Digging Up the Region’s Past

The Great Lakes Region is rich in many ways: with its vast beauty, unique ecosystems, and unparalleled waterways. But it’s also a place of historical significance, and an archeological team is working to uncover the region’s history, digging it up layer by layer. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Wendy Nelson visited one site and has this report:

Compost Man

When it comes to educating kids about the environment, one man is making a difference just by working in his yard and talking to the neighborhood children. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Wendy Nelson has more:

Reducing Mercury in Wastewater

Businesses are coming to agree with environmental activists that preventing pollution is better than treating it after it’s in the air or water. There are lots of cost-effective ways of doing it. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Stephanie Hemphill reports on a demonstration project run by a wastewater treatment plant:

Inland Shrimp Farmer Grows Up

In the middle of a state surrounded by fresh water, there’s an entrepreneur who has a dream: he thinks he may have the key to make Michigan — or in fact, any state — a major shrimp supplier. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Wendy Nelson explains:

Heartside Development

Hopes have been high that the new 75-million-dollar Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan, will be a key attraction in revitalizing the downtown area. From all indications since the recent Grand Opening, it looks like things are going according to plan. But some are worried about the effect. It’s a familiar trend for developers and residents to clash when businesses move into neighborhoods. So in the case of this downtown development project, steps have been taken since the beginning to include the area residents in the planning process. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Wendy Nelson has this report:

Infant Massage

There’s no doubt that a massage is relaxing. Athletes and their trainers will attest to its benefits in relieving sore muscles. Now some different uses for massage that have been practiced in other countries for years are beginning to gain popularity among a new crowd in the United States. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Wendy Nelson reports:

Club Prophylactive

More and more young people are getting AIDS. The Center for Disease Control estimates that youth between thirteen and twenty-four years old account for more than half of all new HIV infections. By now, most adolescents know that using a condom can protect them from the deadly disease. Yet, many still risk their health and the health of others by practicing unsafe sex. So AIDS prevention experts are now trying to understand why so many young people don’t take the precautions they know they should. One solution involves young people educating each other about safer sex. In Chicago, these “peer educators” are tapping into urban youth culture to carry their message. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Steve Frenkel reports:

Hunters Against Hunger

All across the country, hunters are taking to the woods with the opening of bow hunting season. Each year at this time, the debate over hunting flares, and finding themselves attacked again and again by animal rights advocates, some hunters are now fighting back to change their image. As part of a national campaign, hunters are taking steps to help the hungry through their sport. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Wendy Nelson has this report:

Snail Man

The life of a wildlife researcher can be a solitary experience. Alone for weeks at a time, in remote locations, gathering scientific data. While their research is often high-profile, they usually remain anonymous. But that’s not always the case. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s David Hammond met an Ontario scientist whose personal style is as unique as the creatures he studies:

Girl’s Garden

Many urban areas have turned to community gardening as a way to revitalize the landscape – and the people – of the inner city. In vacant lots from Chicago to Cleveland, greenery sprouts up, framed by dilapidated buildings. But in Grand Rapids, Michigan, there’s a new twist on the concept of community gardens. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Wendy Nelson has more: