Andy Robins

Bio

Andy Robins started his professional radio broadcasting career in 1974. He was a reporter for stations in Kalamazoo, Benton Harbor-Saint Joseph, and South Haven before joining the news staff of WMUK 102.1 FM, the NPR-affiliate public radio station in Kalamazoo in 1985. He became the station's news director in 1998 and retired in 2021. He now is an independent journalist in southwest Michigan and co-produces the science fiction podcast RetroRockets. https://retrorocketspodcast.podbean.com/

Articles

A neon sign in a window that reads "Ed's Shoe Repair"

A third-generation Kalamazoo cobbler is shutting down his shop with no one left to take it over when he retires this summer. It’s a trend in a craft that has devastated local customers and, nationally, underscores an embrace of waste.

Comparison shots showing ashley joyce memorial park before and after cleanup

Two years ago, the Edison Neighborhood Association handed over a playground to a new owner. It had been in disrepair, and a magnet for litter, drugs, and danger. Now its development is reinvigorating streets that had been written off.

a woman sitting against a wall with her hands over her face looking stressed out

The pandemic has increased the already large need for mental health services. The system hasn’t kept up, putting more pressure on those on the frontlines.

screenshot from a video with text reading "Welcome! Mental Wellness Project"

A recent community conversation amplified the needs and solutions to maintaining young people’s wellness.

the buildings lining one of the main roads in downtown Kalamazoo

We talk to Rebekah Kik, the head of Kalamazoo’s Community Planning & Economic Development Department, who is tasked with turning around downtown governance and kick-starting a new era of development.

Esperance Mukeshayezu and Carol Pratt sit at a table covered in books

English skills make accessing services and work opportunities easier – and widens the circle of support for processing trauma. Kalamazoo Literacy Council is holding a special training to support refugees on Feb. 12.