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You may have noticed there have been some changes in the nature of our weather. Climate change is cited as the reason for some notable changes in precipitation patterns in our corner of the world. What does that tell us about the near- and longer-term future in Washtenaw County? WEMU's David Fair discussed this with Dr. Drew Gronewold, Associate Professor at the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability.

Federal cuts to the USDA are increasing food insecurity throughout the country and right here in Washtenaw County. Local food banks are already feeling the pinch, and those they serve in the community are growing more anxious. WEMU's David Fair talked with Ann Arbor-based Food Gatherers President and CEO Eileen Spring about efforts to offset the cuts and maintain service levels.

New federal policy and direction has changed over the last six months, and you can see the impacts starting to manifest. It’s impacting many service-oriented non-profits and the people they serve. You can count Community Action Network in Washtenaw County among them. WEMU's David Fair spoke to executive director Derrick Miller about the response to funding and DEI program cuts in our community.

It would be a great relief to be independent of worry about oil spills that could contaminate the Great Lakes. But those worries exist among environmentalists and many in our Great Lakes state. Enbridge Energy is moving forward with plans to build a tunnel around its Line 5 pipeline that runs through the Straits of Mackinac. The new director of the University of Michigan Water Center is Dr. Mike Shriberg. He joined WEMU's David Fair and Michigan League of Conservation Voters executive director, Lisa Wozniak, to discuss the implications.

There's still time to catch a good summer flick downtown! WEMU's David Fair chats with Marquee Arts cinema programming director Nick Alderink about the newest films and the latest batch of special screenings coming to Ann Arbor! Plus, the Michigan Theater has something special for any "Deadheads" out there this weekend!

Earlier this year, the Trump Administration announced possible cuts to federal education spending. Research from Ypsilanti was cited to push back against the prospect of eliminating the Head Start early childhood education program for low-income families. The nonprofit, HighScope, has played a major role in making this research more open to the public. Lee Van Roth discusses the findings with HighScope's President and CEO, Dr. Alejandra Barraza.

Between 1995 and 2023, the City of Ann Arbor’s Natural Area Preservation (NAP) division coordinated a continuous butterfly monitoring program using trained community science volunteers. Ludovico Behrendt is an environmental data specialist with NAP and conducted a retrospective analysis of this nearly 30-year dataset. He joined WEMU's David Fair to discuss the findings on the health of butterflies in the area and what it says about the health of the local environment.

Eastern Michigan University created the "Bright Futures" after-school program to provide students area students with homework help and mentoring. It runs all year long. Like many education programs, it is facing uncertainty due to federal budget cuts. Lee Van Roth spoke with "Bright Futures" director Suzie Staley about the benefits of the program and what the future may hold.

We all need a hand-up sometimes. Some of us need a little more. Since 1949, the Washtenaw Association for Community Advocacy has offered that support to those with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). A court decision in 2024 offered a boost in those services and changed the way the state approaches IDD. But the new federal administration’s policy changes and budget cuts put that progress at risk. WEMU's David Fair talked with the association’s President and CEO, Kristen Columbus, about all of it on this week’s "Washtenaw United".

The federal administration has laid off hundreds of staff from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the impact is already being felt locally and in region. Moving forward, there is the potential NOAA's Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab in Ann Arbor could be shut down. WEMU's David Fair spoke with Nicole Rice about where it stands now and where it may be headed. Rice is among those already fired from the lab in Ann Arbor.