Andrew Roth

August 3 in mid-Michigan. 🍁

Today marks ten years since we got the call that my uncle had gone missing.

A lot has changed in those ten years. Some things haven’t.

License plate reader searches by Grand Rapids PD point to need for guardrails, legal advocates say • Michigan Advance With police departments across the country integrating license plate readers as part of law enforcement efforts, legal advocates are pushing for protections around how departments use the emerging tec...

Following a tip from our sister publication @wisconsinexaminer.com, I looked into a set of license plate reader data searches from Grand Rapids PD citing protests as the reason for their inquiry. More on the concerns surrounding these devices @michiganadvance.com.
michiganadvance.com/2025/07/22/l...

Thank you! It’s been challenging but rewarding learning a new medium. WKAR has a small but mighty team that has helped show me the ropes of radio.

Fireflies thriving in Michigan thanks to favorable weather conditions Researchers say fireflies thrive in climates that are warm and wet, and conditions in Michigan over the past year match that description.

If summer nights seem a little brighter in Michigan this year, you’re not imagining it.

Favorable weather conditions in recent years have led to an explosion of firefly activity.

My first feature-length broadcast story, just in time for my six-month anniversary working with WKAR:

Watching Motown legend Martha Reeves perform for a crowd of maybe 50 people in Detroit while Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein played congas has to be pretty high on the list.

Interviewed Arnold Schwarzenegger about gerrymandering in Michigan during my freshman year of college.

Detroit schools have highest cuts to federal funding in Michigan • Michigan Advance Detroit schools are facing some of the deepest cuts to federal funding in the country as The White House withholds $6.2 billion of funds nationwide. The appropriations were already approved by Congres...

Michigan school districts represented in Congress by Democrats stand to be hit hardest as the White House withholds $6.2 billion of funding for school programs nationwide.

Made some visuals for @michiganadvance.com showing which congressional districts would be most affected:

The U.S. House voted 216-213 to claw back $8 billion in already approved foreign aid and $1.1 billion in already approved public media funding.

There are currently three vacancies in the U.S. House, all of which are seats that were held by Democrats who died in office.

Slotkin bill would require immigration agents to wear identification, prohibit face coverings • Michigan Advance Legislation introduced by U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly) would require immigration enforcement officers to display clearly visible identification during public-facing enforcement actions. The Visi...

Legislation introduced by @slotkin.senate.gov would require immigration enforcement officers to display clearly visible identification and prohibit face coverings.

She says federal agents have made "arrests that look more like kidnappings in an authoritarian country."

More in @michiganadvance.com:

Court of Appeals to hear arguments on Michigan's anti-hazing law An attorney argues the law violates the First Amendment’s protection of free association by referencing specific groups, like fraternities and sports teams.

The Michigan Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments next month on whether the state’s anti-hazing law is unconstitutional.

An attorney says the law violates the First Amendment’s protection of free association by referencing specific groups, like fraternities and sports teams, and is too vague.

Independent gubernatorial candidate Mike Duggan is calling for a new law to suspend the salaries of state legislators if a budget isn’t adopted by the July 1 deadline after the split #MILeg failed to pass one last week.

“If you don’t do your job, you don’t get paid,” he says.

Pleasantly surprised that James Gunn’s #Superman is also an unexpectedly great journalism movie.

“You have to say ‘off the record’ beforehand, not after.”

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was on Gaydar last week.

She says she went to see “Oh, Mary!” on Broadway, jokes that MLM stands for “Midwest Lesbian Mom,” and lists @chastenbuttigieg.bsky.social before adding @petebuttigieg.bsky.social when asked to name LGBTQ celebrities.

A new Chinese teahouse opened in Lansing; then came the tariffs Two suppliers of Chengdu Teahouse in Lansing have stopped exporting their products to the United States amid economic uncertainty caused by tariffs.

“I find it ironic that America declared its independence from the U.K. via the Boston Tea Party, and here I am with a tea business, similarly frustrated with our federal government,” Chengdu Teahouse owner Elyse Ribbons said after her suppliers stopped exporting to the U.S. due to Trump’s tariffs.

Great list. Awesome to see how much it’s grown since I started working with the Michigan Advance in 2018!

Detroit is officially getting a WNBA team in 2029. While the team hasn’t been given a name yet, some options were discussed during the Mackinac Policy Conference last month:

Not the biggest part of the story, but still worth noting that the method The White House chose to announce an act of war is by screenshotting a post on the social media platform owned by the president.

Thousands turned out for a "No Kings" rally at the Michigan Capitol on Saturday, one of hundreds of such events nationwide that were scheduled to counter a military parade in Washington, D.C., on President Donald Trump's 79th birthday.

Whitmer says her daughters asked her after the 2024 election if she was going to be okay, and she responded that she would be but needed time to clear her head, which she did by watching Dexter. #MPC25

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer sounds moved discussing her responsibility to represent Michigan to the Trump admin.

"I have to try to work with someone I worked really hard not to elect and smile when I'm not real happy about being at a press conference I never planned to be at," she says. #MPC25

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan: "Have we formally announced the Apple store yet?" #MPC25

White House Correspondent @aprildryan.bsky.social on Mike Duggan's independent campaign for governor pulling votes from both Democrats and Republicans: "I mean, what does it say about the system? It says the system is broken." #MPC25

Panelists discussing Detroit's bid for a WNBA team at #MPC25 were asked what they would name the team.

Swin Cash-Canal: Shocks
Grant Hill: Spirits
Sandy Pierce: Pistonettes
Arn Tellem: Supremes

"I hope that you're all enjoying everything that Mackinac Island has to offer, from the refreshing lake breeze, to the delicious fudge, and the smell of... bipartisanship," Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says to officially kick off #MPC25 programming.

"We want to get him back," Speaker Matt Hall says of former Speaker Joe Tate.

"I told him I'd consider coming back if he runs a statewide campaign," Tate, a U.S. Senate candidate, responds to Hall. #MPC25

Arn Tellem says the LCA is starting to feel like home for the Pistons.

"At our playoffs, Isaiah Thomas was there, Chauncey Billups, Ben Wallace; they all talked about how this was finally the feel of The Palace in '03 or '04. They were ready to play, they wanted to suit up." #MPC25

Secretary of State @jocelynbenson.bsky.social, a Democratic candidate for governor, called for a light rail network connecting Michigan this morning.

"Transit in our state is this massively unsolved issue that is holding us back from attracting some of the best talent," she says. #MPC25

Alright, Lake Huron, we have ARRIVED at the very first bridge of #MPC25. Now, I have a question: Does anyone here know the lyrics to this bridge? Prove it!

U.S. Sen. Gary @peters.senate.gov tours the IQ labs at Michigan State University, learning about the research being conducted there — including locusts that can detect the smell of cancer.