News

It's no April Fool!  WEMU's David Fair and Michigan Theater Foundation Russ Collins are together again for this week's "Cinema Chat!"  They'll be talking about all of the latest films that you can check out at the theaters downtown or at home online this weekend.

University of Michigan students and other community members are gathering on U of M’s campus tonight to raise awareness about sexual violence.

In addition to everything else going on in the world right now, there is increasing attention to the nearly 4,000 anti-Asian racist incidents, mostly against women, that have occurred in the past year.

University of Michigan assistant professor and anti-Asian racism researcher Dr. Melissa May Borja talks with WEMU's Lisa Barry about her findings and what it has been like personally for her and her family especially over the past year.

Tomorrow, April 1st, the Detroit Tigers will open the season at Comerica Park, playing the Cleveland Indians in a matinee game.  Thursday's game will also mark the first time fans will be able to watch a game at Comerica Park since 2019.  So, what can be expected out of this year's squad?  WEMU's Tom Helmer talked with the voice of the Tigers, Matt Shepard, to find out.

For 24 years, Janis Bobrin served Washtenaw County as Water Resources Commissioner.  Some of the programs she devised and implemented are now industry standard and the positive environmental impacts she's had in our community are quite tangible.  For the final Women's History Month edition of "Issues of the Environment," WEMU's David Fair speaks with Bobrin about her remarkable career and the lasting impacts she has had on the health of our environment and quality of life. 

There will be a special flag-raising ceremony outside the Washtenaw County administration building to recognize the Transgender Day of Visibility.

WEMU's Lisa Barry talks with Washtenaw County commissioner Jason Morgan about that.

Character artists, animators, sound designers, programmers, and coders are just a few of the team members it takes to design and launch a video game.  It takes a lot of hard work and time.  Jeremy Gibson Bond, game designer and professor of practice, game design, and development at MSU, tells Deb Polich and David Fair all about this industry that has evolved exponentially since the days of Pong and Pac-Man on this edition of "creative: impact."  Listen here.

Michigan public health expert and recently appointed Eastern Michigan University regent Jessie Kimbrough-Marshall is working with the University's Family Empowerment Program to make sure residents understand the benefits of being vaccinated for the COVID-19 virus.

Lisa Barry talks with Dr. Kimbrough-Marshall about her recent efforts in area neighborhoods and an online webinar to continue the discussion virtually.

Yodit Mesfin-Johnson has been a community activist all her adult life.  She serves as president adn CEO of  Nonprofit Enterprise at Work (NEW) in Ann Arbor, is active in Black Lives Matter, and is on the board of the United Way of Washtenaw County.  It is her mission to create equity in marginalized communities and put more people of color at leadership tables to ensure diversity and equality in our communities.  In the final Women's History Month edition of "Washtenaw United," WEMU's David Fair talks with Mesfin-Johnson about her life, career, and the foundations she is helping build for future generations.

It was just over a year ago that residents of Michigan were told to “stay home...stay safe” by Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, otherwise referred to as “lockdown” by some people due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Lisa Barry talks with Ann Arbor city administrator Tom Crawford to find out what impact that has had on the city and what else has been going on in City Hall as work continues, despite the global health crisis.

This week, "Art and Soul" is about the performance arts.  Lisa Barry talks with Michigan comedian Bob Phillips about what it has been like for a comedian during this past year of the pandemic.

Eleven women have filed a lawsuit against Eastern Michigan University accusing it of ignoring reports of sexual assault on and around its campus.

David Fair is away this week, but, as they say, the show must go on.  In this week's "Cinema Chat," WEMU's Michael Jewett chats with Michigan Theater Foundation executive director Russ Collins about the latest movie news and all of the new flicks you can check out at Ann Arbor's downtown theaters this weekend.

EMU and U-M's gymnastics teams have a lot to cheer about.  WEMU's Heather Irvine has more.

Michigan State Representative Donna Lasinski has, among other things, stood up for numerous environmental causes.  That includes fighting the Gelman 1-4 dioxane plume to trying to prevent Enbridge Line 5 from causing catastrophic damage to the Great Lakes.  Now, as the top Democrat in the Michigan House of Representatives, Lasinski seeks to help rewrite Michigan's environmental history.  She joined WEMU's David Fair to discuss the present and future she is working to create on this Women's History Month Edition of "Issues of the Environment."

This week, our "On The Ground Ypsi" conversation is about a nearly $2 million gift made to six different Ypsilanti groups and what that means to them.  Lisa Barry and On the Ground Ypsi project manager Sarah Rigg talk with Alison Foreman, executive director of Ypsilanti Meals on Wheels, which was one of the local groups to receive the money.  She shares what they plan to do with the gift and the impact it will have on the community.

Monthly test show a unique PFAS chemical is in the city's water.  WEMU's Heather Irvine has more.

The rate of COVID-19 cases across Michigan has been trending upward recently, and while many people are getting the vaccine, not everyone is on board with the idea.

Lisa Barry talks with Michigan Medicine infectious disease specialist Dr. Sandro Cinti for an update on where we are in the pandemic process and what medical professionals have learned in the past year of this global health crisis.

The U.S. should be awash in the art and culture of its Native Americans, immigrants, and the rest of the world.  Yet, it is dominated by Eurocentric influences.  Knowing that and how art is able to build cultural understanding, the U-M Center for World Performance Studies (CWPS) started 20 years ago to provide an arts and cultural worldview to students, faculty, and local residents.  Ingrid Racine, a CWPS alum and now its program coordinator, takes Deb Polich and David Fair on a global "creative:impact" journey.  Listen here.

Barbara Niess-May has provided a voice for survivors of sexual assault in Washtenaw County for decades.  Currently, she serves as the executive director of SafeHouse Center in Ann Arbor, which provides shelter, counseling, legal help, and other services for such victims.  Niess-May joined WEMU's David Fair to discuss her work, the progress made, and what lays ahead.  

The annual FoolMoon public art and lighting event held in Ann Arbor had to pivot to an online experience last year, shortly after the start of the pandemic.  This year, it is "re-imagined" with an outdoor component meant to support local businesses with the theme "Shine Your Light A2."

Lisa Barry talks with event executive director Jennifer Goulet about what is planned for this year's FoolMoon event.

New laws are needed to protect adults with disabilities from online abuse.  Here's WEMU's Heather Irvine with more.

In President Biden's first 58 days in office, approximately 100 million coronavirus vaccines have been administered.  In the meantime, legislation towards better access to medicare and more electric vehicle production is in the works.  12th District Representative Debbie Dingell is in the middle of all of this and gives her perspective in a chat with WEMU's David Fair.  

This week, "Art and Soul" is about the art of well being.  Lisa Barry talks with Dr. Tony King, an Ann Arbor psychologist, University of Michigan assistant professor of psychiatry, and researcher into several different mindfulness approaches and practices, about dealing with stress and anxiety, which has increased due to the last year in the pandemic.

In this week's "Cinema Chat," WEMU's David Fair and Michigan Theater Foundation executive director Russ Collins discuss the celebration surrounding the  79th Anniversary of the State Theatre in Ann Arbor and all of the Oscar-nominated films playing downtown.  Plus, they welcome Ann Arbor Film Festival executive director Leslie Raymond to discuss this year's virtual event that begins next week! 

Mary Beth Doyle Park is a beautiful and serene area in which to spend time and enjoy the outdoors.  It is appropriately named after environmental advocate and activist Mary Beth Doyle.  She helped bring the Ecology Center to international prominence and improved the health of environment and inspired others to do the same.  WEMU's David Fair checked in with Doyle's mentee, colleague, and friend Rebecca Mueninck from the Ecology Center in Ann Arbor for a Women's History Month rememberance.