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Yesterday — 14 June 2025Main stream

MichMash: Former Lt. Gov. Brian Calley talks insurance crisis; House passes K-12 budget

✇WDET 101.9 FM
By: Hernz Laguerre
13 June 2025 at 18:36

As the July 1 deadline approaches, Michigan House Republicans have unveiled and passed a budget for K-12 schools. In this week’s episode of MichMash, host Cheyna Roth and Gongwer News Service’s Alethia Kasben discuss what’s inside the proposal and the next steps.

Plus, former Lieutenant Governor of Michigan and President and CEO of the Small Business Association of Michigan, Brian Calley, joins the show to talk about the state of small businesses in Michigan and the insurance cost crisis.

Subscribe to MichMash on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

In this episode:

  • How are insurance costs affecting small businesses?
  • What’s in the K-12 budget that Michigan House Republicans just passed?
  • What direction is the Michigan Small Business Association leaning during this major election year?

Calley said the cost of healthcare has been taking a major toll on small business owners.

“Four out of five of business owners tell us it’s getting in the way of expanding the business. Three out of four said it’s an impediment to hiring,” he said. “As you look at the overall economic performance of the state, there are subtle changes that could be damaging over time”.

He said the increased cost is coming from health systems and pharmaceuticals.

Hear the full episode on all major podcast platforms.

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The post MichMash: Former Lt. Gov. Brian Calley talks insurance crisis; House passes K-12 budget appeared first on WDET 101.9 FM.

The Metro: How Trump’s attack on public media threatens democracy and access to information

✇WDET 101.9 FM
By: Robyn Vincent
10 June 2025 at 16:00

President Trump is taking direct aim at NPR and PBS—threatening to cut a billion-dollar lifeline from America’s public airwaves. He claims public media is biased and is pushing Congress to eliminate $1.1 billion in federal funding, with a vote expected this week.

Free speech advocates warn the stakes are high. Without this funding, millions could lose access to trusted news, emergency alerts, and a platform for civic engagement. Experts say this move echoes the slow erosion of press freedom seen in countries like Hungary, Turkey, and Venezuela.

Victor Pickard, a media scholar at the University of Pennsylvania, joins The Metro today to explain why weakening public media weakens democracy.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming  on demand.

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The post The Metro: How Trump’s attack on public media threatens democracy and access to information appeared first on WDET 101.9 FM.

Before yesterdayMain stream

MichMash: Duggan endorsement shakes up governor’s race; Sen. Camilleri advocates for K-12 budget

✇WDET 101.9 FM
By: Hernz Laguerre
6 June 2025 at 18:10

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan received a major endorsement that may set him a part from his other gubernatorial candidates. As part of the weekly series MichMash, WDET’s Cheyna Roth and Gongwer News Service’s Zach Gorchow discuss how this move influences the rest of the race.
Then, Michigan Sen. and Chair of the Senate K-12 Appropriations Subcommittee, Darrin Camilleri (D-Trenton) joins the show to discuss the K-12 budget and what he’s willing to negotiate. 

Subscribe to MichMash on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

In this episode:

  • Duggan receiving an endorsement from a group that normally backs Democrats
  • Sen. Camilleri’s thoughts on the proposed K-12 budget
  • Whether budget negotiations will be settled by July 1 deadline

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSSzX_43trw

The Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters and Millwrights — a union representing more than 14,000 members across the state — announced this week it was endorsing Duggan for governor. 

Although endorsements don’t equal votes, Gorchow says this powerful group may help draw legacy support away from Democrats.

“It’s one thing for a group to endorse. It’s another to put resources behind a candidate. And the carpenters union has done that for gubernatorial candidates in the past,” Gorchow said. “While the union did endorse Republican Rick Snyder for governor, it traditionally backs Democrats. It endorsed Gretchen Whitmer for governor twice, among others.” 

Later in the show state Sen. Camilleri shared what’s in store for K-12 school funding, as well as his thoughts on the governor’s race.

The first-term senator and his Democratic colleagues passed a K-12 budget bill earlier in the spring that’s about $600 million more dollars than what Gov. Whitmer recommended. Since then, Gorchow says, the revenue outlook has cooled a bit.

Still, Camilleri says the state is “on the right road,” pointing out that it still has a balance on its School Aid Fund Balance Sheet.

“Even with the budget that we passed, we are well situated to pass it as-is,” he said. “I’m sure we’re going to have some differences between the governor and whatever the House puts out, because we’re still waiting to see what their proposal is.”

Camilleri says he agrees that Michigan is not yet where it needs to be on certain education metrics compared to other states across the country.

“However,” he said, “we have not seen the full outcome of these investments in at-risk funding, or in mental health and school safety, or some of the other programs that we’ve lifted up, including literacy funding,” noting that Senate Democrats are focused on making “long-term investments” in these “proven tools.”

The deadline for enacting a state budget is July 1.

More from WDET:

–WDET’s Jenny Sherman contributed to this report.

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Keep the conversations coming. Please make a gift today.

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The post MichMash: Duggan endorsement shakes up governor’s race; Sen. Camilleri advocates for K-12 budget appeared first on WDET 101.9 FM.

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