Podcasts about michiganders

One of the highlights on the new Michigander album, Over Before You Know It (in stores now via Totally Normal Records / Thirty Tigers) is a song called "Freaking Out." Michigander's Jason Singer is here to explain why that song title aptly explains the last couple of years he's been having, and how he put it all back into the 10 insanely catchy tunes on his band's sophomore release.    The Record Store Day Podcast is a weekly music chat show written, produced, engineered, and hosted by Paul Myers, who also composed the theme music and selected interstitial music. Executive Producers (for Record Store Day) Michael Kurtz and Carrie Colliton.   Please consider subscribing to our podcast wherever you get podcasts, and tell your friends, we're here every week and we love making new friends!

Pirated Movies Game is BACK! + What's Your Hall of Fame Toy, Conflicting Food Combos, a Husker Winning Weekend, Michiganders ridiculous driver's licenses & More!

Former Vice President Kamala Harris is set to the hit the campaign trail in Michigan this week, underscoring the importance of the Senate race for Democrats. So who are the candidates? What issues do Michiganders really care about? And why is a controversial Twitch streamer seemingly getting more attention than the candidates themselves?  ---  Guest: Isaac Dovere, CNN Senior Reporter  Host: David Rind  Producer: Paola Ortiz  Showrunner: Felicia Patinkin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Click here to donate $5 on Left of Lansing on Patreon!https://www.patreon.com/15494297/joinHere's the Left of Lansing "Monday Musing" for September 21, 2026!It appears MAGA Michigan Republican U.S. Senate candidate "Florida" Mike Rogers is suddenly against the Big Tech Bro data centers, which is strange considering how just a few short months ago, Florida Mike was full steam ahead when it came to building and forcing more data centers across Michigan communities. LOL"s Pat Johnston explains why, unlike the progressive Democratic U.S. Senate candidate, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, who actually has policy ideas to enact safefguards and regulations on data center development (as well as a moratorium on data centers), Florida Mike Rogers is simply trying to pull another fast one on working class Michiganders. Please, subscribe to the podcast, download each episode, and give it a good review if you can!leftoflansing@gmail.comLeft of Lansing is now on YouTube as well!Music provided by Wanderbeats. To hear the latest project, visit Space Leopard on various streaming sites, or visit: https://www.youtube.com/@SpaceLeopardClick here to donate $5 on Left of Lansing on Patreon!https://www.patreon.com/15494297/joinNOTES:"Mike Rogers loved data centers until voters didn't." By Steve Neavling of The Detroit Metro Times "After data center investments revealed, Rogers backs statewide moratorium." By Freddy Brewster of The Lever (via Michigan Advance) "In Senate race, Mallory McMorrow pitches plan to do data centers ‘right'" By Lauren Gibbons of Bridge Michigan #podcast #politics #progressives #Michigan #Democrats #Trump #JDVance #MAGA #Republicans #Election  #WorkingClass #unions #WorkersRights  #MikeRogers  #DataCenters #BigTech #AI #AbdulElSayed #CorporateGreed #CorporateCorruption #GovernmentCorruption #Populism  #CorporateClass  #Fascism #EpsteinClass #Authoritarianism #Democracy #LeftofLansing

Chris Holman welcomes back Ryan Hundt, CEO, Michigan Works! Association, Lansing, MI. Tell us about the 2026 Michigan Works! Annual Conference. What do you want Michigan business leaders to take away from the three days? The conference brings employers together with workforce professionals, educators, economic development leaders, and policymakers. Why is having all of those groups at the same table important to Michigan businesses trying to find and keep talent? Workforce needs are changing quickly, from AI and new technology to skilled trades and changing job requirements. What are you hearing from employers right now about the skills they need most? Michigan Works! puts a strong emphasis on training, apprenticeships, employer partnerships, and measuring results. What are some of the workforce strategies you expect to see or hear about at the conference that businesses can actually put to work? When the conference wraps up, what do you hope changes as a result? What should Michigan employers, workforce organizations and policymakers be doing differently to build a stronger talent pipeline? » Visit MBN website: www.michiganbusinessnetwork.com/ » Watch MBN's YouTube: www.youtube.com/@MichiganbusinessnetworkMBN » Like MBN: www.facebook.com/mibiznetwork » Follow MBN: X.com/MIBizNetwork/ » MBN Instagram: www.instagram.com/mibiznetwork/ Building Michigan's Workforce: Strengthening Talent. Securing Tomorrow. This year's theme highlights that investing in our workforce is Michigan's strongest strategy for long-term growth and resilience. Each commitment to skill development, training, and career access is an investment in our state's prosperity. As Michigan evolves, the talent and dedication of our people will drive transformation. By investing in workforce development, we fuel economic vitality, reinforce communities, and expand opportunities for every Michigander. This conference recognizes that people are our greatest asset—and that building up Michigan's workforce is the surest path to a thriving and secure future for all.

Chris Holman welcomes back Stephanie Beckhorn, Deputy Director, Employment and Training, Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO), to discuss LEO's new 2025 Employment and Training Report. Topics include Michigan helping more than 225,000 people find jobs last year (a nearly 13% increase from 2024), rising demand for workforce services, Michigan's national rankings in credential attainment and Registered Apprenticeships, how LEO connects employers with qualified workers, and how expanded work requirements for SNAP, Medicaid, and Unemployment Insurance could grow the state's talent pipeline. Michigan Helped More Than 225,000 Michiganders Find Jobs in 2025, Strengthening the State's Position as National Workforce Leader Annual report highlights job placement up nearly 13% from the previous year LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) released its 2025 Employment and Training Annual Report, showing how Michigan's workforce system is connecting people to high-quality careers, helping employers fill critical talent needs, and strengthening the state's competitiveness and economy. Michigan continues to set the national standard for workforce development, helping more than 225,000 Michiganders secure jobs in 2025, a nearly 13% increase from the previous year. "Behind every one of the 225,000 Michiganders who found a job this year is a family with more stability, more security and more opportunity," said LEO Director Susan Corbin. "These results are about real people being able to pay the bills, support their families and build a future here in Michigan." LEO's Office of Employment and Training works closely with the Michigan Works! network, Adult Education providers, community rehabilitation programs, and other partners to support individuals and businesses statewide. The report highlights growing demand for workforce services, with nearly 400,000 individuals served in 2025, an 18% increase from the previous year. New and expanded federal work requirements for SNAP and Medicaid recipients, along with expanded work search requirements for Unemployment Insurance, are expected to drive even greater demand for workforce services in 2026 and beyond. Michigan provides employment services to more participants than any other Midwest state and ranks as a national leader in workforce development outcomes, including: #1 in the nation in credential attainment for adults using workforce development services #1 in the nation for helping Vocational Rehabilitation customers maintain employment #1 in the nation for Vocational Rehabilitation customer median earnings #3 in the nation in helping adults who use workforce development services get employed #3 in the nation for customized reemployment services #4 in the nation for workforce development #4 in the nation for active Registered Apprentices #4 in the nation in serving migrant and seasonal farm workers #4 in the nation for helping unemployed veteran participants secure employment LEO's Office of Employment and Training works alongside partners to connect individuals with workforce training, employment opportunities, and support services across the state, including through the Bureau of Services for Blind Persons and Michigan Rehabilitation Services. » Visit MBN website: www.michiganbusinessnetwork.com/ » Watch MBN's YouTube: www.youtube.com/@MichiganbusinessnetworkMBN » Like MBN: www.facebook.com/mibiznetwork » Follow MBN: X.com/MIBizNetwork/ » MBN Instagram: www.instagram.com/mibiznetwork/

We're breaking down what's happening around Metro Detroit. From local lunch spots to rooftop reservation changes to a Midtown coffee shop closure, skyrocketing gas prices, and a debate on the future of our local sports franchises. Here's today's rundown: 01:33 — Where we've been: Uncs for Lunch. Devon checks out Uncs for lunch and breaks down the space, menu, and midday vibe. 05:19 — Pine Hall now requires reservations. What you need to know before trying to grab a drink or a table downtown this weekend. 11:03 — Red Hook Midtown is closing. The Woodward Avenue shop shutters September 26, ending a three-year run. What should go there next? 15:10 — In a thought experiment, would you sell the Tigers or Red Wings? With both franchises facing big questions, we debate whether it's time for new ownership for one of these historic teams so there's the ability for ownership to focus to make one thrive. 19:04 — Gas and diesel prices skyrocket. Prices across Michigan are creeping up toward $5 for gas and even higher for diesel. What's driving the surge, what it means for consumers, and what is the breaking point for Michiganders?  23:16 — The RenCen conversation. We have an interview planned next week, we'd love your constructive questions on the plans. Got thoughts on today's episode or questions? Drop us a line at dailydetroit@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail at 313-789-3021. Thanks for your support on Patreon!

Last week residents of Ypsilanti Township expressed their anger over aproposed high-performance computing facility near the Huron River in a partnershipbetween the University of Michigan and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL).Residents are concerned that the proposed project would fuel research into the nucleararms race.

Most people have never heard of an ABLE account, but it may be one of the most useful and underused tools in disability financial planning. Melissa Joy, CFP®, is joined by Scott de Varona, division director of MiABLE, Michigan's ABLE savings program, to explain how these accounts let people with disabilities save and invest money without jeopardizing benefits like Medicaid, SSI, and SNAP. For decades, individuals had to stay under a $2,000 asset limit to keep those benefits. ABLE accounts, modeled after the 529 education savings plan, changed that by giving people with disabilities a legal way to shelter savings, up to $20,000 a year, or $35,650 for those who are employed, while still qualifying for the programs they depend on.Scott and Melissa cover who qualifies (the eligibility window recently expanded from before age 26 to before age 46), what the money can be used for (housing, transportation, technology, health and wellness, and even funeral expenses, among many other categories), and how the accounts work alongside special needs trusts and other estate planning tools. They also discuss an important open question: the Medicaid clawback provision that currently allows states to recoup funds from an ABLE account after the owner's death, and the pending state and federal legislation aimed at eliminating it. With an estimated one million Michiganders eligible and fewer than one percent enrolled, this conversation is a reminder that ABLE accounts likely apply to more listeners, or their family members, than they might expect.What You'll LearnWhat an ABLE account is and how it protects eligibility for Medicaid, SSI, SNAP, and other disability benefitsWho qualifies: the recent expansion of the eligibility window from disability onset before age 26 to before age 46The three ways to prove eligibility, including SSI/SSDI status, the compassionate allowances list, or a physician certification2026 contribution limits: $20,000 annually, plus up to $15,650 more for employed account owners under ABLE to WorkThe wide range of qualified disability expenses, from housing and transportation to assistive technology and funeral costsHow authorized individuals can manage an account on behalf of someone who lacks capacityThe current Medicaid clawback provision and the pending state and federal legislation that could eliminate itHow ABLE accounts can coordinate with special needs trusts and other estate planning strategiesAbout Scott de VaronaScott de Varona is the division director of MiABLE, Michigan's ABLE savings program for people with disabilities, and has led the program since its creation. He has worked for the State of Michigan since 1999 in various roles within the Departments of Treasury and Health and Human Services. Scott holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Northwood University and an MBA from the DeVos Graduate School of Management. Learn more or start an account at Michigan.gov/MiABLE.The previous presentation by PEARL PLANNING was intended for general information purposes only.  No portion of the presentation serves as the receipt of, or as a substitute for, personalized investment advice from PEARL PLANNING or any other investment professional of your choosing. Different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk, and it should not be assumed that future performance of any specific investment or investment strategy, or any non-investment related or planning services, discussion or content, will be profitable, be suitable for your portfolio or individual situation, or prove successful. Neither PEARL PLANNING's investment adviser registration status, nor any amount of prior experience or success, should be construed that a certain level of results or satisfaction will be achieved if PEARL PLANNING is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services. PEARL PLANNING is neither a law firm nor accounting firm, and no portion of its services should be construed as legal or accounting advice. No portion of the video content should be construed by a client or prospective client as a guarantee that he/she will experience a certain level of results if PEARL PLANNING is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services. A copy of PEARL PLANNING's current written disclosure Brochure discussing our advisory services and fees is available upon request or at https...

The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast is going to cover Midwestern skiing whether you like it or not. Don't worry, Colorad-Bro, it's your turn tomorrow.Welcome to the Storm's short-form, news-focused podcast. Don't worry, I will still write newsletters too. To browse a (robot-generated) podcast transcript, click the “transcript” button above - click on any block of text and the audio will jump to that point in the conversation. Paid subscribers can leave a comment in the article below, or by joining The Storm's chat (also below). I'll respond to some comments in the next episode, which is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 15.The Zoom transcript (click “transcript” above for the Substack transcript, which will zoom to any point in the video when you click on the associated text block; timestamps below DO NOT MATCH THE VIDEO)Stuart Winchester: Welcome to the Storm! I'm your host, Stuart Winchester. It is Monday, September 14th, 2026. Welcome to week two of the New Look Storm Skiing Podcast. If you missed last week, I am still doing the longer form pod.00:15:53.000 --> 00:16:08.000Stuart Winchester: But I'm cutting way back on the frequency of those. Instead, I am doing a shorter, news-focused pod that I release more often, and whenever possible, that I release the same day that I record it.00:16:08.000 --> 00:16:11.000Stuart Winchester: And the reason that I'm doing that is because…00:16:11.000 --> 00:16:19.000Stuart Winchester: the world has changed a lot since 2019, when I launched the Storm Skiing podcast, and when I launched it, there really wasn't anything quite like…00:16:19.000 --> 00:16:26.000Stuart Winchester: what I was doing with the long-form audio stories of a ski area's background.00:16:27.000 --> 00:16:29.000Stuart Winchester: I've done a couple hundred episodes at this point.00:16:29.000 --> 00:16:31.000Stuart Winchester: I feel like…00:16:31.000 --> 00:16:47.000Stuart Winchester: They're evergreen. But what they don't allow me to do is to really talk about what's happening in a ski area right now. Uh Especially when there's a lot of things happening and there's a lot of pieces and parts shuffling around as there is right now in the Midwest.00:16:47.000 --> 00:16:51.000Stuart Winchester: with multi-mountain passes. So, what I'm doing…00:16:51.000 --> 00:17:06.000Stuart Winchester: is I'm trying out a little bit of a new format today. The format… we're gonna experiment, we're gonna play around with it. Sometimes there'll be a guest off the top, sometimes I'll have a take off the top, uh, sometimes I'll have a guest on for a longer period, and that's gonna be the case today.00:17:06.000 --> 00:17:22.000Stuart Winchester: Because right now there is so much happening in the Midwest with multi mountain passes and different mountains leaving and joining is completely changing the landscape there. So I want to bring in someone to talk to us at length about that. We'll do a couple other fun things as well.00:17:22.000 --> 00:17:24.000Stuart Winchester: Let's bring…00:17:25.000 --> 00:17:27.000Stuart Winchester: I'm in now.00:17:32.000 --> 00:17:35.000Stuart Winchester: And there he is. Can you hear me, Matthew?00:17:32.000 --> 00:17:34.000Matthew Zabransky: Hey, how's it going, Stuart?00:17:34.000 --> 00:17:36.000Matthew Zabransky: I can.00:17:35.000 --> 00:17:41.000Stuart Winchester: Oh, I can't hear you. All right. This is a flub, and this is why I haven't heard her.00:17:40.000 --> 00:17:41.000Matthew Zabransky: Thank you.00:17:42.000 --> 00:17:45.000Stuart Winchester: Because I am not that smart.00:17:46.000 --> 00:17:49.000Stuart Winchester: Okay, you there?00:17:48.000 --> 00:17:50.000Matthew Zabransky: Can you hear me?00:17:49.000 --> 00:17:52.000Stuart Winchester: Oh, yes, I can. Look at that.00:17:50.000 --> 00:17:54.000Matthew Zabransky: Okay, perfect.00:17:52.000 --> 00:18:07.000Stuart Winchester: The technology known as headphones. Matthew, this is why you're the production guy, and I generally stick to writing, because I'm an idiot. Alright, I want to introduce today the founder of MidwestSkiers.com.00:18:07.000 --> 00:18:13.000Stuart Winchester: He founded that in 2018, and in 2020, founded MWS Productions.00:18:13.000 --> 00:18:29.000Stuart Winchester: He is making all the Midwest content that I was dying for in the 1990s when I was a teenager living and skiing in Michigan, and the ski mags would completely ignore the region and maybe mention Boyne Mountain or Luton once per year, but he makes.00:18:19.000 --> 00:18:20.000Matthew Zabransky: Okay.00:18:29.000 --> 00:18:38.000Stuart Winchester: Top quality content. I link to it all the time in my stuff because no one else quite does it, as well as Matthew Zabranski. Matthew, welcome to The Storm. How you doing today?00:18:37.000 --> 00:18:56.000Matthew Zabransky: I am doing fantastic. Stuart, thank you, first of all, for the opportunity, but more importantly, for also repping the Midwest. I think it's such an important, obviously, region, and you have ties to it, I obviously have ties to it as well, so it's great that we're getting recognition, not only, obviously, in our region now, but on the national, even international scale, so…00:18:56.000 --> 00:19:00.000Matthew Zabransky: Thank you so much for doing that. I appreciate it. I'm excited to be here.00:18:59.000 --> 00:19:08.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah, I love covering the Midwest, Matthew, and I still make it a point to go back and take a Midwest trip every year, because there's…00:19:00.000 --> 00:19:01.000Matthew Zabransky: Thank you.00:19:08.000 --> 00:19:27.000Stuart Winchester: when I'm doing this podcast, there's nothing quite like making relationships, like showing up at, you know, a 200 vertical foothill in the boondocks in Minnesota. People are like, okay, I'll talk to this guy, even though, you know, I've never heard of him. So, but you are 100% Midwest-focused. I cover it where I can and whenever I can.00:19:20.000 --> 00:19:21.000Matthew Zabransky: Mm-hmm.00:19:25.000 --> 00:19:26.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah.00:19:27.000 --> 00:19:37.000Stuart Winchester: There is so much happening in the Midwest that we could talk about. I really want to focus today on multi-mountain passes. So…00:19:32.000 --> 00:19:34.000Matthew Zabransky: Okay.00:19:36.000 --> 00:19:37.000Matthew Zabransky: Mm-hmm.00:19:37.000 --> 00:19:53.000Stuart Winchester: I'll start by, I'll just set this up and then I'll, and then I'll, I'll let you comment on it. So if you go back about 10 years, there was nothing in the Midwest on multi mountain passes. You know, Vale had started to add a few things to Epic Pass and B Brighton and Afton Alps and Wilmot and such.00:19:53.000 --> 00:20:03.000Stuart Winchester: But the real inflection point came in 2019, when IndiePass came along. 2018, Icon added a couple things. So, right now, I'll give you some stats.00:20:03.000 --> 00:20:09.000Stuart Winchester: Of the 124 ski areas that I have inventoried in the Midwest, that you might have a different count.00:20:08.000 --> 00:20:10.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah.00:20:09.000 --> 00:20:15.000Stuart Winchester: They're 117 of those are public. 89 of those are public with aerial lifts.00:20:15.000 --> 00:20:28.000Stuart Winchester: 58 of those, although there's a couple that are just surface toes only, so 58 ski areas in the Midwest are now on a national multi-mountain ski pass. 10 on Epic.00:20:28.000 --> 00:20:32.000Stuart Winchester: 11 on Icon, 37 for Indy. So, so to start out with, Matthew.00:20:32.000 --> 00:20:34.000Stuart Winchester: How has…00:20:34.000 --> 00:20:47.000Stuart Winchester: the acceptance of the Midwest by multi-mountain national passes change the calculus for skiers as they're planning out their winter in the Midwest, compared to what it was for most of history up until just a few years ago?00:20:47.000 --> 00:21:02.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah, it's changed dramatically. It's even going back a little bit further. I think the first initial, if you look at the statistics and you obviously know all this offhand, but back when you go back to Vail's acquisition of Wilmont, Afton.00:21:02.000 --> 00:21:19.000Matthew Zabransky: Brighton back in like 2012. I mean, that's really what started to to kick off this like idea of like. Maybe the Midwest has some legs in it, as far as like developing skiers, and then, you know, bringing them into a pass portfolio that could bring them out west. So that was the very early set, you know, early iteration of this. And then, obviously, as we went along, there wasn't.00:21:19.000 --> 00:21:37.000Matthew Zabransky: too many options outside of just the epic pass. But then, like you mentioned, Indie Pass came in, and I knew, and it's you know, as we dive into this, I do want to do a little disclosure here, and like Indie Pass was my very 1st client from a production side of things. So Doug and I, because I I saw the opportunity like there was an absolute gold mine here. I'm like.00:21:31.000 --> 00:21:32.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:21:32.000 --> 00:21:33.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:21:37.000 --> 00:21:55.000Matthew Zabransky: Because I got to travel around, that's why I started MidwestGears.com, because we were… we were traveling for my wife's job all over the Midwest, and every time we'd go to a new city, Columbus, Akron, I'd be a pass holder at one of these little ski areas, and I'd be like, holy crap, there's a lot of them here, no one's talking about them.00:21:55.000 --> 00:22:15.000Matthew Zabransky: But you know, once you start to realize there was this many, then you're then you're starting to think, okay, like, why isn't somebody coming in here and starting to develop a past that could actually stand on its own. And that's what we've seen the last, I would say, 5 to 10 years. Specifically, we've seen more people traveling around in the Midwest. You'll catch people at any stereo across the Midwest. That's not their home hill, and that's not how it used.00:22:15.000 --> 00:22:27.000Matthew Zabransky: you go ski or one little local place for the most part, you might do your weekend trip up to Boyne or something, but you would never catch people going to some of these really small places, you know, outside of just the local crew there, so it's been really cool to watch people.00:22:27.000 --> 00:22:45.000Matthew Zabransky: travel and discover, more importantly, the different areas, uh, throughout the Midwest. I think a lot of that had to do with IndyPass's push in the Midwest, because, as we're gonna talk about here in a second, it was an absolute auto-buy. Like, there was not even a question about it. From the day it started, when it was, you know, what was that, $99?00:22:45.000 --> 00:23:02.000Matthew Zabransky: up until even just the last year. It was like you almost just were gonna if you lived in the Midwest, and you like skiing, and you don't. You know you like traveling around checking out new things. There was no reason not to buy it. You'd be silly, basically not to, just because how much saturation there was in the Midwest, which I think is going to lead us into our next conversation a little bit here.00:23:02.000 --> 00:23:04.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah, so, so the…00:23:04.000 --> 00:23:15.000Stuart Winchester: Just being on the ground, before we get to the shuffling around, you know, I'd imagine you're pretty connected with a lot of pretty hardcore skiers, pretty frequent skiers.00:23:11.000 --> 00:23:13.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah.00:23:15.000 --> 00:23:17.000Stuart Winchester: How much has…00:23:17.000 --> 00:23:24.000Stuart Winchester: that a… a season… a multi-mountain pass becomes something that the person in the Midwest just…00:23:24.000 --> 00:23:40.000Stuart Winchester: considers or, or automatically buys it as compared to several years ago where you might buy your local season pass, but, but you, you probably, like you said, you wouldn't go around. And when I lived in the Midwest, actually, I always appreciated how close the areas were, so I would just kind of bounce around a lot for.00:23:34.000 --> 00:23:36.000Matthew Zabransky: Mm-hmm.00:23:40.000 --> 00:23:46.000Stuart Winchester: for deal days or whatever, back when those were still a thing. But how automatic has it become?00:23:41.000 --> 00:23:42.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah.00:23:46.000 --> 00:24:01.000Matthew Zabransky: Very. I mean, there's people that have been buying the IndyPass specifically now. Up until this season, it was like they were probably on their fifth year of doing it and just continue to. And to be honest, there wasn't any reason not to because the pricing has stayed relatively affordable.00:24:01.000 --> 00:24:17.000Matthew Zabransky: they keep they kept strengthening their pro, their their product. I mean, like they just kept adding more ski areas in the Midwest. And so in in a lot of times the pass would pay itself off within a couple of visits based off of some of the redemption rates that you'd be getting at some somewhere like Lutz and Snow River.00:24:17.000 --> 00:24:34.000Matthew Zabransky: um, those are all, like, you know, $100 tickets, so you buy… you go there once or twice, you get two days of each of them, and basically that's already done. So if you already had one of those trips kind of on there, and if you lived in Chicago, you're going to Granite Peak usually once or twice a year. If you lived in Minnesota, you're going to Lutz.00:24:34.000 --> 00:24:52.000Matthew Zabransky: So it almost became this thing. And then you shuffle in like nubs, knob, and all that. So it it very much was like, yeah, we're gonna buy it every single year, you know, we might not. And some people are hardcore and going to all the places they could. And some people were just, you know. Hey? I'm gonna buy it because I'm gonna go for a weekend, so I might as well. And then I have this option of going some other places.00:24:46.000 --> 00:24:47.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:24:52.000 --> 00:25:03.000Matthew Zabransky: it was huge. I mean, I don't… of course, I don't have any of the IndyPass numbers, but I would… I would venture to say that the Midwest had to be a very big portion of their portfolio from the sales and redemption standpoint.00:25:03.000 --> 00:25:20.000Stuart Winchester: So the traditional numbers that Indy has given me, and it's been a couple years since Doug Fish provided these round numbers to me, but he told me about half of their sales came in New England, and 25% came in the Midwest, which is a really big number for a national pass. So you figured the other quarter were coming from somewhere else.00:25:04.000 --> 00:25:05.000Matthew Zabransky: Thank you.00:25:15.000 --> 00:25:16.000Matthew Zabransky: Cool.00:25:17.000 --> 00:25:19.000Matthew Zabransky: For… yeah.00:25:20.000 --> 00:25:25.000Stuart Winchester: I always give Doug Fish credit, because he's a Pacific Northwest guy, and…00:25:25.000 --> 00:25:40.000Stuart Winchester: Western skiers just love to hate on the Midwest. Everyone loves to hate on the Midwest. It's like the national pastime. It's like the safe thing to make fun of, and you know, I hope you take that personally, because I always do, and I really appreciated that Doug.00:25:30.000 --> 00:25:32.000Matthew Zabransky: Is…00:25:37.000 --> 00:25:38.000Matthew Zabransky: I do.00:25:40.000 --> 00:25:55.000Stuart Winchester: Included the Midwest from the start. That first year in 2019, he had Little Switz, he had Crystal, he had Cabre Fay, he had a bunch of other ski areas. Really got big in 2020 when he added Lutzen and Granite Peak. Now, I always say his insight was…00:25:44.000 --> 00:25:45.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah.00:25:55.000 --> 00:26:02.000Stuart Winchester: that Doug's great insight with the IndyPass was realizing there was value in the mountains that are not.00:26:02.000 --> 00:26:08.000Stuart Winchester: super destinations when you put them all together for skiers across the country. He also…00:26:05.000 --> 00:26:07.000Matthew Zabransky: Mm-hmm.00:26:08.000 --> 00:26:23.000Stuart Winchester: the fact that he extended that to the Midwest is huge, because, yes, I… so, before Icon started adding in into the Midwest, which we'll talk about in a minute, I would always say, Indy Pass is the pass to go to in the Midwest, no one else has anything, and everyone would always say, oh, wait, Epic has 10 mountains. I was like.00:26:14.000 --> 00:26:16.000Matthew Zabransky: Thank you.00:26:17.000 --> 00:26:18.000Matthew Zabransky: Okay.00:26:23.000 --> 00:26:34.000Stuart Winchester: But the Midwest is gigantic. Unless you live in Ohio, they're very spread out, and they're near cities, and there are actually mountains in the Midwest that are more…00:26:34.000 --> 00:26:44.000Stuart Winchester: of, of what you would consider, like, regional destinations. And that, that's your Boyne, Nubs, Lutsen, uh, even, even Spira with the bigger, uh, all the stuff over in the UP.00:26:37.000 --> 00:26:38.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah.00:26:44.000 --> 00:26:57.000Stuart Winchester: So Indy really collected them all together, and it was almost too good to be true, because they had over 40 ski areas in the Midwest. Talk about Indy at its peak.00:26:57.000 --> 00:27:02.000Stuart Winchester: And how great of a pass that was for the Midwest here.00:26:58.000 --> 00:26:59.000Matthew Zabransky: Okay.00:27:00.000 --> 00:27:17.000Matthew Zabransky: It was too great. We're going to get into this, I'm sure, but I think that's part of the reason for the course correction. There was a moment two or three years ago when I literally turned to Nick, my associate who edits for me and stuff, and I said, with some of the additions they announced at that time, I said.00:27:05.000 --> 00:27:06.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:27:17.000 --> 00:27:33.000Matthew Zabransky: this is too saturated like it's got to fix itself at some point like it's just. It's too good of a value, and like for skiers, we like anybody that was buying the passes like this is amazing. It makes it like again. It's an auto buy like, why wouldn't you do this? But I knew that this time was going to come at some point. But I'm you know, at least we got to.00:27:18.000 --> 00:27:20.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah.00:27:33.000 --> 00:27:50.000Matthew Zabransky: to see what it like. The peak of that was for a little while. We got a couple of years. We've got to be happy for that, to be honest. We're starting to see some of those what I'll call course corrections now and and we're going to continue to see this. I mean, you know that every every year it's going to be something new. Someone's changing. It's just kind of the nature of the business. But.00:27:50.000 --> 00:28:02.000Matthew Zabransky: it was not a shock to me when, um, when these changes were announced, uh, both in the spring and then more recently in the last few weeks and stuff, so it wasn't… I kind of saw it coming, it was just a matter of, like, when was it gonna happen.00:28:02.000 --> 00:28:14.000Stuart Winchester: So everyone left… they seemed as though… Epic and Icon seemed like they were just leaving the Midwest to Indy, to take. And I've always thought that Icon's original sin was when they killed the Max Pass.00:28:06.000 --> 00:28:08.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah.00:28:14.000 --> 00:28:15.000Matthew Zabransky: Mm-hmm.00:28:14.000 --> 00:28:30.000Stuart Winchester: And launched the Icon Pass. They brought all the Powder Mountains, all the Boyne Mountains, uh, all the Intra West Mountains, but they didn't bring Granite Peak and Lutzen, which are the biggest ski areas or most modern, however, whatever metric you want to use in Minnesota and, and Wisconsin.00:28:26.000 --> 00:28:27.000Matthew Zabransky: Yep.00:28:30.000 --> 00:28:31.000Stuart Winchester: So…00:28:31.000 --> 00:28:46.000Stuart Winchester: for a long time, Indy just built up this huge coalition. Started to see some cracks last year. Icon had just two mountains, Boyne Mountain and Boyne Highlands, and honestly, and Boyne has never affirmed this to me, but my hunch is, Boyne said, include our mountains or you don't get Big Sky.00:28:39.000 --> 00:28:40.000Matthew Zabransky: Yep.00:28:46.000 --> 00:28:48.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah, yeah.00:28:46.000 --> 00:29:01.000Stuart Winchester: So, so, Icon was like, okay, I guess we'll add these stupid little things. Uh, which is not my opinion of them, but I think that's probably what they thought from Colorado, which is why they dropped Lutzen and Granite Peak. So, last year, we started to see the first crack in Indy's armor.00:28:52.000 --> 00:28:55.000Matthew Zabransky: I was like, don't do that.00:29:01.000 --> 00:29:02.000Matthew Zabransky: Mm.00:29:01.000 --> 00:29:12.000Stuart Winchester: when the Icon Pass… they call them bonus mountains, I call them two-day mountains, because that's what they are. If you have an Icon Pass, you get two days of these mountains. Uh, Buck Hill, Minnesota.00:29:06.000 --> 00:29:07.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah.00:29:12.000 --> 00:29:27.000Stuart Winchester: Uh joined the icon pass as a two day mountain, which for the listeners, that's no, you get no base pass access, you only get full icon access and there are holiday blackouts. So that's what the two day tier is. They added Buck Hill. Uh Indy said, no, you're not allowed to do that. Remove Buck Hill.00:29:27.000 --> 00:29:30.000Stuart Winchester: Uh, which is a great little, uh, you know.00:29:30.000 --> 00:29:34.000Stuart Winchester: kind of trainer hill outside of the Twin Cities.00:29:34.000 --> 00:29:40.000Stuart Winchester: And every square inch is used with very maximum effect. So Indy removed them.00:29:40.000 --> 00:29:53.000Stuart Winchester: Buck Hill has been on Icon, and that was sort of the first… when you first saw that, did you think, okay, here we go, Icon is finally starting to realize the value of the Midwest, and if not, what was the moment that you did think that they got it?00:29:53.000 --> 00:30:09.000Matthew Zabransky: I would, you know, the whole time I've been shaking my head a little bit because it's just ironic to me that Boeing, Boeing, one of the biggest companies in, you know, that started in the Midwest, that literally has its roots here. And I'm just shocked that Icon hasn't.00:30:09.000 --> 00:30:26.000Matthew Zabransky: made this push earlier, and it took this long. But that was like the 1st that was the 1st like mention of that. And the other connection that was really kind of just crazy to me is, there's so many people from the twin cities that go to Big Sky like a lot like you talk to people all over the place. They have cabins up there. They.00:30:23.000 --> 00:30:24.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah, so. Yeah.00:30:26.000 --> 00:30:27.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:30:26.000 --> 00:30:42.000Matthew Zabransky: They're traveling there all the time. It's a huge destination for specifically for Minnesota, it seems. So I was always thinking, man, like if they were just to strengthen this pass a little bit in the Midwest, give somebody a reason to, to jump on to the icon pass. They're probably going out to Big Sky anyway.00:30:42.000 --> 00:30:57.000Matthew Zabransky: now all of a sudden, you give them another reason to buy the full pass, you got some… some more local hills, some day… like, weekend trips, you can go up to Lutzen, things like that, and I think that's when… when Lutzen and those guys came on, that was, like, full-blown, that's gonna… that changes everything. Like, everything.00:30:57.000 --> 00:31:14.000Matthew Zabransky: As you know, the lake, Lake Michigan, is a huge divider for the eastern and the western side of what I'll call the Midwest. Basically, if you're on the eastern side of the lake, you're kind of going to stick to mostly your lower peninsula, maybe go up to the UP occasionally. But if you're on the western side over here, in the Minneapolis.00:31:14.000 --> 00:31:31.000Matthew Zabransky: Um, there was really no offerings for Icon, so it really made no sense at that point to buy an Icon Pass. You know, maybe Chicago, you drive up to Boeing, but you're kind of on that cusp there, where it's like, mmm… but I think once they strengthened it this past year, now it's like… it's a fair fight, in my opinion. Now we're.00:31:31.000 --> 00:31:46.000Matthew Zabransky: You know, which one is gonna make more sense for you, or your situation, which it was not, it didn't used to be that way, it just, there was never an opportunity for most people that were on this side of the lake, or in Minneapolis. Sometimes it didn't make sense, unless you're going out to, you know, Big Sky for a week and a half, it, you know.00:31:47.000 --> 00:31:50.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah, so just a little background for the listeners.00:31:48.000 --> 00:31:49.000Matthew Zabransky: Mm.00:31:50.000 --> 00:31:52.000Stuart Winchester: Boyne Mountain and and.00:31:52.000 --> 00:32:08.000Stuart Winchester: what they call the Highlands at Harbor Springs. I'll call it Boyne Highlands because no one knows what I'm talking about when I say the Highlands. So Boyne and Boyne Highlands are two of the nicer ski areas, more built up ski areas in Michigan, and they were long on Icon. Uh, Lutzen and Granite Peak.00:31:55.000 --> 00:31:58.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah, this…00:32:06.000 --> 00:32:07.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah.00:32:08.000 --> 00:32:14.000Stuart Winchester: that, uh, Midwest Family Ski Resorts, which owns Lutzen and Granite Peak, bought, immediately took.00:32:14.000 --> 00:32:25.000Stuart Winchester: four old riblet lifts, put in a high-speed six-pack, the first one in the UP. So, those three ski areas had been indie anchors in the Midwest for years.00:32:23.000 --> 00:32:24.000Matthew Zabransky: Okay.00:32:25.000 --> 00:32:30.000Stuart Winchester: This year, for 2026-27 winter, they're going as 5-7 day…00:32:30.000 --> 00:32:42.000Stuart Winchester: mountains each on Icon and Icon Base, and so they are leaving the Indy Pass as a result of that. Now, Icon has also added some more two-day mountains. I'm gonna put those to the side for a second.00:32:40.000 --> 00:32:42.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah.00:32:42.000 --> 00:32:50.000Stuart Winchester: How big of a loss was Lutsen and Granite Peak and Snow River for Indy Pass in the Midwest?00:32:51.000 --> 00:33:06.000Matthew Zabransky: It's it's an easy question. I mean the answer just like, go look at the comments on the thread when it was announced, and you could just read how an impactful it was. And I think that was my argument when people started talking about like, Oh, they're you know, hey? Like they're leaving. They're leaving us in the dust, and we we don't like them anymore.00:33:07.000 --> 00:33:29.000Matthew Zabransky: It's probably justified. If you guys are this upset about them leaving, it means they probably had a little more leverage than they should have in that past portfolio. And I think it to that. And again, I don't know that it needs, like, a passion never be so strong, in my opinion. And I'm talking about the business side of things. You're not talking about the skier. Trust me, if I was, like, just skiing Matthew, put my skiing thing on, I'd be like, yeah, absolutely.00:33:10.000 --> 00:33:12.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah.00:33:24.000 --> 00:33:25.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah.00:33:26.000 --> 00:33:28.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah.00:33:29.000 --> 00:33:49.000Matthew Zabransky: Uh, but from the business side, as an area owner, operator, you gotta look at it, like, what kind of value are we getting back out of this pass? Are we the ones carrying your product? Like, that's the other thing to think about, too, right? We don't… you don't always necessarily want to be the top dog in the pass lineup. Sometimes it works well, sometimes it doesn't. Uh, and in this case, I think that they…00:33:49.000 --> 00:33:56.000Matthew Zabransky: they were carrying that pass line up, and I think nothing speaks more to the volumes of how upset people were when they came off of the pass.00:33:56.000 --> 00:34:00.000Stuart Winchester: So we're… I've kind of looked at this as it's…00:34:00.000 --> 00:34:12.000Stuart Winchester: sucks for Indy, it's probably good for the consumer in the long run, because, like you said, you never want too much market concentration, so now you have… you have the Snow Pass coming up, which is… which is Snow Partners in two days…00:34:04.000 --> 00:34:05.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah.00:34:12.000 --> 00:34:28.000Stuart Winchester: at each mountain. There's none in the Midwest yet, but I suspect there may be at some point. Right now, they're mostly in the Northeast. And then you have Icon. So, before, I think a lot of people in Michigan probably had Icon, because you could use it for the Boynes, but like you said.00:34:28.000 --> 00:34:44.000Stuart Winchester: if you're not from the Midwest, you're probably just thinking it's like a big square, but there's a lake there, and you can't… I mean, you can take a ferry over it, but it takes all day, right? You have to go to Ludington, and it's like a whole thing, right? So really, you have Michigan, the Lower Peninsula, and then you kind.00:34:32.000 --> 00:34:33.000Matthew Zabransky: Yep.00:34:44.000 --> 00:34:58.000Stuart Winchester: Wisconsin. So, you live on the west side of that, I believe, like, around the Minnesota-Wisconsin line. How immediately did you see people say, okay, well, now, yeah, let's consider Icon that maybe never would have before?00:34:48.000 --> 00:34:49.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah.00:34:59.000 --> 00:35:04.000Matthew Zabransky: I think the original, like, when it first was announced, there was just a lot of, like.00:35:04.000 --> 00:35:17.000Matthew Zabransky: oh man, this sucks. Like, now what? You know, what do we do? Because the initial reaction was like, well, I'm not gonna auto-buy this now, I gotta think about it a little bit more. I'm curious because I haven't… it's still so fresh, to be honest, and I haven't, like.00:35:06.000 --> 00:35:07.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah.00:35:10.000 --> 00:35:12.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah.00:35:17.000 --> 00:35:32.000Matthew Zabransky: but to, like, really figure that question, like, the answer to that question out, but I have… the one thing I have been seeing is a lot more people starting to weigh those options, right? They're starting to look at the passes differently now. Now it's, like, not just, like, we're gonna pick up Indy automatically and, you know, whatever might throw a different pass on there. Now they.00:35:25.000 --> 00:35:26.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:35:32.000 --> 00:35:49.000Matthew Zabransky: think about, how am I using my pass? Am I going up to Lutzen for a weekend or 2? Does it make sense for me to just get an icon pass? Am I a pass holder at Lutzen, and want to add it on now that that's an option, and maybe do an out west trip, or if you're granted peak. So I'm starting to see more people analyzing.00:35:42.000 --> 00:35:44.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah. Okay.00:35:49.000 --> 00:36:03.000Matthew Zabransky: in an area where they haven't before. So I'll be curious to see this upcoming season will be a really good test to kind of figure out, like, where are those numbers starting to shift a little bit. But, um, from my first reaction is I have a feeling that there's gonna be a pretty big drop in IndyPass sales in the Midwest.00:36:03.000 --> 00:36:20.000Matthew Zabransky: For that reasoning. Um, and then I do think there's gonna be a bit of a spike, um, in, in IconPass sales. I don't think it's gonna obviously affect much on the Michigan side, Lower Peninsula side of things. I think that'll stay pretty stable. But I think this side, for sure, this market, Minneapolis specifically, a little bit of Chicago.00:36:20.000 --> 00:36:25.000Matthew Zabransky: Um, but I would expect to see a pretty good little spike in sales on the IconPass side.00:36:25.000 --> 00:36:35.000Stuart Winchester: So, Lutzen and Granite Peak, I think, huge losses for India. Snow River, less so, just because Powderhorn is right next door, and it's kind of the same size, and it's, you know, gets the same s.00:36:29.000 --> 00:36:30.000Matthew Zabransky: Mm.00:36:30.000 --> 00:36:32.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah.00:36:35.000 --> 00:36:53.000Stuart Winchester: Continued building by Icon after that announcement, and, and some, and some continued bleeding by Indy. So, so Icon had a Giants Ridge, which is an excellent ski area up in Minnesota. It's, it's kind of in the middle of nowhere, but it's worth it. Uh, Devil's Head, which is a nice, uh, Madison ski area, and then.00:36:44.000 --> 00:36:45.000Matthew Zabransky: Yep.00:36:53.000 --> 00:37:10.000Stuart Winchester: in Michigan left Indy to join the Icon today, so those all joined Icon today. And then Indy also lost Little Switzerland, Nordic Mountain, and Crystal Ridge in Wisconsin. As of now, they are passless. So, you know, those are small ski areas, but they're really important sort of urban.00:37:10.000 --> 00:37:21.000Stuart Winchester: collectors, but do you worry, Matthew, and I'll say, Indy still has 37 ski areas in the Midwest, but do you worry that their coalition is splintering a little bit, starting to fall apart?00:37:16.000 --> 00:37:17.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah.00:37:21.000 --> 00:37:40.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah, a little bit. So I'm going to dance around this as carefully as I can because I have connections with all these owners, operators, and I talk to them on a regular basis, so I kind of know more than I probably should. But I'll try to navigate this the best that I can.00:37:35.000 --> 00:37:36.000Stuart Winchester: Yep.00:37:40.000 --> 00:37:56.000Matthew Zabransky: with… when IndyPass started, Doug Fish and the team did a really nice job of making sure that when they signed a ski area on, that they were being very, very intentional about its location, what… who was serving, and then when they would add another person on, a lot of times they would even approach.00:37:56.000 --> 00:38:04.000Matthew Zabransky: some of the nearby ski areas, and be like, hey, we're adding so-and-so, or making sure that those partnerships were all, you know.00:38:04.000 --> 00:38:22.000Matthew Zabransky: You're not too close where you're starting to monopolize business in different ways. I'll talk a little bit more about this in a second. So that was the approach for many, many years. However, I noticed a pretty big change a handful of years ago when it became more about a statistical difference than building those partnerships and.00:38:22.000 --> 00:38:41.000Matthew Zabransky: making those owners feel valued, if that makes sense. So it was like, okay, how can we just continue to pump numbers, get more? And in that process, what happened was a lot of ski areas in a small geographical area. And why has that caused a lot of issues for owners and operators? Is the idea of the IndyPass was, yeah.00:38:41.000 --> 00:38:50.000Matthew Zabransky: to create value with a portfolio of ski areas across the Midwest to rival that of, like, you know, other multi-mountain passes.00:38:50.000 --> 00:39:06.000Matthew Zabransky: Um, but what some of the owners and operators were starting to see was that instead of skiers buying a season pass at their local ski area, what they would do is buy the Indy Pass, ski two days at the ski area that would have been their local ski area, and then.00:39:01.000 --> 00:39:03.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:39:06.000 --> 00:39:22.000Matthew Zabransky: You know, in some cases, like in the Twin Cities, you have a handful that are within a two hour drive. So then it became this thing of like, oh, we're starting to see RR like personal season passes drop for then people that are using IndiePass redemptions to treat it as if it were basically a season pass.00:39:10.000 --> 00:39:12.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:39:22.000 --> 00:39:40.000Matthew Zabransky: I'm summarizing a lot there. There's a lot, like, to dive into, like, the details, but I can't, unfortunately, go into too much of that. But I think you can probably get the idea of why that was a little bit frustrating for some, um, owners and operators. So they really had to take a deep dive into some of those numbers and start to look at, like.00:39:24.000 --> 00:39:25.000Stuart Winchester: Yes.00:39:25.000 --> 00:39:26.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:39:29.000 --> 00:39:30.000Stuart Winchester: Mm-hmm.00:39:40.000 --> 00:39:50.000Matthew Zabransky: Where are these people coming from? How are the redemptions being used? And then, you know, how is this pass either, you know, net positive or net negative for us? And, you know, I always tell everybody, it's…00:39:50.000 --> 00:40:00.000Matthew Zabransky: the ski business is, you know, Stuart, is just a very, very low margin business, and it is a business. Like, at the end of the day, like, they have to treat it like…00:40:00.000 --> 00:40:22.000Matthew Zabransky: you know, like you gotta find out where you're losing money, or is there opportunity? And that assessment has to happen on a yearly basis. And sometimes when they run it for their business, they might be finding out that this might not be a great option for them. Or maybe it was, and things have changed. And now it's not so. It's an ongoing assessment. And like I was mentioning earlier, this is going to be a game that is going to play out over the next 10 years, probably where people are going to be switching teams all the time. And.00:40:22.000 --> 00:40:28.000Matthew Zabransky: and just get used to it. I mean, this is gonna be the way it is, unfortunately or fortunately, you know.00:40:26.000 --> 00:40:31.000Stuart Winchester: If you're Indy, what's your next move to try to build your coalition back up?00:40:31.000 --> 00:40:49.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah, I think the biggest thing they need to do is get some sort of anchor on this side of the lake. I mean, you've got Nub's Knob on Lower Peninsula, which is a great offering. I think that that really does anchor that side for sure. Over here, you gotta start eyeing up some areas that would serve as that anchor ski area. I know Whitecap was added.00:40:37.000 --> 00:40:38.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:40:49.000 --> 00:41:04.000Matthew Zabransky: Um, which is good, but I think, like, you gotta think about, you know, what is that replacement for? You know, what is that replacement for Granite Peak? And it immediately comes to mind, like, a Cascade, right? Or one of those. And we all know, like, it's just gonna be a tough sale for some of these operations, because it's always that, like.00:40:59.000 --> 00:41:00.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah, I think so.00:41:04.000 --> 00:41:09.000Matthew Zabransky: If you're an anchor skier, you've probably got a good operation and a good thing going already, so…00:41:09.000 --> 00:41:29.000Matthew Zabransky: you know, what is the pitch? Why should I join your indie pass? So it's always this give and take a little bit, but, you know, given that we've had a bunch of ski areas now come off of indie, there might be an opportunity to fill that little bit of a void and be kind of that new anchor spot that would then highlight that side of the lake. I don't know. It'll be curious to see kind of how things play out, but.00:41:29.000 --> 00:41:37.000Matthew Zabransky: Um, I think we'll see a little bit of this course correction go on for the next year or two, and then I think maybe we'll see some moves in the future. It's hard to say.00:41:36.000 --> 00:41:43.000Stuart Winchester: That was really good, so I'm gonna extend that question. If you're Icon, what's your next move in the Midwest, and if you're Epic?00:41:45.000 --> 00:42:02.000Matthew Zabransky: If if I'm icon, what I'm circling right now to be quite frank is somewhere in the Chicagoland area. There's an opportunity there, and I don't, you know, of course. What is it? We don't know, but I think if you could add an offering like a full offering to which is a little bit tricky to do. But yeah, like you think of something like.00:42:02.000 --> 00:42:24.000Matthew Zabransky: Cascade, Devil's Head, one of those areas, if you can get it into, like, a full area where you can now grab that Chicago market and have it really well solidified, because right now you're kind of in a, you know, it's about four hours from up to Granite Peak, and then Boeing the other way is something like that, five or something. So you're kind of in that weird dead zone there, so I think there's still a huge opportunity to grab that market, which obviously is a huge market of skiers and s.00:42:13.000 --> 00:42:15.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:42:18.000 --> 00:42:20.000Stuart Winchester: Yep.00:42:24.000 --> 00:42:30.000Stuart Winchester: Mm-hmm. And if you're Epic, I mean, they have all city stuff, so what do you do if you're Epic?00:42:28.000 --> 00:42:29.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah.00:42:30.000 --> 00:42:49.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah, I mean, I think Epic's playing the card that they want. The one thing that I am curious to see with Epic is not necessarily that, it's what's gonna happen with some of these smaller regional ski areas that have kind of been left in the dust a little bit. Paley Peaks is the first one that comes to mind when you start to think about this Snow Creek.00:42:45.000 --> 00:42:46.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:42:49.000 --> 00:43:06.000Matthew Zabransky: These ones that are just kind of in no man's land a little bit. They kind of got brought in with the Peak Resorts acquisition. I'm not sure that they necessarily wanted some of these ski areas, but they came in as a package deal as part of that. So it's just gonna be kind of interesting to see. They need a lot of reinvestment over the next, you know.00:43:06.000 --> 00:43:23.000Matthew Zabransky: 10 to 15 years, for sure, if not even sooner than that. So it'll be curious to see kind of how they approach those sort of areas in those regions, because some of those are in their own land like there is no ski area relatively close to some of them, or a couple of hours to the nearest ski area. So it'll be curious to see how they leverage that going forward.00:43:23.000 --> 00:43:44.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah, Matthew, I could sink into that one for about two hours and we could have a talk. I'm going to have to bring you back for that one. But for now, let's move on. And some of the folks who may not be familiar with the Midwest, we're going to talk about some of our favorite Midwest ski areas in just a moment. First, I want to tell you that this podcast is brought to you today by Profile Search International.00:43:44.000 --> 00:44:03.000Stuart Winchester: Profile Search is the only talent acquisition firm in the entire world that is 100% focused on the ski industry. They have used their intimate understanding of skiing and related industries, and of available candidates worldwide, to place hundreds of transformational leaders at the best and most progressive ski areas over the past.00:44:03.000 --> 00:44:19.000Stuart Winchester: 30 years. Profile Search has offices in the US and Canada, and they find and negotiate with the right leaders for their team. If you want to reach out to Profile Search, you can find them at profilesearch.com, and you can get their email or phone number there, or send me a note and I will.00:44:19.000 --> 00:44:26.000Stuart Winchester: make that connection for you. That is profilesearch.com. All right, Matthew, I gave you a challenge.00:44:26.000 --> 00:44:43.000Stuart Winchester: Or, or homework or something. I don't know. I'm sure you didn't have to think too hard about this, but we are going to break down our five favorite Midwest ski areas. We each have five. We'll, we'll start with five and, and, uh, and we'll take turns. Now, these are not what we think are the best necessarily because that's a whole different.00:44:43.000 --> 00:44:47.000Stuart Winchester: Conversation and I tried to think about.00:44:47.000 --> 00:44:59.000Stuart Winchester: If you've never skied the Midwest and are only going to ski here once in your life, where would I tell people to go? So, Matthew, I'll start with you. What is your number five favorite Midwest ski area and why?00:44:58.000 --> 00:45:14.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah. So I'll just just key this up with like, yeah, I agree with you. I went with kind of like I took an approach of uniqueness. There's different things that I enjoy about this years for different reasons, and I'll obviously unpack them as we kind of go through number 5 for me was perfect north slopes.00:45:06.000 --> 00:45:08.000Stuart Winchester: Mm-hmm.00:45:14.000 --> 00:45:15.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:45:14.000 --> 00:45:32.000Matthew Zabransky: And at its face, you might not think that that's… it's, you know, it's a ski area right outside of, uh, Cincinnati, um, and the southern tip of Indiana down there. And for, you know, for people that have never heard of it, they'd be like, why does this… why is this even on here? Uh, but the moment that you visit there, I think it all becomes very clear. Their throughput.00:45:32.000 --> 00:45:51.000Matthew Zabransky: their snowmaking capacity, their operations. It is a gold standard when we think of how to run a ski area in extremely challenging conditions and environments. Perfect North is the one that comes to mind. The way that they can move people through their rental department is phenomenal. The way that they can have a stable season based off of where they are.00:45:51.000 --> 00:46:08.000Matthew Zabransky: is just absolutely mind blowing. And they've been doing this since day one. So this isn't something that they have. You know they're new to. They've been doing this for many, many, many decades now at this point. So it's it's definitely worth a visit. Their train's really good as well. They have some Olympians that have come out of there just some some good stuff going down at at perfect north slopes.00:46:08.000 --> 00:46:23.000Stuart Winchester: I'm so glad you said Perfect North, because I did not include it on my list, but I think they are one of the best operators in the country. My number 5 is Chestnut, Illinois, and everyone's… you know why, but everyone's gonna say, Illinois? Like, what does it matter with you?00:46:20.000 --> 00:46:23.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah.00:46:23.000 --> 00:46:29.000Stuart Winchester: It is so unique, because you get up there, and it's about 500 vertical feet.00:46:29.000 --> 00:46:45.000Stuart Winchester: and you ski down to the freaking Mississippi River. It is… there is nothing else like that in American skiing. It is such a gorgeous view, and there's a train that goes by, and, and, and… the lift system is fantastic. Bunch of, you know, really maintained quads.00:46:45.000 --> 00:47:00.000Stuart Winchester: They have bars, which I like, which most Midwest ski areas don't, but they've retrofit them. Their grooming is phenomenal. Terrain's really good, steep and varied, and then one of the best things is on the backside, and the name of this probably is escaping me, it's like the backyard or something.00:46:47.000 --> 00:46:48.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah. Okay.00:46:58.000 --> 00:47:00.000Matthew Zabransky: Uh, far side.00:47:00.000 --> 00:47:15.000Stuart Winchester: Okay, yeah, so they have a terrain park that could be its own ski area, and it has a lift by itself, and so all the badly behaved teenagers go over there and throw cans around and smoke. Maybe it was just the day I was there.00:47:00.000 --> 00:47:02.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah.00:47:15.000 --> 00:47:20.000Stuart Winchester: Uh, but, but my number five is Chestnut, Illinois. Uh, number four, Matthew.00:47:20.000 --> 00:47:37.000Matthew Zabransky: This is gonna be. This is gonna be a deep cut here, and I'll give you my reasoning. So I'm a sucker for community rope toe ski places like it. It warms my heart every time every year there's at least one or 2 that I go to every time I show up. It's just the kids are so excited to show me around.00:47:23.000 --> 00:47:25.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:47:27.000 --> 00:47:29.000Stuart Winchester: Mm-hmm. Oh, love it.00:47:37.000 --> 00:47:38.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah. Okay.00:47:37.000 --> 00:48:00.000Matthew Zabransky: They're so passionate and it really brings me back to why skiing is important and what it really is about, right? We talk about the steeps and all this fun stuff all the time, but like when you go to these places, there's just to see a kid just in jeans or whatever it may be after school ripping down. It's so fun. So one of my favorite, if not my favorite rope to ski area in the entire Midwest is a place called Hickory Hills. It's in Traverse City.00:47:59.000 --> 00:48:00.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:48:00.000 --> 00:48:18.000Matthew Zabransky: It's a beautiful setting overlooking the bay, and they have just all ropes and one conveyor, and it's stacked. And it was one of the first ski areas in the Midwest to offer night skiing, which I thought was really, really cool as well. Obviously, not a lot of vertical, maybe 200 feet of vertical, depending on which rope you're going on, but it's one of those places you just show up.00:48:10.000 --> 00:48:12.000Stuart Winchester: Mm-hmm.00:48:18.000 --> 00:48:30.000Matthew Zabransky: And they've reinvested, as recently as 2018, they built a new lodge, new snowmaking, and you just show up there, and you're just like, it brings you back to that, like, oh yeah, this is some good skiing, like, just…00:48:30.000 --> 00:48:37.000Matthew Zabransky: fundamental, good stuff, you see kids ripping around after school, it's like, it's what I think of when I think of, uh, rope tow places.00:48:36.000 --> 00:48:42.000Stuart Winchester: And long live the rope tow. I mean, it is amazing that I think they run five or six there, right?00:48:42.000 --> 00:48:46.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah, I think they have six total, I believe, yeah.00:48:45.000 --> 00:48:59.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah, I've been there in the summer. I've never skied there. I used to ski at Sugarloaf down the… down the road till that went out of business. My number 4 is one you already mentioned, Matthew. Whitecap, Wisconsin. I just love this crazy ski area. It is…00:48:49.000 --> 00:48:51.000Matthew Zabransky: Yo.00:48:59.000 --> 00:49:04.000Stuart Winchester: I like to be confused when I'm skiing. I like it when a ski area…00:49:04.000 --> 00:49:05.000Matthew Zabransky: Okay.00:49:04.000 --> 00:49:22.000Stuart Winchester: Kind of hides its secrets and has lots of little trails and the trail map doesn't quite match up with the, with what you actually see. And, and there's lifts all over the place and there's little pockets and there's, you can tell that they don't care if you ski in the trees. And, and, and Whitecap is, is one of the most confusing ski areas I've, I've ever been to and I love.00:49:21.000 --> 00:49:23.000Matthew Zabransky: Okay.00:49:22.000 --> 00:49:40.000Stuart Winchester: it's in the great snow pocket off of Lake Superior, gets 200 or more inches of snow average per year, which is a good thing, because they don't have a lot of snowmaking, uh, there. But I really, really love Whitecap, and by the way, we did not share ours before, so we may have some crossover here. So, uh, what's your number 3, Matthew?00:49:38.000 --> 00:49:39.000Matthew Zabransky: Thank you.00:49:40.000 --> 00:49:55.000Matthew Zabransky: Number three, I am going with a ski area that I think people around here would know, but I think people on the other side of the lake would not. And it is going to be Welch Village. Welch Village is an area that just, you look at the numbers, you read the stats, and you're like, this place…00:49:50.000 --> 00:49:51.000Stuart Winchester: Mmm.00:49:55.000 --> 00:50:15.000Matthew Zabransky: cannot be that good. But it really is. It skis so much bigger than the stats suggest. I think it's about 300 feet of vertical. They have like 50 something runs. But I think what Welch Village has that a lot of skiers don't is the amount of terrain variation and stepping that they have is just phenomenal for beginners, and the fact that it's only about 40 minutes from the Twin Cities.00:50:15.000 --> 00:50:31.000Matthew Zabransky: is amazing. So they have basically a run for every progression. If you want super steep, now obviously it's only 300 feet of vertical, so it's gonna be a handful of turns, but they have that. If you want something very, very gently sloped, they got that, and basically everything in between. And it's just one of those areas that is a perfect.00:50:23.000 --> 00:50:24.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:50:31.000 --> 00:50:41.000Matthew Zabransky: Kind of like just outside the urban reach, right? It's not like in your backyard, but it's close enough where you can easily go for a few hours and just a perfect place to learn how to ski and snowboard.00:50:41.000 --> 00:50:57.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah, I love Welch Village. I was super impressed when I went there a few years ago, and it's not too far from Vail's Afton Alps, so you can do both in a day easily if you want to, but Welch Village, first-rate operation, absolutely one of the best in the Midwest. My number three is a nostalgia play, and I'm gonna say Boyne Mount.00:50:42.000 --> 00:50:44.000Matthew Zabransky: Okay.00:50:57.000 --> 00:51:13.000Stuart Winchester: The reason I love Boyne Mountain is not because of the fast lift, so they were the first six-pack in North America, and, you know, they put in the first eight-pack in the Midwest, and there's a lot of history there. The first chairlift in the world is there. They moved it from Sun Valley.00:51:13.000 --> 00:51:23.000Stuart Winchester: the single chair from Sun Valley back in the… in the 40s, and it's now the Hemlock double chair. But what I love Boyne Mountain is because when I… back in the 90s, when I lived in Michigan.00:51:23.000 --> 00:51:30.000Stuart Winchester: they would stay open into May. And back then, there was no social media, so no one knew about it, so I'd show up, and there would be…00:51:25.000 --> 00:51:26.000Matthew Zabransky: Mm-hmm.00:51:30.000 --> 00:51:47.000Stuart Winchester: not kidding, 10 people skiing, and they would be running that six-pack all day, and they would let it bump up, and just run idiots to light, and it's where I learned how to ski moguls, and I've always just been tremendously fond of Boyne for that reason. So while it is one of the nicest ski areas in the Midwest, just on its own terms.00:51:32.000 --> 00:51:34.000Matthew Zabransky: Thank you.00:51:47.000 --> 00:52:02.000Stuart Winchester: It's also very steep. It's just, I have that feeling of, you know, that memory of skiing in my t-shirt in May in 1996, you know, down the moguls at Boyne Mountain with five other people, and it was just, it's one of my favorite ski memories ever, and the fact that they.00:52:02.000 --> 00:52:13.000Stuart Winchester: empowered that and did that. When they lost money, there's no way they didn't lose money doing that. It just speaks a lot to the spirit that still animates that company, even though it's a bigger company now.00:52:06.000 --> 00:52:07.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah.00:52:13.000 --> 00:52:16.000Stuart Winchester: Number two for you, Matthew.00:52:16.000 --> 00:52:31.000Matthew Zabransky: We'll get to this, I'm sure, at the end, but it's cool to see some of that going full circle. I don't want to give too much away. We'll get into that in a second. Number two for me is a pick that I think is going to change a lot this year, specifically because of the new lift alignment, and that's Marquette Mountain.00:52:17.000 --> 00:52:19.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah, yeah, yeah.00:52:31.000 --> 00:52:32.000Stuart Winchester: Mmm.00:52:31.000 --> 00:52:50.000Matthew Zabransky: They have phenomenal terrain up there, they get great snow, and the thing that was always just missing was a little bit of polishing around the edges, and I think they're finally getting to that point now with, uh, you know, a lot of snowmaking investments over the last handful of years. This new chair from Dolphin Meyer, uh, triple gonna run up basically the center of the ski area, and I think it's really gonna change the way that this.00:52:50.000 --> 00:53:07.000Matthew Zabransky: Uh, previously, it was divided into kind of two almost separate pods. It kind of had this weird split down the middle. It was kind of hard to navigate. But given that this one's gonna go right up to the center there, you're gonna be able to get full top-to-bottom access a lot more easily, be able to access a lot more of the terrain across the port, the entire, you know, trail map off the front side there.00:52:54.000 --> 00:52:55.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:53:07.000 --> 00:53:23.000Matthew Zabransky: and I think it's 1 of those that like it. This they have the terrain, and there's not many areas in the Midwest that have the terrain. It's usually the other way where it's like, Yeah, okay, we have. You know the infrastructure. We have the location, but we don't have the steeps, or we don't have the trees, or whatever it may be.00:53:15.000 --> 00:53:16.000Stuart Winchester: Okay.00:53:18.000 --> 00:53:20.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:53:23.000 --> 00:53:34.000Matthew Zabransky: It's a Marquette, good city up there in the UP, really the only major city in the UP, but they have a good demographic up there. And I think with the changes that they're gonna see this year with the new lift, it's gonna be really fun to watch.00:53:27.000 --> 00:53:28.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah.00:53:34.000 --> 00:53:44.000Stuart Winchester: Not only do they have the terrain, they have the snow. I mean, they're another one of those Lake Superior. They don't get quite as much as up in the Keweenaw or Snow River, but they do get a fair amount.00:53:36.000 --> 00:53:38.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah, yeah.00:53:44.000 --> 00:53:45.000Matthew Zabransky: They do.00:53:45.000 --> 00:53:54.000Stuart Winchester: So my number two, I'm kind of going chalk on these last two, so you can probably guess what my number one is. My number two is a very obvious one, and that's Lutzen.00:53:54.000 --> 00:53:56.000Matthew Zabransky: Mm-hmm.00:53:54.000 --> 00:54:10.000Stuart Winchester: You know, for, for folks who have never been to Lutzen, it, first of all, it has a gondola. Now, now it's more of a transit lift. It goes more sideways than up and down, but it does have, is it eight or 900 feet of vertical? I think 800 and, or you could ski down to, yeah, of lift served vertical. And the.00:54:00.000 --> 00:54:01.000Matthew Zabransky: Thank you.00:54:05.000 --> 00:54:07.000Matthew Zabransky: It's… yeah.00:54:10.000 --> 00:54:26.000Stuart Winchester: enormous. It's really four separate mountains and it goes in all different directions and they have two six packs and they have that Gandhi, which is fairly new. I think within the last 10 years, they built that to replace their older one. Uh That is one of the best run ski areas in the Midwest. Another one that will stay open into May.00:54:26.000 --> 00:54:42.000Stuart Winchester: when they can. Oh, and speaking of views, I mean, the view off of Moose Mountain of Lake Superior just knock you on your ass. It is so good. I really love Lutzen Mountain, which takes us, Matthew, to your number one ski area in the Midwest.00:54:42.000 --> 00:55:01.000Matthew Zabransky: Man, man, this is one, and it's funny ‘cause I'm working on this video right now, and it's a place that every time I leave this ski area or while I'm at this gear, I just have a smile on my face the entire time. It has nothing flashy, but they do everything right, and that's nub knob. I mean, you go to this place and you just…00:54:42.000 --> 00:54:44.000Stuart Winchester: Favorite ski area.00:54:59.000 --> 00:55:00.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah, thank you.00:55:01.000 --> 00:55:17.000Matthew Zabransky: It's just crazy to me that we were working on this video and my editor, Nick, we got to the end of the video and I mentioned like, “Oh, it doesn't have any high-speed lifts, but it almost feels like it does just because of the way that they're aligned and the way the traffic flows and the way that the runs are cut and everything.00:55:17.000 --> 00:55:34.000Matthew Zabransky: It feels like another one that just, you read the stats and you're like, okay, that sounds decent. But then you get on site and you're just like, this is just a really well run ski area. Snowmaking is always top notch. Grooming is amazing. Lifts spin, they don't stop very often. I mean, everything is just really well polished.00:55:31.000 --> 00:55:33.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:55:34.000 --> 00:55:45.000Matthew Zabransky: the core skiing experience, and they really nail it, and again, it's one of those, like, every time I come off the hill there, I'm just like, man, that was a great day of skiing, even if, you know, it's raining outside, I feel like.00:55:43.000 --> 00:55:44.000Stuart Winchester: Mmhm.00:55:45.000 --> 00:56:01.000Stuart Winchester: And as a… just to underscore how good of a scary it is, it's right across the street from Boyne Highlands, and it has been, you know, obviously its whole time, but for a scary to succeed, a lot of times, a smaller scary will fail next to a big corporate area, but Nubs has managed to flourish. Matthew, we actually had no crossover, because.00:55:46.000 --> 00:55:47.000Matthew Zabransky: Okay.00:55:49.000 --> 00:55:51.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah.00:56:01.000 --> 00:56:16.000Stuart Winchester: as you can probably guess, is Mount Bohemia, and I'm sure that's probably why you left it off. Uh, Mount Bohemia, for the folks who are not familiar with it, I wrote an article last year, I called it, Mount Bohemia, the scarier the Midwest deserves, because when Mount Bohemia opened in 2000, it.00:56:02.000 --> 00:56:03.000Matthew Zabransky: Hey.00:56:04.000 --> 00:56:07.000Matthew Zabransky: Yep.00:56:16.000 --> 00:56:31.000Stuart Winchester: And it has 900 feet of vertical. They do not groom. They have no snowmaking. They get 300 inches annually. It's all, almost all, glades. Their glading is some of the best I've ever seen anywhere, because there's a lot of underbrush in Michigan.00:56:20.000 --> 00:56:22.000Matthew Zabransky: Okay.00:56:31.000 --> 00:56:48.000Stuart Winchester: Uh, the place is an absolute riot. Talk about culture. You get on the ground and you're like, oh, what's here? They don't even have a proper base lodge. It's, it's all these yurts and then they have this giant complex of hot tubs for some reason that, that everyone's always in there drinking beer and.00:56:48.000 --> 00:56:55.000Stuart Winchester: And the skiing is just… it's great! It's… it's… there's nothing else like it anywhere in North America, where there's just…00:56:55.000 --> 00:57:12.000Stuart Winchester: that much just free skiing available off of a lift, and Lonnie, the owner, has been on a couple times, and I cannot say enough good things about Nubs Knob, including… and I'll let people do their own research on this, but their season pass is $117, or $99 for… you don't want Fridays and Saturdays, and you get all kinds of reciprocals with it, so…00:57:12.000 --> 00:57:16.000Stuart Winchester: It's not a bad multi-mountain pass on its own. So…00:57:12.000 --> 00:57:14.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah.00:57:15.000 --> 00:57:30.000Matthew Zabransky: I was so. I was so nervous the 1st so I went to Bohemia last year for the 1st time ever, and I it has been on my list forever, and I keep like I want to hit it right, because I don't want to like. Just go there and not be able to ski everything. And the entire time I've been super fortunate to see a lot of amazing places in in North.00:57:18.000 --> 00:57:20.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah.00:57:24.000 --> 00:57:26.000Stuart Winchester: Yeah, yeah, yeah.00:57:30.000 --> 00:57:49.000Matthew Zabransky: And I was super nervous it was not going to live up to the hype, because I was like, this place is hyped up so much, there is no way that it is going to live up to the hype, and it absolutely did. It's one of the most unique scary areas that you'll ever go to, the operations, the bus system, the hot tub. Nothing makes sense there, but it all does in a weird way. It's an absolute riot.00:57:49.000 --> 00:58:04.000Stuart Winchester: I couldn't have said any better. I always tell people, if you ski one place in the Midwest in your life, make it Mount Bohemia. All right, now, Matthew, what I want you to leave us with today is… I imagine, maybe deliberately, you didn't mention any of these ski areas, but one of the…00:58:04.000 --> 00:58:15.000Stuart Winchester: things that you do an awesome job with every year is covering the race to open in the Midwest. So, so tell us about the race to open. Who's involved?00:58:15.000 --> 00:58:19.000Stuart Winchester: When it generally takes place and how you cover it.00:58:19.000 --> 00:58:35.000Matthew Zabransky: Yeah, so the race to open is a pretty big deal across the Midwest. It was something that before I started this website and YouTube channel, I did not really realize a lot, but the Midwest is always usually fighting for one of the first areas to open in the entire country on occasion. It really just depends on the weather.00:58:35.000 --> 00:58:52.000Matthew Zabransky: But what

Chris Holman speaks with Stephanie Beckhorn, from Media Row, at the Grand Hotel, while at the 2026 Mackinac Policy Conference. Stephanie Beckhorn of Michigan's Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity joined host Chris Holman at the Mackinac Policy Conference to discuss the impact of federal SNAP and Medicaid work requirements on Michigan's workforce. She emphasized that food and healthcare access are directly tied to workforce participation, and that hundreds of thousands of Michiganders will need to meet work requirements to maintain their benefits — making it critical to connect them with resources like Michigan Works agencies to help remove barriers and secure full-time employment. Beckhorn noted that interconnected challenges, including childcare, transportation, and affordable housing all factor into workforce stability, and that LEO's structure intentionally brings together agencies like MSHDA to address these issues in a coordinated way. On the budget front, she noted the governor proposed $30 million to support work requirement implementation, with the House and Senate each including roughly half that amount, and expressed optimism that ongoing negotiations would result in meaningful investment with strong long-term returns. » Visit MBN website: http://www.michiganbusinessnetwork.com/ » Watch MBN's YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/@MichiganbusinessnetworkMBN » Like MBN: http://www.facebook.com/mibiznetwork » Follow MBN: http://twitter.com/MIBizNetwork/ » MBN Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/mibiznetwork/

A lot of health care headlines sound distant until you realize how quickly a policy tweak can turn into a long drive, a missed refill, or an ER visit that could have been prevented. From the Mackinac Policy Conference, we sit down with Monique Stanton, President and CEO of the Michigan League for Public Policy, to talk about why Medicaid is the number one health care issue for so many Michiganders and why people feel genuinely scared about what comes next.We get specific about what's changing and what isn't. Monique explains that Medicaid income eligibility in Michigan stays roughly at 138% of the federal poverty level, yet major barriers can still knock people off coverage, including work requirements, twice a year eligibility checks, and the paperwork that creates “churn” for families already stretched thin. We also dig into the potential impact of HR1, the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” and why advocates expect as many as 200,000 to 250,000 people in Michigan could lose coverage if rollbacks move forward.Then we zoom out to what these changes mean on the ground, especially in rural Michigan. When coverage shrinks, clinics and hospital service lines can close, and that hurts everyone, not only Medicaid recipients. A labor and delivery unit shutting down or a behavioral health clinic moving farther away can turn routine care into an hours long trip, making it harder to stay healthy, work consistently, and care for family. We also talk about why hospitals and the Michigan Health and Hospital Association are key partners, and how Healthy Michigan Medicaid expansion helped cut uncompensated care by about 50% while shifting chronic care from emergency departments to primary care.If you care about Michigan Medicaid, rural health care access, and practical health policy that improves real lives, you'll want this conversation. Subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review to help more people find the show.Support the showEngage the conversation on Substack at The Common Bridge!

September 4, 2026 ~ Thousands of Michiganders dealt with severe weather this week. Chris Fultz, President of Electric Supply Business for Consumers Energy, provides the latest on restoration efforts, power outages, and what customers can expect as crews continue repairs. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Adult star Bonnie Blue allegedly gave birth, another scammer posing as an NFL player, singer/murderer D4vd is broke, Ali G under fire, and Meghan Markle's failed Parent Network charity. Billy Strings is Drew's new favorite Michigander after appearing on This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von. Bert Kreischer is a lightweight now and needs to build his tolerance. Christopher Cross whined about the USA & Donald Trump to Canadians in Toronto. MI Politics: Abdul El-Sayed is deleting tweets and trying to dodge Hasan Piker questions. Meanwhile, Mike Rogers is busted lying about viewing Osama Bin Laden's rotting corpse. Detroit mayor Mary Sheffield is under the microscope and Charlie LeDuff breaks open the case. Bonnie Blue claims she had a baby. It will be one very long Maury episode. Drew enjoys watching sovereign citizens plead their case... and lose. He also is a fan of divorce court on YouTube. Uras Agee IV is the next Daejon Love. NFL scams are so hot right now. A Saginaw teen flashed some cash at prom and was murdered. Justin and Hailey Bieber bickered at Finneas' wedding. Amita Rao from the TV show Adults has hairy armpits and even hairier vagina. D4vd is broke and his lawyers have bailed on him. Murder Karmelo Anthony is broke too. The Nolan Wells case seems to have been forgotten. Ali G is racist according to some. Tom Cruise is looking to make that sequel money with Days of Thunder 2. Randy Quaid is not happy that Cole Trickle is going to nail Anne Hathaway. A Mississippi mayor hates Dolly Parton. Sports: Fernando Mendoza may not be a good pro player. Joe Milton needs a new job. Aaron Donald and Myles Garrett are a pretty good defensive pair. Stanley Zhong is really smart, but can't get into his preferred schools... because he is Asian. Hospices in California are busted keeping dead people alive for big bucks. Reminder that Trudi killed C.W. McCall. NYC's Gustavo Gordillo might be a liar. The New York Times forgot to do some vetting. Markleverse: Michael Pavano has a great Meghan impersonation. The Parents' Network failed so much that Harry and Meghan dumped it despite duping Jane Pauley in an obnoxious interview. Dan Wootton is furious. Meghan has a 'wish list' for her new UK pad. RIP Diana. Gone too soon. Lou Whitaker is a good dude. Merch is available if you want to rep the show. You'd look amazing too. If you'd like to help support the show… consider subscribing to our YouTube Channel, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter (Drew Lane, Marc Fellhauer, Trudi Daniels, Jim Bentley, BranDon, and Roberto).

From Superman in southeast Michigan to a Jersey Mud sundae in the Upper Peninsula, Michiganders know how to enjoy a scoop. GUESTS ON THIS EPISODE: Mary Jean Raab, Washtenaw Dairy Nate and Nova Wilson Dale Iverson Want to submit a story or a question to On Hand? Do it here!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Click here to donate $5 on Left of Lansing on Patreon!https://www.patreon.com/15494297/joinHere's the Left of Lansing "Monday Musing" for August 31, 2026.Bari Weiss's "CBS News" posted a story today declaring that some of Michigan's progressive Democratic Senate nominee Dr. Abdul El-Sayed's social media postings regarding 9/11 "invites scrutiny."It's nothing but a hit-job by the pro-Big Tech Bro, pro-Epstein Class, and pro-Trump CBS "news division," and it's essentially saying that Michiganders must beware of the Muslim Man!Yet, when one actually reads the so-called controversial tweets, one will realize they aren't controversial at all. Not only that, but they make it appear that once again, Dr. Abdul is with the mainstream of Americans on a host of issues, while MAGA Republicans are on the fringe extreme. LOL's Pat Johnston explains. Please, subscribe to the podcast, download each episode, and give it a good review if you can!leftoflansing@gmail.comLeft of Lansing is now on YouTube as well!Click here to vote on this week's LOL Poll who should Democrats condemn: AIPAC or Hasan Piker?Music provided by Wanderbeats. To hear the latest project, visit Space Leopard on various streaming sites, or visit: https://www.youtube.com/@SpaceLeopardClick here to donate $5 on Left of Lansing on Patreon!https://www.patreon.com/15494297/joinNOTES:"For Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, Sept. 11 commemoration invites scrutiny of past remarks." By Zak Hudak of CBS News #podcast #politics #progressives #Michigan #Democrats #Trump #JDVance #MAGA #Republicans #Election #Primary  #WorkingFamiliesParty  #DemocraticSocialism #Senate #AbdulElSayed #WorkingClass #unions #WorkersRights  #MikeRogers  #DataCenters  #CorporateGreed #CorporateCorruption #GovernmentCorruption #Populism #AIPAC #IranWar #Israel #911 #CorporateClass #DemocraticSocialism #Fascism #EpsteinClass #Authoritarianism #Democracy #LeftofLansing

The U.S.–Canada trade situation took a wild turn over the weekend. We thought we had an agreement, but now we're suddenly facing a full-scale trade war with our closest neighbor.  Glenn Stevens from MICHAuto joined me to break down what went wrong and what this uncertainty actually means on the ground for Michiganders and Michigan companies.  From auto supply chains, to materials, to local jobs, to healthcare workers and tourism, Michigan has more to lose than most anywhere else in the United States as this may drag on. Michigan residents have already been impacted by thousands of dollars since the disputes started in 2025, whether it's in increased prices or decreased wages and profit-sharing. We dig into why unraveling this more than century-long economic partnership makes little sense and why getting both sides back to the table. That yes, friends always have disagreements, but blowing everything up isn't the thing to do. Give it a listen, and let me know how these potential tariffs are impacting your work or family across the border. Email us at dailydetroit - at - gmail - dot - com or leave a voicemail, 313-789-3211.

On Episode 328 of the Enormocast, we sit down with alpinist and Michigander, Matt Cornell. That's right, one of the world's best alpinists grew up in the mountain-less upper Midwest dreaming of vertical playgrounds beyond his home State's borders. Despite the pressures of modern suburban expectations, Matt moved into his hatchback and become a climbing … Continue reading "Enormocast 328: Matt Cornell – The Right Reasons"

Click here to donate $5 on Left of Lansing on Patreon!https://www.patreon.com/15494297/joinHere's the Left of Lansing "Friday Short" for August 21, 2026!MAGA Michigan Republican Congressman Tom Barrett, and MAGA Michigan Republican Senate candidate "Florida" Mike Rogers, are suddenly, and conveniently, suggesting they'll act tough against the billionaire Big Tech Bros and their data centers.Strange switch for both of them considering Tom Barrett voted to grant the Big Tech Bros $85 Billion in tax cuts to build their data centers across Michigan, and rest of the United States. And Florida Mike Rogers, like Tom Barrett, collect tons of cash from the Billionaire Big Tech Bros, and has been a champion for additional surviellance of American citizens. However, Tom Barrett's challenger in the 7th Congressional District, progressive Democrat William Lawrence, has stood against the data center push in his district, and fought to stop on being built in Lansing. And, progressive Democratic Senate candidate, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, says NO more funding for data centers until safeguards are in place to protect Michiganders and their communities. Please, subscribe to the podcast, download each episode, and give it a good review if you can!leftoflansing@gmail.comLeft of Lansing is now on YouTube as well!Click here to vote on this week's LOL Poll on TV ads!Music provided by Wanderbeats. To hear the latest project, visit Space Leopard on various streaming sites, or visit: https://www.youtube.com/@SpaceLeopardClick here to donate $5 on Left of Lansing on Patreon!https://www.patreon.com/15494297/joinNOTES:"MI-07: Tom Barrett Scrambles to Bury His Data Center Past." By David Dayen of The American Prospect "Michigan gave schools $224M for infrastructure, but they need billions." By Matt Mencarini of Bridge Michigan #podcast #politics #progressives #Michigan #Democrats #Trump #MAGA #Republicans #Election #Primary #Senate #AbdulElSayed #WorkingClass #WorkersRights  #BigBeautifulBill #WilliamLawrence #MikeRogers #DataCenters #AI #TomBarrett #CorporateGreed #CorporateCorruption #GovernmentCorruption #Populism #GretchenWhitmer #CorporateClass #DemocraticSocialism #Fascism #EpsteinClass #Authoritarianism #Democracy #LeftofLansing

AGSP Broadcasting LIVE from The CT Lounge on Secord Lake & also from Phil's Man Closet on Williams Lake … CT, Rich & Phil had so much FUN chatting with The Marissa Baker, one our newest Michiganders!  CT stumbled upon Marissa's epic rise on her socials once she made her way to Michigan from Naples, Florida.   Marissa has documented her move to Michigan with daily updates on all things Michigan Left's, Vernor's, Faygo's, Meijer's, Canadian Wildfire's, Lettuce Parasite's, and also adding 'S to everything (It's a Michigan thing).  And we chat about EUCHRE!  The fellas had a lot of laughs and it was so much FUN to speak with The Marissa Baker!   The Marissa Baker Socials (FOLLOW HER!) Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/themarissabaker/?hl=en TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@themarissabaker ASGP is POWERed by ThinkStreet Media!  Please like and subscribe to our show on your podcast app of choice.  Tell a friend!  If you'd like to become a sponsor or if you have A Great Story, please send us a message at agr8storypodcast@gmail.com!  And, please share feedback be on our show, we'd love to hear from you.   Follow our AGSP socials: Instagram:  @AGreatStoryPodcast / https://twitter.com/AGreatStoryPod X:  @AGreatStoryPod, https://www.instagram.com/AGreatStoryPodcast FB:  A Great Story Podcast - A Great Story Podcast | Facebook Love, CT, Rich … and Phil!!!   (me) (Rich) (Phil)  

Click here to donate $5 on Left of Lansing on Patreon!https://www.patreon.com/15494297/joinHere's the Left of Lansing "Monday Musing" for August 17, 2026!Last week, Dear Leader Trump told working class Americans paying over $4 per gallon of gas is worth it because the Iran War is good, or something. That's how little those in the billionaire Epstein Class really care about us, as LOL's Pat Johnston explains. Oh, does Florida Mike Rogers agree that it's "worth it" for working class Michiganders to pay over $4 for gas, so that way we can continue have this unending and unwinnable War on Iran?Please, subscribe to the podcast, download each episode, and give it a good review if you can!leftoflansing@gmail.comLeft of Lansing is now on YouTube as well!Click here to vote on this week's LOL Poll on TV ads!Music provided by Wanderbeats. To hear the latest project, visit Space Leopard on various streaming sites, or visit: https://www.youtube.com/@SpaceLeopardClick here to donate $5 on Left of Lansing on Patreon!https://www.patreon.com/15494297/joinNOTES:"CBS News poll on whether Democrats split over socialism, and how Americans see parties in today's economy." By Anthony Salvanto of CBS News "As gas prices go up in Michigan, president urges people to pay it." By Frank Witsil of The Detroit Free Press #podcast #politics #progressives #Michigan #Democrats #Trump #MAGA #Republicans #Election #Primary #DemocraticSocialism #Senate #AbdulElSayed #MikeRogers #WorkingClass #unions #WorkersRights #MedicareForAll #Medicaid #BigBeautifulBill #MikeRogers #DataCenters #AI #CorporateGreed #CorporateCorruption #GovernmentCorruption #Populism #AIPAC #IranWar #Israel  #CorporateClass #DemocraticSocialism #Fascism #EpsteinClass #Authoritarianism #Democracy #LeftofLansing

U.S. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-Louisiana) visited a Troy brunch restaurant with the Republican nominee for Michigan Governor, U.S. Rep. John James (R-Shelby Township), along with others. Together, they tried to make the case that the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) shouldn't be used as a dirty acronym in the 2026 elections (1:40).  The morning after it was revealed that State House Oversight Chair Jay DeBoyer (R-Clay) was James' pick for Lieutenant Governor, his ex-committee member, Rep. Penelope Tsernoglou (D-East Lansing) started making the media rounds. She wants Michiganders to know that DeBoyer rejected her public push to hold a hearing on alleged sexual abuse inside a Northern Michigan arts camp (10:35). Furthermore, what does Democratic nominee for Governor, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, want to do to further economic development in Michigan? (20:50)                        

Chas & Dr Dave discuss Michiganders vs Michiganians, The Beloved Family Brand Palantir, and A Bar That A Dalek Could Get Over WARNING: This episode of PEP may contain explicit language and content some viewers may find distressing. Timestamps: 0:00 - Introducing: Dr Dave 3:33 - Grateful (Patricia Highsmith, Dark) 12:26 - Farewell Leavitt 19:03 - Stats Nug (Congress Dysfunction) 26:00 - DOJ Updates (Jan 6 Compo, Blanche, Reflection Pool, Fauci) 1:02:14 - Midterms (Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Woke 1) 1:55:51 - Not Normal (Decoy Plane, Photo Touch-Ups) 2:09:00 - Stats Nug (Ebola) 2:13:33 - Unemployment 2:21:43 - Foreign Policy (Japan Finance) 2:42:46 - Unleashed (Max Miller) SHOW LINKS: *Chat with the PEPpers on the Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/WxDD2PPvaW Dave's Booklist Addition: * Cory Doctorow - The Reverse Centaur's Guide to Life After AI (Mentioned 2:27:15) THE (UPDATED) DR DAVE BOOK CLUB MASTERLIST https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nrSLzBt8ztEmCCZ6ZtyV6MiS4S4CaMgg-UbBZMef6uQ/edit?usp=sharing THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER!

Premiums are climbing, deductibles feel heavier every year, and most people still can't tell you why health care costs what it costs. From the Mackinac Policy Conference, we talk with Dominick Pallone, CEO of the Michigan Association of Health Plans, to get a clear look at what health plans actually do in Michigan and how state policy decisions ripple straight into employer coverage and family budgets.We start with the basics: MAHP represents nine health insurance companies covering nearly four million Michiganders, and their day-to-day work is advocacy with state lawmakers and regulators. From there, we dig into competition and choice in a market long shaped by a dominant carrier, and why employers and individuals should know they have other network options. The goal, Dom argues, is competing on access, quality outcomes, and real value rather than just headlines.Then we get to the affordability problem everyone feels. Dom explains why insurers often function as pass-through entities for underlying prices, and why pharmacy costs have become the biggest lever right now. We talk about double-digit premium trends, specialty drugs that are clinically remarkable but financially punishing, and the policy tightrope between supporting innovation and keeping coverage usable. We also explore practical fixes: value-based care arrangements, custom high-value networks, and health literacy tools like real-person call centers and apps that help members compare cost and quality for elective care.If you care about Michigan health care, health insurance affordability, pharmacy pricing, and what can actually move the needle, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share this with a friend or colleague, and leave a review with the biggest cost question you want answered next.Support the showEngage the conversation on Substack at The Common Bridge!

Civil Discourse, Trust, and Resilience: The Bedrock of Michigan's Civic and Economic InfrastructureWe are joined by Tonya Schuitmaker and Rebekah Warren of Michiganders for Civic Resilience, an organization dedicated to bridging divides and restoring civil discourse. Their conversation reveals why civic resilience is more than a discourse issue, it is an economic development issue. Tonya and Rebekah talk about the connection between strong communities and strong economies, and how where businesses invest – communities can prosper. From attracting talent and investment to building infrastructure, advancing innovation, and solving Michigan's biggest challenges, our ability to collaborate may be one of our greatest competitive advantages. 

The national political media has been in a frenzy this week about friend-of-the-pod Abdul El-Sayed's Senate primary victory in Michigan! Sayed made Medicare for All the centerpiece of his campaign, and at the polls, over 700,000 Michiganders got behind that vision of healthcare justice. But there's another Medicare for All story unfolding in Michigan  – the campaign to win a statewide universal healthcare system in Michigan as a stepping stone to national Medicare for All. Michigan State Representative Carrie Rheingans is leading the charge for universal healthcare in Michigan and organizing with state legislators across the country who are tired of waiting for the federal government to take action. Today she'll tell us about her work in the Wolverine state and the 50-state strategy to introduce state-level Medicare for All bills in every state in the country. Plus, as always, we’ve got the latest healthcare news! https://www.youtube.com/live/At-OmV7f1JE?si=9MeKA9kYklF-BvpL Carrie Rheingans represents the 47th District of Michigan in the state legislature. She hosted a panel at Netroots with other state legislators to talk about their work introducing state-based Medicare for All legislation. You can watch it here. https://www.youtube.com/live/_WAB_676wgg?si=oWzVEmU9-4VJmoQ5 You can connect with One Payer States, a coalition of organizations fighting for state-based Medicare for All here. Follow and support the pod! Don't forget to like this episode and subscribe to The Medicare for All Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcast platform! This show is a project of the Healthcare-NOW Education Fund! Chip in here to support our work!

Christopher Pociecha is an American Entrepreneur, fellow Michigander, and the Owner and Operator of CDP Landscape & Property Maintenance

August 11, 2026 ~ Congresswoman Lisa McClain discusses her upcoming job fair at Oakland University and the opportunities available for job seekers across Southeast Michigan. She explains why workforce development remains a top priority and what attendees can expect. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Tara Turkington has spent a decade building a photography business, and now she's eyeing the jump into video — but she's stuck on the same things that trip up almost everyone: no portfolio, no contracts, and a recent client who walked off with her ideas. So I coached her live on the show. We get into pricing your expertise instead of giving it away, what a discovery call should actually accomplish, and why the portfolio problem is way smaller than it feels. Key Takeaways Free ideas don't get valued. If you're brainstorming concepts before a contract exists, you're doing unpaid consulting — and clients treat it that way. Charge for the thinking. A paid discovery workshop reframes you from vendor to strategic partner before a single frame gets shot. Contracts aren't just for paid work. Free projects and trade deals need them more, not less, because that's where expectations get fuzzy fast. Your first portfolio piece is hiding in your current client list. You're already on their sets. Ask for access, sign an agreement, make the thing. About Tara Turkington Tara is a born-and-raised Michigander, based in Détroit, Michigan. Her photography journey started unexpectedly in 2016 while she was finishing her first year of law school and raising her, now, eleven year old daughter. After a spontaneous trip to Colombia, Tara shared photos online that caught the attention of an established photographer, who invited her to shoot behind-the-scenes content for ABC's The Bachelor's, contestants. Once those images hit social media, opportunities started rolling in—from brands and businesses to municipalities and individuals. Somewhere along the way, Tara realized photography was what truly lit her up, so she took a leap of faith, left law school, and never looked back. Now Tara spends her days meeting incredible people, capturing meaningful moments, and helping clients bring their ideas to life. No two days are the same—and she loves it that way. In This Episode [00:00] Welcome to the show! [04:02] Meet Tara Turkington [11:37] One Man Show [18:10] Emotional Buyers [25:21] Creative Directing [26:37] Contracts And Intellectual Property [37:41] Building A Team [39:28] Ways To Build a Portfolio [48:33] Connect with Tara [49:13] Outro Quotes "People who pay, pay attention." — Ryan Koral "As soon as I put a $2,500 price tag on the workshop, now it's like, okay, we believe Ryan — they really want it to work because they've already invested money." — Ryan Koral "So I think where I went wrong is I basically gave a workshop for free." — Tara Turkington "I don't think you need three projects. You do one that's kind of good, then the next one is going to be kind of gooder." — Ryan Koral "I'm still thinking with 2016 mind, and it's like — you have a literal decade of experience." — Tara Turkington Guest Links Check out Tara's portfolio at taraturkingtonllc.com Follow Tara on IG Links Find out more about the Studio Sherpas Mastermind Join the Grow Your Video Business Facebook Group  Follow Ryan Koral on Instagram Follow Grow Your Video Business on Instagram Join us on Onward Summit Join the Studio Sherpas newsletter

The farce surrounding 2020 and the outlandish degree of cheating and fraud that's pouring out of the swing states has us taking a closer look at that election. John Solomon reports on the single greatest intrusion into our elections - and it's not a foreign adversary. Muslim Marxist Abdul el-Sayed has a working-class voter problem in Michigan, as black voters and working-class Michiganders who didn't go to college aren't buying what el-Sayed is pumping. Comedian Adam Carolla takes out Terry Bradshaw and defends Aaron Rodgers for having the audacity to do his own research.  

In part one of Red Eye Radio with Gary McNamara and Eric Harley, Abdul El-Sayed sparked online controversy moments after capturing the Democratic Party's nomination in Michigan's Senate race for his word choice in challenging Republican nominee Mike Rogers to a series of five debates. "You and I both know that you will wither in front of your own crimes, but I'm gonna make sure Michiganders know about them. By the time we're done, you are not going to have safe quarter from people holding you accountable for what you've done," El-Sayed said. The language of "safe quarter" is raising eyebrows among viewers online. Also Francesca Hong reverses her remarks now saying Thanksgiving is her 'favorite holiday,' answers she does not 'want to cancel it' / Hong was also berated over her ‘whiteness' comments pulling in her own family as 'Weirdo racism' / and Democrats are in the hot seat for skipping a crucial hearing on radical group hiding in US. For more talk on the issues that matter to you, listen on radio stations across America Monday-Friday 12am-5am CT (1am-6am ET and 10pm-3am PT), download the RED EYE RADIO SHOW app, asking your smart speaker, or listening at RedEyeRadioShow.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this 10th episode of the #FactsMatter Podcast series exploring the issues Michiganders could face if a constitutional convention is approved on November's ballot, host Guy Gordon and Research Council president Eric Lupher take listeners deep into Article VIII of the Michigan Constitution — the section devoted entirely to education. If voters approve a constitutional convention, Article VIII could face sweeping reconsideration. A Council Report on Article VIII was released last week as part of the Citizens Research Council's Con-Con series. Guy and Eric unpack the big questions: should Michigan establish education as a fundamental right? What would stronger constitutional language on adequacy, funding floors, or student achievement mean for schools, courts, and taxpayers? How might delegates rethink governance in a system where responsibility is scattered across the legislature, an independent State Board of Education, the governor, and hundreds of local districts? The conversation also explores hot‑button issues likely to resurface, including private school vouchers and Michigan's long‑standing prohibition on public funding for private education. Eric and Guy examine the political history behind the Blaine Amendment, why other states are moving toward vouchers, and how Michigan's unique landscape could shape the debate. Higher education governance gets its own spotlight as they revisit the origins — and current dysfunction — of Michigan's elected university boards at U‑M, MSU, and Wayne State. They contrast Michigan's model with other states, weigh the risks of politicization, and consider whether a constitutional rewrite could bring stability to the state's flagship institutions. Community colleges round out the discussion, with a look at fragmented local governance and the missed opportunities for statewide coordination that could better support students moving from K‑12 to two‑year and four‑year programs. This episode is essential listening for anyone trying to understand what's at stake in a potential constitutional convention — and how decisions about Article VIII could shape Michigan's educational future for decades to come.

August 4, 2026 ~ Todd Flood, managing partner of Flood Law, PLLC Host of “Behind the Bench” with Todd Flood on WJR discusses lawsuits filed against Taco Bell and Taylor Farms by Michigan residents who have contracted Cyclosporiasis. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

At the end of one of the most expensive Democratic primaries for Senate in American history, Abdul El-Sayed appears to be pulling away. We've been talking to Democratic primary voters in Michigan about El-Sayed and Rep. Haley Stevens, and what they like (and don't like) about each candidate. Jonathan Cohn, author of the newsletter The Breakdown and The Bulwark's resident Michigander, joins the show to discuss a primary that Sarah thinks has gone on for way too long.episode links:How Old-School Race Animus Could Shake Up the Michigan Senate RaceWhy Gretchen Whitmer's Senate Endorsement MattersWhy Mallory McMorrow's Campaign Didn't Survive

Day Break | Free Speech, Free For All Friday --- 00:00 - Monologue 28:19 – Jennifer Esteban, President of United Independents and Executive Director of the Independent National Convention. Esteban discusses why accountability may be one of the few issues capable of bringing Americans together, arguing that justice, transparency, and government oversight should be applied equally regardless of political affiliation, wealth, or influence. 38:33 - Monologue 47:34 – Melanie Kurdys, President of USPIE Michigan. Kurdys responds to recent criticism of homeschooling families, discussing parental rights, growing dissatisfaction with public education, and the reasons more parents are choosing alternative educational options for their children. 57:55 – President Donald Trump, 45th and 47th President of the United States. Steve shares a special preview of his exclusive interview with President Trump, offering listeners an early look at their conversation ahead of the full interview. 1:17:04 - Monologue 1:26:05 – Steve Dulan, attorney and professor. Dulan examines the legal questions surrounding Dr. Anthony Fauci's presidential pardon and his decision to invoke the Fifth Amendment before Congress, discussing the scope of the pardon, potential legal exposure, and the constitutional issues raised by the congressional investigation. 1:36:23 – John Sellek, spokesperson for Protect MI Free Speech. Sellek discusses the certification of the Michiganders for Money Out of Politics ballot proposal, raising concerns about the narrow signature margin, the state's review process, and the possibility of additional legal challenges before the measure advances. 1:45:21 – Ivey Gruber, President of the Michigan Talk Network. Gruber joins Steve to reflect on Steve's interview with President Trump and the President's decision to share the song One Nation. They also discuss patriotism, the emotional response to the interview, and reports of taxpayer funding being used to support hard drug use programs in California. --- Check out our brand new podcast, 'Forgotten America'... Episode 24 is live NOW at Steve Gruber on YouTube! Link below: https://youtu.be/UrGZQdE62jA

For many a Michigander, Petoskey stones are way more than just a cool looking rock. They’re a physical reminder of happy memories of Michigan summers past. The Petoskey shares a name with the Northern Michigan city, but their distribution–and the story they tell us about our state’s ancient history–is a lot bigger. On this episode of On Hand, we talk to a couple of rockhounding experts about everything you need to know about our state stone. GUESTS: Scot and Jennifer Wack, co-authors of Rockhounding: A Beginner’s Guide to Rock Hunting Around Lake Michigan and co-owners of the NorthPort Trading Post Want to submit a question to On Hand? Do it here: Online Submission Form Call us: 734-764-7840 Email us: onhand@michiganpublic.org See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We got to talk to Jason Singer of Michigander on his 34th birthday! We chat about his new YouTube documentary, new album, and about getting older! He also shares a bit of advice for new artists and talks about the importance of being authentic in artistry!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Click here to donate $5 on Left of Lansing on Patreon!https://www.patreon.com/15494297/joinHere's Episode #189 of Michigan's Premier Progressive Podcast!00:00-19:05: AIPAC, DTE, & Data CentersPat Johnston discusses why working class Michiganders have turned more populist, and why accepting AIPAC, or DTE, or other corporate PAC money is hurting several candidates in different races. Also, working class Michiganders are irate over the rush to build hyper-scale A.I. data centers, and specific Democrats are being rewarded for opposing the Big Tech Bros' data centers. 19:05-31:40: Working Class-America First PopulismProgressive candidates, like Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, Aisha Farooqi, Kyle Blomquist, Diop Harris II, Donovan McKinney, Ivan Diaz, or Kelli Van Ginhoven, are resonating with voters in different areas across Michigan because they present a strong, working class and America First agenda. It's an agenda that pushes to revitalize a forgotten working class by focusing on a people-centered over a profit-centered campaign. It's an agenda that aims to strengthen unions, expand opportunities, make housing affordable, advocating for our farmers, Abolishing ICE, taxing the rich, ending costly wars, making the Epstein Class face more accountability, and fighting back against The Trump Regime. 31:41-39:10: ElectabilityIf Abdul El-Sayed, and other Michigan progressive candidates, win the primary, and then goes on to win the general election, doesn't that end the corporate-establishment Democratic Party argument that progressives can only win in blue cities?39:11-43:43: Quicksand EndingPlease, subscribe to the podcast, download each episode, and give it a good review if you can!leftoflansing@gmail.comLeft of Lansing is now on YouTube as well!Vote on this week's LOL Poll!!!Music provided by Wanderbeats. To hear the latest project, visit Space Leopard on various streaming sites, or visit: https://www.youtube.com/@SpaceLeopardClick here to donate $5 on Left of Lansing on Patreon!https://www.patreon.com/15494297/joinNOTES:"Three licks and a question: Who is Gretchen Whitmer governing for?" By Jon King of Michigan Advance "Quicksand: How Gen X Was Right All Along." By Sarah Kendzior in Sarah Kendzior's Newsletter "Fact check: Ads take El-Sayed out of context to claim he ‘disrespects women.'" By Lauren Gibbons of Bridge Michigan "State canvassers finds Michigan's ‘Money out of Politics' effort has sufficient valid signatures." By Ben Solis of Michigan Advance "New report slams Michigan for slowest power restoration nationwide." By WDIV-Channel 4 News in Detroit #podcast #politics #progressives #Michigan #Democrats #Trump #MAGA #Republicans #Election #Primary #DemocraticSocialism #Senate #AbdulElSayed #WorkingClass #unions #HaleyStevens #AishaFarooqi #KelliVanGinhoven #KyleBlomquist #DataCenters #TomBarrett #CorporateGreed #CorporateCorruption #GovernmentCorruption #Populism #AIPAC #IranWar #Israel #CitizensUnited #Line5 #FossilFuels #GretchenWhitmer #CorporateClass #DemocraticSocialism #Fascism #EpsteinClass #Authoritarianism #Democracy #LeftofLansing

Where Michigan Is Growing (and Where the Price Data Makes No Sense)Michigan added about 56,000 people since 2020, but 26 of our 83 counties actually lost population over that same stretch. The fastest growing county in the state? Not Oakland. Not Kent. It is Lake County, a place most lifelong Michiganders could not find on a map. Meanwhile, one of Michigan's biggest cities added a grand total of six residents last year.In this episode, I break down the newest U.S. Census Bureau estimates covering 2020 through 2025 and lay my own MLS price data over the top of them, and the results genuinely surprised me. The fastest growing township in Michigan saw home prices go DOWN. All ten of the fastest shrinking communities in the state, every single one in Wayne County, saw home prices go UP, including one that jumped roughly 40 percent in three years.You will hear:Why Kent County and Grand Rapids are leading Michigan in raw population growth, and what that means for buyers competing there. Why northern Michigan is growing at more than double the state's rate while the Traverse City region faces a shortage of roughly 30,000 housing units by 2027. Why Lyon Township, the fastest growing community in the entire state, saw its median price dip while Inkster, the fastest shrinking, posted the strongest price growth in this whole episode. The three variables you have to read together (population, supply, and price tier) before you trust any headline about the Michigan housing market. Plus a real story about a relocating family who almost let a "top ten places to live" list steer them away from exactly what they wanted.Whether you are relocating to Michigan from out of state, moving within Southeast Michigan, or just trying to make sense of conflicting housing headlines, this episode gives you the full picture instead of half the board.Grab my free 74-page Michigan Relocation Guide below. It breaks all of this down county by county, including cost of living, taxes, and communities across the state.CONTACT ME

Click here to donate $5 on Left of Lansing on Patreon!https://www.patreon.com/15494297/joinHere's the Left of Lansing "Monday Musing" for July 20, 2026. Democratic Party leaders in the U.S. House endorsed cryptocurrency & AIPAC Congressman Shri Thanedar of Detroit over his working class progressive candidate, State Rep. Donovan McKinney. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries claims that Rep. Thanedar will fight for the affordability of all Michiganders, and take-on the Trump Regime. Yet, all evidence points to the contrary when it comes to Thanedar's record. Pat Johnston explains why this endorsement shows how Democratic Party leaders still are not getting the working class anger spreading across Michigan, and the country. Click here to help State Rep. Donovan McKinney's campaign!!!Please, subscribe to the podcast, download each episode, and give it a good review if you can!leftoflansing@gmail.comLeft of Lansing is now on YouTube as well!Music provided by Wanderbeats. To hear the latest project, visit Space Leopard on various streaming sites, or visit: https://www.youtube.com/@SpaceLeopardClick here to donate $5 on Left of Lansing on Patreon!https://www.patreon.com/15494297/joinNOTES:"Two-Thirds of Shri Thanedar's Campaign Cash Came Through AIPAC as He Lost Over $600K." By Akela Lacy of The Intercept #podcast #politics #progressive #WorkingClass #Democrats #Republicans #MAGA #Michigan #ShriThanedar #DonovanMcKinney #Cypytocurrency #Trump #Israel #WarPowers #Detroit #CorporateGreed #CorporateCorruption #GovernmentCorruption #HakeemJeffries #Authoritarianism #Fascism #Democracy #LeftofLansing #MondayMusing

Jason Singer of Michigander joins the podcast to talk about the band's upcoming album "Over Before You Know It", their fall tour, and the journey of building a music career over more than a decade of writing, recording, and touring. We had a great conversation about his new music (and his last album), life on the road, the great state of Michigan, and more! Michigander on Instagram: http://instagram.com/michiganderband Order Michigander merch: https://shop.michiganderband.com/ Michigander 2026 tour: https://www.michiganderband.com/#shows Reach out directly if you want to join the Gander Discord server!

Jocelyn Benson is Michigan's 43rd Secretary of State and is running for governor. She has become one of the nation's most prominent leaders in ensuring elections are secure and accessible. Her work overseeing Michigan's 2020 and 2022 general elections earned her national recognition, including the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award and the Presidential Citizens Medal. She also implemented new voting rights for all eligible Michiganders prior to the 2020 election, including the right to vote absentee, and oversaw more than 250 audits after the election, all of which affirmed its integrity and accuracy. At 36 Jocelyn was appointed dean of Wayne State University Law School in Detroit, becoming the youngest woman in U.S. history to lead a top-100, accredited law school, and continues to serve as vice chair of the advisory board for the Levin Center at Wayne Law, which she founded with former U.S. Sen. Carl Levin. She is the author of the books “State Secretaries of State: Guardians of the Democratic Process”, and last year's “The Purposeful Warrior: Standing Up for What's Right When the Stakes Are High”. She is also a frequent tv news commentator. And she's back in The Back Room to discuss the campaign, election integrity, and the upcoming midterms. But first, Matty and I discuss Trump's desperate, bizarre address to the nation last night. Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel

Click here to donate $5 on Left of Lansing on Patreon!https://www.patreon.com/15494297/joinHere's the Left of Lansing "Friday Short" for July 17, 2026!Michigan is the epicenter of the Cyclosporiasis outbreak, where over a thousand Michiganders are sick after ingesting a small parasite that causes explosive diarrhea. This outbreak has hit over 2,000 people in Michigan and 17 other states. State and federal health officials are investigating the source of this outbreak, but they're investigating with one hand tied behind their backs.That's thanks to The Trump Regime's CDC scaling back efforts to investigate and control foodborne outbreaks, like Cyclosporiasis. Pat Johnston explains how moves like this by The Regime is in line with what this Regime is all about: Protecting the corporate class, otherwise known as The Epstein Class. Click here to vote on LOL Weekly Poll: Will A Candidate's Stance on Israel Play A Key Role in How You'll Vote in the August Primary?Please, subscribe to the podcast, download each episode, and give it a good review if you can!leftoflansing@gmail.comLeft of Lansing is now on YouTube as well!Music provided by Wanderbeats. To hear the latest project, visit Space Leopard on various streaming sites, or visit: https://www.youtube.com/@SpaceLeopardClick here to donate $5 on Left of Lansing on Patreon!https://www.patreon.com/15494297/joinNOTES:"What experts say you should do during Michigan cyclosporiasis outbreak." By Kristen Jordan Shamus of The Detroit Free Press "Trump's CDC Stopped Monitoring Explosive Diarrhea Parasite Before Outbreak." By Marni Rose McFall of Newsweek #podcast #politics #Michigan #Progressives #Cyclosporiasis #Health #Government #GovernmentCorruption #CDC #RKFJr #MAHA #MAGA #Democrats #Trump #Republicans #EpsteinClass #DonorClass #CorporateCorruption #Musk #PFAS #Fascist #Authoritarianism #Democracy #LeftofLansing

This week on The Terrible Outdoorsman Podcast, Ryan and Bob tackle some of Michigan's hottest topics—literally.First up, they dive into the massive Cyclospora outbreak, or as just about everyone is calling it, "the lettuce disease." Thousands of Michiganders have come down with the nasty intestinal parasite, proving once again that maybe your mom was right about eating your vegetables... or at least washing them first. The guys break down what Cyclospora actually is, how it's spreading, and why your Caesar salad may suddenly seem a little more suspicious than that questionable gas station sushi.They also discuss the Canadian wildfire smoke that's turned Michigan's skies hazy once again and the brutal summer heat that's making every trip outside feel like you're walking into a giant air fryer. From smoky sunsets to sweating through places you didn't know could sweat, Ryan and Bob share their thoughts on surviving another classic Michigan summer.To wrap things up, Bob brings in an article ranking the 21 most overrated things about the state of Michigan, and the debate gets surprisingly heated. Which Michigan icons deserve the criticism? Which ones should be left alone? And how many of the list's takes are just plain terrible? The guys don't hold back as they defend (or roast) some of the Great Lakes State's biggest attractions and traditions.If you enjoy outdoor talk, current events, plenty of laughs, and two guys who aren't afraid to argue over lettuce and Michigan landmarks, this is an episode you won't want to miss.Get Outdoors & Don't Be Terrible!Michigan Operation Freedom Outdoors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Wes Point Shores FaceBook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Wes Point Shores Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠WesPointShores.Com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠VanGuard VEO HD Bundle⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Vanguard Outdoors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Use Code TERRIBLE20 to save 20%!We are a Hunting, Fishing & Just general Outdoors Podcast based out of Michigan that likes to have a lot of fun, Talk tactics and tell our Terrible Stories from the field or on the water. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Terrible Swag⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Terrible Outdoorsman Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tik Tok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow us on YouTube!⁠⁠⁠⁠#TerribleOutdoorsman #Podcast #Michigan #PureMichigan #Cyclospora #LettuceDisease #WildfireSmoke #OutdoorLife #Camping #Fishing #MichiganLife #HotTakes #ComedyPodcast #GetOutdoors #DontBeTerrible

Our latest stop on our Summer in the Cities tour is Los Angeles, where sun faded billboards, winding canyons and late night freeways quietly shape the sounds coming out of bedrooms, warehouses and old studios. Don and Dude drop the needle on two Los Angeles born records that trace how the citys haze, tension and restless energy seep into confessional pop and psychedelic rock, turning private struggles and midnight wanderings into full album statements.The AlbumsBillie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft (2024)Billie Eilish and Finneas turn a Los Feliz home studio into an intimate pop laboratory, stitching close micd vocals, detailed dynamics and slow building arrangements into a tight 10 song journey about queerness, self image, fame and tangled relationships. Quiet folk tinged openings bloom into cinematic swells so naturally that the record plays like one late night emotional arc rather than a stack of singles.The Doors – Strange Days (1967)The Doors deepen their Sunset Strip mythology on Strange Days, draping Jim Morrisons surreal poetry over Ray Manzareks carnival organ, Robby Kriegers fluid guitar and John Densmores jazz steeped drums. Tape effects, early synthesizer experiments and club tested songs about alienation, odd crowds and end of the world tension turn this short, eerie set into one of Los Angeles late 60s cornerstone psychedelic rock albums.Diggin AlbumsMary in the Junkyard – Role Model Hermit (2026)London trio Mary in the Junkyard blend indie rock, folk, post punk and art rock into dark fables and richly layered arrangements on their debut Role Model Hermit, marking them as one of Britains most imaginative emerging bands.Red Hot Chili Peppers – Mothers Milk (1989)With John Frusciante and Chad Smith on board, Mothers Milk pairs the Chili Peppers funk energy with heavier guitar and stronger melodies, using songs like Higher Ground and Knock Me Down to launch their shift from cult favorites to mainstream rock forces.Michigander – Over Before You Know It (2026)Jason Singers second full length as Michigander stretches big guitar driven indie rock over reflective lyrics about growing up, doubt and savoring fleeting moments, pushing his once DIY project into full band, arena ready territory.Phoebe Bridgers – Lost Weekend (2026)Los Angeles born Phoebe Bridgers continues her quietly devastating storytelling on third solo album Lost Weekend, folding detailed, intimate songs into a subtly expanded sound that keeps her indie roots while nudging closer to widescreen singer songwriter status.Follow & Support Follow the show on Instagram, Facebook, Threads, and Bluesky @albumnerds, and support the podcast by subscribing, rating, reviewing and sharing it with another music obsessive who still loves hearing whole albums front to back.“I love Los Angeles, and I love Hollywood. Theyre beautiful. Everybodys plastic, but I love plastic. I want to be plastic.” – Andy Warhol

My conversation with Christy starts at 29 minutes Stand Up is a daily podcast. I book,host,edit, post and promote new episodes with brilliant guests every day. This show is Ad free and fully supported by listeners like you! Please subscribe now for as little as 5$ and gain access to a community of over 750 awesome, curious, kind, funny, brilliant, generous souls Subscribe and Watch Interviews LIVE : On YOUTUBE.com/StandUpWithPete ON SubstackStandUpWithPete In July of 2025 Christy McGillivray joined Voters Not Politicians as the Executive Director. She has over twenty years of experience across the fields of education and non-partisan political and policy advocacy. Her past roles as an advocate include working as the Legislative and Political Director for Sierra Club Michigan; Organizer with the American Federation of Teachers, Michigan; and Campaigns Director and Field Manager for Michigan Clean Water Action. Christy taught Earth Science, Chemistry, and Physics at Eastpointe Highschool, outdoor STEM education at the Farmington Hills Nature Center, Early American History and Literature at Lawrence Technological University, and Comparative Education Policy at Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia. Christy is committed to spending the rest of her life ensuring the people most affected by policies have a voice in shaping those policies, and preserving an accountability pathway for elected officials based on the policy decisions they make. In short, Christy is here to fight for our democracy. Decades of experience have made it clear to her that a healthy, functioning democracy is the best way to deliver for all Michiganders. If she's not spending her spare time hiking and paddling in the Upper Peninsula with her partner, daughter, and two dogs, Christy can probably be found in Wayne State University's Reuther archive combing through primary documents from the 1930s. Listen rate and review on Apple Podcasts Listen rate and review on Spotify Pete On Instagram Pete on Blue Sky Pete on Threads Pete on Tik Tok Pete on Twitter Pete Personal FB page Stand Up with Pete FB page All things Jon Carroll  Gift a Subscription https://www.patreon.com/PeteDominick/gift Send Pete $ Directly on Venmo

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Detroit's urban neighborhoods are concrete, heat, and noise — with nature feeling like something that belongs to somebody else. Josh McCreedy, owner and founder of TrailSense LLC, is changing that, one trail at a time. Just off 8 Mile Road, he's transforming Dorais Park into a world-class outdoor experience for the families and kids who call this neighborhood home. Because no matter who you are or where you live, you deserve a trail to call your own.Links:https://www.facebook.com/trailsensemiSubscribe to our Email Newsletter: https://totalmichigan.com/join/Find us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/totalmichiganWatch on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@totalmichiganMentioned in this episode:NWF AdVisit Our Sponsor: The National Wildlife Federation Great Lakes Chapter is working hard to protect what Michiganders love and that is our great outdoors. Learn more about threats facing all Michiganders and what the NWF is fighting for at https://nwf.org/greatlakes

Subscribe to our YouTube channel On our political radar this week… Donald Trump says he's getting bored with his war, doesn't care about the mid-terms … but is laser focused on what matters: his reflecting pond renovation, diverting money from national parks for his D.C. cleanup, the Arc ‘d Trump, taking over DC golf courses, the UFC version of the ancient gladiator battles to the death, and reminding us daily that he's passed a dementia screening test four times. His latest middle finger to the nation: suggesting that the Las Vegas-style Fight Club arena on what used to be the White House lawn become a permanent part of the landscape. Vegas has the Dome and Elvis Wedding chapel; the home of Presidents, if Trump has his way, will have its own dome and a massive wedding reception hall. And it's being reported that Trump is looting money from National Parks maintenance to pay for his July 4 fireworks show, the Reflecting Pool, a White House helipad and DC cleanup projects. He'll burn up 1.6-million dollars blowing up stuff on the 4th … even as he burns up billions every week blowing up stuff in Iran. In an administration populated by the absolutely worst cabinet in American history, Trump manages to lower the bar even further with the appointment of Michigander housing developer and certified Trump suck-up Bill Pulte as acting Director of National Intelligence, a job for which he has absolutely no qualifications. Actors Matt Damon and John Krasinski … a.k.a. Jason Bourne and Jack Ryan … would be more qualified. Adding the the Bad Cabinet Blues: the new director of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullins, says as far as he's concerned following court orders is optional. Michigan Democrats are optimistic after making the case to the national party that Michigan should be in the first tier of 2028 presidential primaries. The state party has also rejected appeals related to vote counting in the April endorsement convention. Will the dispute extend to the official nominating convention in August? The state House has turned down a Republican-drafted constitutional amendment which would make all university boards and the State Board of Education gubernatorial appointed bodies instead of elected. Speaker Matt Hall didn't bother to talk with Democrats before putting the measure up for a vote. With a two-thirds vote needed to pass, it didn't come close to adoption, but could be revived for the November election. We are just 50 days away from the start of early voting in Michigan. The four races to watch: the 3-way Republican contest for the opportunity to battle Jocelyn Benson for Governor; the 3-way Democratic contest to battle Mike Rogers for the U.S. Senate; and multi-candidate Democratic primaries for Congressional seats based in Lansing and Macomb County. Speculation has begun over who may be in the running for President of Michigan State University in the wake of last week's departure of Kevin Guskiewicz. Will it be a relatively unknown academic, or a high-powered retired politician? There's precedent for both routes…although the highest profile possibility, Gretchen Whitmer, has already announced she is not interested in the gig. Republicans in Congress are starting to push back on Trump outrages – the House passing a measure to stop Trump's Middle East war, Senators stripping the one-billion-dollar subsidy for his ballroom from the DHS budget, and both chambers primed to outlaw efforts to revive the $1.8-billion slush fund for rewarding January 6 rioters and other Trump fans. It's interesting that congressional Republicans only started to show signs of life after candidate filing deadlines. Michigan Congressman Tom Barrett, who no longer faces the possibility of a primary challenge, was one of four Republicans voting this week to end the Iran War.  The political threat to non-compliant Republicans for pushing back against Great Leader comes as doubts about Trump's mental and physical health grow. His third physical examination since taking office coupled with an incomplete post-exam report on what the doctors learned, his reduced work schedule, the cankles and bruising – have increased the speculation. It sure looks like both his political and mental powers are in decline. This week's best political giggle: an AI doctored photo of Senate candidate Mike Rogers, turning his relatively fit 63-year-old body into a modern-day Charles Atlas. What the heck – it's easier than hours in the gym, or even going on Ozempic. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Introducing our new podcast! Greed, Grift$ and Grab$: The Trump Crime Family Chronicles ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A Republic, If You Can Keep It is sponsored in part by

Today's Song of the Day is “Freaking Out” from Michigander's album Over Before You Know It, out July 31.Michigander will be performing at Fine Line on Saturday, November 21.