Twilight in Grand Rapids
A photographer’s exploration of the city she calls home, in its quietest hours.
Amid an Eviction Moratorium, the Housing Crisis Continues in Southeast Michigan
In Washtenaw County, Michigan, mutual aid projects are providing housing and tenant rights support for renters as the end of the eviction moratorium looms.
Belt’s Top Stories of 2020
Eleven pieces our readers kept coming back to.
The Appalachian Mines Claimed by Christmas
In southern Ohio, the defunct White Gravel Mines have been taken over by a religious holiday production.
Wisconsin’s Pandemic Winter
Vaccines will be rolled out over the coming months, but in the meantime, cold weather, isolation, and already-strained public health infrastructure will converge in the state this winter.
Building the “Black to Green” Pipeline
In Evansville, Indiana, the NAACP and IBEW are training Black people for work in the clean energy industry, aiming for an equitable transition away from fossil fuels.
“The Ellis Island of Dayton”
Islom Shakhbandarov on Welcome Dayton and immigrant life in the city. ["Excerpted from The Dayton Anthology"]
Forty Years of ‘Blues Before Sunrise’
Steve Cushing’s long-running radio program remains a singular and imperative cultural exploration of America’s blues heritage.
“Cultivating Addiction”
For many in southern Ohio, existing drug war interventions can do more harm than good.
Read These Stories Instead of Watching Hillbilly Elegy
Eleven pieces on identity, community, exploitation, and resilience in Appalachia.
How to End Political Gerrymandering in Michigan (And Elsewhere)
In Michigan, the Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission is getting ready to fix the state’s gerrymandered political map.
Suzi Quatro and the Sound of Detroit Rock
If the Detroit music scene revolutionized rock, Suzi Quatro brought it to a wider audience with polished production and an ear for catchy hooks.