Stateside with Cynthia Canty

On March 19, the 18th Annual Exhibition of Art by Michigan prisoners will open at the Duderstadt Center on the North Campus of the University of Michigan.

The exhibition is a extension of the Prison Creative Arts Project spearheaded by University of Michigan Professor Buzz Alexander and is the largest exhibition of prisoner art in the country, containing some 300 works by over 200 artists.

Founded in 1990, PCAP "facilitates the opportunity to create original works of art in correctional facilities, urban high schools, and communities across the state of Michigan."

The project is affiliated with the Department of English Language and Literature, Alexander's department.

"When we come in (to prisons) we are in awe and we bring respect to the artists," Alexander said. "This year there are 428 works of art in the show that prisoners have been preparing for all year."

Alexander noted that the exhibition is a way for the artists to gain visibility. One artist talked with a PCAP facilitator about how it's a bridge that connects her to the outside world.

Today's biggest headline comes from Detroit as Governor Rick Snyder appointed the city's emergency manager. 

Earlier, Michigan Radio closely followed the day's events with updates leading up to Snyder's announcement.

At 2 p.m., the announcement was made. Michigan Radio's Zoe Clark and Tracy Samilton spoke with Cynthia Canty live as history was made.

Cyndy also spoke with Tom Barrow. Barrow twice ran for Mayor of Detroit in the 1980s against Coleman Young, and in 2009 against Dave Bing.

He has been a leading opponent of the appointment of an emergency manager for the City of Detroit.

He joined us from Detroit.

Listen to the full interview above. 

We talked throughout today's Stateside about what an emergency manager might do when they first come to Detroit.

Daniel Howes, business columnist at the Detroit News, joined us as he does most weeks.

In his column today, he wrote about bankruptcy being Detroit's next step.

That's even after the appointment of an emergency manager.

Howes broke down for us how a municipal bankruptcy for a big city differs from a business or personal bankruptcy and what a bankruptcy would mean for the city of Detroit.

Kevin Orr, Detroit's new emergency manager, said today he hopes he doesn't have to use the 'cudgel' of bankruptcy. He instead hopes to get consent in a financial turnaround.

Listen to the full interview above.

What is an actual emergency manager's take on Detroit's financial troubles.

Lou Schimmel has been the appointed emergency manager for Pontiac since March of 2009.

We had Schimmel speak with us on Stateside to get his view of what needs to be done to fix the city's broken finances and his suggestions for fixing Detroit.

Listen to the full interview above.

Press conferences and news updates have given us minute-by-minute coverage of Kevyn Orr's appointment as Detroit emergency manager by Michigan Governor Rick Snyder today. 

Orr's repeated assurance that he will "look at the data" before moving forward may be part of his approach, but what does that mean?

Municipal finances and emergency manager laws are being used frequently by Orr, Snyder and Bing.

To outline and define these terms and their implications, Michigan Radio's Cynthia Canty spoke with Michigan State University professor of Economics Eric Scoresone.

Scoresone is an expert in the state's emergency manager laws as well as municipal finances within the state of Michigan.

Listen to the full interview above.

Today marks a historic decision.

Governor Rick Snyder announced the appointment of an emergency manager for the city of Detroit.

On today's show, we looked at the many things that will change in the city once it's under state control.

We also talked with the emergency manager of Pontiac to get his view of what needs to be done in the state's largest city.

We also spoke with Columnist Daniel Howes who says don't take bankruptcy out of the equation.

But first, we were joined  with Michigan Radio's Zoe Clark and Tracy Samilton to talk about this afternoon's announcement in Detroit. They told us a little bit more about what the Governor had to say.

2012 was a pretty terrible year for Michigan farmers.

On today's show, we'll take a look at what 2013 has in store, and what it means for the state's economy.

And, a few days before Saint Patrick's Day, we meet a Michigan musician who is immersed in both Irish music and Techno music.

But first, ever since last month when the world was stunned by Pope Benedict the 16's resignation, and today's announcement of a new Pope, religion has been on the minds of many, and that includes  Jack Lessenberry, Michigan Radio's Political Analyst.

We spoke with Jack about the religious views of Michigan's legislators.

Last year disaster struck Michigan farms throughout the state.

Early heat waves, low rainfall and a scorching summer resulted in non-existent crops and many worried farmers wondering what 2013 would bring.

Now, the Michigan agriculture industry may also face a shortage of migrant workers.  

If the crops come back this year, why wouldn't the labor return as well?

Michigan Radio's Cynthia Canty spoke with Craig Anderson, who manages the Agricultural Labor and Safety Services program for the Michigan Farm Bureau.

He was joined by David Smeltzer, the owner of Per Clin Orchards in Bear Lake.

Listen to the full interview above.

The Chinese military has been recently accused as the source of many cyberattacks on American corporations and government agencies. 

A week ago, the White House firmly stated that the Chinese government adhere to "acceptable norms of behavior in cyberspace" and halt the widespread theft of data from American computer networks.

South Carolina and Utah are two known states that have been hacked. How were they attacked?

Within Michigan, businesses and the state have participated in a joint effort to protect and prepare for cyberattacks, a model other states are looking to as an example.

But that doesn't mean Michigan's cyber security isn't running into problems. We are weathering some 187,000 cyberattacks every day. 

What are the consequences  if Michigan's response plan fails?

Michigan Radio's Cynthia Canty spoke with writer Chris Gautz from Lansing.

Listen to the whole story by clicking the link above. 

Cardinals voted to elect a successor to Pope Benedict the 16th today.

Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 76, became the first non-European pontiff in more than 1,000 years.

Religion has been on many minds lately, that includes Michigan Radio’s Political Analyst Jack Lessenberry.

He recently wrote about religion and Michigan’s lawmakers.

Bill Ballenger, publisher of Inside Michigan Politics, recently did a survey of how many members of the legislature are members of each religious denomination.

Listen to the full interview above.

St Patrick's Day is coming up this Sunday.

For many people, whether Irish or not, the holiday brings a chance to hear musicians playing  toe-tapping jigs, reels, hornpipes and other Old Celtic tunes at clubs and pubs all over Michigan.

One of those musicians is 22-year-old Asher Perkins of Oakland County.

At age 22, Asher has been playing button accordion and concertina largely as part of his family's acclaimed Celtic music band, Finvarra's Wren.

Making music like this  has been a part of Asher's life for the past 17 years.

Here's an example of an Irish reel by Finvarra Wren:

Even as he has carved out a national reputation in traditional Irish music, Asher Perkins has been making a name for himself in a totally different area.

With his  EP "Hammers on Trees" and a project called "Evasion", Asher Perkins is branching out from his Irish musical background into the realm of techno music.

Here's a sample of some of Perkins' techno work:



Asher Perkins joined us today at Stateside to tell us about his music with Finvarra's Wren and his move into the electronic music scene.

Asher Perkins, his family's band Finvarra's Wren plays a regular schedule of dates, you can visit their website up at www.finvarraswren.com  as well as a link to his techno music at www.asherperkins.com.

Some Detroit City Council officials have formally appealed the determination that their city is in a financial emergency.

That designation is part of the ramp up to a take-over by an emergency financial manager.

City Council representatives argued their case to Chief Deputy Treasurer Mary McDowell.

Rick Pluta, Lansing Bureau Chief for the Michigan Public Radio Network, was at the hearing today.

Listen to the full interview above.

When Governor Snyder and Michigan legislature cut part of the Earned Income Tax, they argued that it was just a move that piggy-backed on the federal Earned Income Tax Credit. 

Michigan lawmakers cut the 20 percent rate of the federal credit to 6 percent of federal credit.

This meant that many poor, working-class families saw an increase in their taxes in addition to tax increases they felt from other legislative changes.

The state's advocates for the poor have called upon the legislature to restore the Earned Income Tax Credit to Michigan in order to ease the financial stress felt by poor families.

Michigan Radio's Lester Graham spoke with Gilda Jacobs, the President and CEO of the Michigan League for Public Policy. 

Listen to the audio above to hear the story.