We've covered a lot of stories this year. From first flights to a program by Ann Arbor's public library, let's go through some feel good stories from this year.
When fear takes flight: A dad's first flight with his daughter as the pilot
A parenting rite of passage is teaching your child to drive.
Parents can feel anxiety when their child moves into the driver's seat and the parent becomes the passenger. But it’s something completely different when your child starts flying planes.
On a recent spring morning, I stood on the tarmac at the Ann Arbor Municipal Airport, trying to steady my nerves. My youngest daughter, Sara, had just landed in a tiny two-seat Diamond to take me up for a flight. It’s a single-engine plane, and my first thought was: this thing is small. I wasn’t quite ready to climb in, so I stalled with a few questions.
Parents can feel anxiety when their child moves into the driver's seat and the parent becomes the passenger. But it’s something completely different when your child starts flying planes.
On a recent spring morning, I stood on the tarmac at the Ann Arbor Municipal Airport, trying to steady my nerves. My youngest daughter, Sara, had just landed in a tiny two-seat Diamond to take me up for a flight. It’s a single-engine plane, and my first thought was: this thing is small. I wasn’t quite ready to climb in, so I stalled with a few questions.
Giant megaphone installed at Belle Isle Park to amplify the sound of nature
Belle Isle Park in Detroit is home to a new giant "nature megaphone."
High school kids lined up to cut the red ribbon to officially open the 10-foot wooden megaphone. They built it which is pretty ambitious considering the advanced carpentry needed to make it.
“Carpentry is my passion. I like the fact that you can take what a lot of people consider to be nothing and make it in to something,” Naim Rashawd, one of the high school carpenters who worked on the megaphone through a project coordinated by Detroit-based Atlantic Impact.
“To be able to do things like that and work on things like that, it’s a real pleasure for me,” he said with a smile.
The megaphone is designed to amplify the sounds of nature near it. Placed next to the Belle Isle Nature Center, it's on a platform in a rare wet-mesic flatwoods forest. Basically it’s a wooded marshy area that develops ephemeral wetlands in the spring which then dry up over the summer.
High school kids lined up to cut the red ribbon to officially open the 10-foot wooden megaphone. They built it which is pretty ambitious considering the advanced carpentry needed to make it.
“Carpentry is my passion. I like the fact that you can take what a lot of people consider to be nothing and make it in to something,” Naim Rashawd, one of the high school carpenters who worked on the megaphone through a project coordinated by Detroit-based Atlantic Impact.
“To be able to do things like that and work on things like that, it’s a real pleasure for me,” he said with a smile.
The megaphone is designed to amplify the sounds of nature near it. Placed next to the Belle Isle Nature Center, it's on a platform in a rare wet-mesic flatwoods forest. Basically it’s a wooded marshy area that develops ephemeral wetlands in the spring which then dry up over the summer.
Why do we call ourselves Michiganders?
There's a longstanding debate in our state: are we "Michiganians" or "Michiganders"?
It's not something you frequently hear people from other states debate.
There's nobody in California who questions; "are we Californians?" They're Californians. Texans are Texans. New Yorkers are New Yorkers. Hoosiers, even! Have you ever even heard someone call themselves an "Indianaian"?
No.
In Michigan, we're less sure. But the truth is that an overwhelming percentage of us call ourselves, like a flock of opinionated, honking geese, Michiganders.
But how did it come to be this way? Here's a brief breakdown of the timeline that took us from a territory of "Michiganians" to the land of Michigander.
It's not something you frequently hear people from other states debate.
There's nobody in California who questions; "are we Californians?" They're Californians. Texans are Texans. New Yorkers are New Yorkers. Hoosiers, even! Have you ever even heard someone call themselves an "Indianaian"?
No.
In Michigan, we're less sure. But the truth is that an overwhelming percentage of us call ourselves, like a flock of opinionated, honking geese, Michiganders.
But how did it come to be this way? Here's a brief breakdown of the timeline that took us from a territory of "Michiganians" to the land of Michigander.
Powwow returns to downtown Detroit for first time in 30+ years
Downtown Detroit will awaken with dances and drum beats to honor Indigenous culture and resilience. For the first time in over 30 years, there will be a powwow downtown.
The event will open at noon with a Grand Entry, a procession of dancers in regalia. Hart Plaza will host drum performances, and the day will continue with contest dances. Visitors may even partake in those dances.
The event is organized by the North American Indian Association of Detroit with American Indian Health and Family Services, South Eastern Michigan Indians, Inc. and the Detroit Indigenous People’s Alliance.
Food and craft vendors from all over Michigan, Ontario, and Ohio will boast frybread tacos, beadwork, and other items for sale. Attendees are encouraged to bring cash to purchase items from vendors, but entry to the powwow is free and open to the public.
The event will open at noon with a Grand Entry, a procession of dancers in regalia. Hart Plaza will host drum performances, and the day will continue with contest dances. Visitors may even partake in those dances.
The event is organized by the North American Indian Association of Detroit with American Indian Health and Family Services, South Eastern Michigan Indians, Inc. and the Detroit Indigenous People’s Alliance.
Food and craft vendors from all over Michigan, Ontario, and Ohio will boast frybread tacos, beadwork, and other items for sale. Attendees are encouraged to bring cash to purchase items from vendors, but entry to the powwow is free and open to the public.
Wild berry foraging is gaining popularity in Michigan
With summer in full swing, you-pick farms have been seeing customers picking their own fruits and vegetables across the state. From blueberries and strawberries to tomatoes and asparagus, many people have opted for gathering their produce themselves.
For some, this food gathering goes beyond the farm. In recent years, many people have been turning to wild berry foraging. Instead of grocery stores, these foragers seek out fresh fruits, nuts and herbs from local hiking trails or even off the side of the road.
“I’ve been in the foraging space for about 25 years, and I can say without a doubt the interest in wild foods has grown tremendously,” wild food forager Lisa Rose said.
Rose has been foraging since she was young, and is the author of multiple books about Midwest foraging and wild food recipes. She attributes the pandemic to the growth in foraging interest.
For some, this food gathering goes beyond the farm. In recent years, many people have been turning to wild berry foraging. Instead of grocery stores, these foragers seek out fresh fruits, nuts and herbs from local hiking trails or even off the side of the road.
“I’ve been in the foraging space for about 25 years, and I can say without a doubt the interest in wild foods has grown tremendously,” wild food forager Lisa Rose said.
Rose has been foraging since she was young, and is the author of multiple books about Midwest foraging and wild food recipes. She attributes the pandemic to the growth in foraging interest.
In new book, "Citizen Printer," Amos Paul Kennedy Jr. aims to "Agitate! Agitate! Agitate!"
“Artists are the gatekeepers of truth.”
Those words from singer, actor, and activist Paul Robeson are emblazoned in bold black type on a vibrant yellow and green background. The image is one of hundreds of Amos Paul Kennedy Jr.’s posters collected in his new book Citizen Printer. The Library of Michigan has selected it for its 2025 Michigan Notable Books list.
My colleague Paulette Parker and I visited Kennedy's warehouse studio in Detroit. The walls are covered with his works.
To hear Kennedy tell it, his process is not that complicated.
“You just put ink on paper. That's it. It's that simple," he says. "Any way that you want to do it, that's the way you do it.”
Those words from singer, actor, and activist Paul Robeson are emblazoned in bold black type on a vibrant yellow and green background. The image is one of hundreds of Amos Paul Kennedy Jr.’s posters collected in his new book Citizen Printer. The Library of Michigan has selected it for its 2025 Michigan Notable Books list.
My colleague Paulette Parker and I visited Kennedy's warehouse studio in Detroit. The walls are covered with his works.
To hear Kennedy tell it, his process is not that complicated.
“You just put ink on paper. That's it. It's that simple," he says. "Any way that you want to do it, that's the way you do it.”
Brighton businesses prepare for thousands of Gilmore Girls fans
About a year ago, downtown Brighton watched as 40,000 people descended on the city of 8,000.
Organizers of Destination Stars Hollow, based on the fictional town of Stars Hollow, Connecticut, where the TV show Gilmore Girls is set, had expected maybe 5,000 people, if all went well.
They got eight times as many. This year they're planning for even more — maybe up to 60,000.
Last year, local bookstore 2 Dandelions hit a record-high sale, said the store's event coordinator and social media manager Kelly Blazo. A line of Gilmore Girls fans wrapped around the block, and they weren’t ready for it.
“It was multiple days in one for sure,” Blazo told Michigan Public. “It was a boon for the town last year.”
This year, the 25th anniversary of the debut of Gilmore Girls, 2 Dandelions said it's ordered enough themed mugs and advent calendars to entertain the expected crowd.
Organizers of Destination Stars Hollow, based on the fictional town of Stars Hollow, Connecticut, where the TV show Gilmore Girls is set, had expected maybe 5,000 people, if all went well.
They got eight times as many. This year they're planning for even more — maybe up to 60,000.
Last year, local bookstore 2 Dandelions hit a record-high sale, said the store's event coordinator and social media manager Kelly Blazo. A line of Gilmore Girls fans wrapped around the block, and they weren’t ready for it.
“It was multiple days in one for sure,” Blazo told Michigan Public. “It was a boon for the town last year.”
This year, the 25th anniversary of the debut of Gilmore Girls, 2 Dandelions said it's ordered enough themed mugs and advent calendars to entertain the expected crowd.
Rising from the wreckage: Kegan Gill's Phoenix Revival
For a pilot, ejecting mid-flight is always a bad scenario.
Lt. Kegan "Smurf" Gill narrowly escaped from a fighter jet traveling 695 miles per hour, approaching the speed of sound. It’s the fastest survived ejection in naval aviation history.
“I have a very clear linear memory, right up to the point where I pulled the ejection handle, and after that I have no linear memory,” he said about the experience. “But over the course of the years, I'd gotten a lot back in flashbacks, which were often night terrors. So maybe not the most pleasant way to remember something, but that gave me some insights into what had happened.”
A former Naval fighter pilot, Gill flew a training exercise off the east coast in 2014 when his F/A-18E ran into trouble. His subsequent injuries, including head trauma, changed his life forever.
Gill wrote about the experience and aftermath in his new book “Phoenix Revival: The Aftermath of Naval Aviation's Fastest Ejection.”
Lt. Kegan "Smurf" Gill narrowly escaped from a fighter jet traveling 695 miles per hour, approaching the speed of sound. It’s the fastest survived ejection in naval aviation history.
“I have a very clear linear memory, right up to the point where I pulled the ejection handle, and after that I have no linear memory,” he said about the experience. “But over the course of the years, I'd gotten a lot back in flashbacks, which were often night terrors. So maybe not the most pleasant way to remember something, but that gave me some insights into what had happened.”
A former Naval fighter pilot, Gill flew a training exercise off the east coast in 2014 when his F/A-18E ran into trouble. His subsequent injuries, including head trauma, changed his life forever.
Gill wrote about the experience and aftermath in his new book “Phoenix Revival: The Aftermath of Naval Aviation's Fastest Ejection.”
Stateside Podcast: Ann Arbor's summer reading game goes way beyond books
Summer is prime reading time for many of us, and the Ann Arbor District Library knows just how to keep our noses in books during the warmer months. 2025 marks the 15th year of the Ann Arbor District Library’s Summer Game. It’s an event meant to incentivize people of all ages to read throughout the summer—and to get out into every corner of their community. Participants can earn points through reading or consuming other media. They can also collect codes hidden all around the city—from library branches to local businesses to the city bus. At the end of the summer, participants can redeem those points for library swag.
“It keeps people engaged all summer long. It’s a great way to get the entire household, the entire family, the entire community engaged, because it’s really popular with all ages—not just kids, and not just adults,” said Eli Neiburger, director of Ann Arbor District Library.
The library has been offering a summer reading program since the 1930’s. But about 20 years ago, the library started hearing from patrons that the summer reading challenge was having an unintended consequence.
“It keeps people engaged all summer long. It’s a great way to get the entire household, the entire family, the entire community engaged, because it’s really popular with all ages—not just kids, and not just adults,” said Eli Neiburger, director of Ann Arbor District Library.
The library has been offering a summer reading program since the 1930’s. But about 20 years ago, the library started hearing from patrons that the summer reading challenge was having an unintended consequence.
Miquelle West grew up with a mother in prison. Then she helped set her free
This story was originally published by Outlier Media.
LOS ANGELES — On Feb. 17, Miquelle West drove herself to Los Angeles International Airport, parked her SUV and sobbed. The tears flowed in cathartic waves — a private celebration layered with grief, gratitude and long-awaited relief.
The celebrity stylist and self-described freedom fighter had packed just a few outfits for herself. Everything else in her suitcase was for her most important client yet: her mother.
“I researched and found vintage Oscar de la Renta for my mother because it needed to have a feeling of luxury. She had been deprived of luxury for so long,” Miquelle explained. “And I work in a world where luxury is the epitome, so I needed my mom to feel that.”
Miquelle boarded a three-hour flight to Minneapolis, where she met up with a small group of people who had traveled from across the country — each a freedom fighter in their own right. The next morning, they boarded a van headed an hour south. It wasn’t officially the coldest day of the year, but with a high of just 1 degree and a low of 19 below zero, it felt like it.
LOS ANGELES — On Feb. 17, Miquelle West drove herself to Los Angeles International Airport, parked her SUV and sobbed. The tears flowed in cathartic waves — a private celebration layered with grief, gratitude and long-awaited relief.
The celebrity stylist and self-described freedom fighter had packed just a few outfits for herself. Everything else in her suitcase was for her most important client yet: her mother.
“I researched and found vintage Oscar de la Renta for my mother because it needed to have a feeling of luxury. She had been deprived of luxury for so long,” Miquelle explained. “And I work in a world where luxury is the epitome, so I needed my mom to feel that.”
Miquelle boarded a three-hour flight to Minneapolis, where she met up with a small group of people who had traveled from across the country — each a freedom fighter in their own right. The next morning, they boarded a van headed an hour south. It wasn’t officially the coldest day of the year, but with a high of just 1 degree and a low of 19 below zero, it felt like it.
Fitted for a prosthetic leg in Flint, a boy from Gaza can chase his dreams again
12-year-old Waheed Al Ghalban didn’t expect to be met with flowers and posters when he arrived at the Detroit airport in April. His mother, Howaida, stood beside his wheelchair as the crowd of people waved Palestinian flags and began to chant “welcome” in Arabic.
Waheed lost an eye, an arm, and a leg to an Israeli bomb last year.
He flew to Michigan along with three other child amputees that the nonprofit organization HEAL Palestine helped evacuate from Gaza in order to receive medical care and prosthetic limbs in the United States.
At least 3,100 people in the territory lost limbs after Israel began military action in Gaza following the Hamas-led attack on its soil on October 7, 2023, according to a report published last June by the World Health Organization. At the time, there were no operational prosthetic services in Gaza.
At the start of this year a UN agency said there were more child amputees per capita in Gaza than anywhere else in the world.
Waheed said he didn’t think he would walk again. “In the time that I spent between the injury and coming here,” he said through a translator, “I didn't expect to get back to normal.”
Waheed lost an eye, an arm, and a leg to an Israeli bomb last year.
He flew to Michigan along with three other child amputees that the nonprofit organization HEAL Palestine helped evacuate from Gaza in order to receive medical care and prosthetic limbs in the United States.
At least 3,100 people in the territory lost limbs after Israel began military action in Gaza following the Hamas-led attack on its soil on October 7, 2023, according to a report published last June by the World Health Organization. At the time, there were no operational prosthetic services in Gaza.
At the start of this year a UN agency said there were more child amputees per capita in Gaza than anywhere else in the world.
Waheed said he didn’t think he would walk again. “In the time that I spent between the injury and coming here,” he said through a translator, “I didn't expect to get back to normal.”
