The Amplify team's goal is to connect people living in Michigan with the resources and information they need to thrive. Our reporting, how-to guides, and community events will help you become your own best advocate on basic needs like housing, public safety, health and more.
Recent Stories
Nicholas Worden - stock.adobe.com
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The previous House budget would have cut Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy by 19%, while the adopted budget reduces the agency’s funding by 7%.
Cydni Elledge
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Outlier Media
Cydni Elledge
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Outlier Media
Helpful Guides
Get resources on a range of topics from housing needs, due process rights, and more.
How to get the new COVID shot in Michigan this fall
If you're under 65 and healthy, you're going to have to attest to having an underlying medical condition (like pregnancy, obesity, or a mental health condition) that would qualify you as "high risk."
How to get the best deal on homeowners insurance in Detroit
It’s true that Detroit has some of the highest insurance premiums in the state — far above suburban rates — and that’s unlikely to change without regulatory action. But there are still strategies Detroiters can use to lower coverage costs.
Travel and legal tips for green card and visa holders
What to know about assessing your risk and protecting yourself as the Trump administration ratchets up immigration enforcement.
Todos tenemos derechos. Cómo manejar un encuentro con ICE.
Una semana después de la toma de posesión del presidente Donald Trump, muchos de los peores temores sobre deportaciones masivas aún no se han materializado. Sin embargo, la propagación de rumores deja claro que muchas personas en Michigan se encuentran en máxima alerta.
Everyone has rights. How to handle encounters with immigration enforcement.
A week into Donald Trump's presidency, mass immigration raids have yet to materialize in Michigan, but fears are growing. Here's what to know if you encounter immigration enforcement agents.
Need help decoding school bond, sinking fund, or millage on your August ballot? Start here.
Dozens of Michigan communities are voting on school funding. This guide can help you figure out the school bond, sinking fund or millage question on your ballot.
Can you cuss at cops? Know your rights when interacting with police
It is legal to speak your mind, advocate for yourself or record police activity in most circumstances. Still, attorneys and a former law enforcement officer say there’s no guarantee your rights will be respected in the moment — or that it’s always safe to exercise them.
You can’t recycle that… right? Find places in Michigan that take pizza boxes, foil and more
Does recycling feel messy and confusing to you? You're not alone. We've made a map and searchable database of Michigan recycling programs to help you navigate the do's and don'ts of recycling in your area.
See someone in crisis? You don't have to call the police. Here are alternatives.
Following the police killing of a young man with schizophrenia several months ago, Michigan Radio collected resources to find support for people in mental health crisis.
What you should know about car insurance after no-fault overhaul
Michigan Radio has put together this guide to help you understand the biggest changes brought by the state's 2019 no-fault law.
More from the Amplify Team
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A series of Michigan Supreme Court rulings are giving people convicted of murder as young adults the chance at resentencing, sparking hope for some and fear for others. -
State Superintendent Michael Rice is urging Michigan school districts to continue offering free school meals at the start of the school year, despite uncertainty about whether the state will provide funding for the meals program. -
When the federal government unexpectedly withheld $1.3 billion in funding for summer and afterschool programs last month, program leaders across the country were left scrambling to keep operating. -
A Florida-based real estate startup made a pitch to foreign investors: For as little as $50, anyone with a crypto wallet could buy into a portfolio of 39 homes on Detroit’s eastside. -
Decades of advocacy paid off when her mother, Michelle West, walked out after nearly 32 years behind bars. West had no prior criminal history when she was sentenced to two life terms plus 50 years for her involvement with drug crimes in southeast Michigan. -
Los críticos dicen que la práctica es una maniobra para eludir el debido proceso constitucional. -
Critics say the practice is an end run around constitutional due process. -
Nine people are running to become Detroit’s next mayor — the first new person to hold the office in over a decade. -
Michigan parents of students with disabilities feel ‘hopeless’ as civil rights cases remain in limboHundreds of federal civil rights cases were put on hold after President Donald Trump took office in January. Parents of students with disabilities and those who experience racial discrimination or sexual violence in schools are uncertain of the fate of their federal complaints. Many say they have not gotten updates on their cases since the regional offices closed. -
In the last five years, the state’s poison control center received about 1,500 reports of kids under the age of six being exposed to cannabis products. The center’s data suggests more than 400 were hospitalized, and more than 100 reported cases required critical care.
Amplify Events
The Amplify Team often holds events related to the stories they report in the communities that are affected by those stories. See photos from some of these events below:
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— Jail's True Cost 1
Community Engagement Reporter Jamie Simmons speaks at the Jail's True Cost event (2022).
Jodi Westrick / Michigan Radio
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— Jail's True Cost 2
Attendees look at art by prisoners at the Jail's True Cost event (2022).
Jodi Westrick / Michigan Radio
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— Jail's True Cost 3
Handouts and informative flyers at the Jail's True Cost event (2022).
Jodi Westrick / Michigan Radio
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— Jail's True Cost 4
Attendees had the opportunity to hear from prisoners in this interactive display at Jail's True Cost (2022).
Jodi Westrick / Michigan Radio
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— Housing Forum 1
Data reporter Nisa Khan at the Housing Forum (2022).
Lindsey Smith / Michigan Radio
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— Housing Forum 2
Kids are welcome at most Enterprise events. Here, reporter Lindsey Smith teaches a young attendee to use a recorder.
Lindsey Smith / Michigan Radio
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— Housing Forum
Community Engagement Reporter Jamie Simmons speaks at the Housing Forum (2022).
Lindsey Smith / Michigan Radio
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— Housing Forum 3
A panel of local experts speaks about the housing crisis in Detroit and give resources for residents.
Lindsey Smith / Michigan Radio
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— Housing Forum 5
Attendees at the Enterprise Housing Forum (2022).
Lindsey Smith / Michigan Radio
Meet Our Team
