders,” a film that tells the powerful, harrowing, and ultimately inspirational story of six months in 1961 that changed America forever. RSVP HERE

WKAR Station News

Jody Knol’s 35th Anniversary!

By Jamie Paisley • Jan 6, 2021

One listener from Owosso wrote us to say it was, “pearshaped covered by stained glass.”

PBS American Portrait Premieres A New Four-Part Storytelling Documentary Series

By WKAR STAFF • Dec 29, 2020

PBS American Portrait: A Series Made By You — Courtesy / PBS/RadicalMedia

PBS’s 50th Anniversary’s Signature Programming Initiative, Produced by RadicalMedia, Starts a National Conversation About What It Means to Be an American Today

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Collegiate Recovery Community helps MSU students find their sobriety “superpower”

By Russ White • Dec 29, 2020

In the best of times, pursuing recovery from substance use disorders and maintaining sobriety are a daily grind. Factor in the pandemic, its isolating effects, the social and economic upheaval that has followed, and those personal challenges are made all the more difficult.

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37:57

Dawn Kepler and Chris Anthony talk with Russ White.

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From NPR News

Uganda Election: President Yoweri Museveni Declared Winner As Bobi Wine Alleges Fraud

By Bill Chappell • 2 hours ago

Updated at 9:41 a.m. ET

Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni has won a sixth term in office, fighting off a challenge by former singer Bobi Wine — who was just a child when Museveni came into power back in 1986. Wine's run drew many young Ugandans to pay attention to politics.

Can The Forces Unleashed By Trump's Big Election Lie Be Undone?

By Melissa Block • 2 hours ago

Last Wednesday, just before a mob of pro-Trump extremists stormed the U.S. Capitol in an insurrection that left five dead, the president stood before a huge crowd gathered in front of the White House for a so-called "Save America" rally.

Trump whipped up his supporters, repeating a false claim that he's made over and over in the weeks since Nov. 3: "We won this election, and we won it by a landslide," he insisted. "This was not a close election!"

How D.C. Locals Are Processing The Insurrection At The Capitol

By editor • 2 hours ago