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State Representative Bob Genetski will serve no jail time for his drunken driving conviction handed down last month.

The Republican from Saugatuck will have to complete 40 hours of community service. He’ll also have to pay fines and court fees.

Genetski was pulled over for driving while intoxicated in January by a Michigan State Police officer. His blood alcohol level was .08 an hour and a half after his arrest.

A jury found him guilty last month.

The maximum penalty would have been 93 days in jail. It could also come with up to 360 hours of community service, and a maximum $500 fine.

Jail time is unusual for first-time offenders.

Steve Losher lives in Barry county, and he's worried. So worried, he and the rest of the citizens in the non-profit group called the Michigan Land Air Water Defense are suing the state. 

They're upset about what they believe could happen once the Department of Natural Resources auctions off the mineral rights to gaming areas in Barry and Allagen counties. It's a totally typical auction - the DNR does this kind of thing twice a year since about 1920. 

On today's show Cyndy speaks with Charley Ballard about Michigan. Are we better off than we were four years ago?

We talk about the role of alcohol in Detroit's history with Detroit news writer, Bill Loomis.

Andy Markovitz and Emily Albertson, co-authors of “Sportista: Female Fandom in the United States," speak about women's role in sports fandom.

In Stateside's third and final installment of our look at Michigan's film industry, we speak with Scott Watkins about the incentives' sustainability.

Both Ford and General Motors announced steps this week to reduce their losses in Europe.

The region is experiencing a disabling recession that's expected to last at least through 2015.

Car sales are abysmal in Europe, down more than 30-percent from normal demand.

Ford says it may lose a total of one billion dollars in the region for the entire year.

General Motors' losses might be more than that.

A voting rights group says it will be on call on Election Day.

Volunteers will staff a hotline that voters can call if they experience problems casting a ballot.

Jocelyn Benson is with the Michigan Center for Election Law.

She says the phone number will be on yard signs outside most precincts.

This photo was tweeted out by Matt Helms, City Hall reporter for the Detroit Free Press.

Helms writes in today's Detroit Free Press that Mayor Bing has been trash talking with San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee.

The two have made a wager, writes Helms, "the losing mayor has to visit the other team’s city to participate in a day of service for youth and youth programs."

Is Michigan better off than it was four years ago? The question is important when assessing the progress of both our state’s citizens and the politicians who govern it.

To further investigate this question, Stateside’s Cyndy Canty spoke with Michigan State University Economics Professor, Dr. Charley Ballard.

Although no simple answer to this question exists, Ballard felt generally positive about our state’s status.

“For the state as a whole, I would say the state is definitely better off than it was three years ago.”

Michigan bar owners will be allowed to display political signs in their taverns.

The Michigan Liquor Control Commission today agreed to stop enforcing a 1954 rule which barred businesses with liquor licenses from posting signs endorsing political candidates.

The owners of Ann Arbor's Aut Bar filed suit against the rule last week, after they were told they had to take down signs for Democratic candidates.