Native American organization struggling but hopeful
A new organization in Ypsilanti that promotes cancer awareness for Native Americans is struggling to stay afloat.Shoshana Beth Phillips is executive director of Heritage of Healing. It incorporates...
View ArticleSlow enrollment for Obamacare in rural counties
People in rural areas trying to enroll for health insurance as part of the new Affordable Care Act can face special challenges. Registration must happen online, and many people in Michigan’s rural...
View ArticleChildren's opera performed in concentration camp coming to Detroit
The Michigan Opera Theatre Children’s Chorus will perform Brundibar this weekend at the Detroit Opera House. The children's opera was originally performed in a concentration camp during the Holocaust....
View ArticleHow diversity can help Michigan arts organizations
Gabriela Frank is probably not what comes to mind when you think of a contemporary classical music composer. For starters, she considers herself a hippie.“I was born in the 1970s in Berkeley,...
View ArticleThis is what it sounds like when a neighborhood church closes
St. Henry’s in Lincoln Park held its first Mass on June 3, 1923 and its last Mass on March 2, 2014.At the end of the church’s final Mass, parish members took the most important objects and walked them...
View ArticleStudent learns that music is joy, from Ypsilanti teacher
What stories should we tell about the arts?That's a question we sometimes ask on our Facebook page. Jason Towler suggested we profile Ypsilanti music teacher Crystal Harding and he had a good reason to...
View ArticleBig increase in the number of fatal drownings in the Great Lakes
Swimmers and boaters in Michigan need to be more careful on the water."We're at 23 fatal drownings on the five Great Lakes so far this year. It's about 50% up from last year at this time," says Bob...
View ArticleWhat's the song that saved your life?
There's a reason I've been asking this question.I do a lot of reporting where I interview artists and people in the arts communities about why the arts matter. I believe there is great value in these...
View ArticleA pop song helps battle depression
All this week I'm doing a special series about music. Why? Read this.I'm asking people a pretty personal question: What’s the song that saved your life?So far, people have told us why R. Kelly, Bryan...
View ArticleIf your job is emotionally intense, songs can save you
This week, you may have heard me on the radio asking people a question.What song saved your life? It's not something people are asked very often, but I've found that it gets some pretty intense...
View ArticleRe-thinking creativity's role in education
It’s probably pretty stressful being a high school principal, for all kinds of reasons.But Eric Alburtus, principal of Portage Central High School, spends a big chunk of his time worrying about the...
View ArticleAn arts class helped this teen discover his passion for sculpting
Eighteen-year-old sculptor Austen Brantley makes some pretty impressive art. But don't take our word for it, check out these photos of Austen's work, at the Michigan Radio Picture Project....
View ArticleThis one thing meant the world to a runaway teen
Veronica Riddle ran away from home as a teenager. She wants people to know that spending time and talking with troubled youth can be a big deal. Here's why.
View Article3 things struggling historical groups can do to attract more people
There’s a joke that historical organizations are stuck in the past when it comes to how they do things. You know, like they don’t have a grasp on using social media, and their museums and events are...
View ArticleMichigan psychologist wants you to be awesome
Tiffany Tuttle has been called a combination of Sarah Silverman and Don Rickles – which she takes as a big compliment. The clinical psychologist just self-published a book called "Being and...
View ArticleGood news for I-96 drivers
I-96 will open tomorrow (Monday, September 22), more than two weeks ahead of schedule. The stretch was closed between Telegraph and Newburgh Roads in Livonia. The announcement was made today as...
View Article10,000 people carve personal messages into a giant table
When you invite the public to carve messages into a giant table you've spent four months crafting by hand, the result is that a LOT of people take you up on it, and the end product looks something like...
View ArticleWatch old home movies that show what your parents looked like as babies
People will be watching their old home movies, all over the world, on "Home Movie Day." The big event happens Saturday, October 18th. Organizers call it "an annual, worldwide celebration of amateur...
View Article3 things a funeral director has learned about life and death
You could say Mary Vick Spaulding has spent her entire life in the death industry.Her father, Harold, was a funeral director in Mount Clemens and he began teaching her the trade when she was in first...
View ArticleQuitting work and making art from everyday objects
Lots of people daydream about ditching their jobs and doing something they truly love.Heather Merritt is someone who did just that. Merritt’s workday used to happen inside of a jail. She worked as a...
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