Stateside: Roadblocks to lawmaker recalls; the Michigan Left; dispelling myths about Michigan wine

Today on Stateside, the organizer of a recall drive against a Traverse City state representative says Michigan’s recall process stifles citizen voices. Plus, Michigan winemakers are hoping to move the image of the state’s wines beyond “sweet” and “sweeter."

Listen to the full show above or find individual segments below.

Organizer of campaign to recall Rep. Inman says law is written to make effort nearly “impossible”

• Next week brings the start of the trial of state Representative Larry Inman. The Republican from the Traverse City area faces three federal charges of bribery, extortion, and lying to the FBI. He's accused of trying to trade his vote for campaign contributions. Those indictments triggered a grassroots recall effort which got enough signatures to force a recall election. Kaitlin Flynn managed the recall effort, and talked about how amendments made to state law in 2012 have made the process of recalling a lawmaker much more difficult. 

Cherry farmers work to save cherries before winter weather destroys crops

• Winter is on its way, and everyone in northern Michigan is getting ready. Cherry farmers are protecting their crops from the cold, and they need to save as many cherries as they can. That’s because the cherry market is a constant gamble. Interlochen Public Radio’s Max Johnston brought us a report on the methods farmers use to ensure a fruitful season.

A Michigan man’s harrowing first-hand account of being captured by Nazis

• In 1947, a Michigan man named Hugh J. Fisher wrote an account of being captured by the Nazis during the Battle of the Bulge and enduring a brutal march to a prison camp. Jason Schultz is an archivist with the Michigan History Center. He discussed how the seven-page narrative by Fisher was unearthed, and why these letters and writings are such an important window into history.
• This segment was produced in collaboration with the Michigan History Center.

Learn to Drive! The notorious Michigan left

• Do you have family driving into Michigan for Thanksgiving? Don’t forget to remind them about the notorious "Michigan Left.”  While locals are used to the mandatory U-turn, it leaves outsiders confused on the roads. Michigan State Police Lieutenant Michael Shaw filled us in on the dos and don'ts of the “Michigan Left.”

Think Michigan wine isn’t for you? Winemakers want you to think again

• It's that time of year when people are stocking up on wine for festive dinners and holiday parties. Despite a sizable winemaking industry in the state, Michigan wine often is stereotyped as being very sweet, sometimes even cloying, and not on par with products from other areas of the country.
• Gina Shay, sommelier and the acting vice president of the Michigan Wine Collaborative, and Lee Lutes, a managing member of Black Star Farms in Sutton's Bay and Old Mission Peninsula, joined us to debunk myths about the state’s wine industry.

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