Cathy Shafran

A Washtenaw County software development firm is helping families of the dead and missing in Israel find closure. The Ann Arbor company has provided an advanced tool to identify casualties in the Israel-Hamas war. WEMU's Cathy Shafran recently visited the Middle East lab where the DNA forensics work is being done. (Caution: This report contains graphic descriptions)

The fate of the Superintendent of the Ann Arbor Public School District remains undetermined after a nearly five-hour school board meeting Wednesday night. As Cathy Shafran reports, more than 60 people took to the podium to speak out on the potential termination of Dr. Jeanice Swift.

Ypsilanti nonprofits that are set up to help those with food insecurities are seeing an increase in the numbers looking for their assistance. On today's "On the Ground Ypsi," WEMU's Cathy Shafran and Concentrate Media's Rylee Barnsdale discuss how some of those nonprofits are working to address the increased needs with Andrea Kelly, an Eastern Michigan University grad assistant at Swoop's Food Pantry.

The University of Michigan will be spending nearly $80 million to expand the diversity of faculty members in the health science fields. WEMU’s Cathy Shafran has details.

For the fourth Congress in a row, Ann Arbor U.S. Representative Debbie Dingell is pushing a bill that would take on the gun industry. WEMU’s Cathy Shafran has details.

Police in Ann Arbor would no longer be able to pull over motorists for offenses like a broken taillight under an ordinance that received full city council support. As WEMU’s Cathy Shafran reports, it’s a measure aimed at racial equality on the roads.

The newly created Ypsi Fine Arts Club is offering a gathering place for artists to discuss their work, have it reviewed by peers, and even try to sell their work. We learn more about the club in this segment of "On the Ground Ypsi" with your hosts, WEMU's Cathy Shafran and Concentrate Media's Rylee Barnsdale, as they're joined by the club's co-founder, Lynne Settles.

A cybersecurity program at Eastern Michigan University with a nearly 100% job placement rate has received a major grant to grow the program even further. WEMU’s Cathy Shafran has more.

After months of extending a moratorium on new cannabis shops in Ypsilanti, city council will finally be sitting down to discuss how to move forward with future permits. WEMU’s Cathy Shafran explains.

Today - the 19th of June - is the day now recognized nationally as "Juneteenth". It’s the day in 1865 that American slaves received word they were officially freed. But a Washtenaw County racial justice activist is urging the local community to live the spirit of Juneteenth year-round. WEMU’s Cathy Shafran has more.