Published September 17, 2026 at 3:59 PM EDT

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The Blade, one of the region’s oldest, most storied newspapers is up for sale. A former Blade reporter talks about the decline of the paper, and his experiences with owners at Block Communications.

We talked with saxophonist Marcus Elliott who captured the identities of five beloved Detroit parks through a community-centered project that became his latest album, "Sounds From the Parks."

Plus, we revisit a conversation with the author of the book, The Feather Wars and the Great Crusade to Save America’s Birds, chronicling the threats our bird populations have faced, from feathers in trending fashion to feral cats.

GUESTS:

• Larry Vellequette, grew up in Toledo, worked at The Blade, is now a journalist in Metro Detroit
• Marcus Elliott, saxophonist, composer
• Jim McCommons, journalist and professor emeritus at Northern Michigan University

Stateside is produced daily by a dedicated group of producers and production assistants. Listen daily, on-air, at 3 and 8 p.m., or subscribe to the daily podcast wherever you like to listen.