Michelle Jokisch Polo
Stateside ProducerMichelle Jokisch Polo is a producer for Stateside. She joins us from WKAR in Lansing, where she reported in both English and Spanish on a range of topics, including politics, healthcare access and criminal justice. Her stories have appeared on NPR, as well as WBUR's Here & Now and Marketplace. Michelle began her career as a journalist as the head reporter at El Vocero Hispano, the largest Hispanic newspaper in Michigan.
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Now through November, Stateside is hearing from some of the state's youngest voters and getting insight into the issues driving them to the polls as part of our What The Vote? series. This week, we hear from a Grand Rapids resident who is choosing to participate in this election because she doesn't see her values reflected in the current political climate. -
The Department of Homeland Security claimed its immigration agents were not pursuing Mario David Coronado-Juarez at the moment he crashed. -
Michigan school vaccine exemptions have reached the highest level in more than two decades. Experts explain what’s driving the increase. Plus, find the vaccination rate for your local school district. -
As teenagers look for a job this summer, they are facing an everchanging labor market and economic uncertainty. -
A listener shares his story about the lessons a forgotten cherry tree gave him. -
Come July, cherries are everywhere here: sweet, sour, deep maroon, golden yellow, and even blush pink. Michigan is the second-largest producer of cherries in the nation. But why? -
In 1994, a Michigan stadium made history by becoming the first indoor venue to host the World Cup games. -
In Michigan, immigrants being held inside detention centers often have no idea of when their cases will be resolved. Dozens have been held for over six months and for some it's been closer to a year. Mental health experts say the uncertainty coupled with the prolonged isolation can take a psychological toll, with the effects often growing more severe the longer a person is detained. -
![PLACEHOLDER: An editorial collage set against a muted gray-purple background, combining three layered elements. On the left, a torn envelope or piece of mail bearing the logo and address of the GEO Group's North Lake Processing Center. In the center, a heavily distorted, glitched portrait of a person whose face is obscured through digital fragmentation, suggesting anonymity and erasure. On the right, a partially visible medical report form with several fields heavily redacted in black. Visible handwritten entries include an incident date of 3-16-2026, a time of 09, a checked "Yes" box next to "necessary to notify physician?", "N/A" written next to a "Fighting" checkbox, and a handwritten description reading "Sexual assault from housin[g]" occurring at "3-4am."](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/9b8d60f/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1920x1070+0+5/resize/280x156!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F9f%2F3d%2F1547e7294b60b5ff7f4823f3a84d%2Fq-story-headers-wip-10.png)
Una ex detenida asegura que sufrió agresiones sexuales reiteradas en North Lake Processing Center y que sus intentos de reportarlas a los administradores del centro no recibieron respuesta inicial. -
A former detainee says she was repeatedly sexually assaulted at the North Lake Processing Center and that her attempts to alert administrators initially went unheeded.
![PLACEHOLDER: An editorial collage set against a muted gray-purple background, combining three layered elements. On the left, a torn envelope or piece of mail bearing the logo and address of the GEO Group's North Lake Processing Center. In the center, a heavily distorted, glitched portrait of a person whose face is obscured through digital fragmentation, suggesting anonymity and erasure. On the right, a partially visible medical report form with several fields heavily redacted in black. Visible handwritten entries include an incident date of 3-16-2026, a time of 09, a checked "Yes" box next to "necessary to notify physician?", "N/A" written next to a "Fighting" checkbox, and a handwritten description reading "Sexual assault from housin[g]" occurring at "3-4am."](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/750b7f9/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1920x1070+0+5/resize/560x312!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F9f%2F3d%2F1547e7294b60b5ff7f4823f3a84d%2Fq-story-headers-wip-10.png)