Brett joined WCMU in February, 2021, as a general assignment reporter. He was previously the health reporter at WXXI Public Broadcasting in Rochester, N.Y., and has filed stories for National Public Radio, IEEE Spectrum, The Village Voice and other outlets.

Brett earned a master’s degree in journalism from the Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York. He grew up on Washington state’s Kitsap Peninsula and is proud that his cell phone number still carries the 360 area code.

Michigan’s Fourth Pandemic Surge Burns Slow, But Still Burns Out Hospital Workers

Hospitals across Michigan said last week that they have been overwhelmed by the state’s fourth COVID-19 surge -- but to people...

Refugee Shelter Proposal Tears Alma Community Apart as Vote on Rezoning Nears

Pat Touzeau is leaving town. She’s moving out of a duplex at the masonic home in Alma. She’s known since...

Splash Pads Proliferate Across Rural Michigan as Communities Adapt to Hotter Summers

With a population of just over 4,000 people, Caro is the biggest city in Tuscola County, in the southwest of...

Michigan’s U.P. Not Yet Ready for Electric Vehicle Surge, EV Advocates Say

Brenda Brownlee had not seen an electric vehicle in nine days. The parking lot of the hotel she manages in...

Tittabawassee River Dams Will Be Rebuilt, But Who Pays Remains Controversial

What used to be a lake in front of Pete Deliso’s house is now a barren expanse of dirt and brush....

After Months of Isolation, Life Starts to Return to Normal for Michiganders in Long-Term Care

Three women in their 80s and 90s are sitting around a table together, taking swipes at a bright yellow balloon...