On Hand

In Michigan, the left turn isn’t always a left turn. At certain intersections, you find yourself doing something counterintuitive. You turn right first in order to turn left. That's the notorious Michigan Left, but why does it exist? GUESTS: Betty Nelson, 2025 School Bus Driver International Safety Competition Kirk Steudle, former head of the Michigan Department of Transportation Want to submit a question to On Hand? Do it here: Online Submission Form Call us: 734-764-7840 Email us: onhand@michiganpublic.org If you like what you hear on the pod, consider supporting our work: michiganpublic.org/podfundSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For a lot of us, Michigan’s iconic pop brands are tied into special memories from childhood. Maybe your mom would always give you Vernor’s when you had a tummyache. Or you can still remember the Faygo ads that played during your Saturday morning cartoons. Or you have fond memories of the Towne Club pop shop. We talked to one Michigander about the role that pop played in her childhood--and why she still loves those nostalgic flavors today.  GUEST:  Bobbie Bain, lifelong metro Detroiter  Find last week's On Hand episode here.  Want to submit a question to On Hand? Do it here: Online Submission Form Call us: 734-764-7840 Email us: onhand@michiganpublic.org If you like what you hear on the pod, consider supporting our work: michiganpublic.org/podfundSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pop has long been the accepted Midwesternism for a sweet carbonated beverage. But could that be changing? On this episode of On Hand, we dig into the history of the pop vs. soda debate—and take a look at Michigan's linguistic preferences today. GUESTS:  Steve Stamenkovich, national accounts manager for Intrastate Distributors, Inc.  Steven Clark, quality assurance manager at the Intrastate Distributors bottling plant Anne Curzan, University of Michigan professor of English and co-host of the That’s What They Say podcast Want to submit a question to On Hand? Do it here: Online Submission Form Call us: 734-764-7840 Email us: onhand@michiganpublic.org If you like what you hear on the pod, consider supporting our work: michiganpublic.org/podfundSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Matt Parker brings us a summer camp story about a childhood friend's tumble down the Sleeping Bear Dunes. The incident resulted in bloodstained shirts and an ambulance ride. Find last week's episode of On Hand here.  Find Ride of Passage, a podcast about Matt Parker's journey across the country on horseback, here. Want to submit a question to On Hand? Do it here: Online Submission Form Call us: 734-764-7840 Email us: onhand@michiganpublic.org If you like what you hear on the pod, consider supporting our work: michiganpublic.org/podfundSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We learned what goes into a rescue at the Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, what situations require a rescue, and how to not need one yourself. Plus, a secret hack if you want to experience the "dune drop" in a less intense way. See pictures of the old and new signage here Check out our handy travel map here Learn more about the Pierce-Stocking Scenic Drive (and #9 Overlook) here Learn more about the Dune Climb here GUEST: Mike Kohl, preventative search and rescue ranger Want to submit a question to On Hand? Do it here: Online Submission Form Call us: 734-764-7840 Email us: onhand@michiganpublic.org If you like what you hear on the pod, consider supporting our work: michiganpublic.org/podfundSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chad Livengood is a Michiganian. Like... he's never going to be a "Michigander". It doesn't ring true to his ear, and his employer, The Detroit News, doesn't recognize "Michigander" in it's style guide - it prefers "Michiganian". And it's this commitment to style that landed Livengood at odds with Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Here's Chad's Off Hand story. GUEST: Chad Livengood, politics editor, The Detroit News Now we want to hear from you!Do you have a highly specific Michigan story to tell? Tell us about it!What questions do you have about Michigan? We'll investigate! Submit them here.Or drop us a voicemail, if picking up a phone doesn't freak you out: 734-647-7840Like this kind of local content? Support Michigan Public.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Poll after poll shows folks in Michigan prefer to call themselves "Michiganders" rather than "Michiganian". Why, though? Why did we start calling ourselves something so strange? Are we just a bunch of Michi-geese? It all started with a slave-holding senator, his run for president, and a run-in with Abraham Lincoln. We've got the goods answering all your burning Michigan questions, beginning with our statewide identity. GUEST: Jamon Jordan, official historian, City of DetroitNow we want to hear from you!Do you hate being called a Michigander and prefer Michiganian? Tell us about it!What questions do you have about Michigan? We'll investigate! Submit them here.Or drop us a voicemail, if picking up a phone doesn't freak you out: 734-647-7840Like this kind of local content? Support Michigan Public.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The team that produces Michigan Public's Stateside introduces a new podcast answering listener questions about our weird and wonderful state! Our first few episodes will answer: Why do we call ourselves "Michiganders"? How many people need to be rescued from Sleeping Bear Dunes every year?  Why we say "pop" instead of "soda"? To submit your own questions, or share a story, fill out our handy form! To find more On Hand episodes, head to: michiganpublic.org/onhand If you like what you hear on the pod, consider supporting our work: michiganpublic.org/podfundSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Stateside Podcast is taking a summer break as producers prepare a new podcast project that's all about Michigan. You can download or stream the new Stateside On Air podcast, which is the full daily show broadcast on Michigan Public. Stay subscribed here for our relaunch at the end of summer. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There is something special about strawberry season in Michigan: that brief moment of the year when we trade the pale gigantic plastic clamshell berries for the sweet, deep red jewels of in-season strawberries. On this episode, Chef Abra Berens is back with a recipe that gives those summer strawberries the respect they deserve.  GUEST:  Abra Berens, cookbook author and culinary director at Granor Farm  Looking for more conversations from Stateside? Right this way. If you like what you hear on the pod, consider supporting our work. Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Whitefish populations in the lower Great Lakes have been declining for decades. Bridge Michigan environment reporter Kelly House joined Stateside to discuss what’s threatening the iconic fish, and what could be done to save them. GUEST: Kelly House, Environment Reporter at Bridge MichiganSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This summer, the Scripps Howard Fund gave Detroit Free Press reporter M.L. Elrick an award for his column “On Guard”, in which he publishes all manner of exposes, in the muckraking tradition.  Back in 2009, Elrick and his colleague Jim Schaefer shared a Pulitzer prize for covering corruption in the administration of then-Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.  Elrick is also the creator of a student journalism project called Eye on Michigan at MSU. GUEST: M.L. Elrick, journalist, Detroit Free PressSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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For a pilot, ejecting mid-flight is always a bad scenario. Lt. Kegan "Smurf" Gill narrowly escaped from a fighter jet traveling 695 miles per hour, approaching the speed of sound. It’s the fastest survived ejection in naval aviation history. “I have a very clear linear memory, right up to the point where I pulled the ejection handle, and after that I have no linear memory,” he said about the experience. “But over the course of the years, I'd gotten a lot back in flashbacks, which were often night terrors. So maybe not the most pleasant way to remember something, but that gave me some insights into what had happened.” A former Naval fighter pilot, Gill flew a training exercise off the East Coast in 2014 when his F/A-18 ran into trouble. His subsequent injuries, including head trauma, changed his life forever. Gill wrote about the experience and aftermath in his new book “Phoenix Revival: The Aftermath of Naval Aviation's Fastest Ejection.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Everything you hear on Stateside is made possible by listener support. Please become a member today and help keep Michigan Public strong. In the wake of the U.S. military airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, an Iranian-American scholar at the University of Michigan-Dearborn reflects on how public perception of Iranians has evolved alongside U.S. relations with the country over the years.  GUEST: Camron Amin, professor of Middle East Studies and Iranian Diaspora Studies at the University of Michigan-Dearborn Looking for more conversations from Stateside? Right this way. If you like what you hear on the pod, consider supporting our work. Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the weather heats up in Michigan, so does the excitement of the Ann Arbor District Library's 15th annual Summer Game. We talked to AADL library director Eli Neiburger about the origins of the beloved tradition and how it's changed through the years. If you're already a Summer Game fan, we've got a treat for you! Enter the word 'STATESIDE' as a summer game code to earn 500 points. You can also text the code to (734) 327- 4200 to be signed up for the game and start earning points. GUEST:  Eli Neiburger, director of the Ann Arbor District Library  Looking for more conversations from Stateside? Right this way. If you like what you hear on the pod, consider supporting our work. Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Detroit Tigers are the best in baseball right now. Yes, that's right.  GUEST: Rogelio Castillo, Tigers beat writer and podcasterSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Movement, Detroit’s long-running techno music festival made its way back to the city last month. Dynamic sounds and energetic tempos could be felt miles away from Hart Plaza as massive crowds danced their way through Memorial Day Weekend. Headlining this year’s festival was Carl Craig, a Detroit music producer, DJ, and founder of the record label Planet E Communications. Last year, a documentary film that chronicles the artist's life, Desire: The Carl Craig Story, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. This year, the film was screened at a pre-party to the music festival, ringing in the vibrant celebration of techno. “Most people don’t get a chance to see their lives before their eyes until a near-death experience. So I’m totally happy to see these things. These friends, family members, everyone in front of my face,” said Craig. GUEST ON THIS EPISODE: Carl Craig, music producer and DJ from Detroit [Get Stateside on your phone: subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or YouTube Music today.]See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This year Mackinac Island celebrates a big milestone; it's been 150 years since it was named a National Park. It was only the second space given that designation in the nation, behind Yellowstone. Mackinac Island is a State Park these days, and it enjoys a rich and intriguing history that creates a sense of timelessness. Today we explore some of the chronology that take the island from Anishinaabe fishing community, to Revolutionary War outpost, to the carless, fudge-filled spot it is today.  GUEST: Craig Wilson, Mackinac Island Historic Parks   Looking for more conversations from Stateside? Right this way. If you like what you hear on the pod, consider supporting our work. Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Stonewall Riots in New York City in 1969 brought attention to the harassment and violence that LGBTQ+ people faced in America. But it wasn't just America that was paying attention. We talked to an assistant professor at Michigan State University about how Pride celebrations have evolved in Mexico—which saw its first Pride celebration in 1979. GUEST:  Alejandra Márquez, assistant professor of Spanish at Michigan State University Looking for more conversations from Stateside? Right this way. If you like what you hear on the pod, consider supporting our work. Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.