Bob Eccles

Environment Michigan Tuesday night made a presentation to Ypsilanti City Council on how the city could become a solar energy leader in Michigan, but its recommendation that the city set a goal of having solar panels on 1,000 roofs by the year 2020 was not immediately acted upon. 

Ypsilanti's city council has approved easements and a 20 year lease for the site the city hopes DTE Energy will choose to construct a large solar panel array.  Hear more from WEMU's Bob Eccles.

A new report says Ypsilanti could benefit both environmentally and financially from becoming a “solar destination”, and recommends the city set the goal of having solar panels installed on 1,000 city roofs by the year 2020. 

Environment Michigan says the city would benefit from revenue from permits that would be required to install solar panels. 

The group says a study in California showed solar panels added $20-thousand to the value of a home. 

The city of Ypsilanti has made the first cut in the effort to be home to a four million dollar DTE Energy solar array. 

City Council on Tuesday is expected to approve a lease and easement for the project, part of the next phase in the selection process. 

DTE Energy is looking for a place to install a one-point-three megawatt solar array, and the city has proposed locating the array on four-and-a-half acres of land that once served as a landfill, north of I-94 and east of Huron Street.

The Humane Society of Huron Valley is almost always a busy place, but things really pick up in the spring.  Hear more from WEMU's Bob Eccles.

When it comes to the percentage of adults registered as organ and tissue donors, Washtenaw County is second only to Lenawee County.  Hear more from WEMU's Bob Eccles.

http://www.ewashtenaw.org/government/clerk_register/gift-of-life  

High school students in the new Ypsilanti Community School District will attend Ypsilanti High School next year.  Middle school students will attend classes at what is now Willow Run High School and the adjoining Willow Run Intermediate Learning Center.  Hear more from WEMU's Bob Eccles.

The local LGBT community is closely following the U.S. Supreme Court's tackling of the issue of gay marriage.  Hear more from WEMU's Bob Eccles.

"Love and Honor", a movie with many connections to the Ann Arbor community, opens Friday at the Michigan Theater.

The movie marks the directorial debut of Danny Mooney, an Ann Arbor actor and filmmaker who graduated from Pioneer High School and the University of Michigan.

Much of the film was shot in Ann Arbor.  It tells the story of a soldier who gets a "Dear John" letter while serving in Vietnam.  He and his buddy decide to travel halfway around the world to return to Ann Arbor in the hopes of changing the girl's mind.

Ypsilanti Mayor Pro Tem Lois Richardson thinks it's time for a moratorium on new medical marijuana dispensaries in the city. 

Talks are underway which could lead to a new dispensary on the east side of South Huron street, just north of I-94.  Richardson says the city doesn't need another dispensary.

Richardson says Ypsilanti Township limits medical marijuana dispensaries, and the city should, too.  She has not made an official proposal to limit the number of dispensaries in the city, but she appears to have support from at least two of her colleagues on city council. 

This weekend you have the chance to learn more about the Small Learning Communities educational model chosen for middle and high school students in the Ypsilanti Community Schools. 

A public meeting Saturday will also help to determine which school buildings are best suited for Small Learning Communities, and which might not be used next year.

Saturday's meeting runs from ten to noon at Ypsilanti New Tech at Ardis, 2100 Ellsworth Road. 

The Washtenaw County Border-to-Border Trail is a step closer to completion, thanks to an easement obtained by the City of Ypsilanti from Fischer Honda on Michigan Avenue. 

Ypsilanti City Planner Teresa Gillotti says the easement will clear the way for a pedestrian bridge to be built from Riverside Park to a corner of the Fischer Honda property, with an improved Michigan Avenue crossing then linking the trail to the Water Street re-development area. 

Gillotti says the Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission is covering the $38,000 cost of the easement.

A group of about 35 people, most of them students, got together last night in the Ypsilanti High School media center to talk about mascot and school colors suggestions for Ypsilanti Community Schools. 

The generational divide between the students and the adults was obvious, as most of the adults favored a mascot with historical significance, such as Bombers or Liberators, and the kids preferred something new, like Royals or Grizzlies. 

Ypsilanti residents can plan for nice vegetable gardens on their property this summer, now that city council has approved an ordinance text amendment to allow for urban gardens in residential yards and vacant lots.  

City Planner Teresa Gillotti says gardens can be grown in front, side and back yards, but must be set back three feet from the sidewalk and cannot obstruct the view for motorists. 

Gillotti says area churches have been among those anxious to put vacant city lots to good use by planting gardens.

Ypsilanti's city council has put off a decision on a purchase agreement that would have a Family Dollar store built on the northeast corner of the Water Street redevelopment area.  The delay is due, in part,  to the city's master plan update.  Hear more from WEMU's Bob Eccles.

New York Times  columnist Joe Nocera spoke Tuesday afternoon at the Eastern Michigan University Student Center auditorium. The EMU Student Government brought Mr. Nocera to campus to talk about "How to fix big-time college sports". WEMU's Bob Eccles had the chance to speak with Mr. Nocera before his appearance.

The joint Ypsilanti-Willow Run school board approved layoffs and schools of choice designation at its meeting Monday night.  Hear more from WEMU's Bob Eccles.

The unified Ypsilanti-Willow Run school district holds a public forum Saturday morning to give the public a chance to talk about suggestions that have been received for a district mascot and colors. 

Board member Maria Sheler-Edwards is co-chair of the committee looking into mascots and colors.  She says the process will be similar to the way the district's name was chosen, with a pair of public forums to narrow the options down.  She says a final recommendation is expected at the board's March 28th meeting. 

It's been exactly one year since an F-3 tornado tore through the Village of Dexter, damaging some 400 homes, with 36 of those homes suffering major damage.

Dexter Village Assistant Manager Courtney Nichols says there 's still some repair work going on, specifically at the car wash and the laundromat.  She says most of the homes have been repaired or re-built. 

Nichols says it was very fortunate that the financial cost to the village was only $45,000, which mainly went to cover clean-up and tree removal service.