WCMU Highlights

Over 70 teams from 18 countries and 22 states gathered in Alpena for the 2025 MATE ROV World Championship over the weekend to test their underwater robots' capabilities. Teams were judged on both their ROV's performance and their ability to market it to professionals.

Two Traverse City residents are dedicating their retirements to cemeteries. Scott Schwander and Jack Franke have spent years cleaning and digitizing the gravestones of Oakwood Cemetery, memorizing every plot and familiarizing themselves with the stories of the deceased.

Protesters oppose the reopening of the North Lake Correctional Facility, which is now operating as a federal immigration processing center under GEO Group. Activists call the facility a profit-driven system that exploits vulnerable communities, calling for its closure.

U.S. Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-Bay City) spoke out against a proposed $900 billion cut to Medicaid, warning it could displace seniors, close rural hospitals and burdened local governments.

The environmental review is a major step toward a permitting decision on the controversial proposal to build a tunnel under the Straits of Mackinac. The last day for the public to comment on it is June 30.

Superintendents in the Upper Peninsula say allowing 15-seat passenger vans to transport students to extracurricular activities would save costs.

International students are having to wait for their visa interviews, and several visas have been revoked for current students. But several universities in Michigan say they are excited to welcome many new international students this upcoming academic year.

In early 2025, commercial beekeepers around the country discovered a massive shortage in their honeybee colonies. Bee researchers are still investigating to learn what's happening but have some ideas.

The statewide food assistance program Meet Up and Eat Up is starting up around northeast Michigan as kids begin their summer break. The Boys and Girls Club of Alpena is one of nine sites where anyone under the age of 18 can grab a meal.

A Michigan State University researcher is testing which tree species can best withstand future climate conditions in Michigan. With a $500,000 grant from the state, the project is planting tens of thousands of trees across nine sites to study growth, survival and adaptability. The research could shape forest management for decades.