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When we talk about creating more equity and opportunity in our community, we may not always be as inclusive as we think we are. For many in the intellectual and developmental disability community, they have no voice at all. Who helps give them a voice and life choices? It's the Washtenaw Association for Community Advocacy. WEMU's David Fair is joined by the association's president and CEO, Kathy Homan, to explore what a tremendous difference it can make to have allies help gain measures of self-determination.

Many area residents don't know that the tangle of shrubs, saplings, and wildflowers on the south side of Prospect Park in Ypsilanti once was the location of a showcase, crescent-shaped pond called Luna Lake. Decades later, it was home to a native plant garden. The garden suffered neglect, especially during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, but area residents and neighborhood association leaders are hoping a public workday in October will provide needed rehabilitation. Rylee Barnsdale discussed the event and its goals with organizer, Rachel Blistein.

Earlier this year, Growing Hope announced the "Sprout Grants" program, which awards funds to organizations that promote self-reliance, self-determination, and food sovereignty through neighborhood gardening. This past September, seven Ypsilanti-area organizations received the inaugural grants, and among them was the Cross Street Village senior living facility. Cross Street community organizer Gwendolyn Copeland talks to Rylee Barnsdale about how they received the grant and their plans for the money.

A recent fire at Recycle Ann Arbor's Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) has raised concerns about what exactly is going into the bins we send to the MRF. Nationally, there are a growing number of fires at such facilities. WEMU's David Fair gets an update from Recycle Ann Arbor CEO Bryan Ukena.

Today is Inauguration Day. President-elect Donald Trump will officially be sworn into office, and immigration reform is at the top of his agenda. There are fears that could result in more profiling of foreign visitors and deportations of immigrants. Those fears are certainly a part of the dialogue among documented and undocumented immigrants in Washtenaw County. WEMU's David Fair spoke with Christine Sauve from the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center about what comes next in our community.

Safe and affordable housing for older residents in Washtenaw County is a growing problem. Additionally, there are clear inequities among race and gender when it comes to elder housing. By 2028, there will more people in Washtenaw County 55 and older than there are under the age of 18. We’ll explore where we are and what programs are being implemented in anticipation of further senior housing issues. Yvonne Cudney from the Housing Bureau for Seniors at the U of M joined WEMU's David Fair for an update on this week’s "Washtenaw United."

The Michigan Attorney General has filed a civil lawsuit against a Wixom-based automotive supplier for allegedly continuing to release harmful chemicals into the Huron River after multiple violations. WEMU's David Fair checked in with Huron River Watershed Council Climate Resilience Strategist, Daniel Brown. They discuss the lawsuit and the ongoing impacts to the health of the Huron River.

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.

The annual Detroit Auto Show opens to the public on January 17th. Electric vehicles are already embedded in local climate policy as a required component of meeting adopted emissions targets. Affordability has become a significant issue, and these cost pressures affect communities differently within Washtenaw County. WEMU's David Fair looked at the impact of EV’s in our community with Charles Griffith from the Ann Arbor-based Ecology Center.

We often ask ourselves how we can make a difference in the health of our environment at home. One of the answers is to build a rain garden. There are now well over 1,000 rain gardens in Washtenaw County as the Water Resources Commissioner's Office has scaled a decentralized network to capture and filter stormwater. It's making a difference, and the effort will expand this year. WEMU's David Fair gets more details in a conversation with Rain Garden Coordinator, Susan Bryan.