Many factors have shaped jazz in Ann Arbor, but trumpeter and educator Louis Smith has to be at the top of the list for modern jazz and education. Sean Dobbins , Rick Roe, Justin Walter and Ingrid Racine will testify to his grace, wisdom, strength and total honesty as a teacher. He encouraged a professional attitude and exponential musical growth from middle school students. His students could play rings around others years older!

Ahead of his new album, "A World That's Bigger," Washtenaw County songwriter Mike Vial stops by the WEMU studios for exclusive live music performances and conversation.

WEMU’s first free Sesi Motors 5:01 Jazz Show for 2017 will be a salute to the legendary trumpet player and widely respected teacher, Louis Smith. Louis passed away in August, 2016. He had suffered a stroke, but recovered valiantly and lived for years afterwards with his loving and generous wife, Lulu. Louis was equally generous and was very wise as a teacher. Trumpeter Paul Finkbeiner will lead the Louis Smith salute on Friday, January 6th at 5:01PM sharp at Rush Street Nightclub, 314 South Main Street in Ann Arbor.

An initiative now has the funds to help expand pre-kindergarten programs across Long Island.

A group of genetically engineered super-strong mice from Connecticut are headed to space. Their mission? Study a new therapy to prevent muscle loss.

Benzodiazepines are some of the most commonly prescribed medications in the country, often used to treat anxiety. But a new study warns that taking benzodiazepines can be both helpful and risky for those with opioid use disorder.

PFAS, common chemicals used to make everything from pizza boxes to take-out containers, are associated with risk of miscarriages, according to a new study from Yale.

In Connecticut supporters of paid family and medical leave made their case to state lawmakers on Thursday.

A bill in the New York State legislature would set the goal to cut greenhouse emissions by 100 percent by 2050.

The Connecticut General Assembly Appropriations Committee approved a $43.3 billion two-year state budget proposal on Tuesday. It sets the stage for final budget negotiations in June with Democratic Governor Ned Lamont.

Connecticut’s finance committee has approved a tax package that increases revenue by more than $2 billion over the next two years. Democrats say the increase is needed to fund the state’s $43.3 billion two-year budget proposal.

Officials say Connecticut paid $63 million to settle lawsuits last year. Nearly three-quarters of the money went to settle one case.

NPR's education reporter talks about what graduating seniors are going through right now as the colleges are closed due to the pandemic and answers their questions.

Dr. Grace Farris is chief of hospital medicine at Mount Sinai West in Manhattan. She also writes a monthly comics column in the Annals of Internal Medicine called "Dr Mom." You can find her on Instagram @coupdegracefarris . Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

For the first time in its 231-year history, the Supreme Court justices heard oral arguments remotely by phone and made the audio available live. The new setup went off largely without difficulties, but produced some memorable moments, including one justice forgetting to unmute and an ill-timed bathroom break. Here are the top five can't-miss moments from this week's history-making oral arguments. A second week of arguments begin on Monday at 10 a.m. ET. Here's a rundown of the cases and how to listen. 1. Justice Clarence Thomas speaks ... a lot Supreme Court oral arguments are verbal jousting matches. The justices pepper the lawyers with questions, interrupting counsel repeatedly and sometimes even interrupting each other. Justice Clarence Thomas, who has sat on the bench for nearly 30 years, has made his dislike of the chaotic process well known, at one point not asking a question for a full decade. But with no line of sight, the telephone arguments have to be rigidly organized, and

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

In this time of fear and uncertainty, people are going back to the land — more or less. Gardening might just be overtaking sourdough baking, TV binging and playing Animal Crossing as our favorite pandemic coping mechanism So here I am in my back yard, where I've got this lovely four foot by eight food raised garden bed — brand new this year, because yes, I'm one of those people who are trying their hand at gardening. I've got tomatoes, I've got cucumbers, I've got radishes, I've got beets sprouting up, I've got what I think might be a zucchini and a spaghetti squash, but the markers washed away in a storm. And I had some watermelon seedlings, but they died in the last cold snap. So that's why I'm out here today — driving in stakes and draping plastic wrap for the next cold snap. I have to be extra careful now, because I couldn't actually replace my watermelon seedlings — garden centers and hardware stores have been picked clean. Jennifer Atkinson is a senior lecturer in environmental

To help continue addressing the opioid crisis in Washtenaw County during COVID-19, an Ypsilanti community health group continues to offer Narcan.

The Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners will discuss tonight how they may move forward with county operations amid a COVID-19 crisis.

The Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority is getting a boost in funding from the federal government to help cover operational costs during the coronavirus pandemic. We get the details from WEMU’s Taylor Pinson.

The Legislature ’s Republican leaders are suing Governor Gretchen Whitmer . They say she’s exceeded her emergency authority to deal with the COVID-19 health crisis and violated the state constitution . We have more from Rick Pluta.

The Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners has approved hazard pay for some of the county’s first responders as a result of COVID-19.

State Senator Jeff Irwin wants all future elections to be done entirely with absentee ballots.

Copyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit SCOTT SIMON, HOST: Neil Simon wrote more than 30 plays and screenplays, including "The Odd Couple," "Barefoot In The Park" and "Brighton Beach Memoirs." He won Tonys, Oscars and the Pulitzer Prize. But when he died this week at the age of 91, Quinn Cummings remembered that she had a piece of theatrical history. Quinn Cummings was just 10 years old when she was nominated for a best supporting actress Oscar in Neil Simon's 1977 film, "The Goodbye Girl." (SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "THE GOODBYE GIRL") QUINN CUMMINGS: (As Lucy McFadden) I can't sleep. MARSHA MASON: (As Paula McFadden) Give it five minutes. You just got into bed. CUMMINGS: (As Lucy McFadden) I can predict the future. MASON: (As Paula McFadden) Yeah? How about predicting mine? (SOUNDBITE OF PHONE RINGING) CUMMINGS: (As Lucy McFadden) I could predict the phone ringing in your life. (SOUNDBITE OF PHONE RINGING) SIMON: She starred alongside Marsha Mason and Richard Dreyfuss in "The Goodbye Girl."

Copyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit (SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "DING DONG MERRILY ON HIGH") UNIDENTIFIED SINGERS: (Singing) Ding dong merrily on high... SCOTT SIMON, HOST: Linus Vlatkovich grew up in the mining town of Hibbing, Minn. His father was a miner who hoped his son would become a dentist. And he tried for a while in college. But... LINUS VLATKOVICH: It just wasn't the right place for me. And when I changed to theater, they were not real excited about that. SIMON: Theater - a parent's heartbreak. But Linus Vlatkovich ended up building a career building props for 46 years at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. He eventually earned the nickname Prop God. His parents worried when the Guthrie first called Linus in 1972. VLATKOVICH: They asked me if I would like to work there for the summer and then hire me in the fall. So I said sure. They said they didn't have any real money to pay me, but they'd pay me out of petty cash. So I got three $30 paychecks. SIMON: Over the years, Linus

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Read full biography of Eminem including latest news, trivia, quotes, filmography/discography, awards and fun stuff.

Read full biography of Nicki Minaj including latest news, trivia, quotes, filmography/discography, awards and fun stuff.

The 'Uptown Funk' hitmaker announces live performances by a series of musicians for a new lockdown livestream event which he describes as a video mixtape.

Pearl Jam, in the meantime, takes part in the viral challenge by proposing to fans a chance to write their future setlist and be Eddie Vedder's personal guitar technician.

To be kicked off on May 5, the 'Happy at Home: #OneCommunity LIVE' event will run every evening at 8 P.M. ET until Saturday, May 9, on the social media platform.

Tina Knowles Lawson is pleasantly surprised by her superstar daughter Beyonce Knowles' tribute in the updated version of Megan Thee Stallion's new single.

The Bishop Gunn frontman has booked a concert in Arkansas as Governor Asa Hutchinson is relaxing lockdown restrictions in the state amid the ongoing Covid-19 crisis.

The 'Boss B***h' raptress makes the seductive offer on Twitter, promising that she will show her 'boobs really hard' if her new song featuring Nicki Minaj becomes No. 1.

During a chat on Instagram Live, the 'I Love Me' singer and the 'American Idol' alum decide to show off their powerful vocals by performing an a capella duet of her 2016 single 'Stone Cold'.

The sequel to Disney Family Singalong will be aired on Mother's Day with Jennifer Hudson and John Legend set to deliver their version of the 'Beauty and the Beast' theme.

The book inspired by the daughter and niece of the band's manager and authored by James Patterson is expected to use lyrics of the rock group's classic single.

Perrie Edwards, Jesy Nelson, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, and Jade Thirlwall are hosting a show called 'Good Morning Break Up' in a music video for their latest single.

In episode three, we follow Farris Barakat to Reyhanli, Turkey where he is working to complete his brother's mission and help Syrian refugee kids smile. Subscribe to this Podcast Stories with a Heartbeat is a new podcast hosted by poet Will McInerney that explores the human condition in conflict through poetry, listening, and conversation. Over the past two episodes, Stories with a Heartbeat has been exploring personal narratives and connections to the Chapel Hill Shootings. On February 10th, 2015 Deah Barakat, his wife Yusor Abu-Salha, and her sister Razan Abu-Salha were murdered in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. All three young American-Muslims were shot and killed execution style in their home. The Barakat’s, a Syrian American family, have close ties the region and are known for helping those in need. The summer after the Chapel Hill Shootings, Deah’s brother Farris Barakat, and his father Namee Barakat, went to the Turkish-Syrian border to volunteer. Well actually Deah planned the

Amin Drew Law is a Palestinian-American poet and educator based in Washington D.C. In his poem, "The Secret Weapon of Chubby Boys," Amin taps into a classic schoolyard conflict and provides a hilarious and heartwarming solution. On this bonus episode of Stories with a Heartbeat, we reflect on some of the classroom conflicts we covered in season 1 of the podcast. From the first days of elementary to college graduation, we explored the spectrum of friction at school. This week we hear from poet Amin Drew Law with a new, potent, and poetic reminder of school conflict. Download the Bonus Episode Now Season 1 of the Stories with a Heartbeat podcast is over, but you can still download all the episodes today! Stories with a Heartbeat is a new podcast produced by North Carolina Public Radio and hosted by poet Will McInerney that uses poetry and storytelling to help us understand conflict. You can subscribe to this podcast on iTunes , Google Play , or your podcast platform of choice. Follow

Cardiologists in Columbus are the first in the nation to test new technology for patients suffering from atrial fibrillation. Doctors say it's a safer and more effective alternative.

Social distancing and the stay-at-home order have caused a lot of people to change their plans. But some tenacious Ohioans aren’t letting the pandemic get in their way. And they are getting creative about finding alternatives.

Production on season 10 of the hit series has been axed because of the coronavirus crisis, but the actor playing Negan could not help but be excited for the upcoming special episode.

In the new episode of the spin-off series of ABC's 'The Bachelor', the remaining six couples will be paired with someone from another couple to test their relationships.

Starring in the skit for 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon', The Rolling Stones frontman gets onboard to support a non-profit providing for children in need during the coronavirus pandemic.

During a recent SAG Foundation Conversations at Home interview, the Oscar winner talks about the main differences between what happens to her Jeanne Crandall character and herself in real life.

Weeks after COVID-19 shut down productions worldwide, Ryan Murphy admits that he has been contemplating between pushing production back by a year or changing theme.

In the new episode of the hit FOX singing competition, Jeff Dye is tapped to be the guest panelist, joining Ken Jeong, Robin Thicke, Jenny McCarthy and Nicole Scherzinger.