#mi curious

[michiganradio]

What's the story behind Detroit's Masonic Temple?

Ypsilanti's Sue Webster visited the Detroit Masonic Temple twice (once for the Theatre Bizarre masquerade, and once for a lecture). Her visits piqued her curiosity, so she posed her question to our MI Curious project.

“There must have been a huge presence at the Masonic Temple in Detroit at one time. What was it all about?”

Detroit's Masonic Temple is a gray stone building that towers over Cass Park.

Inside, it is decadent.

The ceilings are painted, the bathrooms are overflowing with marble and the are wooden phone booths decorated with swirling hand carved flourishes. They don’t have phones in them anymore though.

Read More >>

(Photos: Paula Friedrich)

[michiganradio]

You asked us a lot of questions through MI Curious this year. While some might be considered “niche,” others were questions the whole state was wondering about. 

Here are the top five questions you asked us to investigate in 2015:

Who is John R and why is there a street in Detroit named after him?

What's the story of the Mormon kingdom that was on Beaver Island in the 1800s, and how does it affect the island today?

Where did the iconic Detroit D come from?

How did they move the world's largest tire to its current spot along I-94?

How many Michigan lawmakers have their kids enrolled in public school?

[michiganradio]

What’s up with all these street names?

Since we posted that MI Curious story about where John R road got its name (Why only an R? Did John not have a last name?) we’ve gotten practically a question a day about some other street name. 

So we’re turning to all of the amateur (or professional) detectives in our audience. 

Know the story behind any of these streets? Let these curious Michiganders know.

Strong Street near Harper and Van Dyke in Detroit.

Oostema Boulevard in Grand Rapids

Gouin Street in Detroit

Sashabaw Road in Clarkston

George F. Bunker Street in Sterling Heights

North Territorial Road in Washtenaw County

[michiganradio]

Who is John R and why is there a street in Detroit named after him?

Why just an 'R' and not a full name?

[michiganradio]

MI Curious: Why doesn’t roadkill get picked up on a timely basis in Michigan?

Michigan Radio’s Lindsey Scullen is working on figuring out what it takes to scrape a squished squirrel off the road for an MI Curious question-asker. She shares an update...

That’s Amy Beth Edwards. She’s the one who asked us: “Why doesn’t roadkill get picked up on a timely basis in Michigan?” 

We're making progress! Here's what we've done so far: 

I took a quick road trip down I-94. Within a five mile stretch, I found seven dead animals. I also journeyed out to Kent County to to pick up road kill with Andy Albertson. He had nine dead animals on his list that day.

All that's left to do now is wait to hear back from a few counties regarding their road kill policies. 

Look out for this story on The Environment Report soon!