It’s Time to Tell Michigan’s Redistricting Commission What You Think of Their Draft Maps
The commission to redraw Michigan's congressional and state legislative maps is hard at work trying to figure out which voting districts Michiganders will be...
Jake Neher is senior producer for Detroit Today and co-host of the weekly series and podcast MichMash for 101.9 WDET. Neher is a veteran public radio journalist who came “home” to WDET in March 2016 after four years covering the state Legislature and Michigan government in Lansing with the Michigan Public Radio Network.
Neher served as News Director at KBRW Public Radio in Barrow, Alaska. After his arctic excursion, he made the preposterous transition to New York City where he worked as a reporter, host, and editor at WFUV Public Radio in the Bronx. He's a Central Michigan University Broadcast and Cinematic Arts grad, and got his Master's degree in public communications at Fordham University.
He's an obsessive, but often ineffective vegetable gardener. He stays sane by spending a lot of time in his vegetable garden in the summer or obsessively watching gardening tutorial videos online when it's cold out.
Biden Stays Silent on Line 5 as Efforts to Shut It Down Become More Complicated
Efforts to shut down Enbridge Energy’s Line 5 oil and gas pipeline are becoming more complicated. On MichMash, Jake Neher...
Benton Harbor’s Water Crisis Finally Starting to Get More Attention After Three Years
For three years, residents of Benton Harbor have been dealing with contaminated drinking water, and it seems to be getting worse. Last month,...
State Budget Deal Leaves Billions Unspent in Pandemic Year
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Republican lawmakers have agreed to a budget deal after months of negotiations. The GOP-controlled state Legislature gave...
Amazon’s Expanding Michigan Footprint Is Good News Only If Workers Can Unionize, Levin Says
Amazon’s footprint in Michigan will soon get much bigger. The online retail giant recently announced it will open four new...
Evidence from Massive Rape Kit Backlog Yields More Than 200 Convictions, Lasting Policy Changes
In 2009, over 11,000 untested rape kits were discovered in a Detroit Police Department storage room. The discovered kits were backlogged...
Take Poor Michigan Assessment Results With a Grain of Salt, Education Advocate Says
New data from Michigan’s statewide standardized test last school year suggest students are struggling to make academic progress during the...
What We’re Learning As Michigan Redistricting Commission’s First Political Maps Take Shape
For the first time, an independent redistricting commission is redrawing Michigan’s political maps. In the past, the state Legislature would draw...
Mask Mandates, Vaccines and Virtual Learning: Schools Forced to Make Tough Decisions in New School Year
The start of the new school year comes as the threat of the COVID-19 delta variant worsens in Michigan. As...
Solutions for Worsening Plastic Pollution in Great Lakes: “It’s Not Enough Just to Pick Up Trash”
Pollution -- specifically plastic pollution -- is threatening the Great Lakes. Crain’s Detroit Business recently put together a major analysis...
Infrastructure Bill May Help Address Flooding in Michigan, But Only If There’s a Plan, Dingell Says
There’s hope in Michigan that any infrastructure package in Washington, D.C. might help address flooding problems in the state. As...
Michigan’s Petition Initiative Process Is A Mess
State government watchers have long found faults in Michigan's petition initiative process. Those defects are getting renewed attention now amid...