By the grace of Betty White, Doug and Alek return to their respective mics to look back at the year that was on Keep Your Voice Down. The duo also touch on Watershed Voice's year-end fundraising efforts, emphasizing the importance of community support and monthly recurring donations in sustaining local, independent news. The conversation concludes with discussion about supporting others, the value of listening more, and reconnecting with the outside world post pandemic.

The show’s theme is “Howling at the Moon” by D Fine Us, and this week’s outro music is “It's a Vibe” by SOURWAH (featuring Fabien Darcy). You can support Keep Your Voice Down and Watershed Voice with a donation here.

Any views or opinions expressed on “Keep Your Voice Down” are those of its hosts and guests, and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the podcast’s sponsors, Watershed Voice staff or its board of directors.

Watershed Voice Staff Writer Maxwell Knauer joins Keep Your Voice Down hosts Doug Sears Jr. and Alek Haak-Frost for what might just be the most chaotic conversation in KYVD history.

Alek goes "full Larry David" over his counterparts' use of their full first names in some settings (professionally, on social media, etc.), while almost no one refers to them by those names in the course of every day life. Maxwell describes how majoring in philosophy and political science in college led to a career in journalism, and why he believes community engagement and storytelling are so important.

The trio also discuss the merits of audiobooks vs. traditional reading, whether Maxwell could beat a professional basketball player one-on-one, and if investing $200K in pickleball courts is really sound city planning.

The show’s theme is “Howling at the Moon” by D Fine Us, and this week’s outro music is “Break It Down” by Ikoliks. You can support Keep Your Voice Down and Watershed Voice with a donation here.

Any views or opinions expressed on “Keep Your Voice Down” are those of its hosts and guests, and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the podcast’s sponsors, Watershed Voice staff or its board of directors.

Keep Your Voice Down hosts Alek Haak-Frost and Doug Sears Jr. are joined by Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate Abdul El-Sayed.

The former Rhodes Scholar and Michigan gubernatorial candidate fields questions about civil liberties, affordable housing, Medicare for All, and automation's impact on the economy. El-Sayed is running for Michigan's soon-to-be open U.S. Senate seat currently occupied by Sen. Gary Peters, who is not seeking reelection in 2026.

The show’s theme is “Howling at the Moon” by D Fine Us, and this week’s outro music is “Premiere” by Adrián Berenguer. You can support Keep Your Voice Down and Watershed Voice with a donation here.

Any views or opinions expressed on “Keep Your Voice Down” are those of its hosts and guests, and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the podcast’s sponsors, Watershed Voice staff or its board of directors.