13 On Your Side

Two different women with distinctly different struggles during the pandemic. Neither has to do with actually contracting COVID-19. But, require perseverance and courage to get through it.

In this bonus episode, Michigan Attorney General talks about her first advertisement during her primary campaign for AG. It was provocative. But, it wasn't just about shock value. It was about sexism, misogyny and discrimination. And she directed it at her own party.

Approximately 3.5 million US veterans were exposed to burn pits while serving overseas. Now many are experiencing severe health problems. Some are dying. They are having a hard convincing the VA their health issues are connected to the burn pits, and are being denied benefits. A veteran shares his story. And we hear from a US congressman trying to help.

Michigan's attorney general opens up with her own coming out story. She also talks about the lack of gay role models when she was young, & the future of gay rights.

Former President Donald Trump now faces a full two year ban from Facebook, and a permanent ban on Twitter. He and his supporters have claimed his First Amendment rights are being violated. Are they? And even if they're not, is this the ethical way to deal with social media posts that are false and/or dangerous. Two experts join me to discuss.

On March 8th, 2021, Newaygo High School experienced one of its darkest days. What followed, were some of its brightest.

Science classes have evolved in the last 30 years. It's no longer just textbooks and tests. At one West Michigan school, it's a greenhouse, a chess set, and charitable giving.

There's no way to encapsulate everything that's happened in this podcast episode. So I wont try. But, I'm going to talk a little about my observations. What's changed with me. What's changed in West Michigan. and where we may be going from here.

It was an armed standoff with a man with a rifle. At one point, our sports director was pinned down behind a car, and a cop accidentally pointed a gun at me.

Ladylike (to me) is a word that society has foisted upon women throughout history. And by society, I mean men. And they've used it to do one of two things: either to sexualize women or to repress them.

I hear people say all the time, "I wish newscasters today were more like Cronkite and didn't give their opinions." Funny thing is that - in a way - Cronkite gave his opinion every single night. And most journalists today aren't any different. The public is just made to think we're different.

A group of student journalists apologized for their work. They didn't need to apologize for anything. But, I do. And so do a lot of other professional journalists.

Christmas Eves at my grandparents are some of the best memories of my childhood and life. Unfortunately, one of the Christmas Eves I remember most is the one I left.

I didn't truly understand the problem with the word "Redmen" when I was young. I certainly didn't understand the the problem with the big Indian head logo on our school building and sports jerseys. I do now.

I have no idea what it's like to be a woman - or man - who feels threatened by another person in a sexual manner. But, I should at the very least be aware that other people do.

I knew I was lucky to be getting my dream job. I didn't know how lucky I was to be replacing the man I did. His generosity eased what could have been a very awkward transition. And I'll always be grateful.

Racism isn't dead. White privilege is a thing. Saying otherwise is one of the most racist things a person can say.

After back-to-back mass shootings, I was at a loss as to how I would eventually describe these events to my nearly 2 year old daughter when she's older. Especially the race-based hate that's on the rise in our country. She may have actually helped me to answer that question.

Two days. 48 hours. 20 candidates. A six language'd reporter. Way too much pizza. A Detroit Lions jersey. And one startled CNN contributor. This is how I covered the DNC Debates in Detroit.

A lot of people think the news media all report the same thing to push the same narrative. The truth is that most of the time, we can't agree in our own newsroom how to cover a story. The picture of a dead migrant man and his daughter - and the disagreement over how to cover that picture - exemplifies that fact.