WDET 101.9FM

We begin by examining huge oversight deficiences in the Michigan State's child care sector. State regulators allegedly licensed hundreds of convicted sex offenders, child abusers and criminals in 2006 to work in child day care centers, without appropriate background checks.

Joining us to discuss this is Michigan Public Radio's Capitol Bureau Chief, Rick Pluta.

No one likes being stalked. So, after being hunted for more than a year by a bad man, Harvette Williams, now president of the Michigan Coalition of Anti-Stalking embarked on a three year effort to persuade the government to pass an anti-stalking law. Governor Jennifer Granholm did so last week.

Williams joins us this morning on Detroit Today to talk about the experience. Do you have comments or questions, give us a call at: 313.577.1019 or drop us a line here on the blog.

Next, current Saline, MI mayor and Chairwoman of the Michigan State Citizens Advisory Committee on Transportation Grethchen Driskell speaks about the study released by her committee which looked at aeronautics, public transit and freight, and concluded that Michigan and its cities and counties risked losing $1 billion a year in federal funds unless they nearly double spending on repairs.

Also contributing to this discussion is Matt Helms, a Detroit free press driving columnist

Again, your calls and comments would be appreciated.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Beginning the second hour is Matt Wentworth, author of “The Perfect Season,” a book which chronicles 162 of the best games from the entire 107-year history of the Tigers.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Then, University of Michigan Medical School expert on rheumatoid arthritis, Dr. Joseph Holoshitz joins us to analyze the differences in identical twins when it comes to development of diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and cancer. Your comments are welcome.

Detroit Today begins with a Michigan group for change called- “Recall Campaign,” or as they refer to themselves: “Recall Kilpatrick,” here to speak on the deteriorating state of affairs within the Detroit city council and their objective of seeing "KWAME KILPATRICK REMOVED FROM OFFICE."

To oppose or support these moves by the representatives of Recall Kilpatrick, namely: Mary Tee, Annie Fisher, Angelo Brown, call us at: 313.577.1019 or comment here on the blog.

 Joining us next to discuss a new and faster technique for accurately detecting brain tumors is Dr. Csaba Juhasz, an assistant professor of neurology at Wayne State University's School of Medicine.

Juhasz has just been awarded $1.5 million by the National Cancer Institute to research the possibility of this technique. Again, your calls and comments are welcome.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­And a Canadian airline: Sunwing Airlines will begin direct flights from Windsor, Ontario to Varadero, Cuba.

Joining us to speak on current U.S. customs regulations for travel to Cuba, as well as risk and penalties involved for violators of the embargo against Cuba is Public Affairs Officer of the Detroit branch of the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol- Chief Ron Smith.

Current regulation limits travel of US Citizens to Cuba to a small extent and makes it illegal for US Citizens to have transactions (spend money or receive gifts) in Cuba under most circumstances without a US government Office of Foreign Assets Control issued license. 

Your calls and comments are most welcome.  

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Lastly, Larry Leach, Meth Coordinator for Kalamazoo Valley Enforcement Team talks about the increases in manufactured methamphetamine  across Kalamazoo County. 

Detroit City Councilwoman Shelia Cockrel joins us to discuss her opposition to the sale of the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel, after Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, on Friday, said he was going to negotiate with Windsor, despite a Thursday's vote by the council which put a hold on the sale. Have a question or comment, give us a call at: 313.577.1019 or write it here on the blog, and if possible your comments would be read on the air.

Next, we talk to Michigan's Insurance Consumer Advocate Butch Hollowell as he makes a case for why state laws favor insurance companies over consumers when setting rates. Again, your calls and comments are welcome.

Then we'll talk with Flint Mayor Donald J. Williamson, who joins us to discuss how his city is coping with additional cuts made by General Motors, last week. Are you a Flint resident or just an interested party, give us a call or drop a line here on the blog.

Speaking of Flint, three historic homes will be demolished later this month there. The last chance for anyone to pick them up and move them to another place was Tuesday (July 15). The land will be turned into parking lot. Local activists filed a law suit to stop the demolition. But the judge dismissed it. As Michigan Now's Chris McCarus reports, the case shows people have trouble deciding which are more important, buildings or cars.

Gary White is an environmental health director in Macomb County. He'll give us the lowdown about high concentrations of E-coli in Macomb County that recently resulted in the closure of some beaches in the county.

And Northern/Upper Michigan Congressman, Bart Stupak will join us to talk about how, as chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee's Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, he has made "excessive speculation in the energy markets" his signature issue the last three years. Lessenbary wrote more about Stupak here.

On this sweltering and sweaty Friday morning, we broadcast live from the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair. Started back in 1960, The Fair will feature 174 juried artists, eight New Artists from local universities and colleges, the Potters Guild and an array of free art activities and performances for the whole family to enjoy. Shary Brown is the Fair's executive director, she joins us this morning.

John McCain is in town this morning; spending some time at the GM Tech Center is Warren. Quinn Klinefelter was there too.

In the wake of the recent tax incentives for film-related infrastructure in the state, several film community members have started a company called Film Friendly Michigan. The idea is to provide information to business and community leaders from municipal government, economic development, police and fire units, business owners and others interested in being certified as "Michigan Film Friendly." Mark Adler, Director, Michigan Production Alliance/ VAI Digital joins us.

This Sunday, you can join the Detroit Historical Society at the Historical Museum to celebrate the City of Detroit's 307th Birthday. Admission is $3.07 for everyone in observance of the founding of the settlement of the "city on the straits" by French adventurer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac on July 24, 1701. The Historical Society's executive director is Bob Bury.

Michigan State University and the MSU Museum, are helping Nelson Mandela celebrate his 90th birthday this month with a powerful cultural exchange program.

Opening on tomorrow is the special exhibition Dear Mr. Mandela... Mrs. Parks: Children's Letters, Global Lessons at the Nelson Mandela National Museum in Mthatha, South Africa, Mandela's birthplace in the Eastern Cape Province. MSU Museum curator, Kurt Dewhurst is going to talk to us from South Africa.

"By integrating spoken word with the written word, we're creating a new hybrid poet/writer...and there's a need to cultivate artists who have been able to combine the two, they are the future of Detroit's poetic legacy...soon we'll be a literary mecca..." said Christina Archer, President of Detroit Poetry Collective. "

Detroit Poetry Collective & Music Hall Center for Performing Arts Presents the Write Word Write Now Summer Solstice Series for 2008. This year's Solstice Series is scheduled for tonight, August 22nd, and September 19th at the Jazz Café inside the Music Hall. Artists include world renown poets such as Carl Phillips, Allison Joseph, Ross Gay, Janice Harrington, Vievee Francis and emerging writers, Dwayne Betts & Ashaki Jackson; while also presenting Detroit-based talent, the Write Word Write Now coterie. Archer, and Detroit based poet Will Copeland will tell us more.

Ann Arbor's own electronic, afro-beat, experimentalists, Nomo have just released a new album, Ghost Rock. This morning for our local music spotlight, we'll listen back to one of Nomo's live, WDET performances from a while back.